《Exclusive Rights to An Online Voice Actor》


 Chapter 1

    <h4>Chapter 1</h4>


    It was just past 3 PM in the afternoon when he got back to his apartment. The zing midday sun was blinding to the eyes.


    Qi Jing closed his eyes. Not because of the ring sunlight but because he barely even had the strength to keep them open. For most of the residents living in the area, it was still during working hours, so the neighbourhood was hushed. It was almost as if the surrounding sounds had evaporated from the heat and became beads of sweat that stuck to his skin.


    Qi Jing lived on the seventh floor. He¡¯d usually take the stairs, but this time, he made an exception and pressed for the lift.


    When the lift doors opened with a ¡®ding¡¯, his ringtone virtually rang at the same time. The two noises sounding simultaneously felt ten times more piercing than usual.


    It was often said that those who suffered from sleep deprivation were extremely sensitive to sounds and that would appear to be true. What¡¯s more, he was standing right in front of a confined space with a great echo effect.


    Qi Jing looked at the phone number disyed on his screen and figured that if he didn¡¯t pick it up now, this phone would probably continue ringing for the next half an hour. It would cause such a din that he wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up on some sleep. If he turned off his phone, the caller would probably appear in person, knocking on his door, within the next hour. Should that happen, he can kiss any form of sleep goodbye.


    Thus, his best and only option was to pick up the call.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Senior! I knew you came back today! You never ever answer your phone when you go on business trips and I didn¡¯t want to bother you during work either. But now that you¡¯re back, I can continue badgering you!¡±


    Qi Jing could already feel the symptoms of his sleep deprivation worsening.


    ¡°Please press 1 if you want to treat me to a meal. Please press 2 if you want me to treat you to a meal. Please press 3 if you want toin about your boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°As much as I want to press 2 and 3, but before that... what should I press for services rted to voice acting?¡±


    ¡°That service is currently unavable. Goodbye,¡± Qi Jing tried to end the call but just as he was about to remove the phone from his ear, a wretched and miserable cry came from the speaker.


    ¡°Senior! Don¡¯t you remember that time I drank with you¡ª¡±


    And there it was, her trump card.


    He sighed in resignation, ¡°Alright, I get it. Just let me sleep for a few hours and I¡¯ll check the messages when I get up.¡±


    Online voice acting, the name of amunity made up of online voice acting enthusiasts.


    Everyone in the circle had their own story and every story has a beginning.


    Qi Jing was no exception.


    Qing Jing worked in the media industry and given the nature of his work, he was destined to dabble extensively in the 2D world. From public forums to personal blogs, from serious academic journals to all kinds of strange, ridiculous gossip posts. He would scroll through them whenever he had the time and he was pretty willing to try out new things.


    During the advent of Weibo, a microblogging tform, he had already created a personal ount and invited many of the friends around him to join. During the first two to three years, he would simply check out the news on current affairs or follow some celebrities in the industry. Sometimes, when he was in the mood, he would even jot down some interesting anecdotes about his life. Until one day, when his junior from his university days @ him on Weibo.


    When he opened the app, it turned out to be a popr Weibo post with a considerable amount of reposts. The title of that post was, ¡°Please @ the person with the sexiest voice that you know of to record an rm ringtone~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~¡±


    Sexy? The moment his eyes scanned the title, the sides of his mouth couldn¡¯t help but twitch into a smile.


    He had been working at a TV station for six years. Although his main job wasn¡¯t that of a radio host, he hase into contact with quite a few voice-rted jobs. Basically, Qi Jing had an immunity towards his own voice and didn¡¯t have the ability to evaluate his voice. And no one¡¯s ever made such ament about his voice before when he was in school. He never would¡¯ve thought that little girl had such thoughts.


    ¡°I saw that post where you mentioned me. You aren¡¯t thinking of cheating on your boyfriend with me, are you? Your boyfriend is part of the armed police force, I don¡¯t want to die an iplete corpse,¡± He called her and said half-jokingly which resulted in a scoff from the other end of the line.


    ¡°Please, I don¡¯t wanna straighten the bent.¡±


    Qi Jing is actually a reallyposed and straightforward person. He came out of the closet very early and very calmly at that. And didn¡¯t hide it from his friends.


    Something like that needn¡¯t be hidden from true friends; those he had to hide from were no friends of his.


    It was that line that caused his junior to cry so hard her face was covered in tears and snot. She stayed up all night drinking with him and ended up getting so sick the next day, she cooped up in her room vomiting. She threw up so much she felt like her world had turned dark and almost cked out. And till this day, she still mes him for destroying that image of a cultureddy that she worked so hard to create.


    As such, whenever she needs something from him, thatss would whip out her ssic opener, ¡°Don¡¯t you remember that time I drank with you¡±.


    ¡°Senior! Don¡¯t you remember that time I drank with you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll record it for you.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    Qi Jing had always been a man of his word and just as he had promised, he recorded a wake-up call for his junior that night. He had only done it just for the hell of it, to join in the fun. What he didn¡¯t expect was for her to upload it onto the, publishing it on Weibo.


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: ¨R¨Œ¨Q AaaaAaaah! My senior @Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t answer actually recorded a wake-up ringtone for me! It¡¯s so freaking sexy!! Everyone hurry over and have a listen!! <i>@Ninthdy @Rolling ball of Meows @inclothes with vermillion embroidery @Bumpy, not Indented @I won¡¯t survive if I don¡¯t procrastinate</i>!!


    <i>inclothes with vermillion embroidery</i>: Mark! I¡¯m in ss, I¡¯ll listen when I get back!


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: ( ¡Ño¡Ñ) Wowowowow that voice... It¡¯s so sexy! (Pounding on the ground)


    <i>in vermillion embroidered clothes</i>: Really?? As someone who currently has no ess to aputer, I am filled with jealousy and envy!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: ...I¡¯ve finished listening to it... All I have to say is, Freak, he really sounds like my life¡¯s core!!


    <i>Bumpy, not Indented</i>: ©V_©V


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: You understand me Bumpy!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    <i>Bumpy, not Indented</i>: ©V_©V Your life¡¯s core has already retired from the circle for many years. Wake up.


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: Stupid ass! Don¡¯t remind me!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: Pfft, patting Little Ninth. Now now, don¡¯t cry, time to get up! ¨Rw¨Q


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: Grab hold of Bamboo Shoots!! Aaaaaah, I want to hook up with your senior!! Hook me up with him, aaaaAaaah! Is he part of themunity? Does he voice act? Doing covers is good too! Shit, he really sounds too simr to my life¡¯s core!


    Since he was mentioned in the post, he clicked into thements out of curiosity and when he read till that point, he couldn¡¯t help butugh. It would appear to be quite unwise to continue drinking his coffee in front of hisputer.


    He met this junior when they took the same Media and Communications ss in university. At that time, he already knew how passionate she was about broadcasting and dubbing. She also seemed to frequently mix herself in withmunities that shared her interests online. After graduation, several alumni from the same city would asionally have small gatherings and he would often hear her talk about the goings-on in the online voice actingmunity. Hence why he had a brief understanding of the terms they used.


    Although he had a general understanding of what they were talking about, this was the first time he had be the centre of a topic for discussion.


    And so, he put his coffee aside and made a reply with a smile.


    <i>Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t ask</i>: Haha, thanks for yourments, I feel quite embarrassed being called sexy.


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: Senior!! ¨R0¨Q


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: !! Holy heck!! He replied!! Please hook up with me Senior!!


    <i>Bumpy, not Indented</i>: ©V_©V


    <i>iCookie</i>: I just got home. Seems like I¡¯ve missed a good show ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ... Ninth, who are you trying to hook up with?


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: She¡¯s trying to hook up with my senior hehehe. Little cookie, hurry go have a listen! The link is on top!! Go listen!


    <i>iCookie</i>: I¡¯m listening... I have to say the sexiness is just off the charts! I kinda understand Ninth¡¯s feelings now, pfft...


    <i>inclothes with vermillion embroidery</i>: Reading all yourments really makes me wanna w at the wall. This mobile phone user can¡¯t take it ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    <i>I won¡¯t survive if I don¡¯t procrastinate</i>: Mobile phone user can¡¯t take it +1


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: I¡¯ve been looping it over and over again. The more I listen, the more he sounds like a younger version of Lord Qiu (£þ¨Œ£þ)~*


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: I know right? You think so too right, Meows!!


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: Yep yep, but Bamboo Shoots¡¯ senior¡¯s voice is clearer, Lord Qiu¡¯s voice sounds huskier.


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: It¡¯s such a pity that my life¡¯s core retired so soon... (Wailing)


    <i>I won¡¯t survive if I don¡¯t procrastinate</i>: Ninthdy¡¯s life core Kuaima Qingqiu?? So that¡¯s the kind of voice you like.


    <i>Bumpy, not Indented</i>: ©V_©V She has too many life cores.


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: Get lost, Bumpy! (Continues wailing)


    <i>Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t answer</i>: Haha, you guys are so interesting. You make me feel like trying my hand at voice acting.


    In less than two minutes after he sent out that reply, his phone that was ced on the table immediately started to ring. When he picked it up, as he thought it was from Ning Xiaoxiao, his junior and the owner of the ID March Bamboo Shoots.


    ¡°Senior, you¡¯re just kidding around, are you?¡± that girl said all seriously, but was unable to hide the faint traces of excitement leaking out of her voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m not kidding. I found it quite interesting when I saw your friends chat.¡±


    ¡°Senior, go and refresh that page for a bit. That reply of yours almost made Little Ni¡ª Basically the one called <i>Ninth Lady</i> on Weibo. She almost went crazy from excitement. She was aggressively poking me on QQ just now, saying that I absolutely have to drag you in.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t really mind,¡± Qi Jing chuckled.


    Back when he was a student, he had chosen to do scriptwriting and studied the history of Western drama. Usually, he would watch movies and write film reviews so he did have a fair amount of interest in performing.


    ¡°Then... I¡¯m going to sell you, alright?¡±


    If one could illustrate the state of a person¡¯s voice, Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s current appearance would definitely be a beast with eyes shining brightly, staring at her prey while constantly swallowing her saliva. Yet this beast still wanted to disguise itself as a little rabbit, the particrly innocent and harmless kind.


    ¡°Go ahead and sell me. Besides, my rate goes by the minute.¡±


    Unfortunately for her, her opponent was someone who had never lost in a battle of verbal teasing.


    ¡°Senior...¡± Ning Xiaoxiao sounded like she was about to tear up; her voice sounded especially moving through the phone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry, turn your sadness into cravings. Then, when you sell by weight, you¡¯ll definitely be able to profit,¡± Qi Jing also happened to be an expert in the area of kicking someone when they are down.


    ¡°Senior...¡± being hit on a sore spot, the level of sorrow oozing from Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s voice escted, ¡°Senior, have mercy...¡±


    Just as Qi Jing was about to continue poking fun at her, he suddenly received a notification for a friend request on QQ. When he clicked open the application, the person requesting was that ¡®Ninthdy¡¯ from Weibo.


    ¡°Little Ninth asked for your QQ so I gave it to her. She¡¯s added you, hasn¡¯t she?¡±


    You¡¯re so efficient,¡± Qi Jing said with a smile while shaking his head. Thisss, her fingers sure do move faster than her mouth. She hadpletely mastered the art of doing before asking for permission.


    And thus, <i>Ninthdy</i> became the first producer he met when he first joined themunity. She was also the first to ask for his ID for voice acting.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date,¡± after some contemtion, that was the answer he gave her.


    In the following years after that, <i>Ninthdy</i> would often start small talk about two things with whoever she met.


    The first, being the thing she regretted the least ever since she joined themunity¡ªher sessful coboration with the VA known as <i>Don¡¯t ask when I¡¯m returning</i>.


    The second, being the thing she regretted the most ever since she joined themunity¡ªagreeing to him using the ID, <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>.


    Should rookie producers be fortunate enough to meet this senior and listen to her ramblings, they woulde to understand just how cruel the real meaning behind that name was. All their fragile ss hearts would be broken into a thousand pieces, or worse, ground to dust.


    True to its name, <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>, the owner of that ID would go missing for at least six months out of an entire year.


    Just by seeing that ID would break part of the producers¡¯ hearts. The rest of it would bepletely broken by his QQ signature:


    <i>¡®1. Those rushing for me to send my recordings please see ID.</i>


    <i>2. Those rushing me for retakes please see point 1.¡¯</i>


    ¡°I really regret it,¡± those four words had gradually be <i>Ninthdy¡¯s</i> mantra whenever she chatted with Qi Jing.


    With Qi Jing¡¯s exceptional ability to adapt to thenguage used in themunity, he had changed his exnation from the initial, straightforward ¡°Busy with work¡± to ¡°The 3D world is hard¡±.


    Those were in fact, not excuses but the truth.


    Compared to local TV stations, provincial TV stations provided wider coverage of news, so naturally, the workload would also go up proportionally. Every time they are met with non-local breaking news, thepany would have to send someone on an urgent business trip down to the scene. Single men like Qi Jing who neither had a family nor kids were the most susceptible to being chosen.


    In July, as the temperature rose, so did the amount of rainfall.


    The continuous heavy rainfall in the province would result in traffic congestions which would further lead to idents happening. For example, the location that he went to for this business trip had experienced arge-scalendslide. He, alongside several colleagues on the interview team, had to follow army vehicles on a 12-hour long bumpy ride in order to get to the locations. Not only did they get drenched in muddy water, the conditions of their amodations were also pretty bad. Afterbouring for half a month, he could finally go home.


    When he left for the business trip, he had left his house too hastily and ended up forgetting to draw the windows in his bedroom. The afternoon sun shone through the window, forming scorching hot bright spots of light on the solid wood flooring. Walking over those areas caused him to wince as his toes cramped up from the sting.


    ¡°So hot...¡±


    Qi Jing threw his briefcase on theputer chair and drew the curtains, hoping that the shade would provide a trace of coolness. But it couldn¡¯t be helped that the back of his shirt had already soaked through with sweat. The tacky feeling all over his body made him pretty ufortable, so he reached around for the air-con remote on his bedside table while undoing his shirt. Once he changed into a set of clean clothes, he wearily plopped himself onto bed, feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over him.


    When he first entered the industry, the seniors once told him that there are times where, despite feeling extremely fatigued, you somehow wouldn¡¯t be able to fall asleep. And Qi Jing had been experiencing that a lot in recent years.


    To quote a statement posted on his Weibo, the quality of his sleep was as bad as the level of food hygiene within the country.


    On his way back, he would doze off from time to time, but right now, he¡¯s been lying in bed for ten minutes and there still wasn¡¯t any hint of his body going to sleep. So Qi Jing decided to get up and turn on hisputer instead.


    Due to his job requirements, he usually brought thepany-assignedptop with him whenever he went on business trips, and would only use his personal one when he was home.


    He¡¯s been away for over two weeks, there was probably a terriblyrge amount of messages waiting for him.


    Just as expected, when he logged into QQ, the penguin at the bottom right corner of the screen was instantly attacked by a dozen different avatars. The notifications kept beeping for a while, to the point where he could even feel theputer freeze for ten seconds.


    Virtually every single message came from the group of friends categorised under ¡°producers¡±.


    And essentially every single message contained some form of crying QQ emote.


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>-sama!! That¡¯s precisely what I¡¯m asking for!! Your return date!! Don¡¯t ask me not to ask!! TAT


    <i>M.E.E.</i>: If you have the ability to go missing, you have the ability to send in your recordings! Don¡¯t hide behind your QQ invisible status, I know you¡¯re online! Will it kill you to just give me a reply! Will it! (Crying bitter tears)


    <i>Prospective prime minister</i>: ...Your... grace... please... send... your... recordings... (Cries)


    <i>Fried cake</i>: I¡¯m gonna be dead if you don¡¯t show up, Return date! ¨i©n¨i


    ......


    ......


    ......


    35 unread QQ emails, 128 unread messages, 999+ unread messages from group chats...


    Just the sight of this purged any thought of logging into his Weibo ount anymore.


    In contrast, his junior¡¯s ghastly appearance as a hounding demon from just now actually seemed a lot more pleasant.


    Lilies: I had a lot of fun while reading but while tranting... cry die me lollol


    Anyways, I hope you¡¯ll like this story^^

 Chapter 2

    <h4>Chapter 2</h4>


    Please read the pop-up trantor¡¯s notes _(¡ä?`¡¹ ¡Ï)_


    It waste into the night.


    He couldn¡¯t remember how he fell asleep. All he could remember was waking up twice in the few hours that he was asleep, setting a new record low for his average sleep quality.


    The first time he woke up was to the sound of a resident from downstairs humming an out of tune melody while cooking. That family was probably having Szechuan style braised pork for dinner based on the tingly and numbing smelling from the direction of the sound.


    The second time he woke up was from his stomach cramping up and had to get up to search through the drawers for the medicine to curb it.


    Irregr sleep.


    Irregr diet.


    Qi Jing thought to himself that if he went to voice act for a sickly character right now, it would surely sound very realistic.


    After being out for half a month, the foods in his fridge were basically inedible. However, it was not like he just order in at 2 AM in the morning. Qi Jing felt his world spinning when he got up; it was probably due to low blood sugar. After taking a shower, he dug out the only packets of biscuits he had at home and ate them as a form of temporary recharge.


    He turned off the air-con and opened the windows to let the air in.


    There were hardly any stars to be found in the night skies above the city and tonight was no exception. It was all just a patch of endless darkness, perfect for all kinds of negative thoughts to fill the mind.


    Like for example, the time when he just came out of the closet.


    For example, the unease he felt when he became aware of his sexual orientation.


    Thoughpared to back then, the current him had gotten over it. The only thoughts that would appear in his head wereughable, like this one: <i>a time like this where one could virtually hear a pin drop falling, without any disturbances; it¡¯s perfect for recording.</i> Perhaps that was the reason why he still stuck with his hobby of voice acting no matter how busy he was in real life. There was a sense of belonging which closed the gate on all these negative thoughts.


    Inparison to him, hisputer was sound asleep.


    Qi Jing actually felt a sh of jealousy towards hisputer.


    The window to the QQ chat was still opened. Qi Jing decided to reply to all his private messages first before getting ready to scan through the chat history of the groups he was in.


    Typically speaking, a voice actor wouldn¡¯t go through every single message in the group chat, but he would.


    It was in his name after all. He perfectly embodied the meaning of a talkaholic.


    His parents clearly had a lot of foresight when they gave him that name as he was indeed someone with a love for words and chatting. Usually, due to his vast knowledge which spanned across various fields and him collecting news materials as part of his job, there was a never-ending list of topics that he could talk about. Even if he wasn¡¯t present at the point in time, he would often check the chat records afterward.


    What¡¯s interesting was not the gossip itself.


    What¡¯s interesting was him personally opening the pandora¡¯s box when everyone thought he didn¡¯t know. Oh, their confounded expressions.


    Just as he was about to go through them one by one, from top to bottom, he suddenly received a notification. There was a beep alongside the bouncing group icon at the bottom right corner of his screen.


    Group Name: Gradually inching towards quitting themunity


    This wasn¡¯t a group chat for production crews, but one of his few groups dedicated to casual small-talk with the friends he¡¯s made within the circle. Plus, the admin of the group was a close friend of his.


    He raised an eyebrow at the notification and moved his cursor to open it.


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: Ever since I joined the time-difference gang, I always miss the times when everyone is online. Such torture ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: I¡¯m here too, Ninth ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: Meows! I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re burning the midnight oil, working on your designs again, aren¡¯t you?


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: (Plopped onto the floor) Yes... the life of a design intern is too hard for you toprehend...


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: Pfft, all those that do design have a tough life.


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: What time is it over there?


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: Almost noon.


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: Pfft, you have the time toe online in the middle of the day? Don¡¯t you have ss?


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: It¡¯s the summer holidays over here, pfft. I¡¯m currently helping out around theb for my Boss¡¯ research. But the Boss is away for a seminar and I¡¯m done running all the tests so I¡¯m quite free right now.


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: I see. Everyone else is asleep. Looks you¡¯re the only one who can apany me here, Ninth (¡ä¤Ø`¡¢ )


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: If there¡¯s anyone else online, please tweet.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Tweet.


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: !!


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: !!


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: Heck! You¡¯re back, Return date!


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Un, I just woke up ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: Return date!! Please send hugs! Sendfort! Send some welfare! (o >__<)


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: (Smiles) There, there. Picks up the ball of meows and puts back into the basket. Even balls of fluff have to have a ball of fluff¡¯s work etiquette. Hurry back to work.


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: Runs away in tears ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: You just woke up?? What kind of messed up sleep schedule is this ¦²(¡ã¡÷¡ã|||)¦õ


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: (Looks to the sky) My sleep schedule has been messed up for many years...


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: I really regret it...


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Stop!! Hold it right there and don¡¯t say any more (((£þ__£þo )~


    Back then when he first got to know <i>Ninthdy</i>, she was still an undergraduate student in China. She had plenty of time on her hands and would often spend it working on dramas. Although she was rtively young within the circle, she was more experienced and seniorpared to many others. The first few audio dramas that Qi Jing did were all produced by her along with his junior as the scriptwriter. Their names would often appear on the same credits scene and would eventually evene to be known as the ¡®Three Seven Nine¡¯bo.


    However, <i>Ninthdy</i> told him that it would be hard for a CV to improve if he stuck with the same crew.


    And so, Qi Jing no longer limited his options to just his friend circles. He was willing to experiment and would pick up scripts as long as it interested him. Though of course, provided that the voice required wasn¡¯t beyond him.


    Ever since <i>Ninthdy</i> headed to the West to study abroad, she could no longer keep up with the time and energy required in the currentmunity to put out new shows. She¡¯s basically in a half-retired state. She didn¡¯t have any new projects nned and the only projects she had in her hands were two longer serial audio dramas which she was slowly trying to finish. Most of the STAFF he got to know from the earlier days were much like <i>Ninthdy</i>, busy with their lives and didn¡¯t have many new ns in the making.


    Hence, it was quite urate for the name of their group to be called, &#k2018;Gradually inching towards quitting themunity¡¯.


    Sometimes, if a few of them were online, they¡¯d usually have casual small-talk, asking how they¡¯re doing, grumbling about their superiors, basically cordial chats about anything under the sun.


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: A few days ago, someone kept knocking at my door, asking if I could contact you. I told her I¡¯m from the time-difference gang, there¡¯s nothing I can do...


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I can see that happening... When I came back from work and opened my QQ, I felt like I suffered from some internal trauma just from the sheer number of messages.


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: I really regret it... I don¡¯t even dare tell anyone that the famous ¡®God of ying Dead¡¯ was brought in by me.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask me for my return date</i>: Pfft, wait a minute, when did I be God-level?


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: Well, putting voice acting aside, you¡¯re pretty godly at ying dead =¡£=


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: Haha, peeking out to interject, I think there are actually quite a lot of people who like Return date. There are quite a few CV rmendation lists with your name on it. You can already be considered as a well-liked CV~


    <i>Don¡¯t ask me for my return date</i>: (Laughs) Please, I¡¯m just a little nobody, forever transparent.


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: Please, you¡¯re no nobody, it¡¯s just that you have too little works where you¡¯re one of the main leads which is why your presence seems very low ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    <i>Don¡¯t ask me for my return date</i>: Because I really don¡¯t have the time.


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: Plus you¡¯re picky.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask me for my return date</i>: I¡¯m not that picky. It¡¯s just that if the plot or the lines are too embarrassing that it makes me ‡å I will definitely burst outughing when recording XDDD


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: Oh yeah, speaking of scripts, did you ept that mafia drama from Rouge? She even came to me to urge you to do a recording, shamelessly doing all sorts of stunts and acting cute. She seemed so pitiful, pfft. Rouge said that she¡¯s sent the script to your inbox since a long time ago. Just give her a reply if you see it.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask me for my return date</i>: I have too many unread emails... Give me some time to organise it a bit _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    In Qi Jing¡¯s QQ inbox, he had specialbels set up for drama rted mails. Thesebels include ¡°Producer¡¯s invitations¡±, ¡°epted dramas¡±, ¡°Retakes¡±, ¡°Posting drama announcements¡± and ¡°Others¡±.


    He had the habit of organising the unread mails into the various categories based on the subject title first before reading them. Then, he would also add them into the list on Excel with the details such as the drama name and date he received the email to make it more convenient for him to record in sequence. If there¡¯s a crew that needed his recordings very urgently, he would star that email. And would try to make time to record when he¡¯s out on business trips for news interviews.


    <i>Rouge Flower</i> was a rookie producer. She¡¯s a student with quite a few ideas up in her mind. She¡¯s currently looking to cast him as the Shou in the modern drama about the rtionship between a policeman and a mafioso.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask me for my return date</i>: I found the email. It¡¯s the one called¡¶Trap¡·right?


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: Pfft, yeah, that¡¯s the one. I¡¯ve read the original work, the development of the plot in theter part of the story is actually pretty good. It¡¯s just that there¡¯ll probably be a lot of S.M scenes at the front. I never thought you would take on a drama like that.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask me for my return date</i>: Haha, that¡¯s because people rarely ask me to voice Shou characters.


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: Pfft, that¡¯s the only reason?


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: Puahaha! Return date is gonna voice a Shou? Then they¡¯ll have to find a Gong with a 0.8 and above strong and intimidating Emperor-ss sounding Gong voice to overpower you!


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: (Facepalm) There are already so little Gongs within the circle, yet she wants to force a Gong to be a Shou? Oh my goodness.


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: Actually, there are quite a number of Gongs, but there are few with that pompous, shrewd yboy voice like Return date~


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I¡¯m too restricted by the way my voice sounds...


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: Haha, it¡¯s very distinct! (*£þ¨Œ£þ*)


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: Pfft, it¡¯s actually not that good to be too distinct, you end up being tied down by all these restrictions and fetters.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I know right? I often receive emails asking if I can take on the drama, then when I open it up, the characters I receive are basically all those devilishly charming yboys with principles that spend money like water. Other than courting the little Shou, the only thing they know how to say is, ¡°Ah, the weather has gotten cold, let¡¯s bankrupt the Wang Group¡± or something of the like.


    <i>Ninth Lady</i>: Devilishly charming yboys with principles! HAHAHAHA! (Pounding on the table)


    <i>Rolling ball of Meows</i>: Let¡¯s bankrupt the Wang Group! HAHAHA I¡¯m going to dieughing! Save me!


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: ¨r£¨£þ¨Œ£þ¡±£©¨q


    In the online voice acting world, the first impression people can have of you is your voice.


    Qi Jing¡¯s voice could basically be summarised in four phrases¡ªsexy, elegant, rich second generation and Gong.


    Even Qi Jing was kind of embarrassed to say that he¡¯s just an ordinary reporter working in a public institution. His monthly sry was so low it could lower the average monthly ie of the working ss.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take away people¡¯s joy of fantasising.¡±


    That was something that the few people who know the truth can agree to.


    Qi Jing could count the number of shows he¡¯s been in with him as the one of the leads with one hand. If he included his other roles as the supporting characters or minor characters with barely a few lines, he¡¯s done dozens of dramas in the past three years. But if someone were to make aption of all the roles he¡¯s acted in, they would find out that they were all virtually the same.


    In period dramas: Emperor X5, various princes, dukes, royalty, etc X16. Going down the ranks, the various ministers X9, rich merchants, and sons from distinguished families X4.


    In modern dramas: More than half of it were presidents, managers or directors and the rest of it were all nightclub owners.


    That¡¯s right, nightclub owners.


    And in the script for the new drama that <i>Rouge Flower</i> sent him, he lived up to everyone¡¯s expectations and opened yet another nightclub.


    ¡°Do I really seem like the type to open nightclubs?¡± Qi Jing muttered to himself while leaning onto the backrest of his chair and scrolling on his mouse. After reading through the script from beginning to the end, he couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    Qi Jing had actually roughly read through the novel prior to epting the role. The drama kept the same settings of the story which was set in the underworld. The character he ys manages a nightclub under the Mafia. On the surface, it¡¯s a ce of entertainment to earn funds for the Mafia¡¯s activities, but in reality, it also serves as a location for illegal transactions.


    The other lead in the story was a policeman, who¡¯s in charge of keeping an eye on this nightclub. So naturally, the policeman woulde to have various interactions with his character.


    Simply put, this story had been urately summed up by its tags: two strong leads, police x criminal, love-hate rtionship, angsty love story.


    Just as <i>Ninthdy</i> mentioned, the first episode opens with three acts and there really was one scene with S.M.


    In one of those listiclespiling the styles of various CVs, his voice was once evaluated as ¡°noble and elegant with a hint of scummy feel to it¡±. Thus, even though he hadn¡¯t really voiced many dramas with S.M in them, in theory, he should fit perfectly into the archetype. However, the thing was, he had only done the Gong perspective for the dramas with S.M, this will be the first time he¡¯s doing it from the Shou perspective.


    In the invitation letter from <i>Rouge Flower</i>, she specifically emphasised, ¡°Please use your max Gong aura to release all the phermones!¡±


    And at the end of the email, she also added a long chain of emoticons with sparkly eyes to express her infinite expectations for him.


    ¡ªIt somehow felt kinda amazing, though he didn¡¯t quite get it.


    Qi Jing gave her a brief reply and also exined why he went missing for half a month.


    Other than that, since the production crew wished for him to go onto YY to listen to the Director going through the scenes with him before the official start of the recording process. They want him to run through some scenes with the other voice actor and get a feel of their dynamic. So he was thinking of asking the producer to arrange the meeting as soon as possible, preferably during these few days while he still has some breathing space. Otherwise, he doesn¡¯t know how long they¡¯ll have to wait before he has the time.


    There was still some time before the sun came up so he quickly did the recording for dramas with a few lines or those that needed his recordings more urgently, and responded to all the crews all at once.


    All of them would probably be so moved that he would receive a bunch of crying emoticons with tears rolling in streams down their face like this, ¡®TT_TT¡¯.


    Just as he was about to turn off hisputer and go down to get some breakfast, <i>Rouge Flower¡¯s</i> QQ profile picture lit up right when he moved his cursor onto the ¡®shut down¡¯ button.


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: AAaaaah what did I just see!! Return date-sama!! You¡¯ve returned!! TAT


    ¡°Pfft,¡± a burst ofughter identally escaped his lips and he started doubling over in front of hisputer for a while. He had been recording for three hours just now so the corners of his mouth were a little stiff. This was precisely the exercise he needed to loosen up his facial muscles.


    Alright, although it wasn¡¯t ¡®TT_TT¡¯ kind of thick noodle tears, but it was also a type of noodle tear. Let¡¯s just call it thin noodle tears.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: How early of you ^£ß^


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: Awoooo I have a habit of checking my QQ whilezing around in bed... (Covers face in embarrassment)


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: So sorry for holding back the production crew for so long, the 3D world is really too tough.


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: No! Problem! It¡¯s good enough that you replied! /(¨Òo¨Ò)/~~


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: With regards to doing a test-run of the scenes, I hope Ms Rouge can find a time within these few days. Due to the nature of my work, I¡¯m not sure when¡¯s the next time I have to leave. I¡¯m afraid I may have to leave again after two days.


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: Roger that!! Most of us are students so it¡¯s quite easy for us to find time. It¡¯s just that it may be a little harder to arrange with Gong-kun, but I¡¯ll ask.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Ok, thanks for your hard work (¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: (¨R//v//¨Q) Sama is actually acting cute!! Ah, my eyes have been blessed!! Oh right, can I add you into the group with the rest of the crew?


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Haha, sure.


    Qi Jing realised that thedies within the circle all had one thing inmon¡ªtheir super-fast fingers.


    His message had only just been sent out and he already received a prompt from the system, the invitation for him to join the QQ group, which read: <i>Your friend Rouge Flowers has invited you to join the group ¡°¡¶Trap¡·Production Crew¡±.</i>


    He didn¡¯t think there would be this many people online so early in the morning, he had clearly underestimated the ratio of the students, who are always on their phones, in themunity.


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Ladies,e on out and wee Return date-sama! ~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~


    <i>Publicity ¨C Onion</i>: Holy heck!


    <i>Designer ¨C</i><i>Cloud chip cake</i>: Holy heck!


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: Holy heck!¡¾Actually I wanted to say, ¡®Pounce on him!¡±, but I can¡¯t mess up the formation!¡¿


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: I¡¯m awake! Return date-greatgreat mua! ¨ß(¨R3¨Q)¨Ï


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Pfft, Knife cuts, you messed up the formation~


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Haha, just call me Return date, you don¡¯t have to add those ¡®greatgreat¡¯ or ¡®bigbig¡¯ or whatever.


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: Saying what ¡°great big¡± so early in the morning, huhu you¡¯re making me shy... o(*¡Ý¨Œ¡Ü)¥Ä


    <i>Publicity ¨C Onion</i>: Pfft! Stop it, Puppet!


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Stop it, Puppet! +1 ¡¾So annoying, but my mind drifted off in that direction as well¡¿


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Sorry, it¡¯s because I voiced too many Gongs, I got used to it. ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: Save me!! My lord, are you acting cute??


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: He¡¯s definitely acting cute!


    <i>Designer ¨C Cloud chip cake</i>: Acting cute with a super Gong aura! ><


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Super Gong aura +1


    <i>Publicity ¨C Onion</i>: Super Gong aura +2


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: Super Gong aura +3


    <i>Director: Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: Super Gong aura +10086... But I have to remind you that you¡¯re voicing a Shou here~


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: (Covers mouth and smiles)


    <i>Designer ¨C Cloud chip cake</i>: (Covers mouth and smiles)


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: (Laughs wickedly)


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: (Smiles) Is your Gong lead in this group as well?


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Not... yet... I¡¯ve been contacting <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>-sama through Weibo DMs. I haven¡¯t managed to add him on QQ. I plead guilty, I know I¡¯m a shitty producer... TAT


    <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>?


    Qi Jing was a little dumbfounded by what he just saw.


    Wasn¡¯t that guy a pretty legendary CV?

 Chapter 3

    <h4>Chapter 3</h4>


    ¡°Bronze Sparrow Terrace? Are you being legit?¡±


    One could tell just how shocked Ning Xiaoxiao was by what she just heard just from that Kentucky fried chicken that fell off from her trembling hands onto the table.


    First was her screaming, followed by her dropping her food. It was unprecedented for Ning Xiaoxiao to make these two udylike actions in public, which goes to show just how into this CV she was.


    Her armed policeman boyfriend became visibly restless as his face turned green.


    Qi Jing tried to contain hisughter and very gentlemanly picked up the piece of fried chicken that his junior dropped on the table. He then ced it on the boyfriend¡¯s te and said with a smile, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t waste food, right?¡±


    That armed policeman boyfriend had heard of Qi Jing¡¯s sexual orientation from Ning Xiaoxiao. In his girlfriend¡¯s words, ¡°The probability of Senior going after you is much higher than him chasing me,¡± as such he wasn¡¯t hostile to Qi Jing. However, being teased by the other party when he knows that he¡¯s gay still caused the youngd¡¯s face to change from green to red as he scratched his head rather shyly.


    This time, it was Ning Xiaoxiao who turned green.


    <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> was a CV truly deserving of being called Godly.


    To be able to invite him into their crew was no doubt regarded as the highlight of a producer¡¯s career within themunity.


    ordingly, this CVes from a professional voice acting background, so needless to say, the quality of his voice was really good, He¡¯s also received rave reviews for his sense for getting into character. Although he joined the circleter than Qi Jing, most of the dramas he voiced as the lead were all adaptations for hot and trending novels. Coupled with a famous STAFF team, he quickly shot up the ranks to be one of the big shots in themunity.


    ¡°My ears are gonna get pregnant,¡± a phrase the fans often say.


    The maism of his august Gong voice which reminds one of a dignified emperor was really attractive to adolescent young girls. He even had many fans amongst the working ss age group and was one of the male CVs regarded as an idol within the circle.


    When talking about this ¡°Godly¡± title, one would definitely have to bring up some statistics.


    Just byparing the number of followers on Weibo alone, for someone like Qi Jing who was a little famous, his followers only amount to one-tenth that of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>. Not to mention the six whole fan groups under him¡ªthe official VIP one with 1000 people and the other knock-off groups with 500 people.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s clear to see how big his fan base was.


    He¡¯s in the official group and there are two chairpersons running the group.


    One of the chairwomen set her ID as ¡°Da Qiao¡± and the other followed suit, calling herself, ¡°Xiao Qiao¡±. They were without a doubt, alluding to the phrase ¡°Tong Que Chun Shen Suo Er Qiao¡±, which goes to show how much they wish to lock him in their harem, the perfect example of a lovestruck fan.


    All in all, Ning Xiaoxiao concluded Qi Jing¡¯s situation in a single sentence, ¡°Senior, you¡¯vended on something good.¡±


    As a CV, if he yed as a CP with the Godly <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>, putting aside the fact that the show would garner lots of attention and be on trending, his fame would surely rise. This was the perfect opportunity for a breakthrough.


    ¡°Something like fame, I don¡¯t really care about it. We¡¯ll just see how it goes,¡± Qi Jing said with a tone just as calm as his expression. But it caused Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s brows to crease up together, ¡°Senior, what are you talking about? Your junior here has been in this circle for so long, I¡¯ve heard countless voices. Given your conditions, there¡¯s no reason for you to stay unknown, it¡¯s just that your 3D life is too busy and you have too little dramas as the main lead. In the past, you¡¯ve also rejected it when Ninth and the others wanted to create a fan group for you. This is such a good opportunity, as long as you seize it, more people will definitelye to like you!¡±


    What Ning Xiaoxiao said was true.


    There were several CVs that became famous overnight after forming a CP with him on a drama. One of the most representative of that lot was the Shou CV, <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>¡¯


    , who was currently in the centre of attention. Because he yed the Shou in one of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> more popr works, he became so hot everyone wanted a piece of him, and had an endless stream of works waiting for him. The ¡°Moss¡± ship between him and <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> also became one of the hottest topics on the forum.


    The few other Shou CVs whose poprity skyrocketed also had simr experiences. Even if they didn¡¯t manage to be a popr CP, all their other works would also ride on the coattails of the sessful coboration and garner lots of attention from fans.


    And of course, the production crew would be more than happy about this kind of celebrity effect.


    ¡°Bronze Sparrow Terrace is very god¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know he¡¯s very godly, I do frequently scroll through the forums and read up on some gossip,¡± Qi Jing cut off Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯smenting sigh just in time.


    The amount of gossip he¡¯s seen might even be more extensive than her.


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t your crew¡¯s producer quite impressive? She even managed to bring in someone so legendary to y as one of the leads,¡± Ning Xiaoxiao tried to express her excitement from another angle.


    ¡°Look at what you¡¯re saying, you¡¯re making me feel pretty embarrassed for being in that team now,¡± Qi Jing chuckled, ¡°Ms producer really shouldn¡¯t have asked a nobody like me to partner up with a legend. Not only would I hold them back, I will also lower the attention people have for the show.¡±


    Hearing his words, Ning Xiaoxiao immediately red daggers at him and pinched his forearm, ¡°Senior, did you even listen to a single word that I said just now!¡±


    Whenever his junior transforms into a demon, the best course of action was to avoid talking back to her, ¡°I did, I listened.¡±


    ¡°Even if you¡¯re not popr now, you surely will be once you¡¯re done with this drama!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡±


    ¡°Once you be acquainted with that legend through this production crew, then I¡¯ll be able to hook up with him as your close friend!¡±


    ¡°I see, so that was what you had in mind this whole time,¡± Qi Jing eximed as if he had only just realised as he rubbed his chin.


    ¡°Of course, I really really love our Godly Bronze Sparrow Terrace~¡± her excitement shot through the roof, beyond what could be expressed in words.


    ¡°Erh... sorry to cut you off for a bit, your boyfriend¡¯s face turned green again.¡±


    After dinner, Qi Jing saw his junior and her armed policeman boyfriend onto the bus before heading for the subway. His long-awaited holiday was finally here. He should properly rx during this time, like going out to watch a movie, or singing some KTV with his colleagues from the TV station. However, Qi Jing chose to go home to do some recordings for his dramas.


    How surprising.


    Even he was surprised by what an important part of his life voice acting had be.


    ¡¶Trap¡·¡¯s production crew had contacted him two days prior and arranged for them to meet up at 9 PM tonight in a YY room to PIA. It¡¯s mainly for the scenes between the two leads.


    Most of the STAFF involved in the PIA-ing will be there, including two people who are friends with one of the STAFF cum fans of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>. Actually, there were other fans of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> who requested to join in the YY room as part of the audience, but the producer feared it may be difficult to control the crowd if too many people were inside.


    It was only 8 PM when Qi Jing got home. He supposed that most of the crew weren¡¯t online yet so he took the time to look through the script once more and familiarise himself with the lines.


    To be honest, he didn¡¯t think that <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> voice was suitable for the role of the policeman in the story.


    Based on his impression of the novel, the nature of that character should be someone who was very honest and upright. He¡¯s not trying to say that one could simply y a character just with their voice and no acting, but in a special area like audio dramas, the first impression that audiences get from the voice they hear was key.


    While it¡¯s true that <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> voice could reach 0.8 and above, that may be too much. He¡¯s definitely a strong Gong, but based on Qi Jing¡¯s past experiences when listening to audio dramas, his acting always feels too imposing and doesn¡¯t really match with the character¡¯s descriptions. However, perhaps much like Qi Jing, he didn¡¯t like being limited to a specific type of character. And since <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> was considered God-ss in the circle, he could probably bring the character to life with his acting¡ªwell, that¡¯s for the director to worry about.


    Just as he was thinking about it, the penguin at the bottom right corner of his screen started beeping, pulling him out of his thoughts. It was from the production team¡¯s chat group.


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Good evening my lovelies! ~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: Oh, it¡¯s little Shou Rouge, I gonna decisively push you down!


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: Decisively push you down! +1


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Decisively push you down! +2


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: You guys... TAT what¡¯s this in broad daylight, ah no, I mean, what do you think you¡¯re doing,unching a sneak attack on the producer in the middle of the night when the wind is high!


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: Pfft, producers are meant to be attacked, you mean you didn¡¯t realise this painful truth until now? ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: Hahahaha, as expected of Knives cutting! You¡¯re so good at adding a cut where it hurts!


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask me for my return date</i>: (Smiles) Moving a chair over with some popcorn in hand to watch the show.


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: QAQ!! Return date-sama, you....!!


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Aiyo! So this is the other lead ying the Shou in this drama, <i>Don¡¯t ask me for my return date</i>-sama! Strongly onlooking!


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Good evening everyone.


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: What an adorable little Shou, looks like our <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>-sama is blessed this time round as well~


    This sound designer just joined the group recently, she wasn¡¯t here when Qi Jing first joined. He recalled that when he was scrolling through the chat history, it seems like this sound designer was highly-skilled and a fan of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>. Most production crews won¡¯t even be able to invite her and <i>Rouge Flower</i> was even thrilled for a long time when she joined.


    Qi Jing was currently checking the members in the group¡ªbut it seemed like <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> wasn¡¯t inside.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Hmm? The great god still hasn¡¯t joined the group?


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: TAT Erhm, the thing is, he said he isn¡¯t adding people on QQ anymore, but he DMed me saying that he will be in the YY room at 9 PM, I¡¯ve already sent him the room number.


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Pfft pfft, it seems like our little Shou can¡¯t wait to see him? You sound so anxious~


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: Since he is the Godly <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>!


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: He¡¯s in too many crews, if he were to add every single one of them, there¡¯d be no end to it. If you want to see him, you¡¯ll probably only be able to see him in the official group, but that¡¯s been long filled, there aren¡¯t any more vacancies!


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Locky, are you in the official group?


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: of course.


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: TAT Can you check if Bronze Sparrow Terrace-sama is online?? Just remind him that the PIA is at 9 PM and it¡¯s almost time. If he¡¯s there please ask him to go onto YY.


    <i>Sound design ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Ok, I¡¯ll go have a look, but if his status is invisible then there¡¯s nothing I can do either ¨r(¨s_¨t)¨q


    Seeing that it¡¯s almost 9 PM, the sound designer came and told them that <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> didn¡¯t seem to be online. <i>Rouge Flower</i> knew that this was a rare window to catch Qi Jing when he¡¯s free so she dare not dy it for too long. She got the rest of the crew to go onto YY and get ready first while she continued trying to contact Bronze Sparrow Terrace.


    Qi Jing did not have any issues with that.


    Too many things could happen in the 3D world. Maybe something really came up, holding him up froming online, just like Qi Jing himself. In his line of work, the probability of him encountering an unexpected event was really high, so he did have at least this bit of patience for this situation.


    For audio drama, in addition to serious matters like the voice acting and production, themunication behind the scenes was just as important.


    The interaction with the other crew members before the official start of the recording process was actually Qi Jing¡¯s favourite part.


    For example, the director, <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i>, she¡¯s the type that enjoys using cute emoticons when texting, giving people the impression of a cute and sweet girl. However, once she opened her mouth, her voice was actually that of an elegant and maturedy through and through, which was very surprising.


    For example, the seemingly sharp and meticulous script-writer, <i>Puppet Show</i>, was actually a little klutz who couldn¡¯t even adjust her mic properly.


    Or for example, the producer, <i>Rouge Flower</i>, was an authentic Wuyue local who spoke in a very mellow and gentle tone.


    Qi Jing even considered the idea that if he stopped working as a reporter, he¡¯ll retire and write a documentary type novel. It would be very worth it to note all these various kinds of people in themunity in writing.


    Before they knew it, it was almost 10 PM. Even the two fans that came in to watch their great god had lost their enthusiasm to all the waiting. The two of them started chatting about <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> recent works in the group chat, in a little world of their own.


    Meanwhile, <i>Rouge Flower</i> was in a mess, constantly joining the YY room then leaving, rushing around, poking everyone she could to ask about <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> situation.


    The sound designer got tired of waiting and went offline after saying, ¡°If Bronze Sparrow Terracees, remember to record it, I¡¯ll listen to it tomorrow.¡± After she left, the two fans also left soon after.


    ¡°So sorry, Return date-sama,¡± the director, <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i>, said apologetically.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just nice, I can take this time to discuss some awkward-sounding part in the script with the script-writer, so it¡¯s not like there¡¯s no progress at all,¡± Qi Jing replied with a smile.


    ¡°This is my first time working with Lord Return date and I feel that you have really good work ethics and are very dedicated! You even picked out all my typos and missing words in the script. Aaah, I¡¯m so embarrassed as the script-writer!¡± the script-writer, <i>Puppet Show</i>, continued the topic and added, ¡°Hehe, in the past when I¡¯ve heard many people talk about you, but all I heard was that you enjoy ying dead...¡±


    ¡°Puppet!¡± <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> got such a shock from her words she couldn¡¯t help but interject.


    ¡°What are you so anxious about, Knives cutting, let me finish, ¡° <i>Puppet Show</i> said before clearing her throat and continuing, ¡°I heard that although you like ying dead, you are also very serious and dedicated to your voice acting. And that was precisely the feeling you gave me tonight.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Qi Jing chuckled lightly and teased, ¡°I will press on and continue ying dead.¡±


    Just as those words left his mouth, a loud wail, like the world was ending, came from his headphones.


    And the loudest and clearest cry came from the producer, <i>Rouge Flower</i>.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m so sorry, Return date-sama! I¡¯m sorry...¡± something was off about <i>Rouge¡¯ Flower¡¯s</i> voice. If he listened carefully, it sounded like she was sobbing softly.


    Clever as he, he could roughly guess what was going on.


    However, he wasn¡¯t part of the STAFF so it wasn¡¯t good for him to be the one to say it out. He could onlyfort her, ¡°Calm down, take your time.¡±


    ¡°One of the chairpersons of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s official fan group, Xiao Qiao, just got back to me. She said that he has a gathering tonight and didn¡¯t hear anything about PIA-ing. I think... I think I might have forgotten to tell him... This is all my fault for not confirming with him onest time. B-But he really did say that he wasing in the DMs...¡± the more she spoke, the shakier her voice got, she even sniffed a few times.


    Everyone fell into about five seconds ofplete silence, all of their lights stuck in a grey-coloured state.


    After a pause, <i>Rouge Flower</i> asked fearfully, feeling like her heart was in her mouth, ¡°Return date-sama, are you... angry?¡±


    Qi Jing hurriedly replied, ¡°No no, I¡¯m ok.¡±


    He just didn¡¯t know what to say tofort her.


    Given the content of the texts she¡¯s sent to the group, she was probably a big fan of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>, however, the stand of a STAFF was ultimately not the same as that of a fan.


    Anyway, it looked like <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> won¡¯t be appearing tonight¡ª


    <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> sighed, ¡°How? It¡¯s already 10.30 PM, are we still going to rehearse the lines?¡±


    <i>Puppet Show</i> suggested meekly, ¡°Can we just do Return date¡¯s part?¡±


    <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> was obviously hesitant about that idea as seen from her silence, so Qi Jing answered the question for her, ¡°I think the director finds it more intuitive to notice certain problems with both actors ying against each other, and she can also directly guide the CVs on how to achieve that chemistry. This is more effective when there are two people working together instead of one person recording by themselves, especially since there are quite a lot of suggestive scenes in the first episode.¡±


    ¡°Right, right right, that¡¯s what I had in mind.¡±


    ¡°But Bronze Sparrow Terrace isn¡¯t here...¡±


    ¡°How ¡®bout you temporarily take on the role of the Gong and rehearse with Return date, Knives cutting? Since you¡¯re the director anyway,¡± <i>Rouge Flower</i> asked apprehensively.


    ¡°Erh...¡± the awkwardness in the voice behind the microphone could be heard from miles away.


    Qi Jing chuckled in understanding and helped save the director from this sticky situation, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s really good. After all, everyone here is ady except for me, and the lines between the main leads are a little too bold. Even if I can get into character, I¡¯m sure it would make you girls feel ufortable.¡±


    As soon as he finished his sentence, the director sent him a private message on QQ.


    <i>From the group ¡°¡¶Trap¡·Production Crew¡±¡ª</i>


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: Return date-sama, you... you really are such a sweetheart!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Pfft, you¡¯re wee. Pats you on your head.


    After learning about Qi Jing¡¯s concerns, <i>Rouge Flower</i> decided to find another male CV who cane online as a temporary recement.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go ask around to see if there is any male CV who is free. You guys go look around too, if there is, quickly pull them in.¡±


    ¡°I just asked two guys just now, neither of them are free... sigh...¡±


    ¡°All those that are online at this time are either recording, or gaming with their QQ notifications turned off.


    ¡°...Is a weak Shou voice ok?¡± they felt too embarrassed to say that it¡¯s the kind of Shou voice that can never y a Gong.


    ¡°...That¡¯s a firm no.¡± In fact, they might even end up with the opposite effect.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t want to make it so hard on them. Just as he was about to say, ¡°Why not let¡¯s just schedule another meeting?¡± the script-writer, <i>Puppet Show</i>, started shouting with such force, it was probablyparable to the excitement Christopher Colombus felt when he discovered the New World.


    ¡°I have it! There¡¯s one!¡±


    ¡°Who? Who?¡± <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> also started shouting with her mature voice. Her pitch kept going up to the point where her voice was turning into that of a loli.


    ¡°Uncle Yan! Uncle Yan is free!¡± <i>Puppet Show</i> said with a pause, ¡°I almost forgot that he¡¯s also in this production crew.¡±


    ¡°Who is Uncle Yan?¡± Qi Jing asked curiously as he¡¯s never heard of this nickname within the circle.


    <i>Rouge Flower</i> replied a little hesitantly with a wry smile, ¡°Gong-kun¡¯s... Grandpa.¡±


    Lilies: I went to read the reviews on novelupdates and one of them had a spoiler which was actually the main reason I decided to read this book lollol

 Chapter 4

    <h4>Chapter 4</h4>


    ¡°Kek¡±


    Only when Qi Jing saw that his grey-coloured icon light up for a moment did he realise that he justughed out loud.


    But what could he do, his throat was trembling with augh trying to escape.


    ¡°Return date-sama, you justughed, didn¡¯t you?¡± as expected of a director, she had a keen hearing that was basically on par with that of a bat.


    ¡°He definitelyughed!¡± the script-writer quickly joined in the ranks to chime in to use him.


    ¡°I was thinking just how hardcore is the crews¡¯ tastes that you don¡¯t even let go of someone from the Grandfather¡¯s generation. Is this getting the Grandfather to repay his Grandson¡¯s debts? Alright, I guess that kinda somehow makes it justified,¡± Qi Jing¡¯s stomach was going to cramp up from holding hisughter in, he barely managed to calm himself down.


    ¡°Puhahahah!¡±


    ¡°Return date-sama¡¯s roast is on point!¡±


    This time, it was the director and script-writer duo who couldn¡¯t take it anymore as they doubled overughing.


    The producer, <i>Rouge Flower</i>, broke into a smile through her tears, her voice that had sounded a little downcast got a little more spirit in them as she fake chided them, ¡°Can you guys not be that way? At least Uncle Yan doesn¡¯t have a weak Shou voice, so it shouldn¡¯t be too off when he ys against Return date.¡±


    ¡°Then what kind of voice does he have?¡± Qi Jing asked with an eyebrow raised, his right thumb still pressed against the side of his lip to prevent it from curving upwards.


    <i>Rouge Flower</i> paused for a second like she was searching through her internal dictionary to find an adjective to describe his voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s... the kind of Grandpa voice you often hear on TV¡ªthe heavenly immortal style of Grandpa voice.¡±


    Heavenly immortal style.


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    As someone who was very familiar with film and television works, Qi Jing very seriously tried to picture it in his head, and he very seriouslyughed out loud yet again.


    ¡°So the crew wants me to S.M a heavenly immortal Grandpa? This concubine can¡¯t do it aaah~¡±


    ¡°Pfft... HAHAHA I¡¯m going to dieughing! Someone save me!¡±


    ¡°Pfft, Return date-sama, please have mercy! My roommate just asked if I¡¯ve gone crazy,ughing like a hysterical maniac! HAHAHA!¡±


    Gone was the overcast of dark clouds in the YY room, the atmosphere became sunny and cheery.


    <i>Geese Fly North</i>.


    This was the first time Qi Jing saw that username. ording to the script-writer, <i>Puppet Show</i>, the number of dramas this CV has done can be counted with two hands; he¡¯s a very very new newbie.


    <i>Puppet Show</i> had a friend who was the producer of another show. At that time, they were more or less nearing the end of the recording process for the audio drama, all they had left was the voice for neighbour¡¯s Grandfather which no one expressed any interest in doing. Basically every producer in the circle knew that there was no shortage of CVs with young teenage voices. But in contrast, under the premise of ensuring their voice and tone sounded natural, the ones who could raise the age of their voice to that of a middle-aged uncle were few and far between. And those that could fake a Grandpa voice were even more of a rare minority.


    <i>Puppet Show¡¯s</i> friend went around asking for help but to no avail and had no choice but to make a recruitment post on the forum.


    At first, she thought that her post would surely be ignored and fall to the bottom of the ocean, never to be heard of again. What she didn¡¯t expect was she received an email the next day and attached to that email were files of his dry recordings. Since the character was just an extra, there weren¡¯t many lines; he recorded all of them and recorded each line three times.


    The conscience of the industry!


    Thus, all those producers in need of a Grandpa voice came flocking her, asking for her to share her resources. And this ID, <i>Geese Flying North</i>, instantly became the new term for ¡®Professional Grandpa voice¡¯ in themunity.


    <i>Rouge Flower</i> got to know him through <i>Puppet Show</i> and after listening to a few dramas which he voiced the Grandfathers for, she thought he was suitable to be casted as the Gong¡¯s Grandfather and invited him. However, because the Grandfather part only appears in the memory scene, and he had less than 20 lines, the crew decided not to invite him into the group chat and only contacted him privately.


    ¡°But speaking of this guy, he¡¯s pretty mysterious,¡± <i>Puppet Show</i> who was in charge of contacting him remarked.


    Her friend followed the QQ number listed on his email, sought him out, and sent him a friend request. He epted her request the next day and needless to say, her friend sent him a bunch of thank yous like: ¡°Thank you for your dry recordings¡±, ¡°Your Grandpa voice is top-notch¡± and ¡°You¡¯re a really amazing person that helped us in our hour of need.¡±


    After that, there was no after that.


    Her friend figured that he was probably a random passer-by outside the circle. There were many cases in the online voice actingmunity where CVs disappear after recording a few lines so she didn¡¯t think much of it.


    However, there were a few producers other than her friend who decided to try their luck. They sent him friend requests as well and they were all epted.


    ¡°Your Grace, can I ask for a Grandpa voice as well? The same as the one you did for the other audio drama.¡±


    ¡°Your Grace, I am just short of one Grandpa voice, can you help us! QAQ


    ¡°Your Grace, can you record these three lines? We need a 50-year-old Uncle voice, the lines are as follows below.¡±


    ¡°Your Grace, requesting for an Uncle voice...¡±


    ¡°Your Grace...¡±


    ¡°Your&#k2026;¡±


    &#k2026;&#k2026;


    None of the QQ messages listed above received any reply.


    Not. A. Single. One. Of. Them.


    However, surprisingly, every one of them received the other party¡¯s dry recordings, shortest within one to two days, or at most within three to four days. And the recordings were all of very high quality. The situation was simr whenever they asked him for retakes.


    ¡°He¡¯s really weird. Even though he¡¯s online, he never replies no matter what I say yet he will definitely send the recordings and very quickly at that,¡± <i>Puppet show</i> rambled on by herself, oblivious to the fact that the atmosphere had changed from sunny to cloudy. It even felt like the temperature plunged several degrees; if illustrated with a graph, it¡¯d be linear with a negative gradient.


    ¡°Which is to say, this is likely to be the first time he¡¯s been on YY?¡± <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> asked, clearly this was also the first time she¡¯s heard of this person.


    ¡°Uh, yeah...¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s a high chance of him noting?¡± <i>Rouge flower</i> added with a trembling voice.


    ¡°Uh, yeah...¡±


    <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> heaved a long sigh in disappointment before sending a disdainful emoticon in the group chat and said, ¡°Puppet, just what are you doing? If that¡¯s the case then how is it any different from not finding anyone?¡±


    ¡°Sigh, forget it, I¡¯ll continue looking,¡± <i>Rouge Flower</i> said. Just as she was about to give up waiting and turn off her mic, Puppet Show suddenly eximed, ¡°Wait! Wait a minute! He¡¯s here!¡±


    Qi Jing instinctively lifted his head to have a look.


    Under the channel¡¯s name, ¡°Trap Production Crew¡±, there really was a white-coloured ID, with the three simple words, <i>Geese Fly North</i>.


    And the icon right behind that ID was a green leaf.


    Corresponding level: 1


    Personal points: 0


    Qi Jing knew sensibly that now wasn¡¯t the time tough or <i>Rouge Flower</i> might start sobbing again.


    After the crew pulled him into the subchannel dedicated to PIA-ing, Qi Jing started off by greeting him with a faint smile, ¡°Hello, Grandpa.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, Sir Return date, please don¡¯t do that!¡±


    ¡°We barely managed to find someone, don¡¯t make him ‡å and scare him away!¡±


    All the STAFF¡¯s green IDs started light up and started flickering, all trying to stop him from saying any more. The atmosphere was quite merry.


    <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> indicator light remained in a grey-coloured state, but a word suddenly appeared in the group chat: Hello.


    All the STAFF immediately fell silent. It wasn¡¯t from shock but rather from a deep sense of worry.


    ¡°Are you unable to voice chat now, do you not have a mic?¡± as if he could read their minds, Qi Jing calmly voiced out the big question on everyone¡¯s mind.


    After five seconds of suffocating silence¡ª


    Some words popped up in the group chat once more: I can voice chat.


    ¡°Huu...¡± the sound of the three girls heaving a sigh of relief in unison could be heard from the headphone.


    They were probably all influenced by him as the STAFFs also started typing in the chat.


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Hello, <i>Geese Fly North</i>-sama! I¡¯m the producer of this drama, you can just call me <i>Rouge Flower</i> ~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: Uncle Yan, thank you foring! /(¨Òo¨Ò)/~~ Ah, I¡¯m the one who hit you up on QQ, Puppet~


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: Hello, Grandpa!¡¾Pfft¡¿I¡¯m the director, Knives cutting. Are you not speaking because you¡¯ve never used YY before? You can press F2 or click on the button under the window, ¡°Press F2 to speak¡±, then you can start voice chatting freely.


    <i>Geese Fly North</i>: Hello.


    ......


    ......


    ......


    So what?


    Where¡¯s the continuation?


    Why aren¡¯t you speaking?


    As everyone broke into a cold sweat, the group chat also fell dead silent.


    <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> indicator light still didn¡¯t light up. If their cameras were turned on at this moment, Qi Jing was sure that the faces of thedies behind the screen were probably nked out, at a loss for what to do.


    ¡°Uh, I think I should post the parts of the script to be PIA-ed in the chat first,¡± the director nervously broke the silence, trying to cut straight to the point as fast as she could.


    Soon, the lines exchanged between two main leads of¡¶Trap¡·, which was the scene where they first met in private, appeared in the chat.


    ¡°Uh, Knives cutting, since you¡¯re the director, you carry on. Puppet and I will take a seat in the audience from now on,¡± <i>Rouge Flower</i> said weakly and turned off her mic.


    ¡°Mhm, Rouge Flower and I will just type in the group chat,¡± <i>Puppet Show</i> concurred and followed suit.


    ¡°Ah, then... if you¡¯re both ready, we can start now. I won¡¯t interrupt you guys, let¡¯s run through the entire part first. I¡¯ll give myments once you¡¯re done,¡± <i>Knives cutting in from four corners¡¯</i> directing style had always been to let the voice actors take the lead.


    Qi Jing nodded and replied, ¡°Understood, I¡¯m ready to start anytime on my end.¡±


    There was yet another five seconds of suffocating silence.


    It¡¯s just that this time, the indicator light that had been grey all this while suddenly lit up, followed by the sound of an unfamiliar male voice.


    A deep, masculine voice with a hint of restraint and exasperation.


    ¡°I knew from the very beginning that everything you did was a scheme against me¡ª¡±


    Qi Jing was stunned.


    His hand rxed and the pen in his hand slipped out of his fingers.


    He held his breath for the few seconds from when the pen fell to when itnded on the table. Qi Jing was a little thankful that the light thud when the pen came into contact with the table was too soft to be transmitted through the mic.


    What was heard in the headphones was the director¡¯s bted, ¡°Holy heck.¡± She even dragged out thest word so long that it almost sounded like a reverb.


    She seemed to have forgotten her promise about not interrupting until the very end as she gasped, ¡°Oi... oi oi oi, what was that just now? What on earth was that youthful voice just now!¡±


    The two people with their mics muted also swiftly spammed the group chat.


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Holy heck!!


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: Holy heck!!


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Holy heck!!! Just as I finished typing, Knives cutting voice it out for me. Holy heck!!!


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show:</i> Please, I¡¯m the one who wants to say holy heck alright!! This is the first time I¡¯m hearing Uncle Yan¡¯s youthful voice!! So proper, so deep, so Gong!!


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Please, isn¡¯t the key thing how young he sounds!! Holy heck!!


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: Right, right, right! That youthful voice!£¨£þ¦ê£þ£©Urh, my saliva!! I can¡¯t take it anymore, his youthful voice is so stunning, I feel like my heart was just struck with an electric shock!!


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Pfft, that¡¯s enough from you Puppet!


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: Yup, it¡¯s really enough from me! Please do more! Please continue!£¨£þ¦ê£þ£©Speaking of which, Knives cutting, didn¡¯t you say that you won¡¯t be cutting in, pfft!


    Reading up till this point, the director who was still in a state of shock came back to her senses and the first thing she realised was that everyone¡¯s light, except for hers, was off, ¡°I was wrong, I definitely won¡¯t interject! ...Eh? Eh, eh? Return-date, are you there?¡±


    Hearing his ID being called by the director, Qi Jing sat up straight and stared at the screen, trying to refocus.


    The pen that fell beside his keyboard had stopped moving.


    However, the slight tremors on his fingers hadn¡¯t.


    Really, how unexpected¡ª


    The voice was exactly as he had pictured when he was reading the novel. It truly was unexpected.


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± he tried his best to make it sound like he was calm and suggested, without letting anyone catch on to how he felt internally, ¡°Sorry, Your Grace, <i>Geese Fly North</i>, could you raise the volume a little? I couldn¡¯t hear it very clearly from my side, might be due to poor inte connection.¡±


    While he said that, it was as if he was being urged by something, he subconsciously moved his cursor onto the ¡°Record¡± button.


    And clicked.


    A faint buzzing sound could be hearding from the other party, like he was really adjusting the volume of the microphone.


    There wasn¡¯t any sound or movementing from the director; it seemed like she probably muted herself.


    The chat was still as no one dared to disturb.


    After about ten seconds, that unfamiliar voice of a young man was heard again, repeating that line once more. The sound of his voice sounded much closer to the mic, as though he was speaking right next to Qi Jing.


    ¡°I knew from the very beginning that everything you did was a scheme against me.¡±


    The restraint in his voice became stronger and especially at the low-tone part, one could also hear his deep breathing.


    When the other party acts at this level, it made it easy for him to get into character, and even raised the level of his acting. Especially for this kind of confrontational scene with an imposing air.


    ¡°Despite knowing it¡¯s a trap, you still jumped right into it¡ªdoesn¡¯t that mean that you¡¯re interested in me?¡±


    Qi Jing smiled calmly like he was in full control of the situation.


    Based on the scene cues in the script, this dialogue takes ce in a private room. The little police Gong was forced to lie on a sofa with his hands tied behind his back. While the little mafia Shou was straddling him with one hand supporting himself on the sofa and the other on the Gong¡¯s throat, enjoying the anger in thetter¡¯s eyes.


    Hence, in the front part of that sentence, Qi Jing amplified the feeling of dominance, like he was really looking down at the Gong.


    And in the second half of the line, after ¡°doesn¡¯t that¡±, he lowered his voice and slowed down his speech, faltering off into a whisper. Making it really easy for people to picture the image of him moving in to whisper in the Gong¡¯s ear.


    Not to mention the bonus feels from the characteristic sexiness in his voice.


    ¡°....Holy heck,¡± the director, who dered a second time that she wouldn¡¯t interrupt them, broke her promise once again. And just as expected, the twodies in the audience started going crazy and spamming the group chat.


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: A! Freaking! Sham! TAT


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: The entire night has just been one big scam! Return date-sama¡¯s voice when you¡¯re acting is worlds apart from when you¡¯re speaking normally!! So sexy! Omg so damn sexy!


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: I feel like all my HP was zapped away in an instant, holy heck!!


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: ...Why am I the only one getting so agitated?? ¦²(¡ã¡÷¡ã|||)¦õWhere¡¯s the script-writer!! Where¡¯s Puppet!! Pup~~~pet~~~


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: Someone! Save! Me! AwooOOooo my blood is roaring from the titition!!!!£¨£þ¦ê£þ£©I was restoring my HP!


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: I-I am also in desperate need of restoring my HP... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Pfft, Knives cutting you¡¯ve already interrupted them quite a few times! Don¡¯t cut in when you¡¯re not supposed to!


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: S-Sorry... I really couldn¡¯t hold it in... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: I feel you!!! TAT That atmosphere just now suddenly made me so shy!!! It was so erotic!!


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: Rouge, maintain yourself!! Putting aside Return date-sama, don¡¯t scare Uncle Yan... ah no, I mean, don¡¯t scare <i>Geese Fly North</i>-sama away!!


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Ah, I was wrong, I plead guilty! Please carry on!¡¾Covers nosebleed¡¿


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: Please carry on! If I cut you off one more time, I¡¯ll chop my hands off! ...Ugh, I mean, p myself!¡¾Covers nosebleed +1¡¿


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: Please carry on!¡¾Covers nosebleed +2¡¿


    Qi Jing was in a pretty good mood as he watched the new messages popping up in the group chat one after another with a smile. He picked up the pen that fell onto the table and toyed with it in his fingers.


    The timing behind the word, ¡°Recording¡±, was slowly increasing, second by second, minute by minute.


    ¡°Let us continue, shall we?¡± he prompted politely.


    ¡°Yes,¡± that was the first word the other party said that was not part of the script. The voice wasn¡¯t very different from when they went through their lines, so he was probably using his normal voice just now.


    But even so.


    Qi Jing tilted his palm and tapped the pen cap against the table once, and again. He was tapping very lightly so it shouldn¡¯t disrupt the lively discussion the girls were having in the chat.


    Even so¡ªat the end of the day, this person was not <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>.


    A/N: I kept imagining the scene in the script while writing. I really need to stop. _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Lilies: Recently read a book someone suggested on the pick-up channel(?? Is that what it¡¯s called? am a discord noob sozz) and idk why but I¡¯m just so amused by it. Qi Jing just talked about voicing Gongs that always say, ¡°Ah, the weather has gotten cold, let¡¯s bankrupt the Wang Group,¡± in chapter two and this type of Gong actually appeared in this other novel: Ê׸»µÄÅÚ»Ò»³ÔÐÄÐÆÞ£¨ÓéÀÖȦ£© AHAHAHHA


    (I¡¯mzy so) MTL: Dongfang Boyan was holding a video conference, his face was cold, and suddenly he said: It¡¯s getting cold, let¡¯s bankrupt the Wang Group.


    Yuan Chaoyu: ...As expected of the man who holds the lifeline of the global economy,


    Every day, he can just say ¡®weather¡¯s cold, bankrupt the Wangs¡¯ whenever he feels like it.

 Chapter 5

    <h4>Chapter 5</h4>


    ¡°Why me?¡± the low baritone voice asked.


    ¡°If I knew the answer, I wouldn¡¯t be in this much... pain,¡± a trembling voice replied. Then, with a finger on the trigger...


    Bang¡ª!


    And the final act in the script of the first episode drew to a close.


    After reading thest line, everyone¡¯s indicator light remained dimmed for a full five seconds. Then, the director finally released the breath she had been holding her breath the entire time. The other two girls also turned their mics back on, and before saying anything, they gave the two CVs a warm round of apuse.


    ¡°So good! It was so good!¡±


    ¡°So damn intense! It made me feel so heated! And that level of angst!¡± when <i>Rouge Flower</i> got to the word, ¡°angst¡±, she even whimpered softly like a small animal.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Qi Jing said, returning theirpliments with a faint smile. During the entire process, they would often pause to discuss the voice acting for various scenes with <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> as they went through the lines. They would stop to listen to the director when certain parts sounded a little off. Sometimes, they would go through the lines for those parts once more or at most two to three times. And in the end, they actually finished going through all the scenes.


    Based on his experience, the amount of lines for the first episode couldn¡¯t be considered as a lot, but there really was a difference in the vibe when there¡¯s someone to y against. Especially for scenes where the tension was particrly intense, Qi Jing could actually feel beads of cold sweat forming on his back while they were recording.


    Since Qi Jing¡¯s performance was the key thing here, most of the director¡¯sments with regards to the voice acting were directed at him. <i>Geese Fly North</i> would wait quietly, without uttering a single word, during Qi Jing¡¯s discussion with the director.


    ¡°Then, what do you think, Your Grace, Geese Fly North?¡±


    Qi Jing would ask for his suggestions from time to time, the reason being that how the CV felt ying against him was also an important point for reference. During this time, <i>Geese Fly North</i> would give brief reply of one to two sentences. Although he doesn¡¯t say much, his responses were all very concise and useful.


    The first to notice that it had gotten prettyte was the script-writer, <i>Puppet Show</i>, as she eximed, ¡°Aiya! I was too engrossed in listening to the two of you, I didn¡¯t even realise that it¡¯s already midnight! You guys should be taking a rest soon, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    Qi Jing was about to answer her when the director¡¯s wails suddenly came from his headphone.


    ¡°Crap, crap, crap! I forgot to record it! Did anyone of you record it!¡±


    ¡°Crap, I didn¡¯t either...¡±


    ¡°Oh no, me too...¡±


    The three girls wanted to kick themselves for this mistake, and couldn¡¯t help but wish that they could hop onto a time machine and travel back to two hours ago to click on the ¡°Record¡± button. What happened tonight was not part of any of their expectations resulting in this oversight in the rush of the moment.


    Qi Jing opened his mouth slightly, but didn¡¯t say anything at first. Only after he made sure that the indicator light beside the ¡°Recording¡± was still on, did he chime in, ¡°Neither did I.¡±


    On behalf of the STAFF, <i>Rouge Flower</i> sent a textbook example of a thick noodle tears emoticon in the group chat: What a pity ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Seeing that it was already past midnight, not only was it about time for the two CVs to rest, it was also time for the three girls to go to sleep. Hence, with the PIA done, the few of them said their goodbyes after casually chatting for a bit.


    Before exiting the YY room, the producer, <i>Rouge Flower</i>, sincerely thanked <i>Geese Fly North</i>, who was pulled in at thest minute to fill in for Bronze Sparrow Terrace, ¡°Really thank you so much, Geese Fly North-sama! If it weren¡¯t for you, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to sessfully finish PIA-ing for the first episode! Truly, thank you very much!¡±


    After that, thatss also sent ten bright red flowers in the group chat.


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle Yan!¡± <i>Puppet show</i> said and also sent ten big red flowers to the chat.


    ¡°Thank you, Grandpa!¡± It was only after the words left her lips did she realise it sounded a little weird. And of course, she too sent the red flowers to the chat.


    Everyone was about to leave but Qi Jing still hadn¡¯t click on the button to stop recording. He couldn¡¯t help but feel that there should be a better way to end off this recording.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said as he watched the light beside his ID blink on and off. However, the other party¡¯s indicator light had been out for a long time.


    Then, a line of words appeared in the chat¡ª


    <i>Geese Fly North</i>: You¡¯re wee, good night.


    Qi Jing was stunned momentarily. When he got out of his daze, that person had already left the YY channel. In the end, the closing he had pictured only existed in the form of a text. There was no audio, so naturally there was no need for him to continue recording. Despite knowing that the other party wouldn¡¯t be able to hear him, he still gave a short reply, ¡°Good night,¡± before pressing the stop button.


    On YY, a prompt would appear to inform the user that the recording had been saved automatically. The file would be saved under a file name which was a string of numbers. People would usually change the name to something else to make it easier for them to find it at ater date.


    Qi Jing¡¯s fingers stayed on his keyboard for a long time. He didn¡¯t manage toe up with a name for the file even after the three girls had left.


    At first, he keyed in ¡°Rehearsal¡±. But then, he felt that it was too general and changed it to ¡°¡¶Trap¡·Ep1 run-through ¨C <i>Geese Fly North</i>¡±.


    The cursor behind the three words, <i>Geese Fly North</i>, kept blinking, causing him to feel a slight sting in his eyes. He silently shook his head before deleting those three words, leaving the name as something more neutral like, ¡°¡¶Trap¡·Ep1 run-through¡±.


    Confirmed and saved.


    The time at the bottom of his screen showed that it was passed 12:30 AM, but he didn¡¯t feel sleepy at all. Since the Word doc of the script was still opened, he decided to open the recording software as well.


    He adjusted his mic, created a new audio file called, ¡°¡¶Trap¡·Ep1- CV <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>¡± and went back to the page with the first scene, the one that takes ce in a private room. After that, he opened the recording he had just saved.


    Listening to that man¡¯s deep voice in his headphones say, ¡°I knew from the very beginning that everything you did was a scheme against me&#k2014;¡±


    Qi Jing took a deep breath and clicked to start recording the dry recording for the first episode proper.


    He had been recording for over two hours.


    It was almost 3 AM in the morning now. Qi Jing made a backup of his dry recordings in a cloud drive and also saved a copy in a USB drive. Finally, he emailed all his files to <i>Rouge Flower</i>.


    Voice recording was something that really depended on a person¡¯s condition at that point in time. Whenever he¡¯s in tip-top condition, no matter howte or howrge the amount of lines was, he will strive to finish the recording.


    While the emotions were still fresh in his mind, he quickly recorded and submitted the dry recordings for the first episode. Though of course, the price of this decision was that he had to rely on coffee to keep himself awake when he went to work in the morning.


    Knowing that he had just returned from reporting on a disaster area, Qi Jing¡¯s superior didn¡¯t give him anything too intense to work on. He was only assigned to follow a film crew to gather some materials from another location the day after tomorrow. The ce wasn¡¯t too far away so it was rtively easy for him and needless to say, Qi Jing agreed to do it.


    He was busy but not to the point of being overworked.


    Thus, Qi Jing felt it was worth it even though he stayed upte recording.


    However, when he arrived back home at night, after dinner, and opened his QQ, he was greeted with dozens of new messages from the¡¶Trap¡·group chat. The main point was that it didn¡¯t seem to be any good news, although it started off pretty peacefully at first¡ª


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: How did the PIA gost night??


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Oh, we sessfullypleted the PIA for the main leads lines for episode 1! O(¡É_¡É)O


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Heck! So y¡¯all did PIA in the end? I would¡¯ve stayed and waited if I knew! Tell me how it went! Send the recording! (Star eyes)


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: QAQ S-Sorry, Locky, we forgot to record...


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Ah?? Forgot?? = =


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: (Nervous finger twiddling) Yeah, all three of us, Puppet, Knives cutting and myself, we all forgot to record. It only hit us when we were done PIA-ing...


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: ...


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: QAQ I¡¯m so sorry!!


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: ...


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: We finally have the opportunity to listen to Bronze Sparrow-sama¡¯s PIA process but you guys ended up forgetting to record. I really don¡¯t want toment any further.


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: (Nervous finger twiddling) Uh, the thing is, <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>-sama didn¡¯test night as he had other appointments. We found another CV at thest minute to stand-in for him to y against Return date-sama.


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Ah?? A stand-in?? = =


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Yes...


    Then, the conversation ended momentarily here. ording to the message time stamps, it stopped for five whole minutes before a new message appeared. One could imagine just how awkward the atmosphere in the group chat was at that point in time.


    In this circle, sound designers were the most highly sought after STAFF, even more so were big-named sound designers. If a drama wanted to be released sessfully with guaranteed quality, they¡¯d need the support of a good sound designer. Otherwise, it¡¯s all just castles in the air.


    As a producer, <i>Rouge Flower</i> needed to keep these unspoken rules close to her heart.


    <i>Sound designer</i> ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock: If Bronze Sparrow-sama couldn¡¯t make it, can¡¯t you guys just arrange to meet another time? How could you just pull in some random CV to run-through the lines? What if the results aren¡¯t good?


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: QAQ Sorry, but we really made Return date-sama wait too long and I don¡¯t want to waste his time like that.


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Ha ha.


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve never heard of <i>Don¡¯t ask me for my return date</i>. Isn¡¯t he that famous ¡®God of ying dead¡¯? He¡¯s probably made others wait for him many a time, hasn¡¯t he?


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Now that it¡¯s his turn to wait for others it¡¯s called a waste of time? Can you be any more double standard?


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Calm down, Locky, don¡¯t get so agitated... it¡¯s not his fault, we¡¯re the ones who made the call TAT


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Either way, Producer-sama, I only agreed to join as a sound designer because you promised me high-quality dry recordings. I¡¯ve worked with Bronze Sparrow-sama manys times so I¡¯m never worried about the standard of his dry recordings, but I¡¯m not so sure about your production crew.


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: The thing is, Locky, after listening to the run-throughst night, our director feels that Return date-sama¡¯s voice acting was really good, whether it¡¯s his voice or how well he got into character, so please be assured of the quality.


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: = = After saying so much, you still don¡¯t get my point. I¡¯m saying you can¡¯t make a sound judgment just by listening to one person¡¯s acting.


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: QAQ We didn¡¯t just listen to one person. That was the director¡¯s conclusion after listening to two people act against each other.


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Who¡¯s the other person?


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: A neer, but his voice acting was really good.


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: ...


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: ...


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: ...A neer... Of course he sounds good when youpare him with a neer, but it¡¯s likely that it¡¯ll sound awkward when it¡¯s put with Bronze Sparrow-sama. Do you understand what I¡¯m trying to say?? When I align their audio files in post-production, it will result in an effect that makes it hard for the audience to get into the show.


    <i>Rouge Flower</i> probably noticed that they were chatting in the group chat, everyone could see the contents of their conversation, and she was afraid it would make Qi Jing feel ufortable. Thus, she implored the sound designer to chat with her privately but was tly refused.


    The sound designer insisted that Qi Jing had to do a proper run-through with <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>. Only when Qi Jing¡¯s voice and acting could match up with that of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> would she ept the dry recordings and start working on the sound design.


    And the conversation ended one-sidedly on unhappy terms.


    This chat clearly took ce before <i>Rouge Flower</i> saw his email because she freaked out and privately sent him five or six messages, expressing her apologies.


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: !! Return date-sama, you¡¯ve actually sent in your recordings?? I didn¡¯t see that wrongly, did I??


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: ...I just downloaded the audio file. Seeing that the file size is almost 40M, you¡¯ve already finished recording for the first episode? QAQ


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve seen the messages in the group. Well, you probably haven¡¯t... TAT I¡¯m sorry, it was an oversight on our part right from the very beginning. I didn¡¯t do my duty as the producer to properly inform the CV which resulted in this mess. I will kowtow a hundred times to express my apologies!! Honestly, the run-through between you and Uncle Yanst night was really remarkable, we were all relishing in it. It was very entertaining and really made us boil over in excitement. I think the dry recordings you sent based on how we PIA-edst night is very ok but Ms sound designer has her points as well...


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: QAQ Return date-sama, I know you¡¯re extremely busy in the 3D world but I¡¯m afraid we won¡¯t be able to use these dry recordings. And we¡¯ll also need to set up another meeting with <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>-sama, so that the two of you can rehearse through the lines together. I¡¯m really sorry!! But for the end product of this audio drama, please forgive me for making this decision!!


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m truly very sorry, I didn¡¯t expect you to record so quickly... I thought you would take at least another one or two days before you recorded. In that case, your 40M worth of audio files wouldn¡¯t go to waste... TAT


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: Return date-sama, if you¡¯re online, please reply!! I beg of you!!


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Qi Jing sighed softly after reading through all the messages.


    Actually, he had already anticipated that something like that would happen duringst night¡¯s rehearsal.


    Initially, he did n on arranging to meet <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>, the man himself, at another time.


    <i>Geese Fly North</i>¡¯s appearance was a total ident, but it was an ident that brought him surprises. He wasn¡¯t one that was too harped up on voices but he was very interested in performances that could get him into character almost instantly. When the first words left <i>Geese Fly North</i>¡¯s lips, the thing that shocked Qi Jing the most was not that man¡¯s youthful voice, but how well he managed to portray the character from the original work.


    If it weren¡¯t for that, he wouldn¡¯t have secretly recorded the entire process.


    Much less, listen to that recording while starting to record for the first episode proper.


    Unfortunately, as CV that¡¯s part of the production crew, the right to make the decisions did not lie in his hands. The final say on how to record lies in the producer¡¯s opinions, plus, the result that everyone envisioned was different.


    After some thought, he calmly opened the folder called, ¡°¡¶Trap¡·Production Crew¡±, created another subfolder and named it, ¡°Reference recordings¡±. He then moved the recording ofst night¡¯s run-through along with the first version of his dry recordings inside.


    ¡ªHe was rather reluctant to simply delete it so that was what he settled with.


    After he was done with that, Qi Jing replied to <i>Rouge Flower</i>¡¯s QQ messages, hopefully she wasn¡¯t too stressed.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: ^_^ I saw it. It¡¯s alright, I just take the dry recordings I¡¯ve done as a test-run. I¡¯ll be working out of town soon, you just try contacting the Great God for the time being. It¡¯s quite hard to coordinate with my schedule, so it¡¯ll be better for me to coordinate with his.


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: QAQ AaaAh!! Return date-sama! You¡¯re online!!


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: ...I don¡¯t even know what to say now seeing your reply. I feel like crying... I¡¯m sorry... TAT


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Pats head. Hey hey, it¡¯s alright, as I had expected, I¡¯m being punished by the heavens for S.M-ing a heavenly immortal Grandpa ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: Pfft!


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: Sighs, speaking of Grandpa, I feel so sorry towards Uncle Yan TAT


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: His acting was really good and his youthful voice was astounding... If I have a suitable character in the future, I¡¯ll definitely ask him to voice as the main lead!


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Un, I know.


    ¡°Of course I know,¡± Qi Jing murmured to the screen while twiddling his thumbs.


    He concluded the chat with <i>Rouge Flower</i> and exited from QQ, not because he was eager to rest, but more so because he couldn¡¯t find the energy in him to scroll through the chat records as he normally does. There were endless streams of gossips on the forums but he didn¡¯t have the desire to open it.


    He would be running around out of town starting the day after tomorrow and he¡¯d probably be out of contact for another eight to ten days.


    Which was fine with him, at least he could set these 2D matters aside temporarily.


    Qi Jing closed his eyes and rested them for a bit before getting up to make himself a cup of coffee. He had to do up an outline that the Director from the Science & Education Channel asked for of him. If all goes well, he should be done by tomorrow night, achieving six hours of sleep for himself and he could continue his sleep in the car the day after tomorrow.


    The job scope of one working at a provincial TV station was not particrly uniform and the boundaries weren¡¯t clear. In the words of their superior, ¡°Those who are apt for the job will do it.¡± Thus, more often than not, the staff would simply be picked from any department.


    Qi Jing¡¯s main job was that of a reporter. He would spend most of his time with the Interview Group in the News Channel, but he would be sent to help out at other channels from time to time. Due to his strong ability in organising materials, the Science & Education Channel would oftene to drag him away, asking him to do up drafts and outlines, etc. And when the program airs, he would just be credited as an assistant editor and that was it.


    Since it was summer vacation in July where the students began to form an active body of the audience. The Science & Education Channel was actively looking tounch some interesting programs to increase their ratings.


    One of the special programs was a history program introducing the rtionship between ancient Chinese animal totems and social customs.


    The theme for next week was ¡°Birds¡±.


    Qi Jing scanned through the names of the birds that he needed to prepare for. When he encountered the word ¡°sparrow¡±, he paused for a bit, but continued drinking his coffee. When he encountered the word ¡°geese¡±, his lips were still on the cup but he didn¡¯t take a single sip and set his cup down.


    The reason being that if he hadn¡¯t put his cup back down in time, he might have spat it all over his screen¡ª


    Qi Jing suddenly burst outughing at his desk.


    The sudden urge to call the Director of the channel sprouted in his mind, He wanted to ask if the Director was part of the online voice actingmunity and whether he had seen the happenings in the¡¶Trap¡·production crew.


    ¡°Calm down, Qi Jing. Calm down,¡± he muttered, trying his best to contain hisughter while tapping on his coffee cup.


    He had a membership card to the provincial library. If he didn¡¯t have anything urgent going on in the office, he could head there to check for some relevant materials. He could also use that window to see if there were any books he could borrow to pass time for when he¡¯s on a business trip.


    Lilies: Idk why I keep mistyping Geese Fly North as Geese Can Fly lollol

 Chapter 6

    <h4>Chapter 6</h4>


    The next day, the sky was a beautiful shade of blue, free of clouds.


    What a pleasant description, reminiscent of the way primary school students would write in theirpositions when jotting down their fun spring and autumn vacations. However, it wasn¡¯t something anyone would be happy to see when used to describe a day in July which was in the middle of a hot summer.


    ording to the weather forecast, the highest temperature today was predicted to be 38¡ãC.


    Qi Jing began to seriously consider if he should go directly to the office of the director of the News Channel and hand in a letter of resignation. It was not that he was afraid of bing tanned from the sun but he really didn¡¯t want to lose ayer of skin under the burning hot sun. As a reporter who¡¯s often out and about, subjected to harsh winds and ring sun, he¡¯s really had enough of being put through the suffering of feeling like saltwater being poured on an open wound every summer.


    Of course, this was not the first time the thought of resigning had run through his mind, but it would simply go away every time without him doing anything.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t head for the director¡¯s office, instead, it was the director who came out of his office for a smoke and ended up bumping into the former.


    The director habitually started some small talk with Qi Jing. ¡°Xiao Qi, I heard that you¡¯re the first one to arrive today?¡±


    Qi Jing left home early just so he could make it to the office before the sun rose.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Director. I travel out of town so often, there¡¯s no way I would be able to receive the award for perfect attendance,¡° Qi Jing joked.


    There¡¯s an old unspoken rule in the News Channel¡ªthe director has to treat the winner of the prize winner to a meal at the end of the year out of his own pocket.


    The director chuckled and patted Qi Jing on the back of his shoulder while saying, ¡°It¡¯s good for young people to be out and about more.¡±


    <i>And it¡¯s precisely because of that that I was formally crowned the God of ying Dead in the online voice acting circle.</i> Qi Jing muttered internally.


    ¡°Oh right. By the way, Director, if there¡¯s nothing on today, I¡¯d like to head down to the provincial libraryter during the day to gather some materials to finish up with my drafts so that I can submit it before I leave town tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± the director said.


    He knew that Qi Jing was often loaned out to the other channels so he was quite amodating regarding such matters. However, the person that happened to the around the corner and overheard their conversation was much less amodating.


    After sending off the director, just as Qi Jing took one step into the office to chat with his colleagues, that person came in right behind him.


    ¡°Well well, Qi Jing, aren¡¯t you the idlest person in the News Channel? Still thinking about cking and going to the library while everyone else is hard at work.¡±


    It¡¯s probably because he¡¯s heard loads of audio dramas, Qi Jing¡¯s ability to recognise people by their voice had improved significantly.


    Without even turning around, he already knew who it was that said those words. However, out ofmon courtesy, he still turned around to greet that person with a smile.


    The surname of the person trying to find fault with him was Sun and was ¡°affectionately¡± nicknamed, son of a bitch. Though of course, the person himself had no idea about this nickname, it was something everyone called him behind his back.


    The only talent S.O.B had worth mentioning was bragging. And he was really quite something at it. If not, he never would¡¯ve been able to get a spot in the TV station and retain his position for four years. Whenever S.O.B got drunk, he would im to be the descendent of the Monkey King. Qi Jing strongly believed that if Sun Wukong was here, he would personally do some housecleaning and kill S.O.B.


    And the level of jealousy that man contained in his body... perhaps even Consort Hua from Empresses in the Pce would have to concede defeat to him.


    Many a time, Qi Jing would feel like the man would spit out the line, ¡°Bitches are just pretentious,¡± in a fit of rage. To avoid being ¡°punished¡±, Qi Jing said to Mr. S.O.B with a polite smile, ¡°I¡¯m only going to the library because the director of the Science & Education Channel asked for me help to source for materials for their program.¡±


    ¡°Program? What program? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be working on news, why are you involving yourself in the Science & Education Channel?¡± Mr. S.O.B snapped. The type of people he hated the most in his entire life was versatile people like Qi Jing.


    ¡°It¡¯s a program on animal culture and I¡¯m in charge of the avian-rted topics, ¡°Qi Jing replied calmly.


    Mr. S.O.B startedughing with a weird expression on his face before remarking like he suddenly understood what was up, ¡°A bird-rted show? As expected, a person would only work on programs that are the same as themselves. ¡ªI for one, would never work on something like that.¡±


    The entire office fell dead silent.


    The colleague beside Qi Jing lowered his head awkwardly and drank his tea.


    The central air conditioner seemed to be a little too strong as the temperature in the office fell so low, everyone wanted to run and hide away for three minutes.


    Qi Jing nodded with a smile on his face. He then patted the file in his hand and responded, ¡°Mr. Sun is right, people with no cock wouldn¡¯t be able to understand ¡®birds¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡±


    That colleague spat his tea out.


    A meaningfulugh came from behind the screen in the office. It took Mr. S.O.B three whole seconds to fully process Qi Jing¡¯s words before his face flushed red in anger, all the way down to his neck.


    ¡°You! This is a personal attack!¡± he yelled. Then, he realised he was all alone in this with no one on his side, so he turned to the colleague that spat out his tea and questioned, ¡°You heard it too right!¡±


    ¡°Aiya! All the tea was spilled onto the floor, I better go get a rag to clean it up,¡± the colleague cried, ying dead.


    Mr. S.O.B was a little stunned before turning to yell at the others in the office, ¡°You guys all heard it too, didn¡¯t you!¡±


    The partitions between the desks in the New Channel¡¯s office were pretty tall, with Mr. Sun¡¯s height, it was virtually impossible for him to see the people behind the partitions. All he could hear were people¡¯s snickers and among them, someone shouted back a response, ¡°Yeah we heard it, someone was mocking Qi Jing, insinuating that he¡¯s a birdman¡ª.¡±


    Mr. S.O.B waspletely defeated.


    Mr. S.O.B has had enough of them.


    Mr. S.O.B stomped his way out exasperatedly.


    Ah but, he most certainly did not forget to send Qi Jing a look that read, ¡°I¡¯ll punish you sooner orter¡± before he left.


    After Sun left, the people in the office all raised their hands from behind the partition to give Qi Jing a thumbs up. Some even peeked out their heads and mouthed the words ¡°That was a good roast, Qi Jing¡±. The colleague hurriedly rushed back with a rag at the sight of this and followed suit by giving Qi Jing a five-star rating.


    ¡°But Qi Jing, aren¡¯t you scared of S.O.B getting his revenge on you the next chance he gets?¡± the colleague asked. He must¡¯ve been a loyal viewer of Empresses in the Pce.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll be going on a business trip tomorrow and I won¡¯t be back for a week,¡± Qi Jing expressed that he was not worried at all. He then removed his reporter tag and got ready to make his way to the library.


    ¡°Another business trip? Didn¡¯t you juste back from one?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no other choice, quite a few of the members on the interview team have be fathers. They need to spend time with their children during this summer vacation. Besides, the location this time is Z City, it¡¯s not too far and the amodation isn¡¯t too bad either,¡± Qi Jing answered. He supposed that this rate at which he goes on business trips would continue all the way till September.


    ¡°You¡¯re also someone who¡¯s turning thirty soon, won¡¯t this issue go away once you settle down and have a kid?¡± the colleague stated very simply.


    Qi Jing only smiled in as a response and didn¡¯t say anything more to exin. His sexual orientation still couldn¡¯t be made known at his workce. Only a small handful of buddies he had a really solid friendship with knew about it. After all, reporters do appear on television in news broadcasts quite frequently so there was still a fair bit of public influence.


    Moreover, there were people like Mr. S.O.B at the station.


    ¡°I think the single life is pretty good too,¡± Qi Jing said, beating around the bush.


    Qi Jing slung a messenger back over his shoulder and wave his hand, saying, ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll take my leave first. I¡¯ll be back in the afternoon.¡±


    The provincial library was located in the city centre which wasn¡¯t too far from the TV station, just two train stops away.


    Since today was a working day and it was still during working hours, in addition to the summer heat which diminished any desire one had to go out, the library was basically empty, making it even quieter than it already was usually.


    Due to the nature of his work, Qi Jing could be considered a familiar face at the library and had rather good rtions with several of the librarians there. As soon as he stepped into the hall of the library, one of the librarian aunties pushed up her ck rim sses and greeted him with a beam, ¡°Hello reporterrade, are you here to gather materials again?¡±


    He returned the smile and said, ¡°Yep, but the information I¡¯m looking for today is a little different from usual.¡±


    The librarian asked curiously, ¡°Oh? What kind of books are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°Those writing about animal totems, particrly the ones rted to birds. The ones that give a basic introduction to the topic and Social Sciences would be best. Those about ancient literature are fine as well. When I checked online, there aren¡¯t many books on animal cultures.¡±


    ¡°There really isn¡¯t much, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to try finding. Come with me.¡± The auntie had a pretty good impression of Qi Jing so she was happy to help him.


    The fourth floor of the north building of the library was where the books on natural science and social sciences were located. There was more or less no one there at this time of the day.


    This building had a fairly long history and hadn¡¯t been refurbished so windows were still the old-fashioned squared wooden windows. The light in the reading room wasn¡¯t very clear, especially the area in the deeper corners of the room which is used to house rows of books rted to biology. As it was still daytime, the fluorescent lights weren¡¯t turned on and there were only patches of sunlight shining down on the walkway.


    Faint white dust particles would be seen floating around in the air in ces where the light hits.


    On the ceiling, fans with some age to them hung above the ck wooden tables. The fan des turned slowly, making a dull buzzing sound as it did, stirring up the little dust particles.


    Qi Jing was actually rather fond of the atmosphere which resembled that of an old teahouse. In contrast, he felt that overly modern interiors ruined the rich cultural feeling of a library. A ce like this was suitable for a person toe by themself and indulge in some quiet reading.


    ¡ªIf this was a scene in a movie, it was definitely a ce fitting to shoot the first meeting.


    The thought suddenly popped out in his head.


    What a strange thought.


    He smiled wryly at himself and focussed all his concentration on his work.


    ¡°Books rted to birds huh... Let me see...¡± the auntie murmured while flipping through the list of the books in the reading room.


    Then, she led Qi Jing to a row of shelves and said, ¡°There is a book about the symbolism of birds in social customs. As to which shelf it is on, we¡¯ll have to search a bit for it, after all, there aren¡¯t many who read books on animals.¡±


    Just as she said those words, they suddenly saw that there was a man standing along that row of bookshelves with his head lowered as he looked through the books.


    The aisle between bookshelves was narrow and when the man saw the librarian leading Qi Jing in, he slightly backed away deeper down the aisle to clear the way for them.


    The auntie slowly searched through the books ording to the book number on the spine of the books. She eventually found the book she was looking for at the top of the shelf. Due to her petite stature, at most, she would be able to touch the bottom of the book if she stretched, but it wasn¡¯t enough to take the book down.


    Just as Qi Jing was about to step forward to help, the man that was standing by the side silently reached out his hand, took the book off the shelf and handed it to the librarian.


    ¡°Yep, this is it. Thank you,¡± the auntie thanked the man with a bright smile on her face and passed the book to Qi Jing while saying, ¡°Here you go reporterrade, will this book work?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you for you help,¡± Qi Jing said with a smile.


    That man, who had already lowered his head and got back to his reading suddenly lifted his head to nce at Qi Jing when he heard the words ¡°thank you¡±, as if those words triggered something in him.


    Sensing his gaze, Qi Jing instinctively looked up at him.


    At the end of the aisle was a window that was directly facing the sun. The sun was the brightest at this time of the day causing Qi Jing to frown slightly at the blinding sunlight. Due to that, he had to reduce the time heid his eyes on the other party¡¯s face. As the man stood against the sunlight, the contours on his face were washed out by theyer of pure white lighting from behind him,pletely blurring out his facial features and expression.


    ¡ªBut Qi Jing knew the other party was staring at him fixedly.


    Recalling that the book was taken down by that man, Qi Jing smiled at him and thanked him politely, ¡°Thank you to you as well.¡±


    That man heard him but didn¡¯t say anything. The former only nodded slightly before looking away.


    ¡°Come with me, there are a few more books on the other shelves,¡± the librarian stated cheerily as she led Qi Jing to the other shelves.


    ¡°Sorry for bothering you,¡± Qi Jing added before leaving with the librarian.


    That man still didn¡¯t say anything.


    The book in his hand remained on the same page for a long time. Under the burning heat of the sun, the paperback exuded with a faint scent of ink. It was not until Qi Jing and the librarian disappeared into the sea of shelves did the reading room returned to its former silence. And the man¡¯s finger that was ced on the book finally moved to close the book soundlessly.


    On his way back to the TV station, Qi Jing received a message from Ning Xiaoxiao expressing midday greetings.


    As a fan of the Great God, his junior had been eagerly asking him about the progress of the audio drama ever since she knew of the CASTS in the¡¶Trap¡·production crew. Regarding <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> absence the night they were supposed to meet, he only briefly told her about it. He didn¡¯t go into detail about what happened, he didn¡¯t even tell her about them getting a stand-in for <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> to run-through the script.


    As for the something that would only breed resentment like his dry recordings being thrown into the trash due to various reasons, there were even fewer reasons for him to even mention it.


    In the three years that he¡¯s been in themunity, he¡¯s witnessed all the bloody battle of words and he was not about to let the crew be a part of that, building on those posts.


    Ning Xiaoxiao: Since <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>-sama didn¡¯t manage to make it at thest moment that day, did the crew manage to set up another meeting with him?


    Qi Jing: Hmm, the producer said she¡¯ll arrange another timing with him.


    Ning Xiaoxiao: Will you guys be arranging it during these few days? I couldn¡¯t listen that day ¡®cause I had to keep Mr. policemanpany, but if you guys arrange it during these few days, please let me listen as part of the audience! (Look at the sincerity in my eyes = =+)


    Qi Jing: I¡¯m afraid it¡¯d be impossible to do it during these few days as I¡¯ll be going out of town again tomorrow. I¡¯ll be going to Z City to gather some materials, it¡¯ll probably take about a week or two.


    Ning Xiaoxiao: Ah ah?


    Qi Jing: It can¡¯t be helped, it¡¯s for work.


    Ning Xiaoxiao halted their conversation in text right there and called him directly instead.


    ¡°Senior, if you leave now, won¡¯t you be ying dead for another ten days to half a month? Although ying dead is really not something you can control...¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s really beyond my control,¡± Qi Jing replied impassively.


    Not only in terms of time, the differences in opinions amongst the STAFF was also beyond his control.


    Ning Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, as if she dared not say it out loud, ¡°I¡¯ve heard from other crews that Bronze Sparrow Terrace-sama seems to have a lot of activities normally¡ªmeetings, interviews, concerts, etc. If you¡¯re not free when he looks for you during this time, will the crew me you for dying their progress?¡±


    Reying the words Ms sound designer said in the group chat, Qi Jing could basically say it with certainty, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Will they say it¡¯s because you often like to y dead?¡±


    <i>Junior... you¡¯re definitely lurking in the group chat with a side ount.</i>


    ¡°Will they say that you¡¯re not cooperating with the Great God?¡±


    <i>Junior... if you don¡¯t have a side ount, what a waste of your talents that you¡¯re not working for the National Intelligence Agency.</i>


    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know how the Great God is like in person, but his fans are pretty terrifying. It¡¯s best you tell the crew not to leak any information out.¡± Ning Xiaoxiao picked out the crucial point immediately, hitting the nail on the head.


    After contemting for three seconds, Qi Jing decided it was best not to tell her that the sound designer of the crew was a die-hard fan of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if it reallyes to the point where the Great God gets mad at me, I¡¯ll act cute,¡± he said calmly, paying no heed to the gigglesing from the girls on the street.


    Ning Xiaoxiao burst outughing into the phone, ¡°Pfft, Senior! Please don¡¯t say something like that in such a serious tone with your overly sexy voice!¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m quite good at acting cute. If you don¡¯t believe me, just listen. Meow~¡± Qi Jing replied.


    He knew exactly where his junior¡¯s weakness was.


    The few passer-bydies could no longer contain theirughter as they all burst into fits ofughter, gradually heading towards the point of losing all control. Qi Jing felt that those girls would surely have taken a video of him doing that and uploaded it onto Weibo, garnering N number of reposts.


    ¡°Puhahaha! Dammit, I hate that I couldn¡¯t record that with my phone! Please give me a recording! Please record a ringtone for me!¡±


    Ha, he¡¯s caught her in his trap.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to promise me one thing first,¡± Qi Jing said while smiling faintly.


    ¡°Just say it! I promise!¡±


    Qi Jing took a deep breath before stating word by word into the microphone, ¡°You are forbidden from rushing me for my recordings while I¡¯m away on my business trip.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s side of the line fell utterly silent.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the regret option...¡±


    ¡°That service isn¡¯t avable yet.¡±


    ¡°I feel so drained. I feel like I won¡¯t believe in people acting cute anymore...¡±


    Hearing those words, Qi Jing nodded to himself in satisfaction. It would appear that even though he was not good at acting cute, he still had a certain sess rate.

 Chapter 7

    <h4>Chapter 7</h4>


    Ten years ago, there was an idol drama called¡¶Meteor Garden¡·which took the nation by storm. And the protagonist, Daoming Si, had a famous ssic one-liner: If everything goes away with a simple apology, why do police exist?


    Qi Jing felt that he could borrow and repurpose that sentence.


    If everything goes away just by acting cute, why do haters exist?


    That was the sentence that popped up in his mind when he opened hisputer and went to the website he hadn¡¯t been on for quite some time since he went on a business trip. While it was true that he had a reputation for being the God of ying Dead in the circle, it was basically only limited to the STAFF. It hadn¡¯t reached the level of triggering public outrage for one simple reason¡ªtoo little works as the mains.


    Hence, when he saw his ID appear in the title of a thread on the forum, and it was a title that anyone who read it knew that it was bound to have an unpleasant content, he hesitated a little and did not click on it.


    However, even if he didn¡¯t click on it, there are others who will.


    As can be seen the shocking number of private messages on QQ¡ª


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: Bloody hell, what happened to you? When I saw those words ¡®<i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>¡¯ appear in the title of a post I thought I was getting old and my eyesight was getting blurry... ¦²( ¡ã¡÷¡ã|||)¦õ


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: If it was just a post to cote a CV¡¯s works then that¡¯s fine and all but it clearly isn¡¯t!!


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: ...I continued reading the post...


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: ...Holy heck, someone even dragged me into it saying I¡¯m the one who brought you into the circle, that I¡¯m your mom and so on.


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: And here I was thinking ofing out to brag that I¡¯m Bo Le when you¡¯ve shot to stardom. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be exposed this early in a post like this. Ah, my entire person doesn¡¯t feel good _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    <i>Ninthdy</i>: (Sighs) Bamboo shoots said that you¡¯re away on a business trip. Alright, just remember to poke me on QQ when youe back.


    ...


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: Return date-sama! That post really wasn¡¯t put up by the crew! TAT


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: I guess you¡¯re probably still on your business trip... If you see that thread on the forum when youe back just ignore it... That really doesn¡¯t represent our view of you!!


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: Currently, everyone is still trying to figure out which crew you¡¯re in... I hope no one finds out (Cries)


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: ...As expected, people still managed to figure it out...


    <i>Rouge Flower</i>: Irregardless, the crew will be waiting for you!! We will not be affected by a post like that!! TAT


    ...


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: Senior! There¡¯s actually a gossip thread about you on the forum!!


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: After reading through half the post... I just wanna say, holy heck, that OP doesn¡¯t know you at all!! The bunch of fakers agreeing to the post don¡¯t understand you at all either!! £¨¨s£­£ß£­£©¨s¨k¨k


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: ...Well, I guess you¡¯re finally famous now (Dead eyes)


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: Just what on earth is going on? You¡¯d better hurry up and exin the situation. There are so many people blindly jumping on the bandwagon without knowing the truth.


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: So what they¡¯re exposing is rted to the¡¶Trap¡·Production Crew??


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: I¡¯m a member of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> fan group and a lot of people are talking about you!! Hey!!


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: Pleasee back quickly!!!! It¡¯s extremely urgent!!!!


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: Didn¡¯t you say that acting cute would work! What happened to acting cute! What happening to meowing! Though I think it¡¯s useless even if you meow on the thread now...


    ...


    ...


    ...


    ¡°Meow,¡± Qi Jing meowed weakly at the screen while making the gesture of a cat¡¯s paw.


    It seems like acting cute doesn¡¯t work anywhere, anytime¡ª


    Based on the many years of doing interviews under his belt, he could roughly guess the details of the post after reading through the messages. He could also guess the direction in which the thoughts of these anti-fans progress and evolve.


    Qi Jing mentally prepared himself and opened the post titled, ¡°ying dead is also an art: Let¡¯s talk about what you didn¡¯t know about the CV, Don¡¯t ask for my return date.¡±


    First of all, the OP¡¯s writing was something worthy ofmendation.


    The content of the post was probably not more than 500 words, but every word she used was like a gem. She was especially skilled in her application of irony, hernguage teacher must be proud of her should they see this post.


    However, what impressed Qi Jing the most was the OP¡¯s ability to draw the audience to ask questions because every sentence meant more than the surface-level meaning of the words. She would say things as discreetly as possible while leaving a clue or two of something more. It was as if one had a feather was lodged in their throat, tickling it, causing an itch in people that they couldn¡¯t make go away. And they couldn¡¯t help but let their imagination run wild as they eagerly leftments under her post.


    While he was reading the post, Qi Jing had to go back to the title several times to confirm that the ID in it was indeed his.


    <i>But speaking of which...</i>


    <i>Who is the CV that acts cool and aloof while throwing his weight around?</i>


    <i>Who is the CV that casually decided to finish his recordings without listening to the director and didn¡¯t rework on his recordings after thements on it were given?</i>


    <i>Who is the two-faced CV that badmouthed his fellow CAST behind their backs?</i>


    <i>And just who is the CV who is so arrogant that he made Bronze Sparrow Terrace wait when he was the one who asked to have an online run-through of the script?</i>


    For some reason, Qi Jing startedughing when he got to the end of the post.


    He kept having this feeling like someone was going to jump out and dere, ¡°Actually that person isn¡¯t <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>. That¡¯s right, it¡¯s actually me, I¡¯m his evil twin.¡± But of course, no such person appeared and all the charges fell on his head.


    Qi Jing took a deep breath and ced both hands on his keyboard, lightly tapping a key with his forefinger as he carefully contemted how he should reply.


    In situations like this, his best course of action was definitely to simply tell the truth. If he were to lie, it would surely snowball.


    ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry, but I¡¯ve been away on a business trip these few days and there might have been some misunderstanding that I was unaware of. I had just returned home to see the news, if anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me directly,¡± Qi Jing muttered to himself as he keyed in his response in thements box.


    He didn¡¯t hold any expectations of clearing his name with that response. And what happened next was indeed beyond his control.


    After replying to the post, there really was amotion.


    However, themotion wasn¡¯t because of hisment, but a formalment by <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> right under his.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a misunderstanding, let¡¯s not ruin the harmony. Come on my dears, let¡¯s go back and I will sing for you :)¡±


    The above was the content of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> reply.


    As expected of someone known as a Great God.


    After hisment, the atmosphere of the post took an abrupt 180 as his fans excitedly lined up after hisment in order to get a screenshot of theirments with his.


    All the previous defamatory gossip was overshadowed by therge-scale spam ofments such as ¡°Awooo, please do a concert¡±, ¡°Bronze Sparrow-sama I love you¡± and ¡°Will you be releasing any new audio dramas, Bronze Sparrow-sama, I¡¯m so excited¡± And the OP was nowhere to be found.


    However, the OP had definitely been reading through thements because the thread was quietly deleted two hourster.


    As expected of someone known as a Great God.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help exim in his heart once again when he saw that the post was deleted.


    Given this, he was not indebted to and owed Bronze Sparrow Terrace a favour. Just as he thought about that while opening¡¶Trap¡·Production Crew¡¯s QQ group chat, two very eye-catching ID suddenly reflected in his eyes: <i>Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Harem</i> and <i>Xiao Qiao of Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Harem</i>.


    ¡°Sss...¡± he gasped.


    For a moment, Qi Jing suddenly felt like he was an animal being locked in a cage for people to spectate.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I just came back from my business trip. I¡¯m truly sorry for causing trouble for the crew.


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: Aaaaah!! Return date-sama!! TAT


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I¡¯m sorry about that post, Ms <i>Rouge Flowe</i>r.


    Before <i>Rouge Flower</i> could reply, the two fan club presidents had already taken over the conversation, clearly, they were really concerned about the new CV ying against their Great God. As for whether it was the good kind of concern or the bad kind, Qi Jing could only say that he has no idea.


    <i>Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Harem</i>: You¡¯re <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>??


    <i>Xiao Qiao of Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Harem</i>: You¡¯re finally here! We¡¯ve already been in the group since a week ago! ¨q(¨s^¨t)¨r


    <i>Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Harem</i>: Xiao Qiao, please pay attention to your image while we¡¯re outside. Bronze Sparrow doesn¡¯t like naughty kids~


    <i>Xiao Qiao of Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Harem</i>: Alright, I¡¯ve always been a good girl ¨q(¨s^¨t)¨r


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Now that you¡¯re back, let¡¯s hurry and arrange a time with Bronze Sparrow-sama.


    <i>Xiao Qiao of Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Harem</i>: Locky! Hug! =33333=


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Xiao Qiao! Do you have the recording of sama¡¯s concert the other day!! Quickly send me!!


    <i>Xiao Qiao of Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Harem</i>: Of course! And it¡¯s a version I recorded myself! (£þ¨Œ£þ)¡± Plus it was edited by my sister! It¡¯s already been sent to the email group! Quickly go download it, Locky!


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: I justzy to scroll through the group, can either of you send it to me~


    <i>Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Harem</i>: Locky, I¡¯ll pm you.


    ...The ability of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> fans to make anywhere across the four seas their home must be really strong.


    Qi Jing was more than happy to see that he had been temporarily cast to the back of their minds. He estimates that there¡¯d probably be nothing to do with him for the next five minutes so he took the time to make himself a cup of instant coffee. Just when he got back to his seat and ced his cup down, he suddenly received a notification that he got a pm from Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Harem.


    <i>Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Harem</i>: I¡¯ve seen the post. It¡¯s still not toote for you to make up for your mistakes now. Bronze Sparrow will be on his personal YY channel at 8 PM tomorrow. Your crew can drop by tomorrow.


    There were so many issues with this message that Qi Jing didn¡¯t even know where to start from.


    However, he did owe the Great God a favour and a CV shouldn¡¯t be held responsible for their fan¡¯s actions. Thus, he politely typed a reply which read: Thank you for Ms Da Qiao¡¯s understanding. If Ms producer and the rest of the crew have no problem with it, I¡¯ll be there on time.


    The way President Da Qiao behave was really stunning as she replied with utmost haughtiness: Of course they have no problem with it.


    Qi Jing felt that this sentence could be roughly tranted as: Even if they weren¡¯t ok with it, they¡¯d have to make it ok.


    Sure enough, the producer, <i>Rouge Flower</i>, epted it without a singleint. She even postponed her IRL dinner ns that she had made a long time ago, Director <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> expressed in private that the timing was a bit rushed for her. And because that was <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> personal channel and not one dedicated for the crew, she presumed that the number of onlookers thate after hearing of the news would probably break the thousands. She also said that she¡¯s more reserved when there are too many people and she won¡¯t be able to PIA naturally tomorrow.


    But all these problems must be resolved by 8 PM tomorrow.


    Personally, Qi Jing doesn¡¯t organise any concerts or have any interviews, so when he goes on YY to listen to the director go through the script with the CVs, there are only at most, five or six people in the channel. Referencing the title of that post, if ying dead is an art, then being able to manage online fans that go over four digits must be a profound art.


    In this aspect, <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> must be quite the outstanding artist.


    Because his junior had reminded him, Qi Jing waited until 7.55 PM before he logged into YY and entered the channel room that Da Qiao gave him before.


    Very soon, he came to understand why his junior told him not to go too early.


    The channel was divided into many sub-channels and the chat room that was the most active right now had more than 2000 people online.


    Qi Jing expressed great respect as he clicked into it.


    Da Qiao, who had an orange ID, was on the mic, giving a lively, detailed description of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> recent activities.


    For example, how thendscape photos posted on Great God¡¯s Weibo was of professional quality.


    For example, the philosophical statement that the Great God made in the official fan club one day.


    For example, the JQ between the Great God and the current hottest CP candidate, <i>Crossing the bridge noodle</i>...


    All the fans responded enthusiastically on the chat. The chat would often be filled with chains of ¡°©d(¨RO¨Q)¡¨¡± or ¡°((¨R(¨R¨Œ(¨R¨Œ¨Q(¨R¨Œ¨Q)¨R¨Œ¨Q)¨Œ¨Q)¨Q)))¡± emoticons.


    On a whim, Qi Jing decided to join them and maintain their formation.


    <i>Fan 1</i>: ©d(¨RO¨Q)¡¨


    <i>Fan 2</i>: ©d(¨RO¨Q)¡¨


    <i>Fan 3</i>: ©d(¨RO¨Q)¡¨


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: ©d(¨RO¨Q)¡¨


    <i>Fan 4</i>: ©d(¨RO¨Q)¡¨


    <i>Fan 5</i>: ©d(¨RO¨Q)¡¨


    <i>Fan 6</i>: ©d(¨RO¨Q)¡¨


    ...


    Very good, his message was drowned in the vast amount of messagesing in and waspletely ignored.


    Even both Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao didn¡¯t notice his presence. Though he believed that they likely had no attention to spare for anything else, so he opened the crew¡¯s QQ group chat concurrently to greet <i>Rouge Flower</i> and the others.


    It wasn¡¯t until 8.15 PM that Da Qiao finally concluded her emotional narration and the chat started calling for <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> that she remembered there was a run-through of the script today.


    ¡°Hmm? Are you here, Don¡¯t ask for my return date?¡±


    ¡°I dare not be absent,¡± Qi Jing replied with a wry smile although he wasn¡¯t mic-ed up so there was no way for her to hear it.


    <i>Fan 1</i>: ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã Pleasee online Bronze Sparrow Terrace-sama!


    <i>Fan 2</i>: ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã Pleasee online Bronze Sparrow Terrace-sama!


    <i>Fan 3</i>: ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã Pleasee online Bronze Sparrow Terrace-sama!


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I¡¯m here.


    <i>Fan 4</i>: ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã Pleasee online Bronze Sparrow Terrace-sama!


    <i>Fan 5</i>: ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã Pleasee online Bronze Sparrow Terrace-sama!


    <i>Fan 6</i>: ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã Pleasee online Bronze Sparrow Terrace-sama!


    ...


    He had no other choice but to pm Da Qiao on QQ: I¡¯ve been here for some time, but the messages in the chate in too quickly that my message was gone in an instant.


    As one of the presidents of the fan club, she showed a bit more ss since there were in <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> personal YY channel as she cheerily gave Qi Jing and the rest of the crew a red ID.


    ¡°Bronze Sparrow is busy with work so it¡¯ll probably take a while more before hees online. You guys just wait for a bit. Meanwhile, I shall continue...¡±


    Qi Jing listened to her words even-temperedly.


    However, when many of the fans saw that the legendary<i> Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i> was online, they all started requesting in the chat for his mic to be turned on. The reason was nothing more than to hear if his voice was worthy of ying against <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>, would it ruin the drama? Though of course, since most of the people had never even seen his name and were affected by the negativements on that post, they were simply curious about how he¡¯s like.


    ¡°In that case, juste on and say a few words.¡±


    Da Qiao gave in and could only grant him the permission to voice chat.


    Making a few casualments definitely wouldn¡¯t make the cut, after all, the first impression was very important.


    Well then, what should he say?


    When he saw his red-coloured ID appear on the screen for those who could use voice chat, the timer had already begun and he suddenly didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Part of the reason he came here today was to rehearse through the script, and the other part was to apologise. Since that was the case, then let¡¯s do the apology he had practiced.


    ¡°Good eveningdies, I¡¯m Don¡¯t ask for my return date,¡± then he paused before presenting his extra-long version of acting cute, ¡°Meow~~~¡±


    The messages stoppeding in for a second.


    Then, it came in like a flood.


    <i>Fan 1</i>: ¦²(¤Ã¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã He just meowed just now!!!!


    <i>Fan 2</i>: ¦²(¤Ã¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã He just meowed just now!!!!


    <i>Fan 3</i>: ¦²(¤Ã¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã And he meowed for a really long time!!!!


    <i>Fan 4</i>: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä AHAHAHAHA So cute so cute!


    <i>Fan 5</i>: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä So cute! So sexy!


    <i>Fan 6</i>: o(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)o His voice is really sexy!! And it¡¯s pretty Gong too!!¡¾Though not as much as Bronze Sparrow-sama, of course¡¿


    <i>March Bamboo Shoot</i>s: ...Senior... what happened to your sense of shame...


    ...


    For a moment there, he felt like he saw his junior¡¯s message being flushed away by the hoards of other messagesing in. So she came as well. Qi Jing massaged his temples and decided to log that opening statement just now into his book of his major dark histories.


    At this time, he still hadn¡¯t noticed that another person had reced him as the first person on the list of people with rights to voice chat.


    ¡°Who was the adorable kitten that meowed just now?¡± a deep baritone voice chuckled.


    The voice had an imposing aura.


    Every word he said was clear and powerful. His voice was like a subwoofer, gently reverberating in his ear.


    It was a purple ID, the owner of the channel¡ª

 Chapter 8

    <h4>Chapter 8</h4>


    The so-called explosion of male hormones was no doubt referring to voices like that of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>.


    In a channel where the female poption ounted for 99% of the audience, the moment those words left his lips, all of his fans virtually ascended to the heavens.


    As possibly the only male present aside from <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>, Qi Jing was feeling a lot of pressure.


    Before <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> did a career change, he had done some dubbing formercials. The quality of his voice was very simr to that of broadcasters at the TV station. For Qi Jing who worked at a TV station, having to listen to voices like that every day has made him immune to it over the years. However, he couldn¡¯t deny that with a voice like that, <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> truly had the right to be called a Great God.


    ¡°You¡¯re Don¡¯t ask for my return date, right?¡± <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> asked, one could hear the smile in his voice. The tone of his voice was gentlemanly to the max, any baritone voice-con would never be able to resist him.


    Qi Jing responded with a professional smile both in person and with an emoticon.


    If he had known better, he wouldn¡¯t have acted cute just now. He didn¡¯t expect <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> to hear it¡ªit was basically the darkest part of all his dark histories.


    Some of the fans appeared to be deeply upset about <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> attention being ced on Qi Jing as they all moured for him to take notice of them by sending messages that read: Look over here, Bronze Sparrow-sama!


    As an expert at appeasing the fans, naturally, <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> responded to their calls, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for beingte and causing you to wait, my lovelydies. Allow me to sing a song topensate you guys for the dy, alright?¡±


    Naturally, the fans would be a-ok with it.


    However, the members of the¡¶Trap¡·Production Crew might now be as ok with it.


    As an experienced veteran, Ning Xiaoxiao directly sent Qi Jing a message on QQ telling him toe back in an hour. At first, he was confused by her message, after all, he had never heard of a song that was sixty minutes long. However, after he decided to quietly sit through and wait for <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> to be done with his singing, he knew he had made the wrong decision when he saw the time disyed at the lower right corner of the screen. It was past 9.20 PM.


    So it turned out that ¡°a song¡± actually meant ¡°more than a song¡±.


    Qi Jing felt like he was being ignorant again.


    However, <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> singing truly proved that he was worthy of being crowned a Great God. It was still pretty enjoyable to listen to even after listening to it for more than sixty minutes. And while he sang, he also took some time to chat with the fans and catch up on the gossip.


    When the time had passed 9.30 PM, the ever so kind and considerate Xiao Qiao reminded <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> that he still had run-through arranged that night, thus, the fans request for ¡°one more song¡± was politely declined. And the concert mode was changed to free speech mode. Bronze Sparrow Terrace politely asked of the fans not to turn on their mics and the ones allowed to turn on their mics were the crew members, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao.


    Qi Jing finally had the opportunity to say his second sentence of the night.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Bronze Sparrow Terrace-sama, I am Don¡¯t ask for my return date. Thank you for taking the time to show up for the run-through tonight and thank you for helping with regarding that post.¡±


    ¡°Haha, there¡¯s no need to be so polite. Since it was just a misunderstanding, it¡¯s good that it was cleared up.¡±


    <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> didn¡¯t seem to think too much about the post as he continued, ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get started. May I ask what are the scenes that the crew is nning on going through?¡±


    ¡°Uh, can we run through everything?¡± <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> asked.


    ¡°You want to go through everything?¡± <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> sounded rather surprised by the director¡¯s words.


    ¡°Is that really necessary? Isn¡¯t that a waste one time to have to run through everything and record it from the top again.¡± The sound designer, A lifetime¡¯s lock, had a lot of confidence in <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> sense of y.


    ¡°But we were able to...¡± go through everything the other time.


    <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> almost slipped up and told them about the time where they brought <i>Geese Fly North</i> in as a substitute. Luckily, Qi Jing cut into their conversation just in time before she could say the username <i>Geese Fly North</i>.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just pick a few key scenes for us to rehearse, Director? You¡¯re fine with that right, Ms. Rouge?¡±


    ¡°Yep, yep, just pick a few scenes Knives cutting,¡± <i>Rouge Flower</i> hurriedly concurred.


    <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> fell silent. In the end, she had no choice but to follow the wishes of the majority and send the lines for the scene in the private room to the Qiao sisters so that they could pin it to the announcements.


    ording to the novel, this was the scene where the two characters had their first physical interaction. It could be considered the main event in the development of their rtionship. It was really a test of the CVs¡¯ skills, their control of emotions, and the subtle changes in tone.


    ¡°Well then, I shall begin,¡± <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> said, like a gentleman inviting others to dance, he cued his partner by taking the first step. A Great God truly was a Great God. Every action he took was oozing with grace and elegance.


    ¡°Please,¡± Qi Jing replied politely.


    In the next instant, a thick and powerful baritone voice, slowly recited the lines that Qi Jing was so very familiar with.


    ¡°I knew from the very beginning that everything you did was a scheme against me.¡±


    In an instant, it felt like something in the air had snapped.


    Qi Jing felt his body stiffen suddenly.


    And not just his hearing, it felt like all five of his senses had shut down. It felt like something was buzzing in his mind, but other than that itpletely nked out.


    However, contrary to how he felt inside, the atmosphere in the channel had reached the boiling point, escting from 0 to 100 in a moment¡¯s time.


    ¡°Oh my! Bronze Sparrow Terrace sounded so domineering when he read his line! So emperor-like!¡± As someone with the privilege of using the voice chat, Xiao Qiao couldn¡¯t help but rush to be the first to express her admiration for him. She then yfully scolded by Da Qiao to keep quiet during the run-through.


    The fact was, the number of crews that request for <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrac</i>e to do a live rehearsal barely made up a handful. Those that specially came to his personal channel for a read-through were even more of a minority.


    Since Xiao Qiao was someone who was usually only interested in listening to him sing or the final product of the audio dramas, this was the first time she heard her idol recite his lines live. It¡¯s not the like the crew couldn¡¯t understand why she would lose herself in the moment.


    When even the president of the fan club was reacting this way, needless to say, the rest of the fans went crazy in the chat.


    <i>Fan 1</i>: o(*////¨Œ////*)q Oh god!! That was beautiful!! Bronze Sparrow is too amazing!!


    <i>Fan 2</i>: (/¡Ý¨Œ¡Ü/)(/¡Ý¨Œ¡Ü/)(/¡Ý¨Œ¡Ü/) Aaaaah my ears are gonna get pregnant!!!!


    <i>Fan 3</i>: (*?¨Œ?*)¨q(*?¨Œ?*)¨q(*?¨Œ?*)¨q An emperor Gong that I¡¯ll be pushing for life!!


    <i>Fan 4</i>: (¨q£þ3£þ)¨q? I love you, Bronze Sparrow-sama!!


    <i>Fan 5</i>: (¨q£þ3£þ)¨q? I love you, Bronze Sparrow-sama!!¡¾Strongly maintaining the formation¡¿


    <i>Fan 6</i>: (¨q£þ3£þ)¨q? I love you, Bronze Sparrow-sama!!¡¾Sisters below please also maintain the formation¡¿


    ...


    Meanwhile, Qi Jing was still frozen in his ce.


    ¡°Ah...¡± He finally made a sound after some time, but he didn¡¯t know what to say next.


    ¡°Return date-sama?¡±


    He probably paused for too long as the producer, <i>Rouge Flower</i>, hurriedly called out to him, prompting him to continue.


    The director, on the other hand, was the same as him, she didn¡¯t make any reaction either.


    After around two full minutes of the fans reveling in <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> charming voice, they finally realised that Qi Jing hadn¡¯t said his line. And so the fans all started teasing him.


    <i>Fan 1</i>: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Shou-kun isn¡¯t saying anything. Are you shy??


    <i>Fan 2</i>: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä He must be shy!


    <i>Fan 3</i>: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Was Shou-kun also absolutely killed by Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Emperor-ss Gong voice??


    <i>Fan 4</i>: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä It¡¯s ok, we understand! Bronze Sparrow-sama¡¯s voice is just too good!¡¾Covers face bashfully¡¿


    <i>Fan 5</i>: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Little Shou, was it because you felt like Bronze Sparrow-sama shot his way into your heart that you became too shy to say anything??


    <i>Fan 6</i>: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Hahahaha as expected of our all-rounded Gong, Bronze Sparrow-sama!!


    ...


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyes were wide open the entire time. He finally blinked at the screen after what felt like half a day.


    He was still feeling as if his brain had short-circuited. It was as if he had just woken up. He patted on his cheeks nkly in an attempt toe back to reality.


    It¡¯s wrong.


    It¡¯s all wrong¡ª


    The scene in the private room was before they revealed their identities and lowered their guard against each other. Which meant that they were still on opposing sides.


    Although they had an appreciation for each other, the policeman was still an upright person. When he found out that he had been used by the Mafia, and especially by someone he was quite fond of, he should be feeling depressed, lost, and angry.


    That line shouldn¡¯t be said with such a calm andposed tone like he was in total control of the situation¡ª


    The way he handled the emotions wascking some fire.


    As for the character Qi Jing was voice acting as, he was someone who had been living in the underworld for a long time and had slight sadistic tendencies. And such a person would want to exert such tendencies on the person he likes. When he saw the anger and hopelessness on the policeman¡¯s face, he did feel a sense of guilt. However, he was unwilling to show it, instead, he covered it up with a frivolous smile. And the two characters had their first bedding scene through partial seduction and partial coercion by Qi Jing¡¯s character.


    <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> voice was already very charismatic to begin with. It made it easy to give people the impression that he was the one in control, like the one who was being held prisoner was Qi Jing¡¯s character and not the policeman.


    ¡°I know that you¡¯re scheming against me, but unfortunately, everything you did was in vain.¡±


    That was how it sounded like with the way he handled the line.


    Which was why it¡¯s wrong.


    It sounded wrong.


    Once the CV who started first set the tone for the scene, it was very difficult for the other CV to try to change it.


    Qi Jing had read through the script countless times, he could basically recite his line off the top of his head so it should¡¯ve been a piece of cake for him to say his lines. However, right now, he had no idea how to follow up to <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> line.


    There were two things on his mind.


    Firstly, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to overwhelm <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> if he used his normal voice.


    Secondly, if he used the voice that was most faithful to how the character was supposed to be, it wouldn¡¯t fit in with what <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> had done at all.


    It was as if he had a game of chess ced in front of him and after he had thought long and hard about his every move, someone overturned the board and restarted the game, forcing him to make his next move instantly.


    ¡°Return date, you should say your lines,¡± the director who had been silent this whole time also spoke up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say that you lost connection just not. It¡¯s a rare chance that Bronze Sparrow is free, you better not waste everyone¡¯s time,¡± Da Qiao said. As a person who had never seen how crews do run-throughs, she was upset at Qi Jing so she arbitrarily used her voice chat privilege to urge Qi Jing.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with it, Return date might be too nervous, please give him some time to adjust,dies,¡± <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> chuckled.


    Sure enough, this gesture won the praise of his little fans. They allplimented him for being gentle, considerate, and caring towards a neer. Though what most people here didn¡¯t know was that, Qi Jing had actually entered the circle even earlier than <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>.


    Qi Jing quietly readjusted his state of mind while sitting in front of theputer. He closed his eyes for three seconds and when he reopened them, he took a good look at his lines once again.


    With things as such, he could only try to coordinate with the other party to the best of his ability.


    ¡°Despite knowing it¡¯s a trap, you still jumped right into it¡ª¡ªdoesn¡¯t that mean that you¡¯re interested in me?¡±


    Qi Jing tried to lower his voice to make the most Gong voice that he could in order to make himself sound more imposing.


    However, as a result of changing the tone of his voice, the flirtatious feeling was reduced while the intimidating feeling increased. That was the adjustment he made to steer the atmosphere of the scene back as close to how the interaction between the two characters was described in the book.


    In this way, it didn¡¯t sound as awkward anymore, did it?


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not right,¡± the sound designer interjected to rebuke Qi Jing before the director could even give anyments.


    Her words stunned him and he paused once again.


    ¡°That voice you did just now was too Gong. It¡¯s too tough and wasn¡¯tpatible with Bronze Sparrow¡¯s voice at all.¡± The sound designer was referring to when she puts their recordings together in post-production.


    As soon as the remark left her mouth, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao also chimed in words of agreement in the background.


    <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> chuckled and pointed out teasingly, ¡°You sound a little stiff. You can try rxing your vocal cords a little, there¡¯s no need for you to make your voice sound so Gong. Besides, isn¡¯t this supposed to be a scene of passion? Your voice is certainly very sexy. I think the Gong would like it more, if you made the tone a little more seductive.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, how could you say it out so directly, Bronze Sparrow-sama? Although that¡¯s how I felt as well,¡± the sound designer praised him vigorously.


    ¡°Hahaha...¡±


    The fans seemed to be in a frenzy as well as they spammed the chat with bashful emoticons. What¡¯s worse, fans were sending in uniformed messages requesting for a more seductive voice.


    <i>Rouge Flower¡¯s</i> indicator light remained grey as she kept quiet. She was rather prone to backing off when faced with a tense situation with differing views.


    Instead, it was the director, <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i>, who cleared her throat to regain everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Sorry to interrupt, but this work is indeed about two strong leads. Thus, I personally think that the voice Return date did just now was fine.¡±


    Da Qiao disagreed, ¡°Even if both the leads are strong, there should be a clear distinction as to who is the Gong and Shou. Plus, isn¡¯t his character supposed to be a temptress Shou? His voice should be more seductive, if it¡¯s too Gong, it doesn¡¯t sound alluring at all.¡±


    And Xiao Qiao seconded her words, ¡°Honestly most people prefer cute and adorable Shou voices. But if a tougher Shou voice is required by the plot, they could ept it as well if it was less Gong.¡±


    The atmosphere instantly dropped below the freezing point for a moment.


    In the end, <i>Rouge Flower</i> was forced toe out to act as a mediator. She cautiously offered her suggestion, ¡°Return date-sama, can you make your voice a little less Gong. Just a little bit will be fine.¡±


    Qi Jing had no choice but to readjust his voice.


    ¡°Is this better? I dropped it from 0.7 to 0.6.¡±


    ¡°It still feels a little off.¡± This time it was <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> personally made thement, seemingly intrigue by Qi Jing¡¯s gentle temperament after turning off that strong aura.


    ¡°What about now?¡± Qi Jing lowered it again from 0.6 to 0.5. If he made it any more Shou, he reckoned that even he himself wouldn¡¯t be able to take it.


    ¡°Yeah, isn¡¯t this much better?¡± <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>ughed, ¡°It sounds very seductive.¡±


    Qi Jing could onlyugh along.


    The onlooking fans were more used to the stereotypical strong Gong and weak Shou, so they all felt that the adjustments that Qi Jing made were good. In fact, many fans even took to the chat to say that the voices would sound a lot better now when it¡¯s put together after the change, saying that there was a clear distinction between Gong and Shou now.


    Then, they also demanded for Qi Jing to sound more alluring.


    The first time Qi Jing heard of such a request was when he was voice acting in another drama. However, he was voicing as the Gong at the time and the request was something the director made of the Shou. And if memory served him right, that was a story about moneyboys.


    Alright, since the protagonist in¡¶Trap¡·runs nightclubs, as long as hepletely threw the original cold-hearted, Mafia boss characterisation to the back of his mind, he supposed he could make himself sound a little more amorous.


    ¡°Despite knowing it¡¯s a trap, you still jumped right into it... Doesn¡¯t that... mean that you¡¯re interested in me?¡± Yep, a little more amorous.


    ¡°I am indeed getting more and more interested in you,¡± <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> chuckled. That was a line from the script, but his ownment.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Qi Jing replied while trying to maintain his professional smile as much as possible.


    However, the fans could no longer keep their calm in the chat. Such suggestive words by <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> had caused quite an uproar.


    <i>Fan 1</i>: ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sBronze Sparrow actually said he was interested in Return date-kun!! Is this the sign of a new JQ hahaha~


    <i>Fan 2</i>: ¦²( ¡ã ¡÷¡ã|||)¦õWhat about your little Shou, Noodles?? You can¡¯t be such a yboy, Bronze Sparrow-sama!!


    <i>Fan 3</i>: ¦²( ¡ã ¡÷¡ã|||)¦õYou can¡¯t be such a yboy +1


    <i>Fan 4</i>: ¦²( ¡ã ¡÷¡ã|||)¦õYou can¡¯t be such a yboy +2¡¾Although I enjoy NP as well, facepalm¡¿


    <i>Fan 5</i>: ¦²( ¡ã ¡÷¡ã|||)¦õThat¡¯s right, <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> is actually my second life¡¯s core... But I quite like Return date-sama¡¯s voice as well... What do I do, I¡¯m so conflicted!!


    ...


    ...


    ...


    Qi Jing felt like the speed at which he was writing his dark histories had increased by a hundredfold tonight.


    Just as those thoughts crossed his mind, he received notifications of the director sending him several QQ messages through the production crew group chat shing at the bottom right corner of his screen. The first sentence that reflected in his eyes when he opened her messages drew augh out of him.


    <i>From the group ¡°¡¶Trap¡·Production Crew¡±¡ª</i>


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: = = I dare not say it in front of everyone but when you were trying to adjust that first line to match his I was hit with the image of an adulterer and a prostitute rolling in the sheets.


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: I¡¯m really speechless... This is why I didn¡¯t want to PIA with fans around.


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corner</i>s: Return date-sama, your performance today was also not up to standard, but I can understand why...


    Qi Jing admits that he wasn¡¯t really performing well tonight. Perhaps it was because he hadn¡¯t found the way to properly match with the way the other lead chose to y the character.


    Furthermore, it might have been because the previous run-through left such a deep impression on him that he couldn¡¯t get it out of his mind.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s probably because I¡¯ve been brainwashed by Grandpa¡¯s voice. I¡¯ll do my best to adjust ordingly.


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: ...


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: ...


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: ... Sigh, to be honest, I¡¯ve been brainwashed by Grandpa too.


    His typing movement froze when he saw the director¡¯s message in the chat window and subconsciously let out a sigh. The two of them fell silent for a while.


    Then, the director sent a new message: Return date, I have a few words on my mind but I don¡¯t know whether I should say it out.


    Lilies: Yeh, Qi Jing was killed, by how shitty Bronze Sparrow Terrace was :>


    Wanted to stab him and his fans when I read this chapter and that feeling only intensified when I¡¯m tranting.

 Chapter 9

    <h4>Chapter 9</h4>


    Warning: Animal abuse


    Based on his experience, the vast majority of the words that one ¡°didn¡¯t know whether they should say it out or not¡± shouldn¡¯t be voiced out.


    While it shouldn¡¯t be said, holding it in made one feel really ufortable.


    Though Qi Jing had basically guessed what she was going to say¡ª


    Go ahead. He typed that short reply on the keyboard.


    In the past, it was always someone else who was the listener, but this time, he didn¡¯t mind being someone else¡¯s listener for a change.


    After getting his consent, <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> still agonised over it for a few seconds before she continued the topic very carefully, like she was treading on thin ice. Every time she was going to have a serious discussion with him, she would directly call him, ¡°Return date¡±, and do away with the ¡°-sama¡±.


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: Return date, the words that I am about to say below can absolutely be part of my dark past. If I were to upset you one day and we fall out, you can take a screenshot of my words and put it on the forum to get back at me. It is guaranteed to force me tomit ID suicide and leave the circle for good.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I would do no such thing, please be rest assured. ^_^


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: Then I¡¯m really gonna start...


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corner</i>s: With a hand on my heart, after listening to the run-through just now... I feel that the casting for the ML Gong might have been inappropriate.


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: Great God¡¯s voice is really very powerful but it might be a little too overpowering and doesn¡¯t quite match the description of the character in the book. And even if we ignore his voice and just listen to his sense of y, I think there also are problems in his interpretation of the character¡¯s emotions.


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: When I was listening to that run-through the other night, I really became absorbed into the world of the story. It may sound abstract, but what I¡¯m trying to say is that I was just really into it. You performed very well that day and we were all moved by the performance by the two of you. Although it wasn¡¯t an official recording session, the process was still extremely enjoyable. Sometimes, just listening to the final product doesn¡¯t give one as much feels.


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: And honestly, tonight... I didn¡¯t get that kind of feeling at all. It just feels so-so.


    Then, she stopped here.


    Qi Jing did not reply but instead waited patiently for her to send her final conclusion. After a short pause, the words that she had been holding back for a long time finally popped up on the screen.


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: Alright, what I actually want to say is¡ªI think <i>Geese Fly North</i> did a better job than <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>.


    Qi Jing still didn¡¯t make his response, but the corners of his lips curled up slightly, revealing his first genuine smile of the night. <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> added that herments were ¡°only for this particr role¡± and that ¡°the other audio dramas by <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> are not bad¡±, etc, but Qi Jing already understood what she meant.


    So it turned out that he wasn¡¯t the only one who thought that way¡ª


    Getting affirmation from the director of the production crew suddenly relieved all the pent-up feelings he had in his heart and he felt a lot lighter.


    That was more than enough for him.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Thank you.


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: What are you thanking me for, Return date?? I¡¯m the one who should be thanking you for listening to my crazy talk ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Then in return, and also for the sake of fairness, I¡¯d like to also say a few words that can be regarded as my personal dark history.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: If I were to upset you one day and we fall out, you can take a screenshot of my words and put it on the forum to get back at me. It is guaranteed to force me tomit ID suicide and leave the circle for good. (Laughs)


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: Return date-sama, you just copied and pasted those words!


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: Ahem, please go ahead as well.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: First of all, I agree with the conclusion that you came to just now.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: However, although I¡¯m just a CV, who¡¯s only involved in voice acting and technically shouldn¡¯t be involved in the internal affairs of the crew, I personally think that¡ªthe cast can¡¯t be changed.


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: ...


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: ...


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: ...You agreed with me but you still say this. Ah, this is such a struggle... ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I understand that from a director¡¯s standpoint, you definitely want to choose the most suitable CV. But please think about Ms. Producer and the rest of the crew. It¡¯s gotten to the point where the consequences of recing him are unimaginable.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> may not be the most suitable, but he was the one that the crew decided on right from the beginning. And his fans already know that he is going to be on this drama, trying to rece him will only result in the crew being cursed at and attacked by them. Speaking objectively, when the dramaes out, the Great God¡¯s star effect will surely attract a lot of audiences to listen to it and greatly increase the exposure of the production crew. The crew will also receive many reviews which is the hard-earned reward for the hard work of those working on the audio drama.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I don¡¯t know what is the main motivation for <i>Rouge Flower</i> to do this audio drama, but there are both attention and an audience for it. And frankly speaking, which crew wouldn¡¯t want that?<i> Geese Fly North</i>-sama may be an excellent CV, but he doesn¡¯t have that kind of poprity and appeal, nor do I. Even if the crew doesn¡¯t get attacked for changing CVs, it¡¯s likely that the drama will be left out in the cold when it is released and there¡¯ll be no one who¡¯ll listen to it.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: In addition... I¡¯d be very sorry if this incident were to cause a negative impact on <i>Geese Fly North</i>.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: As a resident Mr. Transparent, that¡¯s all I can say. I hope the crew will carefully mull over this. ^_^


    After sending those long paragraphs of texts, Qi Jing felt like he had finally released all the words he kept buried in his heart for the past feel days and felt much more relieved.


    In fact, it was the same in any circle. The most suitable may not be the best.


    At this time, he received a friend request from <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> on QQ. They usually contacted through the crew group, but this time, the director wanted to officially add him as a friend.


    After epting her request, <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> said nothing more about the topic, and instead expressed her sentiments with an extremely serious tone.


    <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: Return date, you are a CV that¡¯s truly worth making friends with in this circle.


    Qi Jing froze for a moment when he saw those words, then he felt something warm well up in his heart. He was so touched by her words. He reckoned that might have been the highest evaluation anyone has given him in his CV career thus far.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He was someone who was very easily contented.


    To be able to receive such ament, he would do his very best toplete this drama regardless of the oue or the person he was ying against.


    All¡¯s well that ends well.


    Although the rehearsal with <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> that night couldn¡¯t be said to be smooth sailing, they did conclude it peacefully.


    The publicity that they got from the name, <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrac</i>e, was even better than expected. On the forum, the expectations that everyone had for the audio drama¡¶Trap¡·skyrocketed, bing a trending hot topic in recent days.


    The crew struck while the iron was hot and got the two main leads to finish and hand their dry recordings to the sound designer for post-production as soon as possible.


    Of course, <i>Rouge Flower</i> did not mention a word about making a substitution.


    <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> also chose topromise.


    As for Qi Jing, in order to amodate with <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> performance, he re-recorded a version of his dry recordings with 0.5 voice andpleted his task. ording to the progress as disclosed by the sound designer, once she has received all the dry recordings, she can finish it in a month. If nothing crops up, she estimates that the drama can be released in September.


    Naturally, the fans of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> were overjoyed by this news.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s truly highly anticipated.


    Meanwhile, it was as if the person known as <i>Geese Fly North</i> had disappeared into thin air.


    His disappearance was really sudden. Apparently, he wrote in his QQ signature that he was going to stop receiving any new work, causing all the producers thatck a Grandpa voice to be in a distress.


    <i>Puppet Show</i> once tried to drag him into the crew group chat but the other party did not ept the invitation. That¡¯s because the role of the grandfather was at best, an extra that only appears in the first episode.


    <i>Puppet Show</i> also sent him an invitation, hoping that he would consider ying the role of a main lead in another show.


    Surprisingly, they didn¡¯t receive his dry recordings this time, but rather, was turned down politely with five words: I don¡¯t y main leads.


    ¡°He refused to ept no matter what I said,¡± <i>Puppet Show</i> once said that to Qi Jing dejectedly when they were having some small talk.


    ¡°I see...¡± Even though he¡¯s that outstanding.


    Those were the words Qi Jing murmured to himself. He couldn¡¯t keep track of the number of times he inadvertently opened the subfolder named, ¡°Reference recording¡± to look at the recording file and realise that that might have been their only exchange as leads of an audio drama. And he couldn¡¯t help but find himself feeling at a loss.


    He did have the urge to ask <i>Puppet Show</i> for <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> QQ, but once he calmed down, he felt that he didn¡¯t seem to have a reason to do so.


    Sometimes, when the quality of his sleep isn¡¯t good and he still can¡¯t fall asleep even though it¡¯s already in the wee hours of the morning, he would listen to that recording on his headphones while lying in bed. The end of the recording always ends with him saying goodnight alone.


    As if it had barely begun and ended silently.


    Qi Jing thought to himself, since he was done repaying his debts, it was time for him to put his focus back on the 3D world.


    The online voice acting circle was ultimately just an online voice acting circle. The word ¡°online¡± had sealed its fate as something that wasn¡¯t real. That sense of loss in his heart just needed some time and the busyness of real life to wash it out.


    With that, he can forget about that person.


    ¡°Xiao Qi, the information youpiled the other time was pretty good, and the program received a lot of positive feedback after it aired.¡± Director Tang of the Science and Education Channel said to Qi Jing when he visited the News Channel after lunch break. He was very pleased with the script Qi Jing helped to draft the previous time.


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s because the show itself was interesting and it piqued my interest. You don¡¯t have to be so polite about it, Director Tang,¡± Qi Jing replied courteously with a smile while paying attention to his surroundings to see if there were any suspicious people hiding in the corners to eavesdrop.


    Should Mr. S.O.B hear Director Tangplimenting him, he¡¯ll have to bear with the sarcasticments again.


    Director Tang raised an eyebrow at Qi Jing¡¯s reply, seemingly surprised. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re interested in birds?¡±


    Qi Jing said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m not that into it. It just so happened that I¡¯ve been seeing some names rted to birds recently so I paid special attention to it.¡±


    Director Tang nodded and said, ¡°I see. Speaking of which, I especially enjoyed the section about wild geese. I only knew that wild geese were birds that signaled a change in the seasons. In ancient times, they would often be used to describe theing of autumn, as well as to imply people, who were disced, bidding their hometowns farewell. I thought these were some pretty sad symbolism, but you added some beautiful meanings as well.¡±


    Geese migrate on time, flies in an orderly manner and only has one mate in their entire lifetime.


    Therefore, geese are a symbol of both keeping promises and being faithful and loyal.


    In ancient times, when a couple got married, the man was required to give the woman a pair of geese as a betrothal gift, to express his desire to grow old with the other.


    ¡°It¡¯s the summer holidays now, with many students in the audience, adding something rted to love can attract more of the younger female audience,¡± Qi Jing said half-jokingly.


    Director Tang appeared like he was suddenly enlightened and his cheeks shook while he chuckled, ¡°As expected of young people like you, you truly understand the mentality of the younger generation!¡±


    ¡°Qi Jing! Hurry over now, Qi Jing!¡± a colleague called out to him from behind the partition. It looked like there was breaking news again.


    ¡°Go ahead, doing news is your original job after all.¡± Director Tang let him off and did not hold him any longer.


    Qi Jing went to the desk of the colleague that was calling out to him and thetter handed him a microphone while saying that someone had contacted the TV station hoping that the News Channel could send someone down immediately.


    The voice of the young girl on the phone was shaking, and one could feel her anger through the receiver. ¡°Hello, Reporter Comrade, I am a member of the city¡¯s Animal Rescue Volunteer Association. Can you please hurry to XX neighbourhood in the north of the city? There has been another case of cruel cat abuse here. I hope the provincial TV station can pay attention to it.¡±


    Qi Jing got the shock of his life.


    This was the third cat abuse incident in the city in a row in thest month. The uproar from the previous case had yet to pass, to think there¡¯d be another psycho following suit. Since the first case of animal cruelty came to light, the TV station had done some follow-up reports on the matter. Some of the scenes were so unbearably gory, the news broadcast would pick the animals with rtively more minor injuries to show and those that were too shocking were put on the online news forum.


    Qi Jing was in charge of drafting up the posts for the information on the matter to be uploaded onto the forum hence, his colleague¡¯s first reaction was to hand this case to him.


    ¡°I understand. I will seek my superior¡¯s permission and head down right away. Please leave your contact information.¡± Qi Jing picked up a pen and a paper and noted down the other party¡¯s phone number. He hung up the phone and immediately went to the director of the News Channel to seek his permission and hurried out.


    When he got to the scene, there were onlookers circling the area condemning the cruelty of the animal abuser. Several members of the Animal Rescue Association were also there. They had driven a minivan to the neighbourhood and were carefully moving the injured cats into square basins prepped with nkets to be sent for emergency treatment. From the junction, Qi Jing could see lines of dried blood that had sttered on the road and he felt a pang in his heart.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Qi Jing, a reporter from the provincial TV station. May I know which one of you is Ms. Zhu who contacted us just now?¡± Qi Jing squeezed through the crowd and shed his reporter ID.


    ¡°I am! Thank you foring down!¡± the young Ms. Zhu quickly went to greet him.


    ording to Ms. Zhu, most of the cats are stray cats from around the area. A resident in themunity secretly caught them and abused them in the backyard of an abandoned shop. Because the ce was dpidated, no one usually paid much attention to it. Until recently, when the string of cat abuse incidents attracted people¡¯s attention, and the atrocities that urred there were finally uncovered.


    The volunteers on site brought Qi Jing to have a look at the current conditions of the cats. One of the more serious cases had its eyes stabbed with sharp metal objects. As it was too deep, they dared not take any action and could only wait for a professional to remove it.


    There was also a cat with three broken paws. The broken bones were probably stabbing into its flesh as every movement caused the cat the meow in pain. There were also those that were burned, those with their tail cut off, they were all lying weakly on the nket, trembling and staring at all those that neared them with extreme fear in their eyes.


    ¡°This is too cruel...¡± Qi Jing could feel his own voice starting to shake, hepletely understood how Ms. Zhu was feeling when she called him. Hemunicated with the film crew and left to gather more information by himself while they took footages of the predicament of the cats.


    ¡°Right now, we need to send these cats to the hospital for emergency treatment. Reporter Comrade, if you don¡¯t mind you cane with us,¡± Ms. Zhu offered when was being interviewed.


    Qi Jing was also very concerned about the follow-up to the rescue, so he asked his colleagues to return to the TV station first and hitched a ride the rescue association.


    On the way to the hospital, he gently stroked the fur of one of the cats that had fallen unconscious from blood loss while asking, ¡°I¡¯ve done reports on simr incidents before, however, everyone¡¯s attention is generally focussed on the criminals. Few actually pay attention to what happens to the cats after the incident. Where do you usually go for help?¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing,¡± Ms. Zhu exined, ¡°while all veterinary hospitals can provide medical help, the cost of medical care varies widely. After the cats are cured, in the case of some hospitals, if they are not adopted, the cats will be sterilised and released back onto the streets which ispletely unsafe. However, our association was recently introduced to a hospital that was willing to charge a very low fee to save these little guys and help make proper adoption arrangements for the cats after the fact, so we¡¯ve been sending all the cats that we have rescued there.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Such a good hospital exists?¡± Qi Jing eximed in astonishment.


    After all, some veterinary drugs are incredibly expensive and if these small animals are seriously injured, it takes even more time and energy to take care of them. In today¡¯s money-worshipping society, he found it quite hard to believe that there was a profit-making organization willing to do such a thing.


    ¡°Yeah, I heard it was one of the vets there who first started doing this.¡±


    ¡°Vet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a vet from that veterinary hospital. Wasn¡¯t there another case of cat abuse in this city some time ago? There was a cat that almost had its internal organs smashed right? The one that was mentioned on TV and in the papers¡ªit was that vet who rescued it.¡±


    Qi Jing straightened his back a little. Unable to contain the curiosity due to his innate nature as a reporter, he asked, ¡°Can I... meet that vet?¡±


    A/N: I was in so much pain when I was writing about the cats... TAT


    I¡¯ve always thought of animal abusers as absolute scum...


    Lilies: I almost cried while tranting the part about the cats TT_TT

 Chapter 10

    <h4>Chapter 10</h4>


    Thank yous to MCJohnston for the ko-fi ? ????


    ¡°A reporter?¡± Ms. Pang, the head nurse, adjusted her ck-rimmed reading sses as she scrutinised Qi Jing with a suspicious look.


    Qi Jing could only quietly maintain his professional smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the kind of journalist that can turn ck into white, writing nonsensical false ounts, are you?¡± Ms. Pang attitude improved slightly when she saw his reporter ID, plus the young man¡¯s clean and crisp look also added points for him. However, she still had some qualms about him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Qi Jing gave her a wry smile.


    It seemed that the reputation of his profession had been utterly soiled by his colleagues in the same industry.


    Qi Jing gave a brief introduction about the relevant reports he had done regarding cat abuse incidents and even asked Ms. Zhu to help testify for him. Only then, did Ms. Pang let down her guard and agree to allow him to conduct an interview in the hospital.


    ¡°Reporter Comrade, our Dr. Shen is a good man, you really shouldn¡¯t make up fictitious stories about him,¡± she didn¡¯t forget to nag at him as she led him to the operating room.


    The cats that had just been brought in were currently being treated. The ones with rtively minor injuries were treated by the nurses while the ones that were more severely injured had been sent to the operating room, anaesthetised and ready for surgery.


    The operating room was about a dozen square metres in size and the side facing the corridor was made fully transparent, with ss, allowing for people to watch the operation. Right now, the cat that had its eye stabbed, and the one with severe fractures were inside the room; each lying on a small operating table. Several of the medical staff were busy rushing in and out, hence Qi Jing decided to wait outside, so as not to be a hindrance to them.


    ¡°Which one of the staff inside is Dr. Shen?¡± Qi Jing asked while leaning into the ss wall as best as he could to get a clearer look inside.


    ¡°The one looking at the X-ray,¡± Ms. Pang said, pointing in the direction of the man.


    Following the direction she was pointing in, Qi Jing saw a young man, beyond the ss, standing next to the light panel with the X-ray film fixed on it, looking at the location of the kitten¡¯s fractured bone. That man was dressed in a typical white coat with a light blue surgical gown over it. He was also wearing medical gloves and a mask so Qi Jing couldn¡¯t make out how he looked like.


    The only thing that Qi Jing could be seen clearly was the man¡¯s eyes.


    A pair of dark obsidian eyes¡ªaustere, calm, gentle.


    Just looking at them feltforting. When those eyes looked down in concentration and patience, it was a sight that would leave a deep impression on people.


    ¡°He turned out to be so young,¡± Qi Jing remarked, he had always thought that the skilled doctor that everyone was talking about must be very old.


    ¡°Hard to imagine, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ms. Pang smiled with pride. ¡°Although Dr. Shen is young, he has been in the industry for a long time and is very experienced. He¡¯s very serious and rigorous in his work and the young nurses who intern at our hospital like him very much.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s understandable.¡± A man like that was indeed rare.


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± Qi Jing was very curious about what came after the twist.


    ¡°But, he¡¯s a person who doesn¡¯t usually talk much,¡± Ms. Pang sighed, ¡°Anyone that doesn¡¯t know him may think that he¡¯s cold when he is in fact, a good-hearted person.¡±


    Qi Jing was just about to respond to Ms. Pang¡¯s words when a nurse poked her head out from another operating room and called out.


    ¡°Sister Pang! We need help matching the cat¡¯s blood type!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, Reporter Comrade, I¡¯ll need to leave for a while. The operation is expected to take some time, so you can take a seat while you wait.¡± Then, Ms. Pang left in a hurry, leaving him to stand alone in front of the ss wall.


    Journalists have the habit of carrying pens and little notepads on them to take down notes at any given moment and Qi Jing was no exception.


    While he may not have much expertise in veterinary, he could still detail what he observed during the operation. Compared to the ordinary t and straightforward type of news report that is not engaging, Qi Jing preferred a more humanistic style of narration.


    In fact, news writing was simr to voice acting, the characters should feel like they are of flesh-and-blood in order to move the audience and listeners.


    Qi Jing flipped open his notepad and rest the tip of his pen against the paper.


    Generally speaking, he liked to start with keywords. He would note down words ording to the first impressions that what he saw and heard gave him. And when he returned to the station, he would expand upon it into a full-fledged article.


    His eyes kept following the young man¡¯s every move, watching as he and another vet repeating tap on the X-ray film to confirm the most appropriate ce to start the operation, marking on the film from time to time. Once they had finally determined the location, that man even got the assisting nurses to look over it one more time to ensure that everyone had taken note before beginning the operation proper.


    ¡°Cautious.¡± The first word was written on the paper.


    When the nurse injected antibiotics into the cat prior to the surgery and the kitten on the operating table seemed to tremble, crying out weak meows in fear. That man would lean down and ce his hand behind the cat¡¯s ear, gently stroking his thumb lightly along the base of its ear until the cat no longer felt threatened and quietened down.


    ¡°Thoughtful.¡± With his eyes never leaving that figure, Qi Jing¡¯s pen moved quickly to jot down the next word in his notepad.


    After the anaesthesia was fully in effect, came a series of surgical procedures.


    Since the animals were of rtively small size, the surgical instruments werepact as well, demanding a high level of skill from the vet performing the surgery. Moreover, due to the fur coat on the cat¡¯s body, it also took a heavy toll on the eyes while ensuring the de was lowered at an appropriate force. If he were to lose focus even just for a bit, he could end up destroying the cat¡¯s soft tissues, causing unnecessary damage.


    The process of an entire operation was really not easy.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t see the details of the operation from his angle so he kept his eyes on the doctor himself.


    It was in the middle of summer. In order to ensure normal temperatures of the small animals during the operation, the air-conditioning was not turned on. The fans weren¡¯t turned on either to prevent airborne transmission of microorganisms.


    The man wore a long-sleeved surgical gown, mask, and gloves. His eyebrows were tightly knitted together and he didn¡¯t move a single muscle on his body save for his hands.


    After such a long time, his hair was drenched in sweat, and beads of perspiration were forming on his forehead, dripping from the sides of his face.


    The concentration in his eyes had not changed from beginning to end¡ª


    Qi Jing was so absorbed in watching that he didn¡¯t even realise that his legs had gone slightly numb from standing.


    ¡°Sense of responsibility.¡± He wrote down the third phrase.


    After the kitten with the severe fractures underwent more than an hour¡¯s time of surgery, the three broken bones were fixed with intramedury Kirschner wire, cancellous screws, and perforated tes. Then, the veins were decongested and gauze was wrapped over the incision site.


    The operation for the kitten on the other operating table that was stabbed with a metal object had also concluded without a hitch and was put on IV and ready to be put to recuperation.


    It was only when the nurses started cleaning and disinfecting the operating room that Qi Jing finally came out of his daze. When he looked down at his notepad, he found that he had written two to three pages worth of keywords.


    And he was also perspiring a lot while standing outside the operating room. His shirt waspletely drenched in sweat and it felt extremely ufortable.


    However, he didn¡¯t notice this at all when he was taking down notes, all his focus was ced on observing. Even he felt that it was incredulous. Heughed at himself and put his pen and paper away.


    It looked like everything went smoothly in the other operating room as well as Ms. Pang led a group of nurses out, instructing them to take the equipment for disinfection. In addition, the cats were ced in cages separate from one another to reduce the risks of post-operative infections and outbreaks.


    During the several times that she came out, she saw Qi Jing standing motionless to observe so she led him to take a seat in the rest area.


    Not only did Qi Jing not rest, he also persisted on until the end of the operation. Seeing that, Ms. Pang couldn¡¯t help but change her view about reporters.


    ¡°Reporter Comrade, you¡¯re so patient! We¡¯ve had otherse to our hospital for interviews, but after waiting for about ten minutes, they all got restless and left after asking the nurses some questions.¡± Ms. Pang had a forthright personality and she didn¡¯t hold herself back from expressing the appreciation she had for Qi Jing.


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s because I want to make a more detailed report this time,¡± Qi Jing chuckled.


    ¡°Is Dr. Shen still busy?¡± As soon as Ms. Pang¡¯s voice fell, the ss door of the operating room opened and several nurses pushed out the cats with their drips to the hospital wards. And thest one toe of the room was that man.


    He looked fatigued and his eyes were bloodshot. It was obvious that this wasn¡¯t the only day that he was so busy, it was also caused by dealing with a heavy load for a long period.


    ¡°A lot of small animals have been sent to us recently and he¡¯s been working consecutive overtimes for a long while,¡± Ms. Pang whispered.


    ¡°I see, it must be really hard on him.¡±


    When Qi Jing saw him walk out of the operating room, he hurriedly took out his name card from his briefcase, adjusted reporter ID on his chest, and walked up to the man in big strides with Ms. Pang.


    ¡°Dr. Shen, someone is looking for you,¡± Ms. Pang called out to him with a smile.


    That man heard the head nurse calling at him and subconsciously looked raised his head to the voice. When he did so, he suddenly found himself looking straight at Qi Jing¡¯s eyes.


    Qi Jing felt like the other party was stunned momentarily in that moment.


    He was originally going to raise his right hand, but the moment their eyes met, his movement stopped in midair and didn¡¯t continue.


    Qi Jing thought that he was going to remove his mask, however, the other party ultimately didn¡¯t do so and instead lightly ced his hand back down¡ªhe probably saw it wrongly.


    That man looked at Qi Jing silently without making any further actions, so Qi Jing decided to take the initiative to get the conversation going. He started by beaming at the other party and giving his name card as he said, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Qi Jing, a reporter from the provincial TV station. I¡¯d like to do a follow-up on thetest case of cat abuse.¡±


    Something seemed to have changed in the other party¡¯s eyes, but he wasn¡¯t able to catch it.


    All Qi Jing saw was the man gently turning away the gaze that had been resting on his face onto his reporter ID, then to the name card in his hand. After staring at it for quite some time, that man silently raised his hand as if he was going to receive it but his movement suddenly stopped.


    This time, it was Qi Jing¡¯s turned to be stunned.


    Could it be... that he¡¯s unwilling to deal with reporters?


    Just then, that man took off his medical gloves without saying a word.


    It turned out that he hadn¡¯t had the time to remove his gloves after the operation and it still had animal fur and bloodstains on it.


    That man then put away the gloves in a special medical garbage bag before receiving the name card with clean hands.


    Qi Jing suddenly had to urge to pull out his notepad again to write down the word ¡°attentive¡±, though he believed he definitely wrote it down subconsciously.


    ¡°Dr. Shen, this reporterrade was brought here by Miss Zhu and the others from the rescue association. I¡¯ve seen all the documents and stuff, so he should be very reliable. He said he wants to do a moreprehensive feature news report.¡± Fearing that the atmosphere might be awkward due to the other party¡¯s silence, Ms. Pang quickly interjected with a smile.


    ¡°Ah yes,¡± Qi Jing said with a smile, using his the most sincere tone he could muster to share his ns, ¡°Actually, I just learnt from Ms. Zhu that these little guys have a hard time getting adopted after the fact so I n on increasing the media exposure. It will be publicised through the TV station to attract citizens with the ability to adopt toe here and hopefully help in your efforts to find them a home.¡±


    ¡°This is a good thing, Dr. Shen.¡± Ms. Pang was very pleased with Qi Jing¡¯s proposal.


    When he was talking about his n, Qi Jing noticed something move in that man¡¯s eyes. It was something had brightened up¡ªseems like that man was attracted by his proposal.


    After all, the ratings of provincial TV stations are guaranteed, and they will be able to find owners for these poor little guys even faster.


    As a rescuer, he has no reason to disagree.


    ¡°I understand. So, what do you want me to do?¡±


    That was the first time that man had spoken.


    Perhaps it was because he was wearing a mask, he sounded muffled.


    It sounded familiar, yet at the same time, unfamiliar.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t figure it out in the moment and he subconsciously narrowed his eyes at the man. The other party appeared to have noticed his reaction and lowered his head slightly, never facing or looking at Qi Jing directly again.


    However, he really couldn¡¯t think of it.


    Qi Jing shook his head and thought to himself, perhaps he was just being overly sensitive.


    ¡°Well, I can contact the film crew toe down to get some shots, but because of the limited time we have on our daily newscasts, it is not realistic to make repeated reports. I was hoping to document the animals¡¯ recovery like a diary, with pictures and written descriptions to enhance the storytelling and make it more engaging. Then, we¡¯ll put them on our news forum and other rted forums, and release information, such as when they will recover, when they can be adopted, how to handle procedures, and so on. I believe there will surely be responses from kind-hearted people.¡±


    Qi Jing was very confident about writing articles, and if it was serialised in several forums at the same time, the overage of news will increase ordingly.


    ¡°Writing a diary? Won¡¯t that be a lot of work?¡± Ms. Pang was a little worried that it may eat into Dr. Shen¡¯s rest times.


    ¡°Though I say it¡¯s a diary, it really depends on the particr state of recovery of the animals. It doesn¡¯t really matter if the intervals turn into weekly entries, the main purpose is to evoke the love andpassion in people,¡± Qi Jing exined immediately.


    ¡°Oh... in that case, it should be okay. Sometimes, our hospital also informs owners. who are too busy toe down to check on their pet, about their pet¡¯s conditions by sending them photos so we are equipped to do so.¡±


    After clearing her doubts, Ms. Pang turned to that man and asked, ¡°What do you think, Dr. Shen?¡±


    The man who had been listening quietly all this while, lowered his eyes and nodded his head.


    This guy, really didn¡¯t like talking.


    Qi Jing observed the other party for a long while. Taking into ount the time he needed to rest, Qi Jing added kindly, ¡°If Dr. Shen is too busy normally, you can just provide one or two lines of description and photos. I can take charge of the writing. And when it¡¯s posted on the forum, I will state the source of the information.¡±


    This time, the man shook his head lightly and said in a soft voice, ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to be in my name, just in the hospital¡¯s name.¡±


    And low key¡ªthat thought subconsciously shed through Qi Jing¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Alright.¡± He respected the other party¡¯s wishes and reached over to point out the email address on his name card. ¡°This is my work email. Dr. Shen can send relevant information to it. If nothinges up, I should reply within 24 hours.¡±


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± that man suddenly called his name after looking at the name card.


    Qi Jing was taken aback by the sudden move a while.


    ¡°Thank you for helping to look for owners for these little guys,¡± was what that man said.


    <i>Ah, so he wanted to give his thanks.</i> Qi Jing politely returned with a warm smile and offered a handshake. ¡°You¡¯re wee, I hope we have a pleasant time working together.¡±


    That other party gently epted the handshake. His hands were almost just as Qi Jing had imagined, a doctor¡¯s hands, long and slender fingers and was warm with a strength to them.


    After sessfullypleting his task, Qi Jing raised his hand to look at his watch. It was gettingte and he still had other work at the TV station so he left with a brief goodbye.


    Ms. Pang had offered to give him a ride. The two of them chatted while they walked and gradually disappeared into the end of the corridor.


    That man quietly stared at their backs intently.


    It was only when he could no longer see their figures that he wordlessly reached out to take off his mask. The little nurse from the pharmacy got the receipt and specially brought it over for him to sign. She was extremely curious to find him standing rooted to the ground outside the operating room and she had to call him a few times before she got him to turn around.


    ¡°Dr. Shen, please sign here,¡± the little nurse said as she passed him the pen and paper.


    He broke out of his thoughts and released a sigh, almost without a trace, and turned his attention back onto his work. At the ce where the doctor¡¯s signature was needed, he lifted the pen and signed two words: Shen Yan.


    Lilies: Medicine or vet school people please have mercy on me lol

 Chapter 11

    <h4>Chapter 11</h4>


    <i>Ah, I forgot to ask for his name.</i>


    By the time Qi Jing thought of it, it was already after dusk.


    Beyond the window, was a myriad of twinkling lights; people who were used to taking a walk after dinner went on their stroll while fanning themselves with a rush-leaf fan to cool off the summer heat. The daytime hustle and bustle of downtown had settled down, and it was a good time to sit down and write.


    Qi Jing was a little annoyed at his carelessness as he shook his head while turning on the deskmp. But perhaps there was no need to ask¡ªafter all, the other party did say that they didn¡¯t want to provide the information under their personal name, but instead, the name of the hospital.


    The ceiling light in the room was not turned on. The dim light from the deskmp created a small private space, and the coffee for refreshment was ced to one side, an atmosphere that was more conducive to his creativity.


    Qi Jing took out his notepad, turned to the pages he had written today, and reviewed it again.


    Cautious, thoughtful, responsible, etc...


    These terms virtually made up the criteria that are often published in women¡¯s magazines for finding a spouse.


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    When that thought crossed his mind, augh couldn¡¯t help but escape his lips. He really didn¡¯t know how he wrote down all these words at that time. If any of his female colleagues caught sight of this, they might think he¡¯s doing a feature report on blind dating.


    In the spur of the moment, he dialed for Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s phone.


    She worked as a scriptwriter in the 2D world and an editor in the 3D one. Although she wasn¡¯t an editor for women¡¯s magazines, it could be considered rted to rtionships.


    ¡°Hello? Senior?¡± The other party obviously couldn¡¯t guess the reason for his call. ¡°Why did you suddenly think of calling me?¡±


    ¡°Because I need some insights from your women¡¯s intuition.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± Ning Xiaoxiao couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of what he said.


    Qi Jing ignored her question, instead, he lifted the notepad in his hand, selected a few keywords written on the page and read them out in one breath, ¡°Meticulous, dedicated, cautious, responsible, patient,passionate¡ªalright, now tell me your first thoughts after hearing these words.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao paused for three seconds before she suddenly uttered these six words, ¡°You can marry that person already.¡±


    Qi Jing burst intoughter, ¡°What, it really does sound that way?¡±


    Like a hound hungry for gossip material, Ning Xiaoxiao keenly sniffed out the smell of gossip. ¡°Senior! Out with it now! Did you find someone you¡¯re interested in? When did you find him? Have you hooked up?¡±


    Thisss had been paying close attention to his romantic rtionships since he¡¯d been single for many years.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, he¡¯s straight.¡± The words came out of his mouth without thinking, then, he paused. I guess...


    ¡°He¡¯s straight huh? What a pity. If I didn¡¯t already have a boyfriend, I definitely would¡¯ve begged you to introduce him to me.¡± His junior expressed how regrettable she found the situation to be.


    Qi Jing could not help but silently light a candle in his heart for that reporterrade.


    ¡°Speaking of which, Senior, where did you meet such a good man? I may be taken but I have a few girl friends who are looking for boyfriends. Perhaps, I just might be a matchmaker.¡± Ning Xiaoxiao was quite skilled atting information.


    ¡°An interviewee for a news report. I didn¡¯t even catch his name.¡±


    ¡°An interviewee? You¡¯ve interviewed him but you still don¡¯t know his name?¡± It was clear in her tone that she was feeling a little upset by that.


    ¡°It was an oversight on my part, but since there will be follow-ups, we will be keeping in touch,¡± Qi Jing said, his fingers lingered on the notepad for a bit, slowly tracing over the indentations from his writing.


    ¡°Remember to ask for his contact information then!¡± Since that guy was straight, then there was no reason to leave him for Qi Jing, so she¡¯ll just go ahead and rmend him to her friends.


    ¡°No¡ªpe¡ª¡± Qi Jing said with an eyebrow raised, ¡°it is the professional ethics of journalists not to divulge personal details.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Ning Xiaoxiao expressed her extreme disdain through a loud humph.


    The two of them chattered around for a while and somehow, Ning Xiaoxiao redirected the subject back to his romantic life.


    ¡°Senior, when I was listening in the audience to your run-through the other day, Bronze Sparrow Terrace seems to be pretty interested in you. Do you wanna consider forming a CP with the Great God or something?¡±


    That process of their run-through that night, along with the concert that took ce before it was recorded by some fans and was eventer posted on the forum for download. The suggestive remarks that <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> made to him instantly became a hot topic for gossip, and some people have even begun to have fantasies about their pairing. He supposed this phenomenon will be more prevalent after the release of the first episode of the audio drama.


    As someone who diligently frequented the forums, it shoulde as no surprise that he definitely knew this.


    ¡°A 2D CP just sounds so far-fetched.¡± What¡¯s more, the person in question was someone he who he only knew the voice and nothing else. The talk about bing friends or something was simply too unrealistic.


    ¡°Well, you guys can arrange a face-to-face meeting.¡±


    His junior would often participate in gatherings for STAFFs in the online voice acting circle, so she had a rather open-minded attitude towards it.


    ¡°I heard that Bronze Sparrow Terrace lives in C City which isn¡¯t too far from here. Compared to people who lived all the way on the other side of the, this is much more usible.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so he¡¯s from C City huh.¡± Indeed, it wasn¡¯t very far from where he lived.


    ¡°He¡¯s met up with crews from other dramas before, the¡¶Trap¡·production crew can also try arranging a gathering too. A friend of mine said that she had seen <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> in person and she said he¡¯s rich, tall, and handsome through and through. Ah, it makes me wanna see him as well.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao appeared to have unintentionally exposed her true motives.


    Qi Jing quietly lit another candle for Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s policeman boyfriend before carefully considering if he should remind her not to drool onto her phone screen.


    ¡°If he¡¯s rich, tall, and handsome then all the more, I dare not want to meet him. What do I do if a poor, short, and ugly person like myself contaminate the eyes of the Great God?¡± Qi Jing asked wittily.


    This remark aroused the strong dissatisfaction of his junior, because she was highly confident in her evaluation of men¡¯s outward appearances and felt that she was quite objective as well.


    ¡°Senior! In what way are you poor, short, and ugly?! ...Uh, well, I guess it depends on how you define ¡®poor¡¯, but I definitely don¡¯t agree with ¡®short¡¯ and ¡®ugly¡¯!¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s appearance wasn¡¯t the conspicuous type but his facial features were well-defined and he was a cultured young man. He had the charisma and could be considered handsome.


    ¡°In any case, the Great God already has a CP, I don¡¯t wanna be a mistress.¡± He remembered that there were a lot of CP fans amongst the fans of Bronze Sparrow Terrace which couldn¡¯t mess with.


    ¡°You mean Crossing the bridge noodles?¡±


    ¡°Un.¡± He hadn¡¯t heard many of the works by <i>Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯,</i> probably because the genre wasn¡¯t his cup of tea. As for the CV¡¯s voice, Qi Jing did have an impression of it. It wasn¡¯t the type that could do a voice change so it was the rtively stable type. It¡¯s the type of fresh and beautiful sounding youthful Shou voice and his sense of y was quite good.


    ¡°That one is unlikely to be a real CP. It¡¯s just something the fans got excited about all by themselves. Besides, Crossing the bridge noodles is in the capital, unless he¡¯s in a long-distance rtionship with the Great God.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiaopletely dismissed Qi Jing¡¯s point.


    Seeing that the topic was going in the direction of to¡¯s high-level love analysis, Qi Jing decided it was better for him to go back to writing his draft. Hence, after chatting with his junior for a while more, he hung up the phone and entered his night work mode.


    However, before he officially started on his work, he had the habit of logging into his QQ to deal with the messages that were waiting for his reply.


    Just as he logged in, the first thing that popped out was a system notification.


    As a CV, Qi Jing would receive friend requests from producers from time to time. So without much thought, he was all ready to click on ¡®ept¡¯.


    However, against his expectations, what he saw was: <i>Group admin of¡¶Keep the Cloud, Borrow the Moon¡·, Producer ¨C M.E.E. has removed you from the group</i>


    ...Eh?


    Qi Jing was taken aback. If memory served him right, the first episode of the audio drama was in the production stage and has not ended. In addition, the supporting role he was ying as had quite a fair bit of scenes so it didn¡¯t really make sense for him to be removed from the group at this time. Justst month, the producer was still rushing him for his dry recordings.


    What on earth had happened?


    Qi Jing quickly scanned through the list of private messages on QQ and <i>M.E.E.¡¯s</i> message was on that list. Although her message was not lengthy, the contents were not what Qi Jing had expected.


    <i>M.E.E</i>.: I¡¯m so sorry, <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>-sama! Thank you for epting the team¡¯s invitation to y to take on the main supporting role in the drama back then and for delivering your recordingsst month. We are truly grateful for all of this. However... After some discussion, the crew ultimately came to the decision that you are not suitable for this role and have decided to rece you. I¡¯m sorry that we won¡¯t be using the dry recordings that you have done. I don¡¯t want to say anymore. Anyway, thank you for your participation! Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry... (kowtowing to sama)


    ¡ªIt¡¯s the legendary good guy card.


    But wasn¡¯t the timing of issuing this card a little too strange?


    Qi Jing did not mind the crew recing him, but what he found strange was that the reason for the change was that he was ¡°not suitable for the role¡±. When the producer first invited him, he read the script and saw the role, and even sent in a recording to audition for the role, for the crew to review. At that time, the producer even praised his audition very excitedly and said that he was ¡°virtually the character¡±, yet now, their attitudes took a 180. It was just too weird.


    Since it was an important supporting role, the amount of lines he had wasn¡¯t small. And after taking the time to record, the dry recordings he had totaled up to forty minutes long.


    And now, all of it had basically gone to waste.


    ¡°Sigh...¡± Qi Jing briefly replied that it was alright and wished them all the best for the show.


    Since that was the decision the crew hade to, it wasn¡¯t too good for him to argue any further.


    In the first ce, arguing with them was not a rational way to do things.


    This time was just an ident. There were all kinds of people in themunity, each with their own set of values. Things like that do happen asionally. However, when he received private QQ messages from two other producers in the next two days, he began to realise¡ªthis might not be an ident.


    For example, the¡¶Pce Coup¡·Production Crew¡ª


    <i>Prospective prime minister</i>: Return date-sama... Forgive me for what I¡¯m about to say at this time, but, but, due to various reasons, we can¡¯t use your recordings and will be recing you. I know that this is just a side character with only a few lines, but you have also taken the time to record it yet there¡¯s this sudden change now. I¡¯m so sorry, I really am!! (Kneels)


    Or for example, the¡¶His Happy Times¡·Production Crew¡ª


    <i>Fried cake</i>: ¨i©n¨i Return date, please don¡¯t get angry when you see what I¡¯m about to say... The thing is, the crew has recently caught wind of some things... and we may have to rece you with someone else. Really! Please don¡¯t get mad! I have no choice either! Sob sob sob...


    He had already submitted some dry recordings for the two shows mentioned above The DEMO for¡¶Pce Coup¡·had already been out for two months and he had already submitted the final set of dry recordings for it. So there was no way that he could be unsuited for the role. As for what the ¡°various reasons¡± and ¡°things that they caught wind of¡± were exactly, he had no idea.


    The only difference in treatment was probably that they didn¡¯t immediately kick him out of the group. But it was only a matter of time before he was kicked out.


    Could it be... that they thought he was a problem CV due to the post which criticised him on the forum from thest time?


    However, it¡¯s been a month since that incident, wasn¡¯t the reaction time of the producers a little too long? What¡¯s more, both he and <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> hade forward to clear the misunderstanding and the post was also deleted. Even the¡¶Trap¡·production crew that was in the eye of the storm did not change him, why did these production crews need the change?


    Being screwed over so many times, even Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but start to feel frustrated despite his good temper.


    Sometimes, inquiring is not to change the oue, but to prevent simr situations from urring again. Amongst the three producers that contacted him, felt that he had the best rtionship with Fried cake. And since Fried cake was normally a walking gossip transmitter to begin with normally, she had the highest possibility of slipping up. Hence, he decided to find out the truth behind the matter as he felt he had the right to know.


    He didn¡¯t expect to have to use the skills from his upation in the 3D world in the 2D world.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Poking at Fried cakey.


    <i>Fried cake</i>: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷¡ã|||)¦õR-Return date, you¡¯re online... Have you seen the message?


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return dat</i>e: I saw it. And I¡¯m here to say that I¡¯m enraged by it. (£££àÃó)


    <i>Fried cake</i>: !! Don¡¯t!! Please, don¡¯t get mad!! You¡¯ll make me so guilty I feel like dying!! ¨i©n¨i


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I n on blocking you. What do you say?


    <i>Fried cak</i>e: Don¡¯t block me!!! ¨i©n¨i


    <i>Fried cake</i>: Really, please don¡¯t block me, Return date!! I¡¯m not doing this on purpose!!!!


    <i>Fried cake</i>: C-Come out, Return date!


    <i>Fried cake</i>: ¨i©n¨i You couldn¡¯t have blocked me already, have you?? Return date??


    <i>Fried cake</i>: ¨i©n¨i Let me exin!


    He had seeded in goading her. Thatst line was just what he was waiting for from <i>Fried cake</i>.


    A faint smile crept up on his face as he stared at the screen and casually issued his ultimatum: If you don¡¯t give me a proper exnation, I will block you for good.


    Sure enough, <i>Fried cake</i> fumbled for words, revealing bits and pieces of the truth and clues to him.


    <i>Fried cake</i>: ¨i©n¨i Return date, I¡¯m only telling you this because I believe that you¡¯re not the kind of person to go out and casually run your mouth off. So I¡¯m telling you, please don¡¯t ever take screenshots or anything! If this gets out, a fried cake like me will be reduced to a rotten dough!


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: You still think you¡¯re in the right after taking my dry recordings then screwing me over? You! Are! Blocked!


    <i>Fried cake</i>: ¨i©n¨i Just give me a minute! Let me exin!


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I¡¯ll give you sixty seconds.


    <i>Fried cake</i>: ¨i©n¨i That sixty seconds or whatever sounds like a countdown to my beheading...


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Fifty-five seconds left. Your call.


    <i>Fried cake</i>: I¡¯ll talk...


    <i>Fried cake</i>: Actually... erhm... (Scratches head)


    <i>Fried cake</i>: Actually, I can¡¯t really tell you the details, it¡¯s just kinda that... it¡¯ll cause some trouble for the crew if you were to stay. By trouble I mean theposition of the team...


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Twenty seconds left. If this is your exnation, I¡¯ll be blocking you after twenty seconds.


    <i>Fried cake</i>: ¨i©n¨i Alright, alright!! The fact is that there¡¯s someone who said that they will quit the crew if you¡¯re in it!! That¡¯s it!!


    <i>Fried cake</i>: ¨i©n¨i Although I¡¯m very apologetic to you for this, he is more important to the show so I had no choice but to make that decision!!


    <i>Fried cake</i>: ¨i©n¨i The STAFFs that are close to him have heard of this rule as well, so you¡¯ll probably be reced in the crews that they are in too!! I really can only say this much!!


    ...So that was the case.


    Once <i>Fried cake</i> blurted everything out, the smile on Qi Jing¡¯s face gradually disappeared, reced with a frown. Based on her description, this ¡°someone¡± should be quite famous.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t even know when he had offended such a big shot.


    For them to make such a ruthless move that they couldn¡¯t exist in the same crew.


    Since the other party was a character he couldn¡¯t afford to mess with, he certainly wasn¡¯t in a position to force the name out of Fried cake. He stered a smile on his face and gave her a few words offort. He then silently closed his QQ. He leaned back into hisputer chair, tilting his head up to the ceiling with his eyes closed as he wearily massaged the bridge of his nose.


    He was feeling downcast and he didn¡¯t want to think about the online voice acting circle for the time being. Oftentimes, even if he felt that he had done his best upon self-reflection, others might not reciprocate those feelings.


    Forget it.


    Qi Jing shook his head got his spirits back up to deal with the mountain of work that had been piling up recently. The 3D world would not adjust the level of stress it brought ording to one¡¯s mood.


    He closed all personal browsing pages and logged into thepany¡¯s internal email system, ready to write up the summary report that his superior had assigned to him yesterday and send it in. Suddenly, he caught sight of a briefly titled email in his inbox which caused his eyes to freeze on it momentarily.


    ¡ª¡±The kittens¡¯ recovery¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyes lit up slightly. It was really weird, somehow, his mood had improved just by looking at this dry title.


    As expected of kitties, they really are healing for the heart.


    The corners of his lips subconsciously curled into a smile as he moved his cursor to check the box next to the title as ¡°Important¡±.


    A/N: Actually, dogs are very healing too... (feels like I¡¯vepletely missed the main point)

 Chapter 12

    <h4>Chapter 12</h4>


    Not only was the title short, but theyout was also very simple.


    Although simple, one could tell that it was done very conscientiously. Every part of the text was neat and well-organised, with proper paragraphing and punctuation. At a nce, it was obvious that the other party wrote this very seriously.


    Date: 16th August.


    ¡¾Cage No. 2¡¿


    The fractures in three areas around the body of the orange tabby cat that was sent in have been fixed and its recovering well from the surgery. It might have been in pain after the anaesthesia had worn off as the little fe kept whimpering from time to time for the entirety of the night before yesterday. As I was worried it might experience difort from inmmation, I did a full body examination when I was on the night shift and thankfully, there was no inmmation.


    It had quietened down yesterday but it would sometimes w at the bandages.


    Fractures require a longer recovery period. Thus, it¡¯s rmended to keep it for longer observation before deciding whether it can be given up for adoption.


    ¡¾Cage No. 5¡¿


    The white Persian cat whose left eye was punctured with metal, suffered skull injury, and showed signs of slight infection after removal of the foreign body. It has been quarantined and the nurses have been instructed to take extra care to administer post-op antibiotic supplementation.


    The madam responsible for cleaning its cage observed that it was a little too quiet, so I went to check on it several times yesterday. The little fe sleeping soundly, all nicely wrapped up in a little nket to keep it warm. It has been eating cat food just fine and is capable of using the cat litter by itself, so its physiological functions should be alright. Perhaps, it¡¯s only the recovery that isn¡¯t going very well. It is still rtively weak and will need to remain hospitalised for further observation, so it can¡¯t be put up for adoption in the short term.


    ¡¾Cage No. 14¡¿


    The ck and white local special with partial burns has rtively light injuriespared to the same batch of cats that were sent in. In order to reduce the chance of bacterial infection, the assisting nurse shaved the hair around the wound and the gauze was being changed three times a day. Anti-inmmatory medication is being fed to the cat.


    Not only does this little fe have a good appetite, it is also very mischievous. It likes to nibble at the bandages and pounce at the cage next to it, waking its neighbour up. The day after tomorrow, it can be moved to a regr ward to be adopted.


    ...


    This email documented the health of a total of sixteen kittens.


    Each description ended with a photo of the cat. The cats in the photos were very cute and lovely and would arouse the pity in anyone who saw it.


    ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t this very well-written?¡± Qi Jing subconsciously muttered under his breath while reading the email intently.


    Although he had forgotten where he heard this, apparently, seemingly withdrawn people tended to write with great delicacy and emotion. And it seemed to be true.


    However...


    What was up with this fatherly feeling overflowing from the words.


    ¡°Keke.¡± A chuckle slipped out of Qi Jing¡¯s lips and gave himself a stun. He turned his eyes to the mirror on the closet in the room and finally realised that he¡¯s had this understanding smile on his face since the start. When he met eyes with the person in the mirror, the smile on his face stiffened a little.


    The so-called healing feeling was probably referring to this effect¡ª¡ª


    He had originally nned on getting the other party to write a brief sentence or two and then he would expand on it based on the photos.


    However, as it stood, he felt like it was perfectly fine to just use the original text as is and it might be even more vivid. He only needed to add a preface and an afterword, as well as give an introduction of the relevant adoption procedures.


    In addition, Qi Jing also wanted to get more publicity for the other party.


    His group was scheduled to go down to the hospital to get some footage, and using this opportunity apanied by the descriptions, they would be able to appeal to the audience more.


    When he thought about this, Qi Jing got up from his seat and started pacing around the room for a while, mulling over this notion. It was already 10.30 PM, yet he still couldn¡¯t stop himself from calling the director of the News Channel.


    ¡°Hello, Director? It¡¯s Qi Jing here. Am I disturbing your rest?¡±


    Thatst question was a typical polite remark.


    For those of them, who were in the news industry, the ones that didn¡¯t work into the wee hours of the morning before resting were few and far between. They often worked overtime and the ones with their day and nightpletely swapped were in the majority.


    ¡°It¡¯s only 10.30 PM. It¡¯s still early,¡± the Director said like it was nothing, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did you get a big scoop?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s regarding the follow-up report on the cat abuse incident that I mentioned to you yesterday. The one where we¡¯ll be going down to get some footage tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, I remember. Why?¡±


    Qi Jing deliberated over the length of the email before seeking for the director¡¯s permission, ¡°Originally, you had given me a minute to report on the matter, but I¡¯d like to ask if it can be extended to two minutes? I just received an email from the hospital and there¡¯s been a change in the original idea. I don¡¯t want to go down the route of simply doing a summary, but instead, I want to zoom in on the details to deepen the audience¡¯s impression of this news.¡±


    The director of the channel hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°If you want to double the time, you¡¯ll have to contact the program¡¯s production manager directly. You n on broadcasting this news on the 6 PM news tomorrow, don¡¯t you? It might be a little rushed if you want to extend the time now.¡±


    ¡°If you give me your consent, I will contact them immediately. I¡¯m quite well-acquainted with the people over at the news broadcast, so they should be fine with it.¡±


    Qi Jing often ate with his colleagues over at the news broadcast production team and mixed in pretty well with them so this adjustment in duration shouldn¡¯t pose a big problem for him.


    Seeing his subordinate being this proactive, as the leader, the director naturally went along with it.


    After obtaining the director¡¯s approval, Qi Jingmunicated with the news broadcast team and the staff in charge of editing told him that there happened to be some sensitive footage from other news reports that couldn¡¯t be used. After cutting those out, they managed to thirty seconds and after removing some redundant images from elsewhere, they, fortunately, managed to get one full minute for Qi Jing.


    After several consecutive phone calls, it was already past midnight when the interview n for tomorrow was finalised.


    Qi Jing took a quick shower before returning back to theputer to pen down an earnest reply to the email.


    He wrote down his thoughts for each description of the cats, numbered the photos, and saved them in a special folder. After writing a long reply, he carefully checked through it and felt he should add a sentence at the end.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Dr. Shen. Please take care to get proper rest and don¡¯t overwork yourself.¡±


    Once he was done, feeling like it was stillcking something, Qi Jing added his signature emoticon ¡°^_^¡± at the end of the sentence. He did onest check and sent it out.


    The next morning, Qi Jing, along with a cameraman, a camera assistant, and a lightning assistant drove to the entrance of the hospital.


    Perhaps it was because they were from the provincial TV station, the president of the hospital and his wife personally came out to greet them.


    After the few of them exchanged pleasantries, Qi Jing got the team to set up the equipment to shoot the exterior of the hospital first while he gave a brief introduction about the background of the incident.


    The head nurse, Ms. Pang, heard that he was here and waited at the side with a smile on her face while watching Qi Jing exin the incident in front of the camera.


    Her impression of Qi Jing seemed to have greatly improved since the first time she met him and the reason was that he had a good voice. It was likely that if she was thirty years younger, she might also dabble in audio dramas.


    ¡°Good morning everyone, I am your reporter, Qi Jing. Right now, I am standing in front of the hospital that is providing assistance to the cats in this cat abuse incident.¡±


    When he was recording for the news, Qi Jing¡¯s voice was raised a little more than usual to sound brighter and appear more energetic.


    It was expected for TV News Reporters to be eloquent in order to articte all the information in the shortest time possible.


    Qi Jing was already very skilled in this area and not to mention that his voice was particrly outstanding.


    ¡°Reporter Comrade, your voice sounded really good when you speak in front of a camera, ¡° Ms. Pang, who was in charge of leading the group to the wards, praised Qi Jing when they were done taking footage in front of the hospital.


    ¡°Haha, thank you for thepliment.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s mouth was speaking to Ms. Pang, but his eyes were wondering about as he asked, ¡°Is Dr. Shen not in today?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re asking for Dr. Shen? This morning, a dog that identally swallowed bone fragments and got them stuck inside its stomach was brought in. The owner was also a careless one, they only realised that something was wrong with the dog after three or four days. That¡¯s why it¡¯s undergoing surgery now with Dr. Shen as the Chief Surgeon so I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s tied up,¡± Ms. Pang exined.


    ¡°Is he usually so busy?¡±


    ¡°It depends, but these two days have been especially busy.¡±


    So... he took the time to make such detailed observations while working under such high intensities.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but feel a deep sense of guilt welling up in his heart.


    When they arrived at the wards, they were greeted with the sight of the sixteen kitties mentioned in the email.


    ¡°Aiya, these cats look so pitiful.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even bear to take the footages.¡±


    Witnessing the various injuries on the cats in person, even the cameraman and the lighting assistant felt a pang in their hearts and they all started berating the criminal.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up. After the news airs tonight, we can definitely help to find homes for them as soon as possible.¡±


    While it was good to express the sympathy they felt, what was more important was taking actual action. Qi Jing checked his watch and walked to a ce with suitable lighting while adjusting his microphone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll start off with an opening speech before moving on to talk about some of the more representative cats. After that, I¡¯ll be relying on you guys for the footage of the cats. Our time is a little tight and we¡¯ve already spent half a minute outside. If I take more than twenty seconds on each cat, please gesture to remind me.¡±


    ¡°OK.¡± Both the cameraman and the lighting assistant took their ce.


    Qi Jing briefly introduced the ward they were in and found the corresponding cages ording to the numbers mentioned in the email.


    He had printed out the contents of the email beforehand, slightly modified that person¡¯s words, and started recording in a narrating tone like a big brother telling a story.


    ¡°The cat in cage number 2 is an orange tabby cat. It was sent in with fractures in three areas around the body and it has been fixed. Dr. Shen, who headed the surgery, told us that the little guy was recovering well after surgery, but felt pain after the anesthesia wore off, and kept whimpering from time to time at the beginning...¡±


    In contrast to his bright new reporting voice, his voice now was a little lower, a little slower, and infused with a warm feeling.


    Even his colleagues, who were doing the recording, gave him a thumbs-up,mending him for the way he controlled the tone of his voice.


    ¡°It sounded very fatherly,¡± the lighting assistant pointed out jokingly afterward.


    Qi Jing froze for a moment before his lips curved into a smile.


    The way he did the report just now was because he was being affected by that person¡¯s words, that¡¯s why it gave a simr feeling. It¡¯s like when two people are ying against each other, his performance would be affected by the good acting of the CV he was ying against.


    Qi Jing was stunned by the thought that shed across his mind and subconsciously uttered an, ¡°Eh?¡±


    Why did he suddenly think of someone who waspletely unrted? How strange.


    He shook his head in self-mockery before confirming the recorded content with his colleagues once more. However, just as he was about to leave the ward, he suddenly looked up and met eyes with someone he knew amongst the onlookers beyond the ss.


    ¡ª¡ªIt¡¯s him.


    It looked like the operation had only just ended not too long ago as the other party hasn¡¯t changed out of the surgical gown. The gloves had been removed but the mask was still on.


    It couldn¡¯t be... that he rushed over to send them off?


    Qi Jing hurriedly went up to him and said with a smile, ¡°Dr. Shen, really, thank you for that email. I apologise for borrowing your descriptions in the report without permission, but I really think it¡¯s appropriate and effective.¡±


    That man looked into his eyes and nodded lightly.


    ¡°Un, I heard it. The way you conveyed it was filled with emotion.¡±


    So he heard it just now.


    Even though his colleagues alsoplimented him, he didn¡¯t really feel anything much at that time. However, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little embarrassed hearing it from the person who wrote those words down.


    ¡°It¡¯s because the diary in itself was written with emotion.¡±


    Qi Jing had a habit. Whenever he felt embarrassed, he would lower his eyes, avoiding the other person¡¯s line of sight as naturally as he could. Then, at the same time, he turned his head slightly to the left and reached out his left hand to push his hair behind his ear, taking the chance to feel if his ear was hot.


    Fortunately, the temperature was normal.


    Fortunately.


    ¡°I meant your voice.¡± Just then, that man suddenly continued, ¡°Your voice was very emotive.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s hand suddenly froze in ce.


    With his finger against the back of his ear, he could clearly feel the change in temperature.


    Don¡¯t look up.


    At a time like this, he absolutely could not look up¡ª¡ª


    Qi Jing instinctively realised that he was in a very awkward situation and couldn¡¯t even say thank you, but only managed a dryugh.


    He reckoned everyone could probably hear how forced theugh sounded.


    Luckily, a colleague from the TV station hade out from the ward and called out to him, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Qi Jing!¡±


    ¡°Ah... right, we¡¯re done recording the news and we¡¯ll need to rush back to the station now to hand it to the post-production team. It should be in time for the 6 PM News, so if you have the time, Dr. Shen, do remember to watch it¡ª¡ªbye.¡± Qi Jing fixed his professional smile on his face again and left hastily after politely bidding the other party goodbye.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t even manage to catch the other party¡¯s reaction.


    However, he did hear the word that was murmureding from behind him. ¡°Goodbye.¡±


    Qi Jing took big strides forward.


    Exiting from the hospital, he made his way to the station¡¯s minivan and quietly helped his co-workers move the filming equipment. When that was all done, he finally closed the door and leaned into the back of the seat as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.


    The fact was, he wasn¡¯t bashful when it came to being praised. When his friends or colleaguesplimented him, he could also tease them back with a smile.


    The main thing was that it was just too unexpected this time and his heart wasn¡¯t prepared for it.


    That doctor did give the impression of being indifferent initially, despite Ms. Pang letting Qi Jing know in advance that he was just a man of few words. Qi Jing wouldn¡¯t have expected for someone like that to praise him so straightforwardly.


    Most importantly, was that it was obvious this person was the kind that could not lie.


    Therefore, those words weren¡¯t lies, he genuinely meant them.


    It was different from the praise given by a superior to encourage one to ensure smooth-running, the ttery between colleagues, or the yful teasing between friends.


    ¡°That gave me such a shock,¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but mutter to himself.


    Rather than saying he felt difited at that time, it would be more urate to say that he was shocked. Not knowing what to do, he could only cut short the conversation between them.


    Somehow, he felt that something very wrong would happen if that conversation continued.


    Something very very wrong.


    ¡°What did you say shocked you?¡± The cameraman, who was driving the car, was confused by the words Qi Jing blurted out of nowhere.


    ¡°The cats¡¯.¡± Daddy.


    Qi Jing took it upon himself to give that man this title. It was pretty appropriate anyway.


    ¡°Oh, I get you.¡± The cameraman thought Qi Jing was referring to the cats¡¯ injuries. It was nice to have a colleague who was easy to fool.


    Qi Jing stopped talking and gently raised his left hand to smooth the hair at the side of his head.


    Good. It hadpletely cooled down.

 Chapter 13

    <h4>Chapter 13</h4>


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel extremely shy when he looks at me that way.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to spread his arms to encase me in an embrace. I tried to struggle out of his embrace but I couldn¡¯t, like a rabbit, I trembled in his arms.¡±


    ¡°What do I do? My body is so hot all over I can¡¯t cool myself down at all. Oh god, this must be the first symptom of falling in love.¡±


    ...


    ...


    ...


    ...WTF...


    When Qi Jing read to this point, his brows were already all scrunched up. He looked at Ning Xiaoxiao weakly like he didn¡¯t even know where to begin dissing and said, ¡°I¡¯m not doing this.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao screamed, ¡°Why?¡±


    Qi Jing massaged the bridge of his nose with difficulty. He waved his hand to get her to move theptop from his desk to save his eyes from being subjected to continued abuse by the words on the screen.


    ¡°Because this script is too ridiculous, it will surely bomb.¡±


    ¡°This is a script I found for you!¡± Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s scream increased by several decibels, making Qi Jing feel like his ears were badly poisoned following the abuse of his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s precisely because you¡¯re the one showing this script to me that I¡¯m dissing it to your face. If it were another scriptwriter, I would only politely say, ¡®Sorry, I don¡¯t think I can manage this script.¡¯ Putting everything else aside, using the inner workings in the character¡¯s mind and description of actions as actual dialogue¡ªit¡¯s basically like a God¡¯s perspective. The sky is rolling with thunder... Are you sure this Shou isn¡¯t just a t-chested girl in disguise?¡±


    Qi Jing hugged himself like he was still badly shaken, soothing himself by rubbing his hands against his arms that were covered in goosebumps.


    ¡°Hmph, Senior it¡¯s because you don¡¯t have a boyfriend so you don¡¯t understand the mindset of people in love,¡± Ning Xiaoxiao scoffed, observing his reaction while giving him the side-eye.


    ¡°If that¡¯s how people in love are, then I¡¯d rather remain single,¡± Qi Jing replied with ease.


    ¡°Hmph! One day, you¡¯ll feel envy and jealousy for this!¡± She thought that she could embarrass him a little, tease him into finding a boyfriend, but she didn¡¯t expect him to be this invulnerable.


    ¡°Speaking of which, how did your writing style be like this, Junior? What was the trigger?¡±


    ¡°Hehehe,¡± Ning Xiaoxiao suddenly giggled into her hand, winking at him as she said, ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t actually write this script.¡±


    Qi Jing heaved a big sigh of relief when he heard those words, patting on his chest to show how deeplyforted he was by that information.


    Otherwise, he had nned on spending some good ten minutes to convince his junior not to give up on receiving treatment.


    ¡°The thing is, actually, the scriptwriter is the producer and she enlisted my help to get you to do this show.¡± Which meant to say that the scriptwriter couldn¡¯t be changed.


    ¡°Absolutely. Not. Doing. This. Drama.¡±


    ¡°Come on, just do it, it¡¯s just one episode. I¡¯d be too embarrassed to get back to her if you don¡¯t. Besides, those ridiculous lines are for the Shou and she¡¯s looking to cast you as the Gong. So isn¡¯t it fine as long as the Gong¡¯s lines aren¡¯t absurd?¡± Ning Xiaoxiao pouted.


    She exercised her skill of pestering him, pestering and clinging onto him like an annoying piece of sticky candy one could not get rid of.


    Alright, although the lines for the Gong also made his face ¡®‡å¡¯ like never before, with the Shou¡¯s lines as aparison, it appears a lot more normal.


    However, that was not the main point.


    ¡°They¡¯re looking for me to y the Gong? What a surprise, there aren¡¯t many looking to cast me as a Gong these days.¡±


    Qi Jing raised his eyebrows; an opening had appeared in his psychological line of defence.


    Due to this strange unspoken rule that has been circting around&#k2014;¡°there¡¯s no way for them to coexist¡±&#k2014;so not only were the producers looking to cast him few and far between, he¡¯s also been reced by several of the other production crews. Hence, he¡¯s been pretty idle andtely, he¡¯s mostly just been paying off his debts. Although he used to mostly y Gong, those audio dramas were rtively unpopr and didn¡¯t draw much attention.


    And with the recording of him ying against Bronze Sparrow Terrace going viral, many people have been brainwashed by his 0.5 Shou voice after listening, Qi Jing started to miss the days where he voiced Gongs. All those little Shou¡¯s that he¡¯s chased¡ªhow nostalgic.


    ¡°How about it, Senior? Do you want to consider going back to your old expertise?¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao was probably a loach in her previous life seeing how quickly she dived into the first hole she saw in his defence.


    ¡°Let me think about it.¡± Once he eased up, the chances of him giving in was very high.


    ¡°Come on, just ept this show. Aren¡¯t you tired of ying voice Gongs? This time, the Gong is the gentle, healing type. It¡¯s worth a challenge.¡± Naturally, Ning Xiaoxiao knew how to take advantage and go in straight for the win.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Qi Jing looked to the sky and sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve recently experienced what it means to be healed anyway.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao swiftly leaned in, her eyes lit up as she said, ¡°Are you referring to that news about the kitties? That was truly healing! Yourmentary was an absolute foul, alright! What¡¯s more, you said it in such a loving tone... Ah, I can¡¯t, my heart has been shot... Oh, right, someone from our magazinepany went through the adoption process to adopt a cat because of it!¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡± A faint smile appeared on his lips.


    The night the news was broadcasted, his colleagues from the hotline office came to feedback that they had received quite a number of calls from the viewers. The response had been good, but it was even more pleasant to hear it from someone outside of the station.


    ¡°I was also considering adopting one, but I can¡¯t provide for it at my ce,¡± Ning Xiaoxiao added dejectedly.


    ¡°Me too. I have to leave home for work every few days. If I really brought one home it might actually starve to death.¡± Qi Jing expressed that the upation of a reporter was the nemesis of having pets. ¡°If you can¡¯t adopt, you can always donate money and other items. After all, their hospital charges such a low fee for treatment so their staff do need a little subsidy.¡±


    Qi Jing once offered in an email to that person that he would give him some remuneration in return for the information provided. He knew that the care in those words could not be measured in mary terms, but a few words of ¡°thank you¡± made him feel that it was not enough topensate the other person for the precious rest time he had sacrificed.


    However, the other party did not ept it.


    The first email was presented to the public through a TV broadcast and a post was made in the news forum in the same style.


    Followed by the second, the third, the fourth...


    Qi Jing continued to update the status of the kittens in several well-known forums. He would polish up the contents of the email to enhance the publicity effect. He had received the support of many cat lovers and there were even charities that took the initiative to raise money to buy cat food, cat litter, warming supplies, etc, to send to the hospital.


    As a reteller, Qi Jing would always make sure to note that ¡°the following was quoted from a doctor¡¯s diary¡± when crafting the posts.


    When he writes his own content, it is usually just published as-is. However, whenever he quotes the emails, he would specially mark it with a warm background color and corresponding font color and style to make it stand out.


    It has been more than a month since these ¡°important emails¡± have been umting one by one.


    At the end of each reply, Qi Jing would attach a personal greeting, separated from the main text by a dotted line. And he would always remember to end off with his signature ¡°^_^¡±.


    At the start, he was the only one who was doing that, but then the other party began to gradually reciprocate it, replying to his greeting and greeting him at the end of the email.


    There was a kind of affectionate feeling of making pen pals in the student days during this exchange.


    Half of September had passed and the cats whose condition had improved had been picked up one after another. Seeing that there were fewer and fewer of the little guys mentioned in the emails, as d as Qi Jing was to see that, he could not help but feel a little sad and lonely at the same time.


    He thought to himself that the cat¡¯s dad must have felt the same way¡ª


    ¡°Speaking of which, Senior, your feature report will beplete when all the cats have been adopted, right?¡± Ning Xiaoxiao asked curiously while nibbling on her straw after taking a sip of her ice tea.


    Qi Jing froze a little at her question.


    Any follow-up report would end one day, he should know this better than anyone.


    ¡°I supposed,¡± he replied and adjusted his sitting position, picking up his coffee to sip on it quietly.


    Seeing that National Day was approaching, there would probably be another wave of news. He had better shift his focus as soon as possible.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Mid-Autumn Festival next week and National Day next next next week. These are all holidays, do you want to make ns to hang out with some friends?¡±


    ¡°You should know that when everyone is enjoying their holiday is when we¡¯re the busiest.¡±


    If he had a mirror in front of him right now, he would see a perfect demonstration of the ¡°dead eyes¡± look.


    ¡°Urk, then forget it. I think you¡¯d better just pay off your audio drama debts. I¡¯ve already sent you the script I showed you just now.¡± Ning Xiaoxiao smacked her lips.


    Qi Jing nced at the script on her screen and his eyes died a second time.


    ¡°Alright, seeing that I¡¯m ying the Gong, I¡¯ll try my best to ignore the lines for the Shou.¡± He believed that by the end of this audio drama, his resistance to such ridiculousness would definitely improve significantly.


    ¡°Hehe, then I¡¯ll also share your QQ to the producer-scriptwriter and get her to add you. Then you guys can discuss the rest of it yourselves.¡±


    His junior typed on her keyboard for a while before suddenly looking up at him like she remembered something and asked, ¡°Hmm? What about the drama where you¡¯re a CP with the Great God? When is iting out?¡±


    ¡°I heard that it¡¯ll be out on National Day.¡±


    The DEMO wasing soon and once all the retakes are done, they¡¯ll be able to release the audio drama. However, Qi Jing really couldn¡¯t bear to listen to himself as a 0.5 erotic Shou.


    ¡°Senior,e, give me a signature,¡± his junior said while smiling like an old scheming fox.


    ¡°What for?¡± Qi Jing questioned, sizing her up with a weird look, wondering just what on earth did this girl have up her sleeves.


    ¡°Just sign it. Then, I¡¯ll save your signature and when your dramaes out and you be famous, I¡¯ll sell it on Taobao!¡±


    ¡°You... that¡¯s enough of you...¡±


    After leaving the cafe, Qi Jing bade his junior goodbye and they went their separate ways.


    It was in the middle of September where the temperature wasn¡¯t too low yet, and was all nice and cooling. The song of the cicadas in summer has been blown away by the autumn wind, reced with the rustling sound of fallen leaves.


    As the saying goes, ¡°When the first leaf falls from the Wutong tree, the entire world knows that autumn hase.¡± However, the Wutong tree found on either side of the road was different from the Wutong trees ancient Chinese were referring to. The leaves were an even muted shade of yellow, more delicate, making a crisp sound when crushed underfoot.


    In September, when the fruiting season is in full swing, the brown-coloured fruits hang down from the treetops, swaying weakly in the wind. The conclusion to blossoming and bearing fruit was nothing more than this, let alone the story of the flowers that had yet to bloom¡ª


    Qi Jing suddenly understood why ancient schrs grieve over the passing of spring or feel sad with the advent of autumn. Such depressing imagery would elicit negative emotions from whoever was looking at them.


    After fall, the days started to get shorter and although he got off from work at the usual time, by the time he got home, the interior of his apartment was already dark.


    He¡¯s lived by himself for so long; his furniture and everything were simple. With a minimalistic style of furnishing, his living space would be considered rather wide, making it hard to block the thick shadow stretching out from behind the wall, extending onto the solid wood floor.


    Since he was still feeling pretty filled from the coffee at the cafe before, he was toozy to even get himself a meal now. He just threw his jacket onto the sofa and lied down to rest.


    There have been news reports about the elderly living alone only being discovered dead in their homes one month after their death. And Qi Jing felt that it was not unlikely for something like that to happen to him. Even if it didn¡¯t take a month, it would at least take eight or ten days.


    His friends and office would probably think that he was out on a business trip.


    While the people online would most likely think that the god of ying dead was pretending to be dead again to avoid people rushing him for his recordings.


    Since he came out of the closet, he could count the number of times he had returned to his family home with one hand. His parents still had his older sister and younger brother who could take care of them so their attitude towards him was simply¡ªout of sight, out of mind.


    ¡°It... hurts...¡±


    Applying pressure to his stomach that was starting to hurt again, Qi Jing squeezed those two words through clenched teeth.


    He turned around, wrapping himself in his jacket, closed his eyes and pressed his head into the sofa to sleep, hoping to get through the dull pain through sleep.


    It was about 8 PM when he woke up and the cramps he was feeling had gone away.


    After taking a stretch, he got up to turn on hisputer and got to work. He had long been ustomed to such a dumbfounding routine.


    For some reason, recently, whenever he gets to work, he would log into hispany email first to see if there were any new emails. It¡¯s been five days since he received thest email regarding the kitties. The interval this time was a bit longer than the previous frequency of two to three days.


    It was very easy to recognise that guy¡¯s emails as the subject was the same every time.


    ¡°The kittens¡¯ recovery¡±¡ªit was always like that; it¡¯s not even numbered.


    However, the subject of the email he received today had changed and became ¡°About the kittens¡±. Qi Jing suddenly felt uncertain about the screen showing before him and stared fixedly at the mailbox for five seconds.


    It was from the same person.


    Qi Jing subconsciously felt like it was better not to open it.


    That feeling was like a person going to the restaurant he patronised frequently, ordering the same dish every time, feeling at ease when he ate there. However, one day, the menu hadpletely changed. Although the chef was still the same, the strange dishes would make him afraid to order.


    Qi Jing was afraid he would open the email to see a photo of a kitten with closed eyes attached to it, announcing that the treatment was ineffective and the kitten was gone, or something along those lines.


    He found that it was the hardest to take the news of the sudden departure of a little life he had been paying close attention to.


    ¡°Huu... Calm down, calm down, it might be some good news,¡± Qi Jing muttered in a bid to convince himself. Perhaps he was just being affected by the mncholic atmosphere of autumn outside and things weren¡¯t as bad as he thought.


    He moved his cursor and clicked on the email.


    And as it turned out, the email did contain a piece of good news and it was good news worth celebrating.


    ¡°All of the kittens injured in the incident have recovered. The adoption paperwork for thest one waspleted this morning and all were released from the hospital.¡±


    These words were an affirmation for his long-standing efforts during this period.


    <i>I see.</i>


    <i>So that was what it was...</i>


    No wonder the subject no longer contained the word ¡°recovery¡±, it was because there weren¡¯t any more cats that were in a state of recovery.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, the little ones have found their forever home. Haha.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyes remained glued to those words, reading through it several dozen times, over and over again. And at the final time, he chuckled lightly, but the smile on his face didn¡¯tst very long.


    That was the first time he had received an email that didn¡¯t have the contents of a diary or any pictures and he wasn¡¯t really used to it.


    Maybe it was because he wasn¡¯t used to it that he couldn¡¯t find himself feeling overjoyed by the situation.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, the little ones have found their forever home.¡±


    He repeated this sentence in his reply. It felt as if there was a lot more he wanted to say, but he couldn¡¯t think of the right wording for it at the moment. He sat in a daze in his seat for a long while, the usual inspiration he had for writing seemed to bepletely exhausted as he couldn¡¯t even find a single trace of it left.


    Fingers went back and forth between the letter keys and the delete key. He would type a few words, deliberate over it before deleting it while silently shaking his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll post this message on the forum so everyone can celebrate.¡± This sentence was about business.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Dr. Shen.¡± This one was his usual greeting.


    Was there more to add?


    Probably not, he supposed. Personal thoughts, business, greetings¡ªit was about the same order as his usual replies, and with that, they could put the perfect full stop on this chapter. Tomorrow, he could go report this to the channel director, do up a summary, and start making preparations for the next topic.


    ¡°Thank you and goodbye.¡± The standard way to end off an email.


    Although he didn¡¯t manage to get the other party¡¯s name right up to the very end, this time, there really wasn¡¯t a need for that anymore.


    A/N: Actually I feel like I can just put a pleted¡± or something here...

 Chapter 14

    <h4>Chapter 14</h4>


    Hellos sorries for the dy guys, shit happened :¡¯)


    When he woke up early the next morning, Qi Jing could feel his head throbbing slightly in pain. ncing at the rm clock, he realised he¡¯s only had four hours of sleep.


    Even though he had clearly wanted to sleep until it was time to get up for work, he couldn¡¯t fall back asleep despite tossing and turning around in bed. So he decided to get out of bed to get himself a cup of water.


    He was running a slight fever.


    He had probably caught a cold from sleeping on the sofa for two hours yesterday when the jacket he had used to cover himself had somehow slipped onto the floor at some point.


    Qi Jing was rather averse to taking medicine. And that¡¯s because his body reacted strongly to Western medication. The effects usually made him weak for the entire day, constantly on the verge of dozing off. Hence, he would normally avoid taking them unless he was seriously ill. When met with low fevers like such, he would often just endure it and wait for it to pass.


    At this time, themunity is still immersed in the tranquility of the morning. The pale faint white light that shone in from the windows was unable to warm up the room.


    A person running a fever was very sensitive to the cold. He had just gone to the kitchen to get himself a cup of water but after finishing his drink, his extremities were already trembling from the cold that washed over his whole body. Qi Jing had no choice but to burrow back under the covers.


    ¡°I have to gather information in the morning, do an interview with the Department of Transportation in the west of the city in the afternoon, produce the Mid-Autumn Special in the evening...¡±


    He mumbled his schedule for the day.


    Although this quiet pocket of time before work was prime time for recording, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t find it in him to do that today. He simply lied in bed with his eyes wide open.


    He took out his phone, opened his messages, and typed in the words ¡°I¡¯m sick¡±. Then, he stared nkly at the list of contacts.


    He couldn¡¯t think of anyone to send it to¡ª


    <i>The Director? He¡¯d probably think that it¡¯s just an excuse to skip work.


    </i>


    <i> My colleagues? They¡¯d probablyin about having one less person to help with the workload today.


    </i>


    <i> My junior? She¡¯s probably still asleep at the moment. Even if she receives a text message, she will definitely give a reply like ¡°See? This is karma for not listening to me when I tell you to take care of your health normally hahaha.¡±


    </i>


    <i> The doctor? Unfortunately, I am not a cat.</i>


    Qi Jing froze for a moment when thatst thought crossed his mind before hurriedly shaking it out of his head. Generally speaking one should be thinking of a regr doctor, shouldn¡¯t they?


    <i>Ah, my brain is fried from the fever, it¡¯s fried...</i>


    Qi Jing started muttering to himself, his brows furrowing together as he got ready to wash up and find something to fill his stomach before heading for work.


    Whenever a holiday approaches, the TV station virtually bes a war zone¡ªall the various departments were busy as a bee.


    Especially when there¡¯s the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day happening back-to-back. The entire province was bustling with all kinds of activity, leading to the interview team being virtually stuck in a perpetual state of being away on business trips.


    However, the director probably felt sorry for Qi Jing who¡¯s had too many business trips. This time, he deliberately arranged for thetter to have several interviews located within the city as a form ofpensation. And Qi Jing could finally find some slightfort in that.


    ¡°You¡¯re sick?¡± A colleague finally noticed that something was off, seeing Qi Jing reach out to feel his forehead for the umpteenth time.


    ¡°I have a slight fever, but it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Qi Jing had arge ss of water with some salt added to it on his desk. He wanted to keep his body properly hydrated and his body temperature down in the morning when he didn¡¯t have to run out for interviews.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you get someone to take your ce for the interview with the Department of Transportation in the afternoon? It¡¯s windy out there today, better not run the risk of worsening the cold.¡±


    ¡°Who would be free at a time like this? Everyone has their work arrangements, I can¡¯t mess it up because of me,¡± Qi Jing politely declined his colleague¡¯s kind offer with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll get these files done as soon as possible, then I can take a nap during lunch break to recuperate.¡±


    Just as he was about to get back to his mountain of work, the director sauntered into the office with a cup of tea in hand, and announced, mimicking the tone of a newspaper boy selling newspapers on TV, ¡°Extra! Extra! The Mid-Autumn Mooncake gift boxes that the station ordered have arrived in the mailroom! Everyone remember to pick one up before going off today!¡±


    It was the Tv station¡¯s practice to give out mooncakes in advance, before the Mid-Autumn Festival.


    ording to a well-informed source, the vendor chosen this year was very good, the packaging was exquisite and the contents were good value for money.


    Hearing the director¡¯s words, some of Qi Jing¡¯s more impatient colleagues immediately left the matters they had on hand for the mooncakes.


    The atmosphere in the office instantly became lively for a while, everyone was in a hubbub, excitedly discussing their favourite mooncake fillings. Qi Jing too, cheerily engaged in their chatter as he typed away on hisputer.


    ¡°Qi Jing, here¡¯s your share.¡± A colleague had heard that he was unwell and graciously brought his share back for him.


    ¡°Oh, thanks so much,¡± Qi Jing said and received it with a smile.


    The packaging of the mooncake gift box had a vintage design, with light grey as the background, it was a lightly painted Chinese court style painting of a lotus pond and a full moon hanging over it. The name of the brand was also written in Chinese calligraphy.


    Other than that, the gift box also came with a silver-coloured high-end gift bag, so it appeared that the unit is really generous this year.


    ¡°By the way, Qi Jing, the person at the mailroom said that there was a letter addressed to you so I brought it along as well,¡± as he spoke, that colleague took out a number three envelope that was slightlyrger than a normal envelope and ced it in front of Qi Jing.


    ¡°A letter for me?¡± Qi Jing was slightly surprised.


    When he cast a sweeping nce at the letter, his eyes froze when theynded on the words ¡°Veterinary Hospital¡±.


    This was an envelope specially used by hospitals. Besides the name and address printed at the top, there was a pink cat paw print which was the logo of this hospital.


    Under the recipient¡¯s ce, his name was neatly written with a pen, while the sender wasn¡¯t written, probably because it was already printed at the top.


    After three seconds of hesitation, Qi Jing carefully opened the envelope with his letter opener, only to find that there was yet another letter inside.


    The envelope inside was slightly smaller and had ayer of stic wrapping over the exterior. Looking at the size and style, it should be a card.


    Qi Jing kept calm and opened the second envelope.


    Sure enough, it was a card. The size of the card was rtivelyrgepared to the ones sold in the market, and the workmanship was also pretty exquisite. In the front was a print of realistically drawn fluffy kitties. The brushstrokes were so detailed, every strand of fur was drawn on one by one, it looked so lifelike like the cats were about to pounce right out of the paper.


    ¡°Kuku.¡± Qi Jing felt his mood ease up a lot and the corner of his lips curled up when he saw that image.


    However, the moment he opened the card, he was stunned momentarily.


    There were cat paw prints in the card as well, but these were real. These were made by dipping the cat¡¯s paws in soluble pigment and stamping it on the card. He counted them and there were a total of sixteen, all arranged in chronological order.


    Beside each paw print was an entry neatly written in pen.


    ¡°Local special, Cage No. 14, discharged on August 22nd, adopted.¡±


    ¡°Tabby cat, Cage No. 6, discharged on August 24th, adopted.¡±


    ¡°Siamese cat, Cage No. 31, discharged on September 5th, adopted.¡±


    ...


    ...


    And many more.


    It appeared that each paw print was stamped on the card when they were officially discharged.


    In other words, the card had at least one month in the making.


    The postmark on the envelope was yesterday afternoon, and he remembered that thest kitten mentioned in the card had been dropped off yesterday morning, so the card had been finished around that time as well.


    Some of the paw prints looked a little wonky, probably because of the little ones moving around, there were also some that were crooked and didn¡¯t look like anything.


    Even so, he was so happy.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but gently press his finger against his lips to hold back any sound that was on the verge of escaping his lips. He turned his back to his colleague and gently stroked those tiny, colorful paw prints with his fingertips.


    <i>What do I do, I¡¯m so happy¡ª</i>


    That was the first time he had received such a unique gift and he was over the moon.


    The card ended off with a message written with the same pen and handwriting:


    ¡°To Mr. Qi,


    Before we met you, we could¡¯ve never imagined that we would be able to find new homes for the little ones so smoothly, and receive so much help from passionate individuals during that time. The aftermath that we had a hard time dealing with before was made a lot easier with your suggestions. Thank you for your feature report, thank you for taking the time to patiently reply to my emails every time, and thank you for incorporating them into a post on the forum. Thank you.¡±


    Then starting with a new paragraph.


    ¡°This card is a little personal token in hopes that I can express the deep gratitude I have in my heart for you through these little ones.¡±


    And with that, he concluded the letter. Unlike the previous emails they shared, this time, he did not sign off with the hospital but with the name of a person.


    ¡ªShen Yan.


    Like the context of the text, his handwriting had simreliness.


    Qi Jing took a deep breath and stared at the card for a few more minutes before suddenly closing it and putting it back into the envelope. Then, he turned back to hisputer and started typing rapidly.


    The work of sorting out the information was tedious and lengthy. Moreover, since he was unwell, it could already be considered efficient for him toplete it before lunch break and actually take a break.


    And yet, he hadpleted all the scheduled work ahead of schedule just after 11 AM.


    He saved the files, organised them, and sent them out.


    After finishing up with the finishing touches in one breath, he picked up his mooncake gift box, informed his colleagues, and got ready to leave.


    ¡°I¡¯m done with my work for the morning, so I¡¯ll be leaving for a bit. I¡¯ll be back before the interview in the afternoon.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s speech was as hurried as his steps.


    ¡°Eh? Didn¡¯t you say you were going to take a good rest and recuperate during lunch break?¡± His colleague was pretty surprised by the change.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading out to give something,¡± Qi Jing said briefly.


    Before, as it was for work matters, he could just hitch a ride from the office, but now, since it was for personal matters, he couldn¡¯t request for a ride and could only take the subway and bus on his own. Even if he left early, he would have to give up his lunch break on traveling to and fro.


    Due to the need for changing between the train and bus, it took over an hour to travel from the city centre to the north of the city, where the hospital was located.


    When Qi Jing arrived at the ce, the hospital also happened to be on lunch break.


    ¡°Oh, Reporter Comrade, why have you dropped by today?¡± Ms. Pang hadpletely dropped any qualms she had about him and greeted him warmly as an old friend.


    She was just about to enter the nurses¡¯ lounge with food that she had just heated up when she bumped into Qi Jing, who was hurrying down the corridor, so she called out to him in surprise and delight.


    Qi Jing quickly stopped in his tracks and politely responded to her with a smile, ¡°Good day to you, Sister Pang.¡±


    ¡°Good good good,¡± Ms. Pang beamed as she excitedly told him the good news, though this was news he had already known, ¡°By the way, Reporter Comrade, thest cat had also sessfullypleted the adoption procedures yesterday and was picked up by its new owner.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    Qi Jing put up a smile and apanied her for a bit before his smile faltered and his throat started to feel a little dry.


    He had to clear his throat before continuing, ¡°Erhm... Is Dr. Shen in? I have something for him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but he should be having his break at this time.¡± Then, Ms. Pang gave him directions to the doctor¡¯s lounge on the second floor to look for the man.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Jing heaved a small sigh of relief when he heard that that person was in and immediately headed for the stairs.


    The second floor was where the wards and thebs were, and also where the vets usually rested so it was much quieter than the first floor.


    After walking up to the second floor, Qi Jing followed the signs and walked down the hallway. Along the way, he didn¡¯t really meet anyone; the nurses probably went out to have lunch. As the hustle and bustle of the traffic outside the hospital gradually faded away, his footsteps slowly lightened as well, trying his best not to disrupt the rare silence in here.


    The doctor¡¯s lounge was at the end of the corridor.


    And further back, Wutong trees could be seen beyond the window. The leaves were half green, half yellow, notpletely wilted, and gave off the cool refreshing scent of autumn.


    Qi Jing had not heard a single sound since a while ago that made him a little worried. Could that person have gone out to eat too?


    With a little nervousness, he came to the door of the lounge.


    The door was slightly ajar. And just before his hand knocked on the door, Qi Jing took a cautious peek inside. Taken aback by what he just saw, he promptly put his raised hand back down.


    The curtains in the lounge, like the door, were slightly ajar, leaving only a slit to let in a tiny amount of light.


    There was a desk and a chair in a room of only roughly ten square metres and the rest of the space was taken by a sofa.


    That man rested his head on the arm of the sofa, He appeared to have maintained this position for quite some time.


    ¡ªSo he was taking a nap, huh.


    No wonder there wasn¡¯t any sound at all. Qi Jing was somewhat d he didn¡¯t knock on the door and wake him.


    Just then, a gust of wind came in from the window at the end of the corridor. It was neither strong nor weak, just enough to sway the leaves of the Wutong tree and also open the slightly ajar door a little more. There was now just enough space for a person to pass through.


    As if it was a silent prompt.


    Qi Jing stood nkly while facing the open door for a while. As expected... it¡¯s better to deliver the item to the person rather than leaving it at the door, wasn¡¯t it?


    Then, with that thought in mind, he quietly stepped into the room.


    He thought the room waspletely silent when he was standing at the door, but now that he was inside, he found that there was still some sound¡ªthe faint sound of steady breathing that followed the rise and fall of that man¡¯s chest¡ªlightly passing through the air and into his ears.


    This time the other party wasn¡¯t wearing a mask, so not only could Qi Jing hear him clearly, he could also see him.


    <i>So that¡¯s how he looks like...</i>


    Qi Jing lowered his head slightly to observe that man¡¯s face. He appeared to be sleeping very peacefully. He had straight brows and when a thin ray of light was cast on his face, under such low light conditions, it gave the outline of his facial features a rigid and cold appearance. However, the air that he radiated was very soft, like a clear stream rushing past a hard rock. Although his eyes were closed, Qi Jing was able to fill in the pieces based on his memory of the other party¡¯s eyes.


    Thank goodness his eyes weren¡¯t open.


    Since Qi Jing didn¡¯t know what kind of eyes he was gazing at the other with right now, nor did he know what got into him to reach out a hand and gently move aside a lock of hair that had fallen in front of his forehead.


    <i>Please don¡¯t open your eyes.


    </i>


    <i> It¡¯d be bad if you do.</i>


    ¡°Meow.¡±


    All of a sudden, a soft meow could be heard nearby.


    Qi Jing jumped at the sound and quickly retracted his fingers. Holding his breath, he looked to the source of the sound¡ªa small, furry head emerged from under the nket that was covering that person.


    It¡¯s a cat.


    So that nket was not for himself but to keep the cat warm. That little fe was probably being mischievous and needed his constant care, so they took a nap together during lunch break.


    Qi Jing dare not move a single muscle.


    He had even forgotten how to breathe as he watched the cat¡¯s next move while holding his breath, for fear that it would roll over and wake the man.


    Fortunately, the little guy seemed to still be rtively weak as it closed its eyes once more after staring curiously at Qi Jing with its big, shiny ck eyes for a while. It then rubbed its head against the doctor¡¯s button-down shirt, pressed its puffy paw pads against his chest, and went back to sleep after getting all nice and cosy.


    Qi Jing could feel himself breaking out in a cold sweat in this mere matter of seconds.


    His heart was pounding so violently it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. Probably because he got such a shock, his fever seemed to have worsened.


    Qi Jing stood rooted in his ce and softughter couldn¡¯t help but escape his lips when he finally managed to calm himself down. Seeing the image in front of him, he couldn¡¯t stop his mind from thinking of ¡®A portrait of father and child¡¯.


    The pictures of the kittens in the emails from before were all taken while they were asleep but the doctor himself was never in the shot. It was a rare sight to see a human and a cat snuggling together for a nap. Just as rare as... his subconscious action just now that clearly overstepped the boundaries.


    Qi Jing moved the hand on his lips and gently patted his face to get his expression back in order, but one could still see the faint smile in his eyes. Without making a sound, he took the phone out of his shirt pocket and opened the camera app. So as not to wake the other party, he disabled the auto sh option and adjusted the brightness with the help of the subtle glow of light shining into the room. Then, with a press of a button, the screen on the phone shed lightly and the perfectposition had been captured.


    He knew that one couldn¡¯t take that step forward for certain things.


    So it was nice to keep a memento of himself before he walked away.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s just what it is.¡± Qi Jing sighed and chuckled to himself after saving the moment he captured.


    He calmly put his phone away and put down the mooncake gift box he had been carrying in his other hand, not noticing that the tassel cord of the gift bag had left a deep mark in his palm.


    Pulling out the notepad he always carried on his person, he flipped passed the three pages that had once recorded phrases to describe that man and tore out a few nk ones.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t have time to prepare a card,¡± he muttered while walking over to the desk to pen down his reply.


    Once he was done with that, he quietly ced the pieces of paper filled with his handwritten response in front of the man. The cat seemed to have sensed something, stretched out its paw, and happened to press it right against the edge of the paper. Qi Jing smiled and mouthed the words ¡®thank you¡¯ to the little guy waving his hand to say goodbye.


    The cat looked at him nkly, eyes hazy with sleepiness, before falling back asleep without a care.


    Meanwhile, he had already straightened himself up. He stood there for another minute or so, tilting his head to the left and running his left hand through the messy bits of hair around his ear.


    <i>As I thought, you really won¡¯t be able to figure out the true temperature of a person running a fever.


    </i>


    <i> As long as the fever subsides, I will naturally cool down¡ª</i>


    Qi Jing lowered his eyes and turned his head away. He quietly walked out of the room, not forgetting to politely close the door behind him.


    A/N: Qi Jing¡¯s special skill in the 3D world is promptly exterminating the first signs of something off sprouting the moment he notices them.

 Chapter 15

    <h4>Chapter 15</h4>


    Thank you to MCJohnston (sorry I think this was from a while ago oTL) and Whitere for the ko-fi (¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å¥í <3


    Shen Yan woke up to a furry little paw on his chest scratching him.


    When he opened his eyes, he was greeted with the sight of the little guy¡¯s energetic face after a long rest. Given the soft meows, the little guy was probably hungry now and had a good appetite after sleeping so soundly.


    A faint smile appeared on his face as Shen Yan stretched out his hand to gently stroke the small space between the cat¡¯s ears.


    Feelingfortable for the massage, the little guy arched its body and got up to stretch on his chest.


    It was then that this movement drew his attention to the rustling sound of paper. Only then did he notice that the cat was stepping on some pieces of paper under its paws.


    Upon closer inspection, he found that there was even writing on the paper.


    This wasn¡¯t there before he took his nap, right?


    Shen Yan was slightly stunned by this before he carefully lifted the cat up to rescue the mangled pieces of paper from under its paws.


    The order of these pieces of paper had beenpletely messed up when he retrieved them, but before he could even begin to read the contents, his eyes fell on the signature at the back¡ª


    Qi Jing?


    Feeling like he had just awoken from a dream, he shot up onto his feet, rolled the kitten up in the nket, and was about to rush out when his foot identally bumped into something ced next to the sofa.


    That thing fell to the ground with a thud.


    When he lowered his head to see what it was, it turned out to be a silver gift bag with an exquisitely packaged moon cake gift box inside.


    He stared nkly at the gift box when the door to the lounge was suddenly pushed open. Before he even saw the head nurse, Ms. Pang, he could hear her speaking in a loud voice, ¡°Dr. Shen! A new patient has been sent in! It¡¯s a golden retriever and seems to have some indigestion problems. Please go and have a look.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Shen Yan answered aftering back to his senses before asking her in turn, ¡°Just now... did that reporter from the provincial TV statione here?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ms. Pang said while nodding, looking rather surprised, ¡°I told him you were resting here, and he came up by himself. What happened? You guys didn¡¯t meet? He said he was here to drop something off for you, and I saw hime down shortly after he went upstairs, so I thought you were done talking.¡±


    ¡°That means he¡¯s already gone?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been gone for a while.¡± Ms. Pang recalled and told him that Qi Jing had left about half an hour ago.


    If that¡¯s the case, then there was no point in him chasing after the other party.


    Shen Yan looked down at the paper clutched in his hand and let out a long sigh.


    Then, he got Ms. Pang to head downstairs to make the necessary preparations first. ¡°Okay, get the nurses to give the dog a basic examination first. I¡¯ll be there in ten minutes.¡±


    The little one in his arms was so hungry it kept pawing at him pitifully with both paws.


    Shen Yan ced some cat food in a round te for it to eat slowly while he brought a chair over to where the cat was eating and carefully read the few pieces of paper left by Qi Jing.


    The contents of the papers were just as polite and courteous as the person writing them.


    Qi Jing began the letter with a reference to the paw print card he had sent sincerely expressing his joy and gratitude.


    Then, he went on to write two paragraphs about the audience feedback he heard from the TV station, the effect of the news, the mediaments, his hope that more hospitals will follow suit in the future, rescuing abused animals, and the other relevant procedures thate after.


    Only after that, was something that came from his personal perspective:


    ¡°Although I should be happy that the little ones have all sessfully found a new home, I can¡¯t help but feel a little sad knowing that I won¡¯t be able to read any more diary entries with information about them. Rather than work, I feel that the emails exchanged between us was an experience of sharing love and joy.¡±


    After emailing for so long, this was the first time Qi Jing spoke his true feelings.


    Next, Qi Jing wrote about him.


    ¡°I wanted to get to know you better the first time I heard about you from the Animal Rescue Association, and I¡¯m d to have sessfully worked with you. Following your wishes, there was no mention of you personally in the news reports broadcast to the public. Many do not know of the time and effort you¡¯ve put into this, but I do. I can see from your diary entries and actual treatments for the animals that you are a good doctor who¡¯s meticulous, ethical, and kind-hearted. Thank you, and it was a pleasure knowing you.¡±


    It¡¯s not often that Qi Jing would say something that revealed his personal feelings so obviously.


    However, by the end of the letter, he went back to his usual tone.


    ¡°I wish you good health, sess at work, and happiness for your family. I¡¯d also like to wish you a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival in advance and I hope you like the box of mooncakes. ^_^¡±


    At the ce where Qi Jing signed off with his name, an adorable paw print was drawn. Then, he marked off with the date and that was it.


    There is no mention of the words ¡°See you again¡± throughout the entire letter.


    And after reading through the entire letter, that seemed to be what he had intended. After all, he didn¡¯t leave any room for a reply.


    Shen Yan stared at the hand-drawn cat¡¯s paw print for a while before silently folding the few pieces of paper and cing them in his chest pocket.


    The cat on the floor was still happily eating without a care in the world.


    If he remained silent just as he¡¯s always had... this would be the end of it.


    If he remained silent...


    The journey back to his office was in silence, Qi Jing had timed it just right. With ten minutes left in his lunch break, he had enough time to buy some food from a nearby supermarket to fill his stomach.


    His colleagues were right, after running out and about for two hours, his fingers were all frozen from the chilly autumn breeze. However, his heart felt refreshed and there was a sense of relief.


    Evidently, he had his thoughts written all over his face as the colleague he bumped into the moment he stepped into the office asked, ¡°Did something good happen, Qi Jing?¡±


    He chuckled lightly while returning to his seat, pulling out the swivel chair, he returned with a question instead, ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Because you looked listless when you came to work in the morning and now you look rxed.¡± All those working in news did have some observation skills.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Qi Jing sat down on his chair and replied casually, ¡°because I got closure.¡±


    ¡°Closure?¡± At this point, his colleague looked as if he was trying to figure out some advanced math question.


    ¡°Say, don¡¯t you think a good man should have a good woman by his side?¡± Qi Jing did not answer his question directly, but instead blurted this out of nowhere.


    His colleague blinked nkly before affirming Qi Jing¡¯s words very naturally. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Qi Jing smiled, his eyes never leaving the work document on his desk, and leisurely continued as if they were making small talk, ¡°Then I made no mistake in my decision.¡±


    In this practical, to the point of being cruel world, that was the cold, hard truth.


    He could still understand it that much.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡± That colleague gasped, his eyes rounded in shock.


    From the look on his face, he seemed to have solved the first step to this ¡®advanced math problem¡¯, albeit in the wrong direction. ¡°C-Could it be that you¡¯ve gotten yourself into an extramarital affair? You got together with a married woman?¡±


    Although that colleague had already lowered his voice as much as he could, there were still people with ears sharp enough to hear it.


    Yes, like for example, Mr. S.O.B, who maintains a living with his ears.


    ¡°Oh dear! I can¡¯t believe it, Qi Jing, I didn¡¯t peg you as someone who would get involved with a married woman.¡± Mr. S.O.B, who seemed to have sprouted out of the ground, eximed, his face full of excitement.


    At this point, Qi Jing began to seriously wonder if he could actually be a descendent of Tu Xing Sun.


    While he didn¡¯t know just whose descendent Mr. S.O.B was, he did know that thetter¡¯s voice was as loud as a loudspeaker. With a yell, Mr. S.O.B had managed to send the words just now through the entire office.


    In an instant, the office fell so quiet one could hear a pin drop as they collectively perked up their ears to listen to the rest of the story.


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Realising that he might have unintentionally caused a catastrophe, that colleague had to temporarily engage his y dead mode.


    ¡°Look at you, so young and promising, with a bright future ahead of you. Why would you do something like that? Sigh~ Looks like I¡¯ll have to warn the marrieddies to be more cautious of you.¡±


    Mr. S.O.B must be a great helper in the kitchen given his strong ability, which should not be underestimated, to add oil and vinegar, and stoke the mes.


    With all due respect, Qi Jing turned around in his swivel chair to say to Mr. S.O.B with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, even if I really got involved with married women, Mrs. Sun is very safe.¡±


    Mr. S.O.B¡¯s wife had visited the station several times.


    And as they always say, husband and wife were birds of a feather, a match made in heaven.


    Qi Jing had always marveled at this couple who was so consistent all throughout, from their outward appearance to within. For such a well-matched and perfect union, breaking them apart was something that was not conducive to the safety of society, and Qi Jing would never do something that would impede the development of the country.


    Mr. S.O.B, who had been defeated many times over, had even forgotten to ¡°punish¡± Qi Jing as he stomped out of the room.


    Thanks to Mr. S.O.B, who provided Qi Jing with this space to roast him, after venting out everything, Qi Jing felt a lot better and quite refreshed. The interview in the afternoon also went smoothly without a hitch because of this.


    With this momentum, Qi Jing decided to press on without letting up and get the n for the Mid-Autumn Festival special in the evening done as well.


    If everything went ording to n, he might even be able to take a half-day off for the Mid-Autumn Festival to listen to some audio dramas and perhaps do some recordings.


    It was past 6 PM but the building of the TV station was still brightly lit, especially the offices of the News Channel.


    Topensate the staff for their efforts, working overtime, the director was actually willing to put a hole in his wallet and spend a fair sum ordering take-out for those still in the office. Naturally, Qi Jing took the opportunity to have a good meal and waspletely satisfied.


    <i>Take a step back and everything will be fine.</i>


    Now that he had made up his mind, not only did he feel relieved, but his work was getting on track as well.


    Qi Jing happily ate the food the director got for them with a peace of mind, made himself a cup of coffee, and put himself back into his usual working state. asionally, his eyes would drift and a small corner of that envelope on the file cab would appear in his field of vision. Even though he would still pause for a moment, as long as his eyes did not linger, it should be alright. For the time being, he focused his attention on theputer screen, concentrating on dealing with the various work-rted emails.


    Just then, the number of unread emails refreshed to ¡°1¡± ¡ªa new one had arrived.


    Qi Jing habitually clicked on his inbox, but the moment he saw the subject of the new mail, he couldn¡¯t help but stop breathing for a moment.


    ¡°Regarding the diary entries¡±.


    Simple and concise, he could tell at a nce what the email was about and who was the one that wrote it.


    Qi Jing suddenly felt like he didn¡¯t put enough sugar in his coffee, it was extremely bitter. He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, the strong astringent taste attacked his nose and mouth, leaving him unable to speak for a short time.


    No one would open this email for him even if he drank another ten cups of coffee.


    Realising this, he finally put the cup down as if resigned to his fate, lightly tapped his index finger, and clicked his mouse down on the title.


    The email was very short.


    The entire text was only made up of one sentence and a signature.


    ¡°If you want to read it, I¡¯ll continue writing. ¡ª¡ªShen Yan.¡±


    Those words reflected in his unblinking eyes.


    The edges of the font were like a serrated de, it somehow made him feel a sharp pain as he stared at those words.


    ¡°Huu...¡±


    He heard himself gasp with much difficulty, the clogged feeling in his throat seemed to have finally cleared up enough for him to continue breathing.


    In this small and narrow cubicle, no matter how hard he tried to suppress it, his breathing still sounded very harsh on his ears, like that of an injured patient in an intensive care unit.


    He felt like he was suffocating. It felt as if there was no room for any more air in his chest.


    <i>Not interested.</i>


    <i>Don¡¯t write.</i>


    He really wanted to reply in a simrly short and simple way. However, while he was still at a loss for what to do, his fingers had already moved to close the email, returned to the inbox page, quickly ticked the box in front of the email, and moved the cursor to the ¡°delete¡± button. Maybe it was due to the effect of the caffeine kicking in, his right hand began to tremble and he couldn¡¯t find the strength to click down on the mouse.


    <i>It¡¯s only eleven words.</i>


    <i>Only eleven words and itpletely messed up the emotions I managed to put in ce.</i>


    He maintained the position for a long time until his arm started to get sore, but still unable to execute that deletemand.


    His work was only half done.


    There was still a mountain of misceneous work he had to settle.


    Qi Jing closed his eyes tightly, lowered his head, and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, he created a new folder in his mailbox, named it ¡°To be deleted¡±, and moved the email directly into it. The moment the title disappeared from the list of emails in his inbox, he forced a smile in a bid to escape from reality and tried to find what little bit was left of the relief that had been washed away by that email.


    Just then, a colleague from the same interview group nicknamed, ¡°Chubby Dahai¡±, happened to pass by Qi Jing¡¯s desk while burping.


    Qi Jing recalled that this guy would be away during the Mid-Autumn Festival. He looked very dejected and was evenining that he couldn¡¯t be with his wife and children on a holiday when he received the notice from above a few days prior.


    This could work. Qi Jing hurriedly called out to him, ¡°Dahai! You¡¯ll be going to K City for a business trip in two days and won¡¯t be able to go home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this year¡¯s Mid-Autumn Festival basically ruined.¡± Chubby Dahai pulled a long face.


    ¡°Then... how about I go in your stead?¡± Qi Jing offered.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± As expected, Chubby Dahai let out a cry of surprise, but his jubnt look gradually faltered. ¡°Uh... While I am grateful for your kindness, won¡¯t you be the one unable to stay and enjoy the holiday in that case? I think I¡¯ll pass, it¡¯s ok.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I live alone here and I¡¯m not going back to my hometown. Besides, I¡¯m quite used to traveling.¡± Qi Jing chuckled lightly.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Chubby Dahai scratched his head apologetically. He did really want to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with his family.


    ¡°Un, I¡¯m sure.¡± Qi Jing lowered his eyes, trying to make his expression as natural as possible.


    Since he¡¯d put it that way, Chubby Dahai was certainly more than happy to ept his offer. He kept thanking Qi Jing, even iming that he would take Qi Jing¡¯s ce if thetter had a business trip he didn¡¯t want to go on.


    Truth to be told, it didn¡¯t matter whether he went on a business or not, he just didn¡¯t want to be here.


    He had previously made the promise that he would definitely reply to the emails within 24 hours. But this time, he had decided that he would not reply. Although it was highly unlikely, he was afraid that person would suddenly call or show up at the station. Or he might even identally run into that person somewhere in this city at some point in time.


    Therefore, he decided it was better for him to disappear for a while.


    Qi Jing stared at his screen in a daze, the words on the document on theputer became a little hazy, like it had been muddled by water. He reached out to feel his forehead. The fever had subsided, and all that was left was a dull pain that was faintly acting up.


    A/N: Practical application of Qi Jing¡¯s ¡°God of ying dead¡± skill in the 3D world...

 Chapter 16

    <h4>Chapter 16</h4>


    Hi guys i¡¯m still alive <del>un</del>fortunately sorries for being away for so long i¡¯ve been going in and out of the hospital these past few weeks lol -.- For those who might not have seen the announcement on discord, i will be updating more sporadically while i¡¯m still under the weather and we¡¯ll be having a co-tl soon :>


    By the time he arrived at the entrance to his neighbourhood after working overtime, the nearby shops were all dark, leaving only a lone row of streetmps standing along the road. The streetmps emitted a pale, weak light that was like ayer of white wax on the asphalt road.


    At this time, the stainless steel gates were already closed so Qi Jing had to knock on the window of the guard room. Due to the nature of his work, there was a wide disparity between the times he returned home from work. Sometimes, it could be as early as 5 or 6 AM in the morning, or it could be aste as 2 or 3 AM in the middle of the night. Given the number of times this type of situation has happened, virtually all of the security guards working at his area of residence could recognise him.


    ¡°Workingte again? What time is it?¡± The person on duty tonight rubbed his sleepy eyes and greeted Qi Jing as usual when he saw thetter through the blinds.


    ¡°Mid-Autumn Festival is almost here so there was a lot going on,¡± Qi Jing said with an apologetic smile.


    He himself didn¡¯t even know exactly what time it was now.


    Some of the work could¡¯ve actually been left till tomorrow, but Qi Jing gritted his teeth and pushed through it, and finished the task a day earlier. That way he wouldn¡¯t be too rushed on his business trip the day after tomorrow.


    On his way to his apartment building, Qi Jing specially took out his phone to check the time. It was 1:26 AM; that¡¯s actually pretty early. He also tapped on his messages and found that his unsent message from the morning, ¡°I¡¯m sick¡±, was still lying in the draft box with the recipient box empty till the end.


    ¡°No need, I¡¯ve already recovered,¡± Qi Jing muttered to himself with a forced smile on his face.


    He quietly watched as the words got deleted while he pressed on the backspace before walking up the stairs.


    He still hadn¡¯t gotten over the highly tensed state that he was in from working all night and couldn¡¯t feel a hint of sleepiness at the moment.


    Qi Jing immersed himself into a tub of hot water and rxed his limbs. He closed his eyes, scooping water with his palms and pouring it onto his face. If only the memories created during the day could turn into droplets of water on the ends of his hair, seeping out and dripping down until there was nothing left.


    He had best take hold of the chance now while they were still water droplets and not a raging wave he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop.


    He had best cut them short now.


    Qi Jing leaned his forehead against the cold ceramic tiles with a tired look on his face. He furrowed his brows and quietly knocked his head against the wall a few times to get back to his senses. Then, he got out of the water, dried himself off, and returned to his room to turn on his personalputer.


    There were many ways to distract himself and his favourite method was through voicing dramas. Because once he got into character, the person known as Qi Jing would cease to exist, blending into the story¡¯s plot, temporarily taking his mind off all these unnecessary things.


    The sound designer of the¡¶Trap¡·production crew really kept to her word.


    He opened the QQ group that he didn¡¯t have the time to check yesterday and found that the group was in a celebratory mood. Turns out the DEMO for the first episode had alreadye outst night.


    After he handed in his dry recordings the sound designer got up to speed. Coupled with clips of his exchange with <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> spreading like the wind, garnering rave reviews, Da Qiao¡¯s attitude towards him seemed to have improved a lot. The sound designer also expressed that he did pretty well, being able to perform in a pretty good condition when ying against <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>.


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Here to vomit a mouthful of blood. I¡¯m finally done fighting this troublesome little thing; the DEMO is out!!


    <i>Xiao Qiao of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s harem</i>: AaaaAAaaah! Really?? o(*////¨Œ////*)q


    <i>Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s harem</i>: Bronze Sparrow finally has a new work! Thanks for your hard work, Locky!


    <i>Artist ¨C Cloud chip cake</i>: Congrats, congrats! Now I can finally start working on the posters, yeah! ¡«O(¡É_¡É)O


    <i>Publicity ¨C Onion</i>: Oh heck! The DEMO is out already! I¡¯ll have to start searching up materials to draft up the posts.


    <i>Producer ¨C Rouge Flower</i>: AaaAah, that¡¯s great! I can finally listen to the DEMO! I¡¯m so looking forward to it! Locky, your speed is too good to be true! TAT


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Hehe, of course! Bronze Sparrow-sama¡¯s dramas have always been my top priority.


    <i>Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s harem</i>: Let us hear it!


    <i>Xiao Qiao of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s harem</i>: Let us hear it! Please email the group!


    <i>Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show</i>: Oh heck!! You¡¯ve already managed to churn out the DEMO, Locky?? Wow, god speed!! Also asking for you to mail the group!!


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷¡ã|||)¦õLooks like we¡¯ll really be able to get it out during the National Day period&#k2026;


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: Un. If you need them to re-record anything, the crew can press the CVs for it over these few days, then once I change that in, it should be ready for release.


    <i>Director ¨C Knives cutting in from four corners</i>: Alright, I¡¯ll go listen to the DEMO and write out what needs to be changed right now so that I can quickly throw it to the two leads.


    <i>Sound designer ¨C A lifetime¡¯s lock</i>: I¡¯ll go send a group email then~


    ...


    ¡°Oh, such efficiency,¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but remark with a raised brow.


    If he remembered correctly,&#k300J;Trap&#k300K;was expected to be done in three phases: parts one, two, and three. Just the script for the first episode alone totaled at around 14,000 words. No matter how much they cut the final product, it would still be at least forty to fifty minutes long.


    Following what was said in the group chat, he opened the group email to download the DEMO file and the time disyed in the yer was one hour and twelve minutes in total.


    Although he wasn¡¯t familiar with the technical aspect of these things, he still had some basic understanding of how it was like for the sound designers in the circle. For such a long script, being able to produce a DEMO within a month was pretty impressive.


    After clicking on the demo and listening to the first two acts, he finally understood why <i>Rouge Flower</i> would rather put up with it than offend the sound designer. As expected of a dab hand, her speed and quality are all top-notch.


    Although the final effect between the two protagonists was different from what he understood, putting the original story aside and simply listening to it as a new story, it was also quite wonderful.


    The efficiency of the director, <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i>, was pretty high as well. The DEMO was just out yesterday and he had already received the notes for what needed to be changed this morning. Out of consideration for him, all the timings were clearly marked right down to the specific minutes and seconds. Ah, such good professional ethics.


    Qi Jing skimmed through the contents and noticed that he performed fine in most parts and scenes he¡¯s asked to redo were mostly the ones where he ys against <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>. Especially the ones where the characters were in conflict.


    The impact of the lines where he needed to roar or shout angrily was reduced because he used a more feminine 0.5 voice. Internal monologues that needed to show inner struggle sounded slightly stiff because the character had been modified. To maintain the uniformity of the character, he wasn¡¯t too strict with the quality.


    <i>Knives cutting in from four corners</i> probably anticipated this because she sent him a message in advance before sending the notes for what needed to be changed. Many of herments came from a ce of feeling that the performance deviated too much from the original novel and not so much his sense of y, so he should decide whether or not to redo the parts ¡°at his own discretion¡±.


    Basically what she meant was that if being faithful to the original work would lower thepatibility between the two leads, he could choose to leave it as is.


    In any case, at this moment, what he desperately needed was a script and a role that could let him calm down for a while and stop wandering needlessly in the 3D world.


    He opened the recording software, adjusted the microphone, and started working on the parts that needed to be redone. For the scenes that require a more intense tone, Qi Jing decided to lower it slightly to about 0.6, abandoning the so-called ¡°amorous¡± feeling and allowing the characters to be more in line with his original understanding. Since most of those lines are short, with many of them being at most only four or five words, such adjustments should be negligible to the listener.


    The hard part was in the internal monologue.


    By that scene, the plot had developed to a stage where the two characters have a deeper connection, transitioning from mere physical union to reciprocating their feelings for each other. In the story, because of a few words from the policeman, his character was starting to have thoughts of breaking away from the underworld. However, while on one hand, he didn¡¯t want to betray his benefactor, who¡¯s also his superior in the Mafia, and ruin the lives of his subordinates, on the other, he waspletely enraptured by the Gong. At the same time that he torments the other party out of habit, his heart was filled with both the joy of being able to be close to one other and the despair of not being able to love each otherpletely.


    The sess or failure of this scene isrgely determined by how well he expressed that conflict and dilemma.


    The director pointed out that the few words he muttered in his heart in front of the policeman were missing that something. He himself felt the same way after listening to the DEMO.


    While the tone generally sounded about right, when one took a closer look into the details, it appeared rather inferior and gave the feeling that it¡¯s fake. It¡¯s not genuine enough and was unable to move the heart of the listeners.


    ¡°If you know that, then you shouldn¡¯t appear before me again.¡±


    He redid the first line immediately after listening to the DEMO. On the editing window, waveform graphics could be seen as the recording timing increased second by second.


    Qi Jing pressed pause and yed it to have a listen. Feeling that there was little difference from the DEMO, he deleted it with a frown and started over.


    ¡°If you know that, then you shouldn¡¯t appear... Ah, no, that¡¯s not it.¡±


    Then, he recorded it a second time, then the third and the fourth... Somehow, the more he listened and re-recorded, the more he felt like he couldn¡¯t quite grasp the tone.


    He repeated this process of recording then deleting over and over again. Every time the waveform diagram appeared on the screen, it was selected and deleted in the blink of an eye. While some CVs liked to record everything and then hand it over to the director for editing, he preferred to keep two to three of the ones he felt were the best and discarded the rest.


    ¡°If¡ª¡±


    The moment the first word left his mouth, Qi Jing¡¯s index finger had already pressed pause. He was starting to get a little agitated. Qi Jing shook his head at himself before going back to delete everything. In his mind, it clearly felt like he was just a hair¡¯s breadth from grasping the right emotion, but the moment he opened his mouth, it would always take a sharp turn, veering further and further away from the direction.


    He decided to turn off the DEMO audio.


    Casting aside the image from the DEMO, overturning it, and starting from scratch, he began to recall the scene from the beginning of the script, imagining himself in it.


    That¡¯s right, it was in the wee hours of the morning, the music had stopped and the guests had left, and the nightclub he ran had closed down. And there he was drinking at the bar, all alone, looking all depressed. It was dark outside, so dark one wouldn¡¯t be able to see their outstretched hand while the interior of the club was illuminated by this deep, dizzying burgundy light. Fine bits of the sounds around him gradually poured in¡ªsuch as the sound of the ice moving in his ss, such as the faint sound of jazz ying softly in the background, or the sound of footstepsing from the depths of the shadows.


    That man had, by some unknown means, wilfully invaded into his territory again. At a time and in a ce where he shouldn¡¯t be.


    Both in real life and in his mind.


    At this time, he was already tipsy from the alcohol in his system and his vision was starting to blur. There wasn¡¯t an ounce of fear in his heart, he just felt inexplicably fed up.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    His lips parted slightly and with a cold smile, he sent out a message of eviction loud and clear without uttering a single word.


    The other party did not respond.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said it before... I won¡¯t leave the organisation, let alone betray it. You should be thankful I didn¡¯t send a bullet right through you the other time. And now, you straight-up appear at my doorstep without even bringing a gun. Do you think... I¡¯ll let you off again?¡±


    With a hint of drunkenness, he walked toward the other party.


    He was tottering in his drunken state, even the way he talked was somewhat broken and his breath was heavy. Despite this, he was like an agitated porcupine with its spikes erect and the intimidation in his voice could not be overlooked.


    As he recalled to this point with his eyes closed, the two lines just now came out quite naturally and Qi Jing felt like he could catch the feeling he wanted to express.


    Very good, and now, for the part he¡¯s been stuck on for so long¡ª


    ¡°I know you won¡¯t.¡±


    Suddenly, a voice rang out in the scene inside his head.


    Different from the DEMO, the voice of another person, presenting another emotion. It was the voice of <i>Geese Fly North</i>.


    He was caught off guard by how it suddenly cut into his thoughts with no warning at all.


    <i>Ah.</i>


    Qi Jing subconsciously opened his eyes but the scene in his mind did not stop and instead continued ying.


    It was as if the thousands of lines before him had been removed into space to be rbined until they merged to form the image of a policeman¡¯s resolute expression that contained a hint of pain from the script.


    Before this, he had also tried to visualise the character. But this time, the image of the other party had be much clearer, so clear that he could project as a certain someone in reality.


    Qi Jing was in a trance, his throat a little dry but the words somehow flowed out of his lips. ¡°If you know that...¡±


    Even though he was clearly trying to maintain the cold smile on his face, the moment he tried to curl the corner of his lips upward, he couldn¡¯t do it, the smile wouldn¡¯t appear. Rather than questioning the other party, it was more of a murmur, filled with both expectation and disappointment. And his heart was both expectant and despaired.


    ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t appear before me again.¡±


    That¡¯s right, that¡¯s the feeling he was trying to capture.


    That was the feeling of conflict that he wanted to express.


    He¡¯s ready to record now.


    With him breaking through his bottleneck, Qi Jing finished up with the other parts that needed to be reworked on in one breath. Then, he saved it and sent it back to the director, <i>Knives cutting in from four corner</i>s, for her to select and cut out the parts to be used.


    Taking off his headphones, he stared nkly at the script for a long time.


    Perhaps it was because he listened to that version too many times when trying to shape his character, the situation where he identally ends up shing back to another CV had happened from time to time. In order not to be affected by his initial impression, Qi Jing even specially went back and listened to the audio with <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> from the other day. He listened to it over and over again until he got used to it before he officially started recording.


    The strange thing though, was that while he was listening to another¡¯s voice, apletely unrted person actually came to mind.


    Voice acting was supposed to help him temporarily forget about the happenings in the 3D world, but instead, it actually brought out the emotions he was trying to grasp for recording when that person came to mind.


    <i>This is ridiculous.</i>


    <i>Really, too ridiculous...</i>


    Qi Jing restlessly closed all the programs and turned off hisputer screen. Under the dim light themp emitted, he saw his pale face reflected on the surface of the screen, studying the traces of his heart wavering through his eyes. He couldn¡¯t entirely ce the me on the characterisation as a truly professional CV should be able to remain unaffected by external affairs.


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± he admonished in a low voice as he stared directly at himself in the reflection, ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡±


    <i>Don¡¯t be silly.</i>


    It¡¯d be too terrifying if even voice acting, his little safe haven, had been encroached.


    <i>When was thest time I experienced a simr feeling? Probably college days I think.</i>


    That was when he first came to realise his sexual orientation. Back then, he hadn¡¯t experienced much of how society was like and held a simple, optimistic attitude towards many things. He liked being frank and outspoken. With regards to the looks people gave him, he simply thought of them as people who walked a different path from him, as long as he persevered, there would always be a turning point.


    Unlike now, back then, he did not have any particr hobbies to spend his time on, to fully upy his leisure time in his private life.


    Also, he had chosen to start.


    Now, he had learned his lesson about the harshness of the so-called reality and the price of making such rash decisions.


    To this day, those ¡°costs¡± continue to consume his life.


    He was no longer a teenager, ignorant to the world. He was now independent, strong, and free. He could live perfectly fine even on his own.


    He did not want to see even a one in a million chance of him repeating the same mistakes.


    The probability could only be zero.

 Chapter 17

    <h4>Chapter 17</h4>


    omytian i almost forgot but hey betterte than never lollol thank yous to Whitere and LurkingReader for the ko-fi donation (^§Ù^)-¡î


    First, there was a loud bang.


    The deafening sound rang right by his ear. All Qi Jing could remember was that he instinctively raised his hand to block the source of the sound.


    Then, his hand was assaulted with a sharp pain¡ª


    And then what?


    There was a break in his memory from the point on, what came next was his consciousness being swallowed by the darkness. He had no idea what had happened.


    The first thing he lost was his sense of hearing which was also the first thing he regained.


    In the chaotic darkness, he heard something that resembled the sound of ss being shattered to a million pieces. As the crisp and cold sound went off, his eyes barely opened into a slit. He couldn¡¯t tell which way was the right way up, it was as if the sky and the earth had been turned upside down.


    ¡°Urgh...¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s head was spinning as cold sweat appeared on the tip of his nose, one after another.


    What really brought him back to his senses was the sound his throat made as he desperately gasped for air.


    From not too far away, he could also hear the heavy movement of a crane, the shrill siren of an ambnce, all sorts of metallic tter from stretchers, and the shouts of people echoing in his ear.


    ¡°Someone is still in there!¡±


    ¡°That vehicle is more severely bent out of shape. The person might have gone into shock and is unresponsive. Take extra care when you pry open that car!¡±


    Car?


    Oh right... he was on his way back from his business trip.


    They happened to be on a road that wound around a mountain when they were about a half an hour drive away from the city and they got caught in the heavy traffic of people travelling for the long National Day holiday. The mountain road had a lot of twists and turns and was still wet and slippery from the rain the previous night.


    Could it be that he met with a car ident?


    Qi Jing was in a daze. Then, he blinkedboriously and tried to move away from between the twoyers of twisted metal.


    However, with just that slight movement, intense pain shot through his left arm and right down to his very core. He felt as if his heart had stopped momentarily from the pain. Blood flowed backwards, causing his entire body to convulse.


    A whimper couldn¡¯t help but escape his lips as he reflexively pulled his legs in to curl up into a ball, hitting the crushed seat in front of him which caused the broken ss to shatter onto the ground.


    ¡°I heard something inside!¡± The person outside seemed to have heard his movement as they hurriedly called for help.


    ¡°Can the person inside hear me? Can you answer me?¡± In the few seconds it took the EMTs to call out to him, Qi Jing could feel his cor being drenched in his cold sweat from the pain.


    ¡°I can hear you...¡± Qi Jing replied weakly when he barely managed to move his mouth.


    In that narrow space, a strong metallic smell filled the air¡ªit¡¯s blood. He couldn¡¯t tell where it wasing from but the smell was extremely pungent.


    It appeared that he had met with a car ident.


    Given the pain he was feeling in his left hand, it was most likely fractured. He just hoped it wasn¡¯t crushed.


    The impact from the ident was really strong and the extreme pain received by his nerves from the bone fracture might have caused him to go into shock which was why he lost consciousness for some time. Luckily, his colleagues that came along with him were fine because he could hear them anxiously asking something of the EMTs.


    ¡°We¡¯re all from the provincial TV station! ...Yes, yes, we¡¯re reporters!¡±


    ¡°The one still inside is called Qi Jing, he was seated right where we collided! Our injuries are nothing serious! Please! You have to save him!¡±


    He heard their voices amidst the sounds of people rushing about and machinery dismantling the shells of what once were vehicles.


    It truly was a blessing that he did not lose his life; Qi Jing tried to be as optimistic as he could as he weakly gasped for air. He turned his head to the side to avoid choking on dust as the rescuers pried open the vehicle.


    And that¡¯s because if he were to cough at this time, he would surely wound up affecting his whole body, including his fracture; there¡¯s no guarantee the pain won¡¯t send him into another shock.


    After being dug out of the car, Qi Jing specially took a look at the wreckage that was thepany¡¯s minivan.


    ordingly, what hit them was arge truck. Both drivers managed to swerve their vehicle in the nick of time, preventing a car ident with fatalities. However, the front of the truck still crashed with the side of the minivan that he was on, throwing the entire vehicle off the road and onto the side of the mountain.


    As he looked back at the car, its wreckage was truly a sight to behold.


    ¡°He¡¯s got a fracture in his left upper arm. He¡¯s suffered cuts in other areas of the body which need to be disinfected and the blood has to be stopped, but it shouldn¡¯t be anything too serious.¡± The doctor who was checking on his injuries confirmed his previous suspicions.


    ¡°The internal bleeding from the fracture is quite severe, so we need to fix it as soon as possible and send him to the hospital for an operation.¡±


    ¡°Prepare the splint! Quick!¡±


    In order to do a closed reduction on his fracture there and then, the nurse gave Qi Jing some anaesthesia. He could not move his whole body, but his eyes were not idle.


    Looking around, he found that other than his colleagues who were caught in the ident, his other colleagues who caught wind of the matter were on site as well. This news really was dominated by their TV station¡ªwhether it was the interview team or the people being interviewed, they all came from the same workce.


    Finding joy despite his predicament, a smile couldn¡¯t help but slip through Qi Jing¡¯s lips when he thought of that. And his colleagues who had paled from the sight of his injuries couldn¡¯t help but chime in one by one to ¡°scold¡± him forughing in this situation. Chubby Dahai, the one who was supposed toe on this business trip but managed to escape because Qi Jing took his ce, was here as well. He was in a mess as he stood next to Qi Jing¡¯s stretcher, apologising and repenting profusely to thetter; that grown man was just shy of bursting into tears on the spot. In the end, Qi Jing even had tofort him instead.


    ¡°It¡¯s good enough that I¡¯m not dead...¡± he muttered to himself with a nk look as a mixture of weariness and pain washed over him.


    He had handed in so many dry recordings and not all of the audio dramas were out yet. He still had some audio dramas that he epted but haven¡¯t gotten to recording yet sitting in his folder, waiting for him. Luckily, he didn¡¯t lose his life despite being at death¡¯s door, otherwise, he¡¯d have to remove the ¡®ying¡¯ from ¡®ying dead¡¯.


    ¡°Sir, this is your phone, right?¡±


    The nurse who was dressing his wounds gently called out to him. He turned his eyes to the source of the voice and saw her holding up a phone that was covered in dust and blood, asking him to identify it.


    ¡°Yes...¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll help you hold on to it for now,¡± the nurse said with a nod and inadvertently revealed, ¡°You¡¯ve been holding a tight grip on it for a while now and it only fell from your hands when we administered the anaesthesia.¡±


    Qi Jing was stunned at her words; he blinked his eyes in a daze before closing them.


    It came back to him¡ªjust one second before the ident, he was still looking down at his phone, on the photos app, at the photo of that person and the cat.


    When he arrived at the Provincial People¡¯s Hospital and did an x-ray, it was confirmed that he had suffered fractures in both the ulna and radius of his left forearm but fortunately, it was not aminuted one. Since he was sent to a tertiary hospital located in the capital of the province, they had a wealth of experience and the operation went very smoothly. After an open reduction, a steel te was ced inside while his arm was ced in a ster cast for reinforcement.


    As fractures in the ulna and radius are more prone to discement post-operation, the hospital suggested for Qi Jing to be hospitalised for a period of time for observation and only be discharged after all has stabilised. Since this car ident happened while he was on a business trip, it was considered a workce injury. Management from the TV station sent someone over tofort him and ask about his condition. They also told him to stay in the hospital with a peace of mind and that all his expenses would be reimbursed.


    Qi Jing knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get back to news reporting anytime soon so he put aside any distractions and put his mind onto recuperating in the hospital.


    After his surgery, the nurse cleaned his phone and returned it to him, but after such a long time, the battery had already run out. As for his charger, he didn¡¯t know if it got left behind at the crash site or something, but he couldn¡¯t find it no matter how hard he tried.


    ¡°Dahai, could you help me borrow a charger?¡± Qi Jing asked when chubby Dahai came with his wife to visit the following day.


    He couldn¡¯t use his left hand at all so it was pretty inconvenient for him to use aptop. And if he couldn¡¯t even use his phone to surf the inte or use Weibo while he was recuperating in the hospital, he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to survive.


    ¡°What¡¯s the model of your phone? I¡¯ll go get you a new one.¡±


    Ever since Qi Jing¡¯s ident, chubby Dahai kept ming himself, feeling that it was his fault, that it was all because he swapped jobs with Qi Jing during the Mid-Autumn Festival so he kept trying to make up for it.


    Meanwhile. Qi Jing didn¡¯t take it to heart at all. In fact, he felt that it was worth it. Otherwise, if the same situation were to have happened on chubby Dahai, who knew how distressed his wife and children would be?


    However, if making a little material request could slightly reduce the guilt the other party felt, Qi Jing was happy to go along with it.


    ¡°Well alright, you buy me a phone charger and we¡¯re even, so you can stop beating yourself up too much.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t do that!¡± Chubby Dahai¡¯s wife interjected before he could say anything, ¡°A charger is nothing. What else do you want? Feel free to make any request of us, Xiao Qi! Our Dahai really owes you too much this time!¡±


    Qi Jing was the worst at dealing with such straightforward women.


    Hence, after pondering for a moment, he finally thought of one other thing.


    ¡°Then, how about you guys get me some better food?¡±


    He had to say, the quality of the food served in the hospital¡¯s public cafeteria was terribly disproportionate to their level of medical care. He had tried it once on the day of his surgery and it was really not appetising at all, which caused his craving for normal food to shoot through the roof.


    The couple brought him a delicious meal as promised, which Qi Jing gratefully epted, treating himself to the nourishment he needed after his recent surgery. However, both husband and wife had their jobs to attend to, so it was impossible for them to visit him every day.


    After his phone got revived, in order not to trouble the couple, the first thing he did was call chubby Dahai. Qi Jing told Dahai that he had someone elseing to deliver food for him, so thetter didn¡¯t need to worry about it. Then, he continued to get his meals from the hospital¡¯s cafeteria¡ªcoarse rice and some simple side dishes. Qi Jing slowly got used to the food one bite at a time; there was nothing that couldn¡¯t be stomached.


    Perhaps it was because of the National Day holiday, there weren¡¯t many people staying in the wards. Everyone that could be discharged was probably taken home by their families.


    Like most hospital wards, the walls were white, the bedding and pillows were all white, and even the bed frame was painted white. In this season, the colour palette made it feel especially cold and lonely.


    He¡¯s used to being busy these few years, rarely has he been so idle that he had nothing to do and nothing he could do. When he strolled along the corridors of the hospital, it was as if he was in a trance. He watched the busy traffic of the city in the distance, spent ten minutes counting the fallen leaves in the courtyard, but most of his time was just spent staring nkly into space.


    Not to think about anything.


    It wasn¡¯t that he had nothing to think about, it¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t want to think too deeply about it. Just like writings on a paper, when ced too far, the words on it be so small that one might think it¡¯s still a nk piece of paper.


    There were four beds in the ward Qi Jing resided in and his was by the window. At first, he thought the other three beds would remain empty, but he didn¡¯t expect that on the third day of his hospitalisation, an elderlydy, who came to town from the smaller counties for operation, would move in. Apparently, it was also a period of postoperative convalescing for her, so she just chatted with him to relieve boredom.


    The olddy¡¯s children worked in the city and her elderly husband, who apanied her to the city to seek medical treatment, usually stayed with their daughter during the period that they were in town. Whenever meal times came, he would bring his home-cooked dishes to visit her.


    The old man was a good cook and his food smelled delicious and must have tasted good too, because the olddy was happy every time she ate, and the crow¡¯s feet at the corners of her eyes bloomed more as her smile grew.


    As he watched her eat, even the rice in his own mouth seemed to be slightly more ptable. Hence, he would always eat at the same time as the olddy, that way, it wouldn¡¯t take him an hour to finish the contents in his takeaway box.


    Seeing that he was eating food sold at the hospital, the old man asked curiously, ¡°Hey, young chap, your wife didn¡¯te to send you any food?¡±


    Qi Jing replied with a smile, ¡°There¡¯s no wife, I¡¯m not married yet.¡±


    The old man probably must have a lot about young people in the city preferring to marryte and thought that Qi Jing was one of them.


    He couldn¡¯t help but shake his head as he began to say to Qi Jing, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you marry earlier? If you did, you wouldn¡¯t wind up not even having someone to bring you food.¡±


    Since he felt indebted to the hospital for the surgical treatment they had provided him, Qi Jing felt that he should help maintain the image of the hospital.


    ¡°The food provided by the hospital cafeteria is still not too bad.¡± At least he wouldn¡¯t go hungry.


    ¡°I¡¯m not just talking about food,¡± the old man said as he continued shaking his head, ¡°What¡¯s good about being all alone with no one to apany you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the youngd is still young and doesn¡¯t understand. Once he reaches our age, he¡¯ll know that it¡¯s too hard to live without apanion.¡± The olddy joined in the conversation while gently looking at her husband.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t say anything in response. He just lowered his head and smiled silently.


    This time, he still hadn¡¯t finished his food even after an hour. When the olddy finished her dinner and went out for a walk outside the hospital with the help of her oldpanion, his pair of disposable wooden chopsticks were still resting on top of the rice, fiddling back and forth with a few pieces of hard white rice.


    He had just suffered a bone fracture and a lot of internal bleeding; he needed to eat and rest.


    Thus, he had to continue eating.


    Qi Jing took a deep breath before picking up the endive sitting atop the rice and bringing it to his mouth.


    Just then, his phone suddenly started ringing. He could only put his chopsticks aside for the time being and reached for his phone on the bedside table, but he stiffened when he saw the number on the screen.


    Oh right...


    In the event of car idents like this, thepany would usually notify the family as soon as they could.


    ¡°Xiao Jing? You finally turned on your phone?¡±


    The voice of the woman on the other end of the phone was one that was once familiar to him, and was starting to get unfamiliar in recent years. However, it did still belong to someone he had called his sister for over twenty years.


    ¡°My phone died, I only managed to get a charger two days ago.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Then, they fell silent. Perhaps, it was because they hadn¡¯t contacted in so long that starting a conversation was more difficult than expected.


    Under the pressure of such a suffocating atmosphere, Qi Jing chose to get straight to the point to end this call quickly. ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    A rather awkwardugh came for the Qi Xi on the other end of the line as she answered with a very low and cautious tone, ¡°Yourpany called home a few days ago saying that you got in a car ident and are currently hospitalised. I tried to call your phone several times but I kept getting the automated message saying that it was off...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, the surgery was a sess,¡± Qi Jing exined the situation sinctly.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good...¡±


    The siblings exchangedmon pleasantries that even strangers could carry out; formalised greetings and formalised replies.


    Then, Qi Jing suddenly heard the voice of another woman in the background.


    It was his mother.


    With a sad and angry, yet helpless voice, she muttered the same few words, ¡°Why does he still refuse toe back to his senses? If he had realised the err in his ways and changed sooner, he cane back to work in his hometown, and should anything happen, we can also take care of him.¡±


    Thest time he heard those same words was when he decided to leave his family and move to a foreign city all by himself.


    ¡°Refusing toe back to his senses.¡± Yes, those were his mother¡¯s favourite words and that was indeed the way she talked.


    Next, came his father¡¯s voice.


    Just like in his memory from a few years back, the voice that had been ruined by smoking sounded hoarse and decrepit.


    Being an alcoholic addicted to Chinese spirits, he sounded even more irritable than before as he shouted, ¡°If he could change, he wouldn¡¯t be in this mess today! A car ident... The car ident is just retribution! Of all things, he likes to mess around with men! He¡¯s utterly disgraced me!¡±


    His father¡¯s angry yells were coldly interrupted by Qi Jing¡¯s younger brother, Qi Zhe, who said, ¡°Dad, can you not shout so loudly about such things? Being heard by our neighbours¡ªthat¡¯s what¡¯s truly disgraceful.¡±


    Qi Jing subconsciously moved the phone away from his ear before slowly putting it back.


    His breathing was starting to get a little ragged.


    Qi Xi probably heard the change in his breathing and seemed to have covered the receiver with her hand as the voices became muffled. Then, he vaguely heard her yelling for them to stop.


    His mother started sobbing hysterically while his brother stopped talking.


    Only his father refused to listen and even strode over to grab the receiver and said, ¡°Listen here! I don¡¯t care if you were in a car ident or whatnot, if you still insist on screwing around with men, don¡¯t evere back to this house¡ª¡±


    ¡°Beep.¡±


    He mmed his finger on the screen to terminate the call and he did it several times. Those words kept ringing in his ear as his finger trembled so badly he didn¡¯t even know if he was pressing on the right ce, or if the call had been ended. He just kept pressing, as hard as he could, over and over again.


    Only after thirty whole seconds did the pressing finally stop.


    Qi Jing released his thumb which was slightly bruised from using excessive force. He lowered his head and gasped for air. Somehow, it felt like there was ack of oxygen in his lungs and he had no choice but to breathe heavily, doing what he had to to survive. As he panted, he moved his stiff thumb from the screen to turn off his phone, cutting off all contact.


    In this empty hospital ward, surrounded by monotonous white colour from all sides, the sound of his heavy breathing appeared even clearer and louder.


    As he panted, Qi Jing tucked his phone under his pillow so that it was out of sight and he didn¡¯t need to look at it for the time being while the memories of the various sounds that came out from it yed in his mind.


    ¡°Eat,¡± Qi Jing suddenly opened his mouth and murmured numbly to himself.


    That¡¯s right, he should eat. Wasn¡¯t his meal still unfinished? He should first eat his meal, fill his belly, then lie down and get some sleep, and when tomorrowes, it would be another bright and sunny autumn day.


    Qi Jing readjusted his box of food, picked up the chopsticks and tried to grab the food inside. However, his hands were just trembling so hard that it took him quite a while before he picked up anything and before he even put it into his mouth, it fell back in. Something else fell in as well. He didn¡¯t taste it but it rained down from his face, dripping onto the coarse rice one after another.


    It was too hard to swallow.


    ¡°Huk...¡±


    After the first sound escaped, the rest could no longer be held back. Fortunately, there wasn¡¯t anyone else in the ward to hear him so he could slightly let go of himself and cry for a while in the worst voice he¡¯s ever heard since he started voice acting.


    He hadn¡¯t been like that in a long time so he had to give himself a little more time.


    After that, he would continue to finish his soiled food. He just needed some time.


    A/N: When I was halfway through this chapter, I decided to delete everything and start over, so it took a little longer.


    But I feel like I finally got the right feeling.


    But I also feel like I¡¯m probably on the verge of asking Grandpa to heal me... TAT


    Lilies: lol the names of the Qi siblings are single words made up of two characters that can be broken to form standalone words: ¡°Õe¡±¡ú¡°ÑÔ¡±, ¡°‡Ö¡±¡ú¡°Ï²¡±, ¡°†´¡±¡ú¡°¼ª¡±


    The next chapters will be updated every sat :>

 Chapter 18

    <h4>Chapter 18</h4>


    Trantor: Luci


    Editor/TLC: Lilies


    It was after a week since the ident when Ning Xiaoxiao received a call from Qi Jing.


    Although the news about that ident was broadcasted on TV, there wasn¡¯t any name list of the injured. He wasn¡¯t sure whether he was filmed or not, but it looked like his junior was still uninformed on this matter. The number of decibels she produced over the phone from her panic-stricken screams was terrific.


    ¡°You had an ident?¡± At this time Ning Xiaoxiao should be at the magazine publishingpany, yet she wasn¡¯t afraid of her ¡®refineddy¡¯ image being destroyed by that loud scream.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a small injury.¡± A fractured hand shouldn¡¯t be regarded as a heavy wound... Or should it?


    Hearing him say that, Ning Xiaoxiao calmed down a little.


    And in the end, when she visited him at the hospital after getting off from work, she basically screamed fraud the moment she stepped foot in the ward.


    ¡°Where is that ¡®just lightly injured¡¯ person, huh!¡± Ning Xiaoxiao red at the thick cast on Qi Jing¡¯s hand. Cuts wrapped in bandages and bruises could be seen all over his body. She nearly flipped one of the hospital beds in fury.


    ¡°As long as I¡¯m alive, it counts as a light wound.¡± The person on the bed looked unusually calm, quiet like a pool of stagnant water.


    ¡°Senior,¡± Ning Xiaoxiao took a good look at him with the help of the hospital light, wanting to say something but hesitant. ¡°Yourplexion doesn¡¯t look very good.¡±


    Not only did he not look good, she could basically say that he looked haggard.


    Compared to when she met him before his business trip not even half a month ago, he had already lost quite a few kilograms. He also didn¡¯t take care of his appearance, his hair was messy, and he didn¡¯t shave his stubble. Normally Qi Jing needed to constantly be on the move for his work, often to the point ofpletely reversing his sleep schedule. But now, when he could finally rest in bed quietly to recuperate, hisplexion was even worse than before.


    Although he couldn¡¯t be described as sickly or withered, he surely looked pale. Not only that, his expression was especially nd¡ª


    Ning Xiaoxiao finally realised what was so off. Qi Jing would normally smile and talk with her, constantly teasing her. But today he seemed like he didn¡¯t feel like talking, looking but not seeing, hearing but not listening.


    For example, he didn¡¯t react to what she said to him just now at all. She bit her lips and raised her voice. ¡°Senior, yourplexion looks bad.¡±


    This time she used a more certain tone.


    Atst, Qi Jing¡¯s eyelids trembled a little, and he lifted his head to look at her. His expression was still so calm. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao walked over to him with the click-cking of her high heels. She sat down on the bed beside his, and jabbed him lightly on his cheeks, knitting her brows. ¡°Yes, it is. Just look at you, no meat at all, just bones.¡±


    At this moment, Qi Jing smiled suddenly. She didn¡¯t expect him to reveal such an expression, so she just sat there, dumbfounded.


    ¡°Do you want to know why?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Dumbfounded people were so easy to be yed into one¡¯s hands.


    Qi Jing¡¯s trap consisted of one hundred grams of rice, a few pieces of endive, one egg, and a piece of fried tofu.


    After having a bite, Ning Xiaoxiao frowned. Her cheeks were puffed out from the food she couldn¡¯t swallow as her lips formed an upturned ¡°U¡±.


    ¡°Dis-gust-ing¡±


    She couldn¡¯t ept that the senior beside was eating the same thing as her with a calm expression.


    ¡°You would think that it¡¯s still passable once you get used to it.¡±


    Qi Jing continued eating leisurely. He was a standard righty. And since he couldn¡¯t pick up the food container to wolf down on his food with his left hand injured, he had to slowly lift every piece of food to his mouth with the chopsticks.


    ¡°Disgusting means disgusting!¡± Ning Xiaoxiao pped the steel table of the hospital canteen, refusing to change her mind.


    ¡°I have stayed here for quite a few days, and every day it¡¯s this hospital food that keeps mepany. I came to feel a sense of attachment towards it.¡±


    Qi Jing remained indifferent and looked at his meal, smiling faintly as if he was looking intimately at an old friend. He didn¡¯t pay attention to his junior¡¯s sour expression and continued to eat by himself. He even ate the most ugly-looking half-boiled egg with gusto.


    Ning Xiaoxiao felt like she had heard that line before.


    But when was that?


    It looks like it was around their university years. There was a time when she faced him like this sitting in a university canteen, watching him order a portion of an extremely disgusting meal, observing him as he ate it slowly.


    At that time, Qi Jing was also very strange and very calm. He exuded this feeling like he was tired of the world.


    Her heart fell all of sudden and she looked at Qi Jing with a tense expression, unable to read his thoughts at the moment.


    Out of fear of mentioning any sensitive topic by talking about the 3D world, she hastily started with the 2D gossip, trying to be asical as possible, the more light-hearted the better.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, that¡¶Trap¡·where you voiced the main character released its first episode two days ago.¡± She pushed her portion aside, trotting over to sit beside him. She winked and said, ¡°The same afternoon the drama was released, the post thread regarding it already had a full page ofments, it¡¯s very lively. There are already people predicting that it will be one of the most popr dramas this year. Senior, you¡¯re really on the road to bing famous!¡±


    ¡°Oh, congrattions.¡± Qi Jing was obviously congratting the production crew and not paying any attention to herst sentence.


    Good, good. So, atst, they were one step closer to filling the 2D pit.


    To celebrate, Qi Jing gobbled up the fried tofu in the styrofoam box in a few bits in his good mood. It was the most outstanding dish from this box, and he would usually save it forst.


    He only got to know about this news now, from Ning Xiaoxiao. His phone had been turned off since thatst call a few days ago. Meanwhile, he relied on chatting with the elderlydy to pass the endless days. Only when he needed to call his junior this morning did he turn it on, but he only called and didn¡¯t browse the inte.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t post anything in the thread, so I thought your business trip was prolonged. Only after you gave me a call did I realise it was because of the ident.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be discharged from the hospital tomorrow, so I will look it up on myputer once I get back home.¡±


    At the same time, Qi Jing was saying this, he finished up thest mouthful of rice and even sincerely expressed his gratitude in his heart, thankful to the hospital food for taking care of his stomach during this period. After his discharge from the hospital tomorrow, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to see it again.


    Ning Xiaoxiao hesitated a little and said with an awkward smile: ¡°... Also, senior, when you see that post thread, don¡¯t take it to heart if you see some stupidments.¡±


    Qi Jing was slightly stunned for a while before chuckling softly. ¡°Whatments? Saying I¡¯m bad at acting or something?¡±


    Seeing that he regained some of his usual demeanour, Ning Xiaoxiao hastily continued her efforts, and started toin: ¡°You acting? If they were genuine criticism about your voice acting that¡¯s still fine. But some morons, who appeared from god knows where, startedining that the drama had already been up for a good few days, and all the main staff, including Bronze Sparrow Terrace, have all sent their congrattions while you, the other main lead, was nowhere to be found. They say that not only do you y dead normally, but you also put on airs when the audio drama is released.¡±


    At this point, she sent Qi Jing a guilty look.


    ¡°I was already seething when I saw thements. Then, when I received the call from you and learnt about what happened, I angrily shot to the post to reply as your close friend, saying that you had an ident. As a result...¡±


    ¡°As a result, it backfired, and all the antis started to smear me even more?¡± Qi Jing guessed the rest of the story.


    ¡°Senior...¡±


    His junior¡¯s whine was filled with guilt and it sounded quite pleasant to the ear. Heughed out loud for the first time in days, fully enjoying the way she apologised. When she ¡°begged¡± for his forgiveness, he could virtually see the image of a small animal curling into a ball, looking at him pitifully.


    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder though. For an exnation like ¡®he¡¯s not responding because he had an ident¡¯, it sounded like the excuse naughty kids who yed truant would give their teacher: ¡®I was absent because my house copsed.¡¯¡±


    Qi Jing just waved it off in understanding. He remained perfectlyposed when faced with antis trying to hurl mud at him and never took it to heart.


    A lot of the offensive statements made online were hollow, weak, andcked real damage. Most of it was just someone wanting to give a vent to their feelings.


    As someone who was used to the 3D world, he simply dismissed it with augh.


    He took onest x-ray before being discharged from the hospital. Fortunately, the bone appeared to show no signs of shifting after the surgery. Although the doctor suggested he stay for a longer observation, Qi Jing insisted on getting discharged from the hospital.


    Chubby Dahai heard that he was about to get discharged from the hospital and specially asked thepany to send a car to receive him.


    Since he had a free ride now, Qi Jing decided to go back to the station to settle some matters he had left. . The director of the News Channel couldn¡¯t bear to see his arm and its thick cast, so he sent Qi Jing back to work remotely from home. The director gave Qi Jing jobs like handling some light documents or looking up information online, anything he could manage without having to type too much. As for news broadcasting, it had to wait until his cast was taken off.


    Qi Jing estimated that it would take about a month before he could remove his cast, so he prepared for a month of quasi-holiday while working from home.


    Mr. S.O.B. looked very happy about Qi Jing getting into an ident at first, but when he heard he was about to enjoy such treatment, he was instantly filled with envy and hate. Mr. S.O.B red angrily at thetter as he walked out of the office doors. Qi Jing very cooperatively beamed at him, further fueling the mes of his rage.


    While the set-up of his apartment was different from the hospital and slightly more colourful, it was just as empty and cold.


    Qi Jing opened the door to his apartment. Simr to when he returned from his business trips, the air in the apartment was heavy and stale. On the solid wood flooring where ayer of dust had settled atop, he also caught a whiff of the smell of floor paint that had been subjected to the harsh rays of the sun.


    He silently put down the things in his hand and opened the windows to ventte the room, giving the room a slight appearance like there was an actual person living in it.


    It¡¯s been a long time since he touched hisputer and the keyboard felt rather dusty.


    Qi Jing pressed the power button, and looked at a familiar-looking startup screen. He practised typing in his password, one key at a time, with his index finger. The action that never took him more than a one second, now took him five whole seconds toplete it¡ªgiving a glimpse of how hard using a keyboard would be in the following month.


    First of all, QQ.


    Due to the unexpected incident that came up one after another, thest time he contacted any of the production crews was half a month ago, so it was obvious that he would be drowned with countless messages, especially from the production crew of¡¶Trap¡·that didn¡¯t receive any publicity for the drama from his side. However, since they were able to release the drama, it meant that they did receive and used his dry recordings.


    At least he didn¡¯t hinder the schedule. Qi Jing was d he made the wise decision of re-recording all that had to be redone before going on a business trip, if he didn¡¯t do that, then he would surely be charged with the crime of dying the release of the drama.


    Qi Jing¡¯s password to QQ contained aplex mix of both uppercase and lowercase letters, and it really challenged his abilities to type with only one hand.


    When he finally managed to finish typing his password with difficulty, sessfully logging in, a penguin in a lower right corner started beeping. However, there was also a coughing sound, standing for a system message.


    The little blue speaker was often the first icon to start shing.


    <i>Is it a producer?</i>


    <i>Or am I being kicked out of another production crew?</i>


    Right now Qi Jing could only think about these two possibilities. He opened this system message while calcting in his heart which of these two is more likely to be the one.


    A system message window popped out. It wasn¡¯t a notice of removal, but a friend request.


    But it wasn¡¯t from some producer¡ª


    ¡¾¡±<i>Geese Fly North</i>¡± wants to add you as a friend.¡¿


    <i>Eh...</i>


    Without any warning, a name he thought he wouldn¡¯t have a chance to see anymore appeared. His breath stopped instantly.


    It was just your typical old QQ friend request.


    Below that, the space for additional information was left nk, without any description.


    But simply seeing these three words, this ID, made him stare nkly for a full ten seconds. He sat there with his mouth half-open, too stupefied to say anything, having a hard time to recover from the shock.


    <i>Geese Fly North?</i>


    <i>Is it... The Geese Fly North I know?</i>


    Qi Jing was somewhat at a loss. He never would have thought it would be this person. The ID he had almost forgotten about appeared before him again.


    He thought he was seeing an illusion of some kind. He subconsciously leaned back until his back was against theputer chair and he could not move any further.


    First, he blinked numbly. Then, he narrowed his eyes at the screen before shaking his head out of disbelief. Qi Jing readjusted his posture and moved closer to the screen. He moved his mouse on the ID of the applicant, checking it word by word. These three words, ¡°<i>Geese Fly North</i>¡± paid no heed to his doubts and stayed fixed on hisputer screen.


    <i>Was it really Geese Fly North?</i>


    <i>Was it really the same Geese Fly North who disappeared for such a long time that at one point, I thought he might have retired from the circle?</i>


    ¡°But why would it be Geese Fly North?¡± Qi Jing had yet to recover from his state of shock when he muttered to himself in his confusion, ¡°How does he know my QQ code... Ah, He probably got it from Puppet. No, it¡¯s not right, the real question is¡ªWhy is he adding me as a friend?¡±


    <i>Is it because of the release of¡¶Trap¡·?</i>


    <i>Is it because he found out that the result waspletely different from our rehearsal when the first episode came out and now he¡¯s angry?</i>


    At that moment, Qi Jing was a little scared to ept the friend request and stood up in a trance to walk in a room for a while.


    If he thought about it carefully, that was indeed a possibility. The production crew would normally notify everyone who took part in a production, even the extras.


    Then, did hee to condemn him?


    After all, he spent more than two hours on a rehearsal, and the final version of a drama waspletely different. It was as if his work waspletely rejected.


    The moment one¡¯s thoughts move in a bad direction, it only bes worse the more they think about it.


    When it came to this person, he could no longer stay rational.


    It was rare for him to encounter a voice actor he admired so much yet he had already left such a bad impression on the other party. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t find himself feeling scared to face this situation. In the end, Qi Jing still couldn¡¯t make up his mind to press that ¡®ept¡¯ button. While he was hesitating for a long time, dusk had fallen, and it was time to have dinner. In the end, he just left the window on his screen for the time being and went down to find a ce to eat.


    The food sold in restaurants around his neighbourhood was ten times more delicious than that of the hospital cafeteria.


    But he still didn¡¯t feel like eating.


    As the anxiety he felt inside piled up, Qi Jing felt as if there was a long spike lodged in his throat. Every time he tried to swallow, he felt extremely ufortable. It felt like his stomach was in knots throughout the course of his meal.


    As he slowly fed himself with one hand, he finally finished his dinner after an hour and went back to his apartment.


    The friend request window was still sitting there on theputer screen.


    It¡¯s not like he could just keep running away from the problem like that. Qi Jing took a deep breath and readied himself to earnestly ept all of the other party¡¯s criticism. He would also properly exin why he didn¡¯t voice the character as he did during their rehearsal.


    He epted the friend request.


    While he was still undecided between the two options¡ª¡°Done¡± or ¡°Start a conversation¡±¡ªthe other party¡¯s avatar suddenly appeared on the bottom right corner of the screen and began to flicker lightly.


    His profile picture was a bird, and it was a default avatar for QQ.


    When faced with such an unfamiliar and ordinary profile picture, Qi Jing felt even more nervous than when the two of them were ying against each other. Honestly speaking, he hadn¡¯t figured out how he would exin himself, plus, he couldn¡¯t even type normally in his current state.


    Deep breaths, deep breaths. Qi Jing quietly put himself in the right headspace and opened the chat.


    Three words appeared.


    Words that had nothing to do with the anger he prepared himself for¡ª


    ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    That was what that man asked him.

 Chapter 19

    <h4>Chapter 19</h4>


    Trantor: Luci


    Editor/TLC: Lilies


    thank you you you to Din for the coffee


    <i>Are you ok?</i>


    Unlike the usual ¡®Are you ok¡¯ used to greet people, it contained a sense of concern.


    It should have been strange for such an old friend like greeting to appear between them, but Qi Jing didn¡¯t find it off-putting.


    Maybe it was because of the heart-wrenching memory from the ident, topped off with him being in low spiritstely, he actually felt warm inside seeing a rtive stranger greeting him like this.


    It was so warm that it thawed the frozen corners of his lips which unconsciously lifted upwards to reveal a faint smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡±


    He mumbled while typing strenuously with his finger, like a child learning how to type for the first time. Worried that his reply was too slow, Qi Jing hurriedly added at the end: I¡¯m sorry, but because of my hand it¡¯s hard for me to type, please excuse me for my slow response.


    Just as he was about to send it, he suddenly stopped himself and after some thought, he decided to add his trademark emoji.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I¡¯m fine, thank you. I¡¯m sorry, but because of my hand, it¡¯s hard for me to type, so please excuse me for my slow response. ^_^


    It took almost two minutes for Qi Jing to type those two sentences. Still, because of some mistakes, he had to go back from time to time to delete and rewrite some parts. Three minutes had passed when the message was finally sent.


    The other person didn¡¯t respond for quite a while.


    Qi Jing stared nkly at the chat window with only two sentences in it. His cursor shed monotonously in the message box, as if it was measuring the time psed between each response. He heaved a long sigh and leaned back into his chair. It was hard to say whether he felt rxed or sad. With his typing speed like this, it was unlikely that anyone would be in a mood to continue chatting.


    Much less the<i> Geese Fly North</i> that Puppet had described as someone who never replied to QQ messages.


    Just then, the window suddenly shook and its shape changed.


    A new window opened up on the right, and a green, vibrating microphone appeared in the middle of it.


    At the same time, a typical dial tone¡ªlike when one was making a call¡ªcould be heard.


    <i>No way...</i>


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyes widened in shock, his first thought was that Geese Fly North¡¯s ount had been hacked.


    No way, not only did he add me as a friend and initiate a conversation, but now he even sends me a voice chat request? It had to be stolen.


    Although he repeatedly told himself that the ount was hacked, his palms still became all sweaty from the nervousness. He stood up and looked for the headphones in a hurry.


    The sun had set outside, and the room was dimly lit with only a small deskmp on. It took him a while to plug the audio jack in the right ce, and even more effort to put the headphones on. After this struggle, he was ready.


    The green microphone in the window kept vibrating and ringing patiently, and almost fifty seconds had passed by the time he answered the call.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Qi Jing¡¯s voice was a little breathy.


    His headphones still weren¡¯t properly put on, and were a little crooked. The microphone was too close, and his rapid breathing had probably peaked the microphone. Seeing that the green bar representing volume had maxed out, he quickly lowered his head to adjust it.


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s hand that was adjusting the microphone momentarily froze in ce.


    It turned out that <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> ount hadn¡¯t been stolen, as the voice heard in his headphones was one he recognised.


    Although they weren¡¯t that well-acquainted r with each other, he had listened to that recording so many times that he was now very familiar with that voice. Deep, upright, with a sense of reassurance that made people hold their breath and listen to it quietly.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡±


    Hearing the same words said out loud, his ears covered by the headphones felt warm, as did his heart.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡± Qi Jing also repeated his response. But once he spoke, the slight tremble in his voice caused by his emotions could no longer be hidden. He hoped that the other man didn¡¯t notice.


    ¡°You said that because of your hand it¡¯s hard for you to type,¡± The man was silent for a moment before asking in a low voice, ¡°Just what has happened to you?¡±


    ¡°That...¡± Qi Jingughed awkwardly and decided to downy it. ¡°It¡¯s a long story. The truth is, I had a car ident on the way back from a business trip some time ago. I was slightly injured and now it¡¯s kind of inconvenient for me to use my left hand. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡±


    This time the other¡¯s silence was much longer and more pronounced.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t know what else to say, so he also fell silent, staring at the graphics flickering slightly at the bottom of the volume bar.


    ¡°What kind of injury?¡± <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> voice seemed to be even lower than before.


    ¡°A normal bone fracture.¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t expect him to continue asking and was at a loss. He decided to give a vague answer to that question. In fact, he was not knowledgeable about fractures, but since the operation was sessful, he regarded it as a minor injury.


    ¡°Do you remember the exact location of the fracture?¡± Surprisingly enough,<i> Geese Fly North</i> continued with his questions.


    Qi Jing had to rack his brain in search of the long list of medical terms the doctor had told him that day. It took a long time, but he finally named the location of the injury rather uncertainly.


    ¡°Urhm, I think it¡¯s some... double fracture of ulna and radius. But I am not sure if these are the correct terms.¡±


    After saying that heughed awkwardly


    However, <i>Geese Fly North</i> didn¡¯tugh, instead, he just repeated after Qi Jing in a low voice: ¡°Ulna and radius... double fracture.¡±


    Qi Jing said in a hurry, ¡°It¡¯s okay, the surgery went well. I¡¯ve been recovering well; there¡¯s a te in my arm and my hand is in a cast. The doctor said that no discement was found, so I could be discharged ahead of time. Sorry for the dy. I just got home today and was only able to get on QQ to ept your friend request now.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know when <i>Geese Fly North</i> had sent out his friend request, but the pleasantries still had to be said.


    All of sudden, <i>Geese Fly North</i> asked a seemingly random question. ¡°Was that why you never replied?¡±


    <i>Reply?</i>


    <i>Reply to what?</i> At that moment, Qi Jing didn¡¯t know how to react. He opened his mouth in a daze, unable to make head or tails out of this question.


    Seemingly sensing his confusion, <i>Geese Fly North</i> took a breath behind the microphone, and paused for a moment before adding, ¡°The post thread, I was talking about the post thread.¡±


    So he was just talking about the post thread about the first episode of¡¶Trap¡·. Qi Jing finally understood andughed apologetically: ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s hard to type for me, and besides, I haven¡¯t read the post thread yet. I n on slowly crafting a long reply when I have the time.¡±


    At this point, Qi Jing faintly sensed that something was off about the way <i>Geese Fly North</i> phrased his words. If he knew he didn¡¯t reply to the post thread then he must have read it. His junior had said that she spoke up for him in thements of the thread. Could it be that <i>Geese Fly North</i> didn¡¯t see the news of his ident?


    If he had already seen it, then why would he ask such an obvious question?


    Qi Jing somehow felt like he was asking about something else in the beginning, and not about the post but he didn¡¯t have any inkling as to what it might be.


    Once again silence fell upon them.


    However, it wasn¡¯t the awkward kind of silence; it felt natural and didn¡¯t make them feel pressured in any way.


    It was simr to giving your good friend some time-out in the conversation. Something like taking a break or simply letting yourself enjoy theirpany, without any rush to conclude the conversation.


    Sitting in the dim light of the deskmp, Qi Jing even came to like these silent pauses, allowing the seconds to umte.


    Compared with their first online conversation, this time, <i>Geese Fly North</i> had obviously spoken a lot more.


    It was more than he could ever imagine.


    ¡°Speaking of the thread for¡¶Trap¡·...¡°


    After his initial nervousness had subsided, Qi Jing was able to start the topic more easily, even though it wasn¡¯t a particrly pleasant one.


    ¡°You... probably heard the official version of the first episode, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Seems like <i>Geese Fly North</i> had already heard it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, the official version that came out in the end... It was quite different.¡± It was a far cry from how they performed when they yed against each other.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Contrary to his expectations, that man didn¡¯t seem to harbour any intention of berating him. Instead, his calm tone made Qi Jing feel even more remorseful.


    ¡°I¡¯m apologising because I feel like it was wasting two hours of your hard work. In the end, it couldn¡¯t be even¡ª¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Suddenly <i>Geese Fly North</i> opened his mouth and gently stopped him from continuing. ¡°I enjoyed ying against you that night. You¡¯re a talented CV. You immerse yourself in the acting so deeply that it makes it easier for other people to immerse themself into the character too.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyelids trembled, and he kept his eyes on the three words on the screen, <i>Geese Fly North</i>.


    Unfortunately, his left hand was in a cast and his ears were covered by headphones. Normally in such a situation, he wouldb through his hair with his left hand to check the temperature of his ear.


    He couldn¡¯t believe that he could receive this kind of recognition.


    It was the first time he heard the other man¡¯s thoughts about that night, and that man even said he enjoyed it.


    <i>He said that my acting makes it easier for other people to immerse themself¡ªthen, is he included in these ¡°other people¡±?</i>


    Qi Jing always thought that he was the one who was drawn in. He was shocked by how close <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> interpretation was to the novel, and thrilled by the subtle details hidden in his voice. It let him perform at his full potential; he was able to respond to the character <i>Geese Fly North</i> portrayed with a performance befitting of it.


    And right now, that man was telling him that it was mutual. It was so... hard to believe.


    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s exactly what I wanted to say.¡± Feeling grateful, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but smile, his eyes turning into a pair of crescent moons.


    Frankly speaking, he felt that <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> acting sense was way better than his.


    Getting praise from the CV he admired, Qi Jing felt a burst of warmth in his heart. All the sadness that was inside him turned into dust and disappeared with the wind.


    Under these circumstances, he wanted to convey his thoughts clearly.


    Qi Jing cleared his throat, straightened his back, and solemnly said:


    ¡°Geese Fly North-sama, the time we spent that day was too short and we said our good-byes too hastily so I didn¡¯t have a chance to tell you¡ªI think it is you who is a really talented CV. I was deeply impressed with the rehearsal that night, and I¡¯ve always kept it in my mind. I had some difficulties during the official recording. The director pointed out my mistakes, and even though I understood them, I couldn¡¯t act on it. At that time... I would think back to how you performed those lines to slowly find the right feeling.¡±


    <i>Geese Fly North</i> remained silent, listening quietly on the other end.


    Qi Jing said it all in one breath, then his eyes dropped involuntarily, as if the other¡¯s silence was putting pressure on him. Even though he knew he would be embarrassed to say such a thing directly to <i>Geese Fly North</i>, he insisted on saying it.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I have to say, even if it might offend a lot of the people involved. In the official version that¡¯s out now, I think our two main characters are performed decently, but they don¡¯t feel like the original ones. It can even be said that it hadpletely diverged from the novel; it is a story with different characters but a simr setting. Contrary to that, I feel that the version we yed against each other was better... Personally, I like it a lot.¡±


    <i>I really, honestly like it.</i>


    <i>I like to the point I would go over it again and again, recalling that smooth tension of the dialogue and how itplemented and came together to form that scene.</i>


    ¡°Actually, you weren¡¯t bad in the other version,¡± <i>Geese Fly North</i> said gently in a deep voice, ¡°I could hear that you were adjusting yourself to the other main character.¡±


    Qi Jing was stunned. An unexinable taste swelled in his throat, astringent but not bitter.


    ¡°Thank you...¡±


    He was thankful, from the bottom of his heart. He couldn¡¯t help but express it once again. Maybe the feeling of being understood was too precious.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one that needs to say thanks.¡± There was a subtle gentleness in the <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> voice that quietly flowed into him. ¡°Thank you for liking it.¡±


    For a few short seconds, neither of them exchanged words, and just kept quiet.


    But Qi Jing kept a peaceful smile on his mouth. He felt relieved, moved, and many, many more. There were so many morepliments that he hadn¡¯t said yet, but he suddenly felt they were unnecessary¡ªhe made his point clear, and now he had no regrets.


    Then, he suddenly remembered something else.


    It was how when he was re-recording, he inadvertently recalled <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> voice, but another person came to his mind.


    ¡°This might be an odd thing to say,¡± Qi Jing mumbled half-jokingly, ¡°but your voice sometimes reminds me of someone I know offline.¡±


    There was a tiny rustle in the headphones, as if the other man had fiddled with the microphone.


    A short whileter, he heard <i>Geese Fly North</i> ask softly: ¡°That person... are they someone you hate?¡±


    Qi Jing was slightly stunned.


    When he came back to his senses, heughed very gently: ¡°No, he¡¯s a... a very respectable person. How can I hate him?¡±


    Hate? How could he possibly hate him...


    Not only did he not feel any hate, but his feelings almost developed in apletely opposite direction.


    It was fortunate that he stopped the development in time; otherwise, there would¡¯ve been dire consequences.


    ¡°Rather than saying that I hate him, it would be more urate to say that I hate myself.¡± Qi Jing forced a smile while heaving an inaudible sigh.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but whenever he was feeling blue, he would have this urge to pour his heart out.


    Perhaps, like many others, there were some things that he couldn¡¯t be frank about to close friends like Ning Xiaoxiao, but when met with people he had only gotten to know recently¡ªlike <i>Geese Fly North</i>¡ªhe was able to open up about it.


    ¡°Why?¡± The man on the other end of the call asked.


    ¡°Because I feel sorry for disturbing his life.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s voice became lower.


    Why did he start this topic...


    He clearly didn¡¯t want to think about it anymore.


    The feeling of gloom slowly crept up to him and he regretted mentioning this topic. Just as he was about to hastily change the topic, <i>Geese Fly North</i> suddenly asked, ¡°Am I... also being a bother to you right now?¡±


    After a short moment of being in a daze, Qi Jing hurried to tell him with a smile: ¡°You¡¯re not, you¡¯re not, I am happy that there is someone I can talk to.¡±


    He paused, then repeated once again: ¡°I would be also very happy to have more chances to y against you.¡±


    Those words all came from the bottom of his heart.


    He had originally nned to spend his time alone in this empty house, filling his spare time with voice acting and browsing the inte. But now, with the sudden appearance of such a person, who listened to what he had to say, he unexpectedly found himself at peace.


    Even mentioning things, he didn¡¯t want to talk about wasn¡¯t as hard as he thought.


    ¡°Is this ok?¡± <i>Geese Fly North</i> asked in a very soft voice.


    ¡°What?¡± Qi Jing felt a little confused.


    ¡°Talking, ying against each other.¡± The other man repeated these two terms, before asking once again, ¡°Is that ok?¡±


    Qi Jing suddenly realised that he wasn¡¯t referring to the sudden conversation they had today, but rather to a long-term agreement. Out of shock, his finger trembled, and he almost clicked the end call button by ident.


    ¡°Eh...¡±


    His throat felt painfully dry, unable to utter more than simple sounds. He had no idea how to answer that.


    The other man kept silent, but Qi Jing knew he was waiting.


    Did he hate it? No, he didn¡¯t.


    Was he puzzled? He couldn¡¯t say he wasn¡¯t puzzled, but it wasn¡¯t caused by a sense of repulsion.


    He was simply surprised at the sudden kindness, at a loss as to how to reciprocate it.


    ¡°Thank you... I would indeed be very happy if we did that¡± Qi Jing slowly sorted out his thoughts. He tried to make a rxed smile, but he failed. His voice was full of restraint and rationality, ¡°But¡ª¡±


    <i>But there wille a day when you¡¯ll start to think it¡¯s a chore.</i>


    He concluded in his mind before the words coulde out of his mouth.


    Qi Jing smiled bitterly while shaking his head. He decided to politely decline this goodwill.


    However, before he could actually say anything, that person had already responded, ¡°Then I¡¯m okay with that.¡±


    A/N: Grandpa is always willing to help... But unfortunately, the other person is one that never asks for any OTZ

 Chapter 20

    <h4>Chapter 20</h4>


    Trantor: Luci


    Editor: whitere


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t know how he took out his earphones.


    The moment the chat window disappeared, he felt as if he had been driven out of this small, cosy world and back into his grim and deathly-still room.


    It was already the middle of the night. The difference in temperature between day and night was quite big in the autumn, so he was shivering a little. Only now did he realise that he needed to wear a coat, but he clearly didn¡¯t feel any trace of coldness when they were talking just a moment ago...


    His ears were still hot from wearing the headphones for such a long time. They were burning when he touched them.


    His conversation with <i>Geese Fly North</i> ended ten minutes ago. After that, he spaced out while looking at the grayed out profile picture. Only after ten minutes had passed did he realise that he had forgotten to take off his headphones. He didn¡¯t know why, but he somehow felt like the earphones could serve as the means to preserve that warmth.


    Thest sentence <i>Geese Fly North</i> told him was: ¡°Tomorrow, I wille online at the same time.¡±


    He pped his face¡ªit hurt.


    He pped his thighs¡ªit hurt.


    Qi Jing thought to himself absentmindedly, so it wasn¡¯t a dream.


    Could it be that because he had experienced quite a number of unpleasant things during this period of time, so... the heavens decided to treat him kinder, asionally allowing him toe across some happy asions?


    ¡°Pfft.¡± Qi Jing sat in a daze for a while and suddenlyughed softly. He mumbled, ¡°Crap... I¡¯m starting to look forward to it a little.¡±


    Whenever one started having expectations for something, it always made it harder to bear when it ended.


    Such as those very important mails containing the records of kittens¡¯ recovery.


    Such as this promise he made online just a moment ago.


    He got up, left theputer desk, opened the door, and stood on the empty balcony. It sure was cold outside; the wind blew the hanging clips on a clothes rack with a rustle, making a characteristic dull cking sound, unique to stic. Cold air immediately invaded his lungs and he couldn¡¯t help but cough.


    ¡°Cough, cough...¡± They talked for so long this evening and the time flew by in the blink of an eye. Right now, his throat was even starting to feel a little sore.


    As dark, heavy clouds hung overhead, not a single star could be seen.


    Previously, he heard old people say that persons with rheumatism could predict the weather. When it was going to rain, their bones would definitely start to ache. He didn¡¯t expect that a bone fracture would also have the same effect. He could feel a sore and pricking sensation rising.


    <i>I suppose there will be autumn rain tomorrow and the temperature will probably drop several degrees again, won¡¯t it?</i>


    Qi Jing stood alone on the balcony for a couple of minutes to clear his mind and only when he couldn¡¯t bear the coldness anymore did he go back to the room.


    Chatting on QQ required much quicker typing than what he could manage at the moment, so he decided on going to the forum first to look at the thread about the first episode of¡¶Trap¡·.


    As a CV voicing one of the main characters, he wanted to post somements in hopes that he could calm down antis¡¯ rage, so that at least the staff could catch a breath.


    The production crew released the first chapter on National Day of China and so far, the post thread had already umted four pages ofments, quickly nearing the fifth page.


    The number of pages on the thread... were really increasing at a dumbfounding speed.


    Qi Jing had never experienced having a thread that was longer than one page, so he could not help but express his admiration. The threads that would go over one page would be either very popr ones or the utterly hated ones; he hoped¡¶Trap¡·wasn¡¯t a case of thetter.


    The first thing that greeted him upon opening a thread was an exquisite poster.


    It was a picture of the first meeting between the main characters in a secret room. Several buttons had been torn off from the policeman Gong¡¯s shirt, revealing half of his chest, and he was lying on the ck leather sofa. The gangster Shou was sitting on top of him, pulling his necktie with a faint smile, forcing him to lift his face.


    The suggestiveness was basically oozing out of the screen.


    The background of the poster was in a dark red colour palette; it was very eye-catching when put together with the title¡¯s metallic feel. The publicist used a bright-coloured font highlighted in ck and it even had shing effects that resembled bloodstains.


    The results of the&#k300J;Trap&#k300K;production crew¡¯s work were pretty good. Qi Jing sighed as he scrolled. He felt worried, from the bottom of his heart, that a little nobody like himself would be a burden to the crew.


    But it didn¡¯t matter, they had backup from the Great God, <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>.


    Other than the production crew, who had front row seats on the ¡®sofa¡¯, and those who came to snag a spot on the ¡®benches¡¯, ¡®floor¡¯ and ¡®basement¡¯, the first two hundred or soments belonged to the <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯</i>s little fans.


    ¡°Commenting to boost <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>-sama¡¯s¡±, ¡°Boosting Sama¡¯s new drama¡±, ¡°Congrattions on a safe birth of our Bronze Sparrow MC¡¯s drama¡±. The first two hundredments could be roughly summed up like that. In the meantime, some of the staff also expressed their thanks, but they were basically drowned out by the tremendous flood of cheers from the fans. The sound designer, <i>A Lifetime¡¯s Lock</i>, had a rtively bigger presence thanks to her close rtionship with <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>.


    And atst, people started to write their reviews.


    In the beginning, it was all praises¡ªthe intention to eulogize showed clearly in every sentence. The one to get the mostpliments was, of course, God <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>. His fans just itched to analyse every sentence of his. For them, every word contained some hidden emotions to convey and soon lengthy reviews were posted.


    Of course, they also gave the staff some praise along the way, like the scriptwriter¡¯s choice of scenes was on spot, or the sound director did a good job creating the atmosphere with the choice of music and sound effects, or the director¡¯s good guiding, etc. Even the poster, trailer, and the ending song received numerous praises.


    Qi Jing was no exception.


    After looking through the first page ofments, Qi Jing could already more or less understand what Ning Xiaoxiao meant by: ¡°on the road to getting famous¡±. Thanks to the Great God, it was the first time he received so many positivements. Quite a significant number of girls imed to bepletely enthralled by his voice, saying that from today on, they would listen to all of his dramas. After that, were producers¡¯ pleas for the means of contact.


    He felt extremely ttered.


    Qi Jing himself was unsatisfied with the way he voiced the role, but seeing people spare no effort inplimenting him, he simply didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. He could only thank that ¡®love me, love my dog¡¯ philosophy of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> fans.


    He skimmed through thements, stopping dead in his tracks when he came across a review beginning with the word ¡®disappointed¡¯.


    It was a review from the person signed in as <i>Heartbroken fan of the novel</i>. It wasn¡¯t long, but the feeling of disappointment was evident in the words.


    [Comment 235]:


    Disappointed. After listening to it twice, I can only say I¡¯m disappointed.


    Honestly, I can wholeheartedly agree that this drama is very well-made. The poster, the trailer, the scriptwriting, everything behind the scenes was done pretty well, but I want to ask both the producer and director¡ªwhat the hell were you thinking? How did you choose voice actors? Even if you didn¡¯t manage to cast well, why didn¡¯t you take care of the problem properly during PIA-ing? In the end, even I, a faithful fan of the source material that read through it ten or more times, can¡¯t recognise the main characters.


    Okay, when I first heard that the God <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> will be voicing in it, I already had a bad premonition, and it was now confirmed... Not suited means not suited; it sounded weird in all kinds of ways. But I never would have thought that <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s</i> performance would also be like this. What a waste of me being a silent fan of his, thinking that he should be able to manage this role... And in the end... Why did he voice a temptress Shou! I am disappointed, really, so greatly disappointed.


    ¡°S-Sorry...¡± Qi Jing sucked in a mouthful of cold air and he couldn¡¯t help but cover his chest with his hand.


    He felt a sense of distress as if he had his face smeared before being resolutely cast aside by an old friend. It looked like this fan of the novel was once one of his low-key fans, but she probably wasn¡¯t one anymore.


    Not only that, both <i>Rouge Flower</i> and<i> Knives cutting in from four corners</i> were also criticised even though it wasn¡¯t their fault.


    After the statement from <i>Heartbroken fan of the novel</i>, herment got a lot of fierce verbal abuse from the <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> fans.


    But as the number ofments grew¡ªto the point it needed another page¡ªeven morements from fans of the novel started to emerge, taking the risk to leave simrments.


    [Comment 311]:


    After seeing how many people cursed at Comment 235, I still want to quietly give her some support...


    I really love the novel,¡¶Trap¡·. When I saw that the rights were given, I was full of unreal expectations, and atst, the drama came out. But the result... Lady from the 235thment has already taken the words right out of my mouth. The editing is good and all, but it¡¯s just that the main characters were way too OOC... £¨©Ð£ß©Ð£©


    [Comment 326]


    ¦²( ¡ã¡÷¡ã|||)¦õWhy did <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s</i> voice change so much?? What happened?? In my mind, he always was a ck-bellied, flirty Gong, all right?!! What is this frail Shou voice?! What¡¯s more, it¡¯s to be from¡¶Trap¡·, a novel with a strong x strong couple tag!! <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>-sama, just what exactly happened to you!! TELL ME WHY!!


    [Comment 328]:


    A reader of the novel quietly passing by.


    To be honest, if one were to ignore the novel, then this audio drama could be easily regarded as an 85 and above out of 100. It¡¯s very well done from all aspects, the plot is smooth, the soundtrack is powerful, and both of the main characters have beautiful and strong voices. People that didn¡¯t read the novel could listen to it without any pressure.


    But because I have read the novel, I can¡¯t get rid of my first impression. I have a deep impression of the people described in this novel. I love the policeman¡¯s honesty and forbearance and also the nightclub owner¡¯s imposing momentum of a queen and spoony nature that made people captivated... I didn¡¯t see a couple of such characteristics in the drama.


    ANYWAY, I am silently joining the disappointed camp...


    [Comment 350]:


    ¨r(¨s_¨t)¨q I won¡¯t say much about other aspects, as many have alreadymended it enough. I came with the purpose of roasting the main characters¡¯ CVs. Before dering my opinion I will just say: I am not a fan of the novel, I haven¡¯t even read it, I just downloaded the script and read it as the drama yed; don¡¯t me me if I get the details wrong.


    First of all, I have been looking forward to seeing Great God¡¯s <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> performance for a long time, his voice truly is wless. That subwoofer of a voice sounds just as if my ears could get pregnant at any moment (pfft). Still... I can see that he didn¡¯t look closely at the prompts about tone while he was dubbing. For example, before their first bedding scene, the requirements were for him to sound indignant and constrained, but he ended up sounding as if he had it all nned out, as if he was rxed for the whole time. The above is only an example, there¡¯s still a lot of parts like this. I hope that the Great God <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> will study the script a little before the next episode.


    Next, I will talk a little about <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>-sama. If you see thisment, please don¡¯t p me, I really am your fan (look at these earnest eyes! ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ) ... But this drama is your worst dub I have listened to so far. It¡¯s not that your sense of acting was wrong, it¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t know what you were thinking, going as far as to voice a character sopletely different from the one described in a script! You can clearly use 0.7 voice, why feign a 0.5! You can clearly voice a Queen, why do a softie! What a waste of a nice Gong voice! (Eh, somehow seems not right...) Still, there were some scenes that you managed to voice really well, especially when the club manager drank alone and then the policeman appears, that contradictory state of mind was extremely good!


    To make a long story short, by simply looking at the script and prompts, I can judge that both of the main characters didn¡¯t perform too well. Instead, the character that stayed the truest to the original was Gong-kun¡¯s grandpa... Is <i>Geese Fly North</i> a neer? His performance feels so on spot and natural. Mhm, Grandpa is beyond praise.


    ...


    That was the firstment so far to mention <i>Geese Fly North</i>.


    Suddenly Qi Jing had an impulse to grab the hand of thedy from the 350thment and shout ¡°Grandpa is amazing¡± together. Of course, the only thing that he could actually do was to sigh inwardly while sitting before the screen.


    ¡°He¡¯s even more amazing when he¡¯s voicing the policeman...¡±


    Qi Jing mumbled to himself. It¡¯s truly a pity that the people who heard that only amounted to four people, including him.


    It was expected that amongst the audience there would be quite a few listeners with a keen ear. Sure enough, the criticism he expected before publishing the drama arose in its full force, yet he could ept it all.


    One major thing he had gained from voicing in this drama was that it made him realise that there were a lot of people behind him that paid close attention to him. He felt incredibly grateful.


    The other major thing that he gained was that he got to know <i>Geese Fly North</i>.


    All the time that person had invested in this work shouldn¡¯t only be mentioned in only one or two sentences. He deserved more respect.


    Qi Jing struck the keys of his keyboard a few times with a serious expression.


    Maybe it was only a momentary impulse, but he first copied thest few sentences from thement on the 350thment, then slowly typed in the response window: ¡°I agree, Grandpa is really amazing.¡±


    Nickname: <i>Grandpa¡¯s Fan</i>, send.


    Because the thread was already four pages long, thisment of his was thrown far to the back¡ªthe 1122ndment. To quote someone else: ¡°the reflex arc was so big, it could go one round around the entire Earth.¡±


    But he didn¡¯t care about it, his heart was now full and extremelyfortable.


    After using this peculiar way of his to fight for the <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> publicity, Qi Jing returned to the second page to continue readingments.


    After reading the five hundredments, they could be roughly divided into ¡°Fans of Novel¡± and ¡°Fans of Drama¡±, these tworge factions. Theyunched a lengthy verbal battle and the focal point of the debate was whether the characters deviated from the source material.


    Perhaps because of how intense some of the fans got with their words, <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> showed up in person near the end of the second page.


    His response was extremely formal. Besides cating his enraged fans and thanking the staff for the fine editing and many other pleasantries, he also expressed in a mild and roundabout way that an audio drama is a derivative work and there¡¯s no need to stick rigidly to the source material. He felt regretful towards the disappointment of the fans of the novel and hoped that everyone could appreciate this work from a different point of view. That¡¯s all.


    ¡°Crap...¡± When Qi Jing read that part, he couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows.


    Originally, he wanted to go along with the opinion of the source material party and say that he¡¯ll improve his performance ording to their corrections, so he could regain some of the character¡¯s image.


    With <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> making a statement like this, he was no doubt sticking to the route they took. If he sang a different tune, then it would badly affect the staff, <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>, and even himself.


    Sure enough, immediately after <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> gave the final word his fans started fighting to squeeze their way under hisment to make a screenshot with him. With just that, it brought the number ofments at that time to a point where the thread needed a third page to house them. The numerous fans that made the positivements before came back to thank their Great God for approving their opinion. Fans of the novel sank into silence.


    The thread quickly returned to being joyous and harmonious, spreading a united and peaceful atmosphere.


    Barring a fewments that suddenly appeared on the third page¡ª


    [Comment 742]:


    <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>-sama took great pains toe out and protect the atmosphere of the thread. He even thanked the production crew and his fans. By the way, when will the other one voicing a leading rolee out? ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    [Comment 743]:


    Thement above, but <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>-sama is a famous god of ying dead, you know~ It is said that when the Great God wanted to practice acting with him for the first time, he still needed to make to with his schedule, and was made to wait for half a day. He wouldn¡¯t possibly show up on the third page, I bet ten chrysanthemums on that~ ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    [Comment 744]


    The god of ying dead +1


    I remember that previously the post on a forum exposed a case of his backstabbing.


    After that, <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>-sama stood up for him and the post was deleted. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s someone who has a copy of that post (picking my nose). I originally thought that anyway, it¡¯s a mistake, so let¡¯s let it be a mistake, but to be blunt, now that I hear about it... I think that he¡¯s the one that hinders the whole work. It would be better to exchange him for Cros<i>sing the bridge noodles</i>-sama. In any case, his sense of acting is better, and I also dig his voice.


    [Comment 745]


    Our ¡°Moss¡± ship is sailing, forever unsinkable! If the voice actor was exchanged for our little Noodles, those squeamish girls from the source material party would shut up for sure! Because of course, little Noodles wouldn¡¯t disappoint them, and of course, he would voice this drama well!


    ...


    From that point on, supporters of the ¡°Moss¡± CP started to approve that thought. Of course, there were also fans of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> that refuted this trend and encouraged Qi Jing.


    However, he really didn¡¯t appear as he reached the end of the third page so they were spot on with that.


    At the beginning of the fourth page, Qi Jing saw his junior¡¯sment on her regr ount, <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>, talking about the matter of him suffering in a traffic ident, which led to a tremendous uproar. Saying things like suffering from a traffic ident at the time like this, it simply sounded like a cheap excuse and didn¡¯t hold any credibility. Thus, the antis began to act even more violently ¨C cursing loudly and kicking strongly.


    The gist of the thought was simple: <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i> was undeserving of acting with the Great God <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>. Great God deserved a better CV to partner with.


    These were probably the ¡®stupidments¡¯ mentioned by Ning Xiaoxiao.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. Not bad, not bad, it was still within the range of his expectations; in fact, there was nothing really worth getting angry about.


    After looking through the post thread, a sudden pitter-patter was heard on the bedroom¡¯s window. It was raining.


    Qi Jing subconsciously lifted his head to look outside the window.


    Because of the light cast by the deskmp, he could only see his own image reflected on the surface of the ss and not the rain beyond the window.


    Where the light was the strongest, distinct trails left behind by the falling raindrops could be seen. Gradually, the sound of rain falling and the leaves rustling started to be more and more intense.


    This town was about to experience its first prolonged rainfall of autumn. Suddenly, Qi Jing recalled that kittens were easily scared of water. Perhaps with such weather, they would seek shelter, warming themselffortably in that person¡¯s embrace.


    It was just a mere causal association, but he felt his heart sting a little.


    He hadn¡¯t looked at that picture since the traffic incident. He felt that at this moment when his heart¡¯s line of defence was at its weakest, when he¡¯s the most vulnerable, he couldn¡¯t look at it.


    If he looked, he would start having thoughts of rushing right back and he wouldn¡¯t be able to leave again.


    That¡¯s why... He had to stop thinking about it¡ªthat notion of wanting to reply to thatst email.

 Chapter 21

    <h4>Chapter 21</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editor: Mashiro


    By the next day, the rain had started to let up a little.


    When Qi Jing woke up, the pitter-patter of the rain against the window was barely audible, each droplet fell softly, like cotton.


    Well, thanks to that car ident, since his admission to the hospital, he has had the most regr sleeping schedule in years. Even though the quality of his sleep still wasn¡¯t that great, it felt quite peaceful to see the bright morning light when he opened his eyes.


    Of course, it would be even better if he could turn his body while hey in bed.


    Besides his sleeping position being restricted, Qi Jing felt that the two most excruciating things were, getting dressed and taking a bath.


    When he was in the hospital, he could still get help from the nurses. And for the first few days after the operation, he would just casually wipe himself down with a towel and a basin of warm water. When he got better, and started going to the hospital¡¯s public bathhouse, he would ask someone to help cover his cast in a stic film beforehand; it was good as long as he paid attention not to make it wet.


    Now that he¡¯s back home, with only one viable hand, doing those two things was rather hard for him.


    Fortunately, he didn¡¯t have to worry about eating¡ªat least, that¡¯s what he thought.


    There were a lot of restaurants in the neighbourhood, and the food tasted much better than that of the hospital canteen. He nned topletely rely on the take-outs to survive this month; he wasn¡¯t picky, vegetables or meat, spicy or mild, he could eat it all.


    It took Qi Jing a lot of effort to get properly dressed. After a simple wash, he took an umbre and went out to buy his breakfast, lunch and dinner for the day. He nned on leaving it aside and heating it up in a microwaveter.


    On rainy days, besides a dull paining from his injury, opening the umbre also posed a technical problem.


    At that moment there was no one around his apartment building, so there was no one he could ask for help from. He had no choice but to rely on himself. He tilted his head to hold the umbre between his neck and his shoulder, then he used his right hand to open the umbre. While he fought with the umbre , he identally scratched his neck and felt a burning sensationing from it.


    He was just about to walk out of the corridor when he suddenly heard an extremely faint ¡°meow¡±.


    He froze, before looking down towards the source of the sound: a small white Li Hua cat curled up under the eaves.


    It seemed to be a young stray cat, muddled and confused by the world around it. Its fur was wet from rain, and it looked like it had stumbled to the corner under the wall, to take shelter from the rain. He didn¡¯t know how long it had been there, but the concrete floor showed a patch of mud marks made by the kitten¡¯s limbs rubbing against it, its tail hanging limply.


    It looked like a beggar, all dirty with its body curled up and shivering in the autumn wind. Hungry and cold, it looked at him bewildered with its blue eyes, and when it called out feebly, its baby teeth could be seen.


    ¡°Meow.¡± As if it was asking for help.


    Qi Jing took three steps back and let out an audible gasp. As much as it pained his heart to see it that way, he apologised, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, but reporters are the nemesis of pets. I can¡¯t keep you.¡±


    ¡°Meow.¡± The kitten continued to call out to him miserably.


    ¡°I really, really can¡¯t keep you.¡± Qi Jing felt his heart sting from its call, but he had to be realistic. Reality is very harsh.


    After saying this, he put the umbre aside and went back to his apartment. He found a spare cardboard box, wrote ¡°I¡¯m cute, I¡¯m obedient, please adopt me¡± on it with a marker, put a small nket inside and brought it downstairs. When the Li Hua cat saw him appear once again, its meowing grew even more urgent. But all he could do was pick it up carefully, put it in a cardboard box, squat down to dry it off from the rain and cover it with a nket.


    Little fe seemed to feel a little warmer, as its calls became less miserable. It poked its head out of the nket, continuing to look at him with its two big, wet and round eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look for an owner that can¡¯t even take care of himself.¡± Qi Jing smiled slightly and rubbed the kitten¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Meow.¡± The Li Hua cat hid back under the nket dejectedly, only the tip of its tail swinging around showing.


    Qi Jing moved the cardboard box to a more conspicuous ce, hoping that some kind-hearted person would see it. He on the other hand hardened his heart and picked up the umbre, walking out of the apartment building.


    He ordered three portions from a nearby restaurant selling local delicacies. While the chef was preparing the food, he went to the convenience store and bought a carton of milk, a bag of soft dry food for small cats and two stic bowls. On the way back, he not only held an umbre with his right hand, but also had to carry a couple of heavy shopping bags. All the way back through the rain his umbre was crooked, and half of his trousers got wet.


    Despite going away for some time, the cardboard box remained unattended to.


    The kitten pawed weakly at the cardboard box and when it heard his footsteps it began to meow once again, pawing the walls of the cardboard box with even more vigour.


    ¡°Easy, easy, I came here to feed you.¡± Qi Jing put things down in a hurry and took out the milk and dry food bought for the kitten. After trying a lot of different ways, from biting to tearing, he finally managed to tear the packages open with difficulty. He ced them into two separate bowls and put it into the little fe¡¯s cardboard box.


    ¡°Meow meow!¡± The cat was probably starving, as soon as the stic bowl was put down, it pounced on it with its two front paws and knocked everything over.


    The milk spilled on its face, and the biscuits fell all over its fur. It rubbed its face with its paw and licked it with its tongue making an innocent expression.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. He quickly rolled up the cat in a nket and took it out of the box. He cleaned the box up, wiped the milk from the kitten¡¯s fur and one by one put the dry food back in the bowl. Only then did he put it back again and tapped it on its forehead to signal that it should not get too excited. The kitten seemed to get the message, and moved very carefully this time when it gulped down its meal.


    Qi Jing watched the little guy quietly by the box for a while. He shaked his head before a certain memory could re-emerge, picked up his meals for the day and went upstairs.


    After feeding the cat he can¡¯t forget to feed himself.


    After breakfast, Qi Jing turned on the news channel as usual, but he kept spinning the remote control in his hand, somehow feeling a sense of uneasiness gnawing at his heart. As soon as the news presenter said, ¡°Thank you for watching today¡¯s morning news,¡± he abruptly got up, turned off the TV before running down to check on the situation downstairs.


    The Li Hua cat was still there. After finishing off the milk and dry food it was dozing off contentedly in the small nket.


    Qi Jing observed it from the stairway for a while, then returned to his house feeling upset.


    He spent the morning hours focusing on the work. Currently, he was an all-purpose assistant, not only the news departament, but other departments would also send him misceneous jobs to do as long as it didn¡¯t require usingplicatedputer programs. By the time he had finishedpiling the information for his colleagues and sent it out one by one, the hour hand on the wall clock had already crossed 12 PM.


    Outside the window, the raindrops rapped across the ss. The rain showed signs of intensifying, the on and off noise made one ill at ease.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but go out again to the ground floor to check the situation.


    He was still greeted only by the kitten¡¯s feeble mewing and the sound of it pounding around the box. The inside of the cardboard box had been scratched by the cat¡¯s paws. The paper scraps that were scattered all over the nket, were rolled by the kitten into crumpled balls. The kitten even tried to chew on it.


    ¡°Aiya, you can¡¯t eat that.¡± Qi Jing came over in a hurry and lifted it by its scruff.


    The cat cocked its head, its limbs hanging in the air moving restlessly as if it felt wronged. Qi Jing eyes met these two wet, blue eyes. Suddenly he found himself resonating with the kitten¡¯s predicament.


    ¡°Sigh...¡±


    He sighed unconsciously, put the kitten down and squatted to rub the small patch of fur on its forehead with his thumb. Perhaps because of the care it received, the little guy took him for the meal provider. It stood shakily on its back legs and rubbed the belly of his thumb with the tip of its nose.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but smile when he looked at it trying to ingratiate him, before he knew it, the most delicate part of his heart had been broken into.


    ¡°Only for a month, okay?¡± He narrowed his eyes and lowered his head to bargain with the little guy.


    ¡°Meow.¡± The little guy didn¡¯tprehend the situation at all, and proceeded to cover his thumb with a pair of meaty paws, as if it was shaking hands with him to seal the deal.


    ¡°I will call you ¡®Return Date¡¯, okay?¡± Well, Qi Jing figured it wasn¡¯t a loss for him to gain a ¡®son¡¯.


    ¡°Meow meow¡±


    So both, Big and Little Return Dates, went back to the apartment on the seventh floor together. Big Return Date put Little Return Date in a bathtub, plugged it and filled it halfway with warm water to give Little Return Date a wash.


    The water was pleasantly warm, but Little Return Date couldn¡¯t ovee its innate fear towards water. It actually used all the energy from eating the food and milk earlier this day to struggle and resist the washing. Not only was water sshed all over the floor, it even left a bloody gash on the back of Big return date¡¯s hand.


    <i>That¡¯s some sharp ws you¡¯ve got there</i>. Qi Jing forced himself to endure the pain and didn¡¯t deal with his wound, prioritizing washing off the mud from little fe¡¯s fur first.


    When he was done with washing, he used a towel to dry it off the excess water and carried it to a living room.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t use his left hand, so he had to sit on the floor and gently hold the kitten with his two feet to prevent it from running around. He held the hair dryer in his right hand and carefully blew it with warm air from a distance, so as not to burn it by ident.


    The cat seemed to be veryfortable with being blow dried, and its eyes narrowed into two slits.


    Qi Jing could swear that he spent more energy to take care of this kitten than taking care of himself these days. Just washing his hair required him to bend down for a long time under the shower, to the point when he lifted his head back up, his neck felt sore as if it was soaked in vinegar and he felt dizzy from blood flowing backwards. How could itpare with the little guy¡¯s luxurious treatment?


    The wound on the back of his hand was no longer bleeding at that time. He put the Little Return Date in another clean cardboard box and wrapped it in a nket, only then did he go to search for rubbing alcohol and cotton balls for disinfection.


    It took him a long time to tear off the packaging of the band aid. He used a great effort to pick it up with his teeth, ce it, and slowly stick it up in ce.


    Suddenly he felt as if he became a cat.


    Thanks to Little Return Date, he was actually able to experience the busyness from when he was working despite recuperating at home.


    It was nearly 2 PM when he finally had the time to heat up and have his lunch. In the afternoon, he was typing slowly on the documents from work while asionally teasing the cat with his toes, letting it use the back of his feet like a tform for jumping practice. It was not as hard to get through that day.


    The milk and dry food bought in the morning was not enough for it to eat, so Qi Jing went out again and brought a big bag of food home.


    The kitten has probably caught the smell of food. It flipped on its back with all four feet to the sky, pedalling in the air, very sensibly acting cute on the floor for him to see. Qi Jing kept it amused for the whole afternoon, and this time, it was now his turn to be amused by it. He gave the kitten a few grains of dry food with a smile on his face.


    Actually, if one looked carefully, the coat of Little Return Date was very simple yet elegant. Silvery white fur was adorned with ck stripes typical for Li Hua cats, its neck and belly was pure white and paws were glossy. Overall, it looked very lovable.


    A kitten like this shouldn¡¯t have problems with finding an owner¡ª


    ¡°Return Date.¡± He lowered his head and called it.


    Little kitten rolled over and stood up, as if it already recognised its name.


    Qi Jing smiled and stroked its back to smoothen its fur, and lowering his eyelids, he said: ¡°Return Date, when you find a good owner, forget about me as soon as you can. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Meow.¡± The fur ball below responded feebly.


    It was after dinner and Little Return was still so young, perhaps it got tired from fooling around, but it snuggled by Qi Jing¡¯s leg and fell asleep.


    Qi Jing¡¯sputer was on all this time with headphones close at hand, so everything was ready for epting the call. He leaned casually on the chair and browsed the web, asionally ncing at the list of friends online on QQ.


    But the profile picture of that man didn¡¯t show up.


    After some time, he subconsciously switched the view to the list of recent contacts, that picture of the bird¡¯s head was still grey.


    <i>Geese Fly North</i>¡¯s QQ signature was still that ¡°Temporarily not epting new roles¡±. It could be deduced from this signature that he was rather busy with his work at the moment, and Qi Jing didn¡¯t even know what kind of work was that. However, since he could say ¡°tomorrow, at the same time¡±, then it proved that his working hours were rtively regr, he was probably an ordinary office worker.


    <i>He certainly isn¡¯t a reporter</i>¡ªthinking like this, Qi Jing smiled self-mockingly.


    He opened that person¡¯s profile page, and just as he expected, it was virtually nk. There was only a lone QQ email that one could figure out just by looking at the number, sitting there.


    Moments, nk.


    Photo album, nk.


    He opened the ¡°friends¡¯ impressions¡± column out of curiosity, and three huge words ¡°Forever a Grandpa¡± appeared in his sight. Clearly, it was left by a certain producer. Qi Jing fell on the table and startedughing for ten seconds without a care for his image at that moment.


    Whileughing, he couldn¡¯t help but click on the ¡°leave a description¡± option. After a nk box popped out, Qi Jing sat in front of theputer desk and carefully looked for the right words. Since he got to know <i>Geese Fly North</i>¡¯s original voice and capability of acting, he couldn¡¯t look straight at this ¡°Forever a Grandpa¡± title anymore. He wanted to give him something special.


    Afterst night¡¯s talk, he felt that <i>Geese Fly North</i> wasn¡¯t cold at all, but gentle, kind, and understood the boundaries.


    Healing?


    He didn¡¯t know why this term had suddenly appeared in his mind. Qi Jing was startled for a while and suddenly felt a little ufortable. He was quick to reject this word. It made him think of another person¡ªit was unsuitable.


    Just as he was in a daze, a voice call window suddenly popped out. The long awaited green microphone has finally appeared.


    Qi Jing immediately put away the things in his mind and quickly picked up the headphones to put them on.


    Last time his breath was ragged at the beginning of the call, this time the roles were swapped.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I had to work overtime and it took a while.¡± That person¡¯s voice sounded a little hoarse.


    ¡°No problem, no problem, work is important.¡± Qi Jing said quickly.


    Actually, he kind of wanted to ask <i>Geese Fly North</i> about the nature of his job, but prying into the 3D private matters was a taboo of the online voice actingmunity, he wouldn¡¯t go as far as viting it because of his curiosity.


    At that moment, a series of restrained coughs could be heard from the headphones.


    The sound was very muffled, the other person must have used his hand to cover the microphone. However, Qi Jing could still tell that his throat was not veryfortable, and his expression got serious: ¡°Are you sick?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± Not only was he coughing, some fatigue could also be heard in his voice, ¡°The weather changedst night, and it rained a bit in the morning. I might have caught a cold¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence, it also started rainingst night here at my ce.¡± Qi Jing smoothly continued the topic.


    The sound in the headphones stopped for a moment, not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Only after a moment <i>Geese Fly North</i> said lightly: ¡°A lot of ces across the country are experiencing such weather.¡±


    Qi Jing always had a habit of watching the news, so he also watched the country-wide weather forecast in passing as it was right after the news. As far as he remembered, the forecaster said that it would be raining mainly in the few neighbouring provinces these two days¡ªwho knows, maybe <i>Geese Fly North</i> was located not so far away from him.


    ¡°By the way, I went to read the post thread. I was scolded quite severely by the fans of the novel.¡± Qi Jing remembered how he went to look through the reviews after they ended their conversation yesterday, so he smiled and sighed with emotion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind them.¡± Geese Fly North¡¯s response was just as he had imagined it.


    Well, it¡¯s not like he did to begin with.


    After reading all of thements, he opened a Word document and spent a whole hour writing a few hundred words long reply. Basically, he started from exining the reason for his disappearance, then he mentioned a little about his own understanding towards the source novel without singing a different tune than Bronze Sparrow Terrace. Finally, he thanked his fans for their support and critique while expressing that it was the crew that would make the final judgement.


    He logged on to his main ount, ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡±, copied and pasted his response in the forum, then sent it.


    At that time, the post thread has already turned to page 5. His reply was at the very least, in the 1400s, so the 1122ndment that he wrote under a fake, new ount shouldn¡¯t be...


    ¡°The 1122ndment, was that you?¡± <i>Geese Fly North</i> suddenly asked him this.


    ¡°C-Cough cough cough...¡±


    Qi Jing choked in front of the microphone and coughed so much that his face was burning. Maybe he should also me it on the rain fromst night.


    ¡°How, how...¡± was it discovered. He felt like a child that was caught doing mischief, and his voice became weaker.


    ¡°Intuition.¡± The other party gave him a simple reply.


    This kind of intuition is rather too scary, can it be that you¡¯re actually a cop, just like that character from¡¶Trap¡·?


    Qi Jing waspletely shocked. He never thought that he would be recognized when hemented with a fake ount, not only that, he was also recognized by the person he wasmenting about. The words in hisment added up to less than a ten...


    And now that he thought about it, he used such a shameless ID as Grandpa¡¯s Fan¡ªit was too embarrassing to recall.


    Qi Jing felt that this was by far, the darkest moment in all of his dark past. ¡°Meow¡± and the likes of it were simply weak inparison¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I do sincerely think that way from the bottom of my heart.¡± Anyway, an apologyes first.


    ¡°Why do you need to apologise?¡± <i>Geese Fly North</i> didn¡¯t seem angry or have any meaning to ridicule him, he was just as gentle as always.


    ¡°Because...¡± I really thought so. Qi Jing stopped all of sudden, realising that this reason didn¡¯t make sense at all, and didn¡¯t know what to say for a while. In fact, the thought that he had to apologise sprouted out because he felt that his actions could make the other party feel ufortable.


    Just as he was about to exin himself, the kitten by his leg had already woken up at some point, and it started meowing with its eyes still drowsy from sleep.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t even have time to lower his head to respond to it as the person on the other end of the line seemed rather stunned.


    ¡°You have a cat?¡±


    There was a surprise in his voice.


    He was probably curious because an unfamiliar sound he didn¡¯t hear the night before appeared.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not mine, I have just picked it up on a street earlier this day.¡± He exined.


    ¡°Is it... A stray cat?¡± The voice from the other side seemed to sink, as if he thought about something.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Qi Jing recalled the battle in the bathroom he and Little Return Date had today and smiled lightly, ¡°This little guy is so naughty, I gave him a bath because he was so dirty, and he scratched me until the blood came out.¡±


    At that moment, he suddenly heard a sharp breath in his headphones.


    ¡°Immediately go to a hospital.¡±<i> Geese Fly North</i> spoke suddenly, his voice unusually low and earnest.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Qi Jing¡¯s thoughts didn¡¯t catch up, and he was still slightly confused.


    ¡°Immediately go to the hospital and take the injection of immunoglobulin, no matter the price. Immediately!¡± It was the first time for him to hear that man speak so urgently, even a slight tremble could be heard in his voice.


    At that point, Qi Jing has finally realised what he meant.


    So... He was afraid that he¡¯ll get rabies. Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but feel warm in his heart when he smiled and disarmed the rm: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, because of my work, I have already been vinated. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    The other party seemed to be stunned. He didn¡¯t say anything anymore, and his breath gradually calmed down.


    Atst, he breathed out slowly with relief: ¡°...Then it¡¯s okay.¡±


    The false rm has passed, but the gratitude that filled his heart didn¡¯t disappear.


    <i>It seems that I unconsciously got to know another side of Geese Fly North</i>. The smile on Qi Jing¡¯s lips could no longer be contained as he deliberately said in a joking tone, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t imagine that even you have moments where you¡¯re this nervous¡ª¡±


    That person was silent for a long time and seemed to sigh in very, very low voice: ¡°Because you can¡¯t joke about these matters.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I understand.¡± Qi Jing smiled sincerely. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Hi, Luci here~


    I¡¯ve been helping Lilies with tranting for the past couple of weeks and now I¡¯m also an official co-trantor for the EROVA project. I hope you enjoy our trantion ^^

 Chapter 22

    <h4>Chapter 22</h4>


    Thanks Cloud88 for a coffee!


    TLC: lilies


    Editor: whitere


    The process of getting to know a person was like ying with a jigsaw puzzle.


    At the beginning, you only had small, scattered pieces that looked haphazard and enigmatic. However, as long as you patiently looked for clues and gave yourself enough time, you could connect them to form an unexpected picture.


    Right now, he had already pieced together a few different parts of this picture.


    But he wanted to see more; he wanted a moreplete picture.


    Raindrops from the evening rain lined up under the eaves, rolling off one by one in no particr order, like piano keys ying an unwritten song.


    Fortunately, the final melody was still clear and pleasant, pitter-pattering on the windowsill.


    It was a nice, peaceful atmosphere, perfect for chatting.


    ¡°Tell me something about yourself.¡± Qi Jing smiled faintly.


    After interacting with <i>Geese Fly North</i> for so long, he gradually came to understand the other person¡¯s speaking habits. If he didn¡¯t say anything, the other party would keep silent. That man wouldn¡¯t hurry to break thisfortable silence. On the contrary, if he started a conversation, that man would certainly respond.


    ¡°What do you want to hear about?¡± <i>Geese Fly North</i> didn¡¯t sound reluctant and his voice was steady. That kind of voice was perfect for telling children bedtime stories.


    What do I want to hear about? Can I say that I want to hear about everything?


    Qi Jing looked down at Little Return Date who was scratching his chest with its two paws, pondered for a moment, then chose a topic suitable for their current rtionship, ¡°Then... Tell me why you started voice acting.¡±


    <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> breath ceased for a while.


    Soft rustling sounds made by adjusting a microphone could be heard from the headphones. By this point, Qi Jing had already recognized this pattern. It was <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> habit to do that whenever he was hesitant.


    Could it actually be an ufortable question? Qi Jing sensed that something was wrong and intended to quickly change the topic.


    But at that moment <i>Geese Fly North</i> opened his mouth, although his voice was very soft, ¡°In the past I... I suffered from a severe speech disorder that¡¯s called ¡®selective mutism¡¯ to be precise.¡±


    Qi Jing was dumbfounded. He immediately blurted out an apology, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I...¡±


    But <i>Geese Fly North</i> gently stopped him from speaking any further, his voice seemed very calm, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s already in the past.¡±


    Selective mutism is a syndrome caused by psychological pressure and anxiety. It causes the inability to speak normally and usually acts up in specific situations, particrly in an unfamiliar environment. Even if the patient¡¯s speech organs are not damaged and their IQ is normal, the patient will keep silent because of the psychological barriers impairing their ability to speak.


    ¡°When I was a kid, my environment... wasn¡¯t very good.¡±


    That was <i>Geese Fly North</i>¡¯s opening statement.


    It took him a long time to continue speaking, but he didn¡¯t specifically exin the content of the first sentence. He only slowly rted his experience of the illness itself, ¡°It was always hard for me to deal with strangers and only after I went to junior highschool did they realise I had a speech disorder. I was too old by then and had already missed the best period for treatment. I could only slowly adjust it by myself.¡±


    Qi Jing felt his breath stop for a while and dare not make a single sound as he listened quietly while cuddling the kitten. His sweaty hands held the kitten¡¯s paws tightly.


    ¡°My doctor said that it¡¯s difficult to get rid of this disorder after reaching adolescence, but it¡¯s not impossible. He suggested that I try desensitization therapy first andmunicate with people indirectly¡ª through emails, voice chatting, and so on¡ªin the hope I could gradually get used to it. ¡±


    ¡°So... you started voice acting online?¡± Qi Jing suddenly understood.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t at that time.¡±<i> Geese Fly North</i>ughed lightly, ¡°The inte wasn¡¯t as convenient as it is now at the time. But I had stage performances in my school from time to time. Because of a certain ident, I was pulled in to make up for the numbers; that was when I realised that symptoms of my disorder would alleviate whenever I immersed myself in a role. Perhaps it was because I was ying a different person and it made me feel more at ease. Later on, I would take part in simr activities a lot, but...¡±


    After saying that, <i>Geese Fly North</i> stopped speaking for a while.


    Qi Jing heard a subtle change in the rhythm of his breathing. Later, there was another rustling sound at the microphone.


    ¡°But at times, the matters in my life&#k2026; didn¡¯t go so smoothly and at some point, they affected my treatment. The situation deteriorated to the point where my state was even worse than it was in the beginning.¡±


    <i>Geese Fly North</i>¡¯s emotions seemed to have infected Qi Jing. He felt his breath quicken with the other party¡¯s sinking voice. Only when the cat scratched his palm did he realise that his hands werepletely drenched in cold sweat.


    He couldn¡¯t bear to ask for details. He was afraid that it would evoke bad memories.


    But he also couldn¡¯t help but want to hear what happened next.


    ¡°Then... what happened after that?¡± Qi Jing cautiously gave that man a way out, so that he could skip over the hard to mention parts.


    <i>Geese Fly North</i>¡¯s silencested for a long time, then he finally continued.


    ¡°After that, when I got to university, even though there were simr club activities, I didn¡¯t participate in them because I couldn¡¯t ovee the negative emotions after my rpse; I didn¡¯t want to perform face-to-face. It was around that time when I got to know some online friends that were fond of voice acting. I discovered that I could still act in an indirect way, without having to meet anyone and that¡¯s how I got in touch with the online voice acting circle. At that time, this circle wasn¡¯t as focused around forums as it is now, most of the time it was just scattered exchanges. After joining the workforce, everyone had their own lives, so our contact was always intermittent and even voice acting was temporarily put off.¡±


    So that¡¯s how it is. No wonder his acting doesn¡¯t sound amateurish, it¡¯s quite solid and natural.


    Qi Jing frowned slightly. He recalled what Puppet Show had told him in the past and asked suddenly, ¡°I heard that you never ept main roles, is that true?¡±


    <i>Geese Fly North</i> responded lightly, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Qi Jing felt that with such talent, it would be a pity if that man only ever yed as an extra, so he asked, ¡°Why?¡±


    <i>Geese Fly North</i> seemed to sigh by the microphone, ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m no good. I can¡¯t y the main role.¡±


    Qi Jing very patiently tried to persuade him, ¡°Why are you no good? That time when I yed against you, you were voicing a main character. It also shouldn¡¯t be a problem with your work hours, after all, the time we spent on the run-through that night was enough for you to record lines for the main character.¡±


    Since he was willing to spend two hours on a run-through as a stand-in that wouldn¡¯t get any credit, why wasn¡¯t he able to y the actual main role?


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem if it¡¯s just a run-through.¡± <i>Geese Fly North</i> replied in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s just that during the official recording.... I just can¡¯t.¡±


    Qi Jing felt as if his mind suddenly cleared; he stared unblinkingly at the screen.


    ¡°Do you still...¡± have the possibility of another rpse?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± <i>Geese Fly North</i> seemed to know what his unfinished words were.


    Silence.


    Silence that was gradually taken over by the sound of rain pattering down outside the window.


    Little Return Date was licking its fur in Qi Jing¡¯s arms without any care in the world,pletely unaware of the heavy atmosphere around them.


    His chest seemed to be filled to the brim by something; it felt extremely stuffy. Qi Jing tried to start the conversation again quite a few times, but failed every time. He could only sit up straight and wait without uttering a word until the hardest period of the suffocating silence passed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My story might not be as... as beautiful as you have imagined it.¡± In the end, it was <i>Geese Fly North</i> who took the initiative to break the silence.


    ¡°No, everyone has some parts of their pasts they don¡¯t want to mention to other people.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s voice was deep, as if it slowly reverberated from the depths of his chest, ¡°So I¡¯m actually very d... Very d that you can tell me these things. Thank you.¡±


    The fact that he shared this not-so-beautiful story was also a proof that <i>Geese Fly North</i> trusted him.


    Qi Jing felt a little envious of <i>Geese Fly North</i>. He still couldn¡¯t do that himself, at least not yet.


    That¡¯s why he hoped he could use a different way to reciprocate that man¡¯s sincerity, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know how to treat this disorder and how long it will take to recover, I believe there¡¯s a way.¡±


    <i>Geese Fly North</i> didn¡¯t hurry to respond.


    Qi Jing cheered himself up andughed gently, ¡°Take it slow, don¡¯t hurry. If you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re OK with run-throughs, then start from that until you¡¯repletelyfortable with it. Then, you can officially try acting out a script that catches your attention. ¡°


    <i>Geese Fly North</i> was about to say something, but stopped, ¡°I¡¯m...¡±


    Qi Jing decisively interjected to stop him from saying the words ¡®no good¡¯. ¡°I believe that you will certainly be good.¡±


    Once again silence fell upon them, but it wasn¡¯t that suffocating, stifling silence anymore.


    ¡°I¡¯m not only talking about the scripts. If you have someone in mind that you really want to act with... Who knows, maybe you¡¯ll be able to ovee your psychological barriers towards ying a main character.¡± Qi Jing said.


    Isn¡¯t that the exact description of the so-called co-star¡¯s effect, where one¡¯s acting has an impact on another¡¯s.


    ¡°Why do you insist on making me y a main role?¡± At this time, that man suddenly asked.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t see that questioning. He sat confused on his chair. He actually felt like copying the other party¡¯s habit and adjusting his microphone.


    ¡°I just feel that... It would be a pity to waste your talent.¡± These words were true. And his response only needed those honest words, the rest of what he wanted to say could be left unspoken.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a pity.¡± It looked like <i>Geese Fly North</i> was harder to persuade than he imagined.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then even if it¡¯s just for the sake of rehearsing, from today on, can you help me going through a part of my script every day? So I can improve my sense of acting?¡± Qi Jing took a step back for the sake of advancing. At times like this, they¡¯repeting to see who was more persistent. He deliberately asked in a pleading tone, hoping to slowly break the defensive wall before him.


    As expected, <i>Geese</i><i>Fly North</i> didn¡¯t respond for quite a while. Usually when this person didn¡¯t respond, his silence meant approval.


    ¡°My abilities are limited and I may not be of much help to you as you¡¯re very capable yourself¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I even abandoned any form of shame when I used the name of a ¡®Grandpa¡¯s Fan¡¯, so Grandpa, you can¡¯t refuse me.¡± Qi Jing didn¡¯t expect him to continue struggling, so he cut him short and gave him no room for any argument.


    After a long time, he finally heard <i>Geese Fly North</i> sigh.


    ¡°Okay then,¡± There was a trace of helplessness in that man¡¯s voice, but Qi Jing seemed to hear himugh lightly, ¡°I hope that I can really be of some help to you.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Overjoyed, he couldn¡¯t help but pick up Little Return Date and rub it with his chin for a while.


    Little Return Date cocked its head, confused, and started a vigorous fight with the microphone. He didn¡¯t know if <i>Geese Fly North</i> had heard the rustle caused by the little guy grabbing it.


    ¡°In that case, do you have any scripts at the moment?¡± To keep his promise,<i> Geese Fly North</i> decided to put his words into action once he agreed. His voice went back to its usual proper tone, to the point of sounding slightly restrained .


    He thought back to when they yed against each other for the first time. Before the official start of recording, <i>Geese Fly North</i> always kept silent and stayed low-key. Back then, when he didn¡¯t understand him as well, Qi Jing even mistook him for a distant person. But now that he knew that man¡¯s past, Qi Jing guessed it was probably just that he just wasn¡¯tpletely at ease when he was dealing with strangers.


    Even now, as they grew more familiar with each other, <i>Geese Fly North</i> would still be too reserved at times. That¡¯s why it would be a good idea to lighten the mood a little.


    Qi Jing pondered over it before he suddenly thought of an idea. Without batting an eyelid, he opened that thunderous script Ning Xiaoxiao had sent him before and copied a part of the lines from inside. He resisted the urge tough as he pasted it into QQ¡¯s chat window and sent it.


    ¡°I have recently received this script.¡± With his utmost professionalism as a CV, he maintained a serious and solemn tone as he cleared his throat and said, ¡°Ah, by the way, the producerdy wants me to voice the Gong, so I¡¯ll have to trouble <i>Geese Fly North</i>-sama to take care of the Shou¡¯s lines.¡±


    After saying that, Qi Jing covered the microphone with his hand beforeughing to his heart¡¯s content in front of theputer for half a minute.


    If the Gong¡¯s lines were a lightning strike of 0.1 megavolts, then the Shou¡¯s lines would at least be 10 megavolts.


    These lines would certainly help in easing the atmosphere.


    As expected, he heard that person in his headphones sighing, ¡°.... You¡¯re making fun of me on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Qi Jing bursted outughing. Little Return Date was spooked by hisughter and buried its head in the sling holding the cast on his left hand. It couldn¡¯t be helped though, he could even imagine the helpless expression that person made before the screen.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± Qi Jing apologised whileughing, his eyes narrowed to two crescent moons as he exined himself, ¡°I wanted to let you rx a little, because you were so tense.¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect that once he spoke, he would hear <i>Geese Fly North</i> delivering those lines with the true spirit of a professional voice actor. ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel extremely shy when he stares like this at me.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡ª¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t expect that man would really read that aloud and couldn¡¯t control himself; he burst outughing without any care about his image.


    Then, that man abruptly switched his voice to the so-called upstanding fifty-year-old uncle that was often in high demand with the producers. Without breaking character and bursting into augh even a single time, <i>Geese Fly North</i> finished delivering the next line. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to suddenly open his arms and embrace me like this. I struggled, but couldn¡¯t escape, shivering like a small rabbit in his embrace.¡±


    The tone of his voice and the emotions were all on point.


    ¡°Aiyo!¡± This time, Qi Jing doubled overughing; he was basically sprawled across the desk, his shoulders shaking like a sieve.


    ¡°Enough, I beg you, stop reading, my sides are hurting already.¡± The lines were already hrious by themselves and when the other party used such a pure uncle voice to deliver them, Qi Jing waspletely defenseless against this ¡°attack¡± andughed until he was out of breath.


    It was as if <i>Geese Fly North</i> didn¡¯t hear his words as he calmly continued delivering next lines.


    This time in his trademark old grandpa voice.


    The immortal kind¡ª


    ¡°What do I do, my whole body feels like on fire and it won¡¯t cool down. My god, it has to be the first symptom of falling in love.¡±


    Qi Jing felt that hisughter was so loud that his next door neighbour was about toe knocking on his door. If it wasn¡¯t because his hand was still in a cast, he would probably fall from his chair on the floor and have the unknowing kitten watch him roll on the floorughing.


    Then the neighbour from below would alsoe knocking on his door.


    ¡°Hahahaha... Really! Don¡¯t read it, really don¡¯t read it anymore! I was wrong, I shouldn¡¯t have teased you, Grandpa, please have mercy! Ahahahaha...¡±


    Just now, he wasughing so hard that tears started rolling from his eyes and his lungs couldn¡¯t keep up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t use this kind of script next time.¡± Finally, when <i>Geese Fly North</i> spoke up this time, it wasn¡¯t the lines anymore. His voice went back to his original tone.


    Only when it was over did Qi Jing hear a soft chuckle from him. It was even softer than the warm light of themp on his desk.


    Next time.


    It was just a simple phrase, but it held a kind of promise within. It made him look forward to it.


    A/N: Comrade Qi Jing, you shouldn¡¯t look down on uncle Yan¡¯s professionalism. (£þ¦á£þ)


    PS: To be fair, I have already thought through the ¡°selective mutism¡± setting in advance, but the process of slowly oveing it by the means of voice acting was just baseless writing of mine. Yet when I was consulting reference materials on the subject, I discovered that a famous actor Bruce Willis also had a speech disorder (although it was stuttering, not selective mutism), and his symptoms would also disappear when he was acting. Only then did I realise that my thoughts had some basis in real life.


    T/N Can I just say that this was the first time I genuinlyughed reading this so-callededy?? Author-sama! You promised us sweet, silly, and unrealistic gay, why do I keep feeling feels!? QAQ


    (still loving it xD)

 Chapter 23

    <h4>Chapter 23</h4>


    Many thanks to Renael for a coffee!


    TLC: Lilies


    Editor: Mashiro


    ¡°It¡¯s already veryte, you should rest.¡± Only when Geese Fly North said that did Qi Jing realise that the time at the bottom right corner of his screen was already past 10.30 PM.


    The timer on the QQ conversation window kept increasing with every passing minute, and the number on the hour count has already jumped to 3. Even the case of his headphones was getting a little hot.


    In fact, such an hour wasn¡¯tte for a seasoned night owl like him. However, considering that the other party probably had a very regr routine, Qi Jing agreed, ¡°Mhm, thank you for apanying me for over three hours tonight. You have a good rest too.¡±


    Qi Jing had been so terribly amused by Geese Fly North¡¯s professional performance that he barely managed to calm himself down. His sides were sore fromughing, and he temporarily couldn¡¯t muster a serious attitude to do a run-through, so they just chatted idly. Before they knew it, it was alreadyte into the night. As wearing headphones for long hours was indeed harmful for the ears, Qi Jing had to let today¡¯s calle to an end.


    ¡°Tomorrow...¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow...¡±


    Both of them spoke up almost simultaneously. Qi Jing stopped for a moment, then heughed and added quickly: ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, I wille online at the same time.¡± Geese Fly North didn¡¯t even change a single word of this sentence, but it contained a kind of a reassuring promise within.


    People who aren¡¯t good at socialising would sometimes use the same sentence repeatedly. It¡¯s because they have used them before and knew the reaction it would elicit from the other party, giving them a sense of security that ¡°this way of speaking is safe¡±. After getting to know his past, Qi Jing was suddenly able to understand the logic behind some of Geese Fly North¡¯s actions.


    However in front of him, that person could actually continue to improve.


    Qi Jing deliberatelyughed cunningly and prompted: ¡°Can you say something else besides this?¡±


    That question seemed to have stumped Geese Fly North. He didn¡¯t say anything for a while, during which the sound of him fiddling with the microphone could be heard.


    Finally, Qi Jing received a short hushed response: ¡°Then, goodnight.¡±


    He was baffled at that moment and by the time he processed what had happened he had already blurted out subconsciously: ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    The chat window in front of him flickered and returned to its original size.


    The QQ system disyed the duration of the call as usual. At the same time, that bird head profile picture also turned back to grey.


    Qi Jing blinked slowly and leaned back on the chair.


    He actually got to hear Geese Fly North say ¡®goodnight¡¯ to him... He never thought it would be possible.


    Previously, whenever he listened to the recording of the first time they yed against each other, only his one-sided ¡®goodnight¡¯ would be heard at the end. And now, this gap has been suddenly filled¡ªthere was a sense of relief, like finally sending out the letter that one had been hesitating over for a long time and actually receiving a reply.


    It¡¯s just he didn¡¯t know when he would receive it.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± He chuckled and mumbled to himself, ¡°It¡¯s already quite impressive for him.¡±


    Encouraging the other party was like encouraging himself. Letting it go, so they could always start afresh in the future.


    Hence, he silently and slowly picked up the phone that was ced face down on the desk. He unlocked it, went to his image gallery and opened that image for the first time since the ident. He kept his eyes on the photo, one second, two seconds, three seconds, then he returned to the menu.


    Very good, it wasn¡¯t as painful as he expected it to be.


    He could definitely ovee that hurdle in his heart. There was no need to rush, he could adjust his feelings one step at a time. Next time, he could try to look at it for a little longer; until the day he would be able to look at it and remain calm.


    It should be a beautiful memory to begin with. A memory he could put in a frame to asionally look back on and reminisce about the warmth he once received in the long days ahead.


    With a faint smile on his face, Qi Jing locked his phone and put it back¡ªface down¡ªon the desk.


    Turning his attention back to theputer, the Word doc for that god-awful, ¡®‡å¡¯ script akin a heavenly tribtion was still open. Thanks to it, he had a goodugh for the first time in a long while.


    Qi Jing recalled how Geese Fly North delivered the lines using the grandpa voice, and almost couldn¡¯t hold himself back. He had to try his best to stop himself fromughing out loud and disturbing his neighbours once again. It was strange though, this producer must have sent the friend request after his business trip as he had only seen it after he was discharged from the hospital.


    It seemed like it was an original drama. The title was equally as hopeless as the lines, it was called¡¶Simply doting on you¡·.


    The description under the invitation was simply ¡°The producer of¡¶Simply doting on you¡· ¡ªQi Jing automatically tranted it as ¡°producer of¡¶Simply electrocuting you¡·¡± in his mind. It sounded a lot better this way.


    He had epted the request quite a long time ago, but it seemed like the producerdy didn¡¯t show up at all.


    It can¡¯t be this drama fell through? I cannot let that happen.


    As a thanks for the goodugh this script provided him tonight, Qi Jing decided to take an initiative asking about the progress and rescue this audio drama. He had to spread this &#k2018;joy¡¯ far and wide.


    He found this producer named Jade Butterfly in his friend list. After opening the QQ chat window, he realised that they had two entries separated by a few days in their chat history.


    Jade Butterfly: Online?


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I have just returned.


    These two entries were separated by eight days, no wonder there was no response.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t mean to reply sote, but the fate was simply out of his hands. He broke his hand and the hospitalisation caused a considerable dy. He had been practising his typing with his right hand these two days, so his skill improved to some extent. This way, even if he just used a single finger to type, his typing speed was already better, so he typed a sentence and sent it.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I¡¯m sorry, because of some private matters I couldn¡¯t reply on time. Producerdy, if you see this message, please notify me. ^_^


    Jade Butterfly: Oh, I¡¯ve seen it.


    At that moment, Jade Butterfly¡¯s profile picture lit up.


    Turns out she set her status to invisible¡ªbut I wasn¡¯t invisible, can it be that she didn¡¯t see me? If she saw me, then why wait until I send my message before replying? Qi Jing was perplexed.


    Even more baffling was how Jade Butterfly disappeared for the next ten minutes, leaving the chat record with only these four entries.


    In the first five minutes, Qi Jing opened his weibo and browsed both domestic and foreign news for the day, then read dailyments of some awarded reporters. He saw that she still didn¡¯t appear, so in the next five minutes he went out of the room and gave Little Return Date portion of milk and dry food, watching the little guy spares no effort in devouring its food.


    It was after Little Return Date emptied its bowls when the QQ chat window flickered once again.


    Jade Butterfly: I just went to put on a mask; it¡¯s so hard being a woman.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ... You¡¯re right, miss.


    Jade Butterfly: Hehe, I¡¯ve heard Don¡¯t ask for my return date is a gentlemanly male CV, sure enough, you understand us.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Hehe.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t know how else to reply to her other thanughing along. He did actually understand the enthusiasm of some femalepatriots towards beauty and skin care and didn¡¯t mind it at all.


    It¡¯s just that the time she took was enough to let him read more than twenty press releases, go through a hundred or soments, and prepare a sumptuous meal for the kitten, that¡¯s all.


    However, beauty has always been rather time-consuming, understandable, understandable.


    But it seemed like Jade Butterfly¡¯s thoughts diverged into another direction¡ª


    <i>Jade Butterfly</i>: Return date, you¡¯re a homo, am I right? Is it because you apply facial masks normally that you understand?


    She wasn¡¯t the first producer to ask about his sexual orientation, but people who asked this so bluntly were really rare.


    Qi Jing felt a hint of difort. He sat before the screen and scoured his mind for words to answer this question as tactfully as possible and return the topic on the right track.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Although I am, I have never used a face mask before. So Ms Butterfly, how is your drama doing?


    Jade Butterfly: Oh, March Bamboo Shoots should have already given you the script, have you seen it?


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I¡¯ve seen it already.


    Jade Butterfly: Then tell me about yourprehension of the characters.


    Jade Butterfly: By the way, your typing is a bit slow.


    Jade Butterfly: Just tell me your understanding about the character in 300 words, but don¡¯t be too slow with writing, or it¡¯ll take too long.


    Qi Jing kept calm, and worked hard toplete writing that ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my hand is hurt, it¡¯s inconvenient for me to type, can we try voice chatting¡±, and he finally found a gap in the conversation to send it.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: (bows) I¡¯m sorry, my hand is hurt, it¡¯s inconvenient for me to type, can we try voice chatting?


    Jade Butterfly: Ah? So troublesome?


    Jade Butterfly: Wait a minute, I¡¯ll go to find my headphones.


    Jade Butterfly: I have just washed my hair and it¡¯s not dry yet, so it¡¯s inconvenient to wear headphones. Forget it.


    It took another three minutes for the voice chat window to pop up. Although the green vibrating microphone looked the same as before, deep inside, Qi Jing felt that it was more pleasing to the eye when the caller was Geese Fly North.


    It¡¯s alright. After all, thisdy called me a gentleman, so I¡¯d better behave as one.


    He epted the call. Azy imperial jie voice could be heard faintly in the headphones: ¡°Hello? Can you hear me?¡±


    Qi Jing raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    Based on his long years of experience as a CV, Jade Butterfly¡¯s voice was a ssic example of a beautiful woman¡¯s voice. It was very memorable, and it was suitable for dubbing in audio dramas. So in order to make up for the inconvenience caused by him being unable to type quickly, he smiled politely and praised the other party: ¡°Miss producer, your voice is very pleasant to the ear.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jade Butterfly epted his praise as a matter of fact, and replied indifferently, ¡°after all, I did work as a CV.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s like this.¡± Qi Jing finally understood. But he had no impression of seeing this ID in any of the CASTs, and with a voice like this, it was impossible for her to be low-key. ¡°Excuse me for being ignorant, but usually I don¡¯t pay attention to other CV¡¯s names, and I never heard your voice.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I voice in BG. You¡¯re gay, so you wouldn¡¯t listen to it, right?¡± Jade Butterfly exined the reason.


    Qi Jing stopped for a while. He had no idea how to refute that, so he chose to stay silent.


    Jade Butterfly seemed to remember what was the purpose of their conversation: ¡°Right, characterprehension. What do you think about the plot? Did it move you?¡±


    Producer is the scriptwriter.


    The script is original.


    The creator of the story is currently asking him how he feels about it.


    Summing up the above three points, he decided that it would be better to not tell the truth.


    ¡°Mhm... It¡¯s not bad.¡± At least it made him feel better that night, so that¡¯s a plus.


    ¡°Hehe, I knew you would like it.¡± Jade Butterflyughed meaningfully. A faint sound of pping could be heard. She probably applied some kind of skin care product, and was now promoting the absorption of it, ¡°Now tell me about yourprehension of the characters.¡±


    ¡°Do I need to... describe both of them?¡± He felt like his ability to make up lies has received a massive challenge.


    ¡°You can start from your role. You call it ¡®Gong¡¯ on your side, am I right?¡± It seems like it was the first time for Ms Jade Butterfly to produce a BL audio drama.


    <i>It doesn¡¯t matter, everyone has their first time. Understandable, understandable.</i>


    Qi Jing rejoiced in the fact that she didn¡¯t make him start from the Shou. He cleared his throat and tried his best to use positive adjectives while describing the Gong: ¡°I think that... the gong is... He¡¯s affectionate and considerate, a good person that will use various ways to dote on Shou. And ording to the description in the script, his family is rich, and he¡¯s a very talented, tall and handsome man, very popr with women. But he¡¯s only devoted to the Shou, and this¡ª¡±


    Jade Butterfly seemed to get quite excited by his words and interrupted him: ¡°Right, right, that¡¯s very rare, isn¡¯t it? In fact his devotion is very logical, after all, the Shou¡¯s temperament is more outstanding than any other person¡¯s, so it was natural for him to fall in love.


    Next, she started talking about the Shou in-depth, from his appearance to his character, praising him as much as possible.


    Great, that way he didn¡¯t have to analyze that character.


    After he managed to escape unscathed, Qi jing patiently listened to the producer analyzing every crook and nanny of the Shou¡¯s mentality. During this time, he refreshed the weibo page ten times, opened the mailbox and organised his emails eight times, and replied to other people¡¯s messages four times. And from the beginning to the end, he was gently rubbing Little Return Date¡¯s fur with his foot. At that time, Little Return Date was dozing off on the floor contentedly. It opened its sleepy eyes asionally and pawed at his foot.¡¯


    Around the time when Qi Jing was seriously considering muting the sound temporarily, Jade Butterfly concluded her monologue.


    So he put on a gentlemanly smile and asked politely: ¡°Then, Ms Butterfly, about this role... do you have a candidate for it?¡±


    Jade Butterfly seemed to be tired from her talking. Her voice stopped for a while, before sheughed lightly: ¡°I have a candidate, but I¡¯m still in the process of contacting them.¡±


    Qi Jing was quite curious about the CV who could take on the role of this Shou and asked, ¡°Do you mind telling me that person¡¯s ID?¡±


    Jade Butterfly said leisurely, ¡°He¡¯s famous on your side, you certainly have heard about him¡ªCrossing the bridge noodles. Do you know him?¡±


    Crossing the bridge noodles.


    I know him, of course I know him. This ID has been appearing wherever I gotely.


    Qi Jing breathed in deeply, and patted his chest: ¡°Crossing the bridge noodles, you mean that Crossing the bridge noodles that has a CP with God Bronze Sparrow Terrace, am I right?


    <i>Jade Butterfly</i> suddenly chuckled, he couldn¡¯t decipher the meaning behind herugh. ¡°All of CPs are created by fans without any real basis.¡±


    His junior seemed to have said something like this before.


    After all, long-distance rtionships were rather difficult. Qi Jing agreed with that, so he nodded in silence.


    ¡°Speaking of Bronze Sparrow,¡± She suddenly changed the topic, and actually mentioned another one of his works, ¡°I went to read that thread for ¡¶Trap¡·. You yed a couple with him, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡±


    So she did read that thread, yet she still decided to put him in the same work as Crossing the bridge noodles. It was really... courageous of her.


    It was no doubt that he fitted this role, but didn¡¯t she see Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ fans? Especially the fans of the ¡®Moss¡¯ ship that continuously smeared him in order to ascertain their Little Noodles¡¯ position as the one and only true CP? And now, they were actually going to be made to y a couple, Qi Jing really wanted to see the faces of these few fans after they get to know about it.


    ¡°You must have met the two managers of Bronze Sparrow¡¯s fan association, am I right?¡± It seemed that this producer not only was knowledgeable about Bronze Sparrow Terrace, but also knew about Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao. That was unexpected.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Da and Xiao Qiao, these twodies? They did lurk around in the production crew chat group.¡± Qi Jing told the truth.


    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m sure they made it hard for you, am I right? You¡¯re really a pitiful one, Return Date.¡± Jade Butterfly sighed with pity, seemingly able to guess what happened to Qi Jing.


    Qi Jing thought back earnestly. These days DaXiao Qiao were quite nice to him, it was just at the beginning that their attitudes weren¡¯t that good. Saying that they made it hard for him would be a little too much.


    Before he could even speak up for both Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, Jade Butterfly has already started her bout ofining: ¡°You don¡¯t need to mind them, they are two young girls who have just entered university, and don¡¯t understand how the world works. They have too much time on their hands, so they went to fight to be managers of the group of fans, and after bing presidents of that fan club, they became even more arrogant and wilful. Bronze Sparrow simply indulged them and didn¡¯t manage them at all, so they get more and more unreasonable.¡±


    Qi Jing found the right time to chip in: ¡°I don¡¯t mind the words of these twodies, they just want the best for their idol.¡±


    Hearing him speaking, Jade Butterflyughed lightly: ¡°Aiya, Return Date, you really are a gentleman, what a pity you¡¯re gay.¡±


    Qi Jing reciprocated with a smile: ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a pity. Having a good man by one¡¯s side is a treat for both femalepatriots and gays.¡±


    At that moment, Jade Butterfly restrained her voice, and enunciated each word slowly: ¡°Who are you talking about?¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback at first, then he slowly exined: ¡°I¡¯m talking about... a certain person, one I know offline.¡±


    He could hear the sound of two bottles being screwed, it seemed like Jade Butterfly¡¯s beauty time was over. Hearing his response, she recovered the previous bearing, andughed: ¡°You¡¯re really sensible. That¡¯s right, people we know in reality are way more reliable¡ª¡±


    She didn¡¯t mention anything about DaXiao Qiao anymore, and finally came back to the topic of audio drama.


    ¡°I will contact Crossing the bridge noodles in the next two days. Return Date, if you don¡¯t mind, then record the lines first. I will hand it over to the editor together with his dry recording when he sends me it.¡±


    ¡°Okay then.¡±


    Some of the production crews weren¡¯t that particr about doing run-throughs. And out of concern for the fans, it¡¯d be also for the best if he didn¡¯t have any direct contact with Crossing the bridge noodles to avoidplications.


    ¡°Well then, I look forward to working with you.¡± Jade Butterfly smiled cheerfully.


    A/N Grandpa probably wouldn¡¯t expect that his 2D self would be a bridge forrade Qi Jing to forget his 3D self...

 Chapter 24

    <h4>Chapter 24</h4>


    Thank yous to Cloud88 for recharging me with coffee loll <3


    Editor: Whitere


    Jade Butterfly seemed to be a strong believer that ¡°sleeping early helps maintain the condition of your skin¡±. Normally, 11 PM was already her limit. Her heart ached dreadfully when she saw that it was approaching 11:30 PM. She hurriedly took her leave, going offline amidst the tter of her putting away her skincare products.


    Qi Jing habitually nced at the timer. Taking out the time she spent applying her face mask and moisturising, the time they actually spent on having a proper talk only amounted to ten minutes.


    Right now, most of the residents of the buildings across the street had already turned off their lights and gone to bed. In the pitch-ck darkness outside, there were a few bokeh of lights beyond his window, flickering in the raindrops.


    Qi Jing yawned, feeling a wave of sleepiness wash over him.


    Just as he was about to close the QQ app and read a few more blog posts before going to sleep, a notification popped up at the bottom right corner of the screen: there was a new email in his QQ mailbox.


    At first, he thought it was from a producer who was sending him a script at this time, but who knew that in the sender¡¯s box sat three striking words: <i>Geese Fly North</i>.


    He got the shock of his life. Could it be that there was some dy in QQ¡¯s notification system?


    In an instant, any form of sleepiness vanished without a trace as he quickly opened the email titled ¡°I hope this helps¡±. He checked that the email was indeed delivered just thirty seconds ago. Qi Jing didn¡¯t even look at the contents of the email, but instead, went to open his friends list. That person¡¯s avatar had lit up again at some point.


    Qi Jing hastily sent him a message.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: (Surprised) I thought you¡¯d already be in bed.


    <i>Geese Fly North</i>: That was my initial intention, but I suddenly got a call from my friend after going offline. I wanted to send you his advice as soon as possible, so I went back online to email you.


    Only then, did Qi Jing notice that the content of the email was all rted to treating patients with ulnar and radius fractures: how to adjust their diet, how to carry out rehabilitation, and so on. Qi Jing¡¯s heart was instantly warmed by the gesture; he couldn¡¯t help but hurriedly put back on the headphones he had already ced aside for fear of the other party exiting the program in the next second.


    This was the first time he took the initiative to send the request for a call.


    He didn¡¯t think that¡ªwithout waiting for tomorrow toe¡ªhe would be able to hear that voice a second time before the day ended.


    However, would it affect the other party¡¯s rest? After all, it was already prettyte.


    The moment ¡°reasoning¡± returned to him, Qi Jing slightly regretted sending out that request on an impulse. As he hesitated, he unwittingly moved his cursor onto the ¡°Cancel¡± button¡ªhoping he could cut it off before it was toote.


    However, right as he was about to click on the ¡°Cancel¡± button, it disappeared, and the audio chat control panel took its ce.


    The other party had already epted his request for an audio call.


    Qi Jing sucked in a breath, feeling guilty. Just as he was going to apologise, <i>Geese Fly North</i> spoke first, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t check who was online when I logged in and went straight to my mailbox to craft the email. I thought that... you had already gone to bed.¡±


    Well, generally speaking, one should indeed go to bed immediately saying good night.


    Qi Jing smiled apologetically and said, ¡°I have a habit of scrolling through other people¡¯s blogs before sleeping. Then, I also happened to exchange a few words with the producer for a drama and before I realised, it had already gotten thiste.¡±


    Right now, the night was quiet, so <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> sigh sounded even clearer and closer to Qi Jing¡¯s ear as he spoke, ¡°You¡¯re a patient; you need to rest in order to recover.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow is still a workday, yet you aren¡¯t resting properly either,¡± Qi Jing said to him in turn.


    Even though he wanted to smile¡ªconcealing the mess that was the turmoil in his heart¡ªhe just couldn¡¯t seem to find the strength to lift the corners of his mouth. <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> words had sapped any resistance of his,nding directly into his heart.


    ¡°Yesterday, I left a message for a friend of mine; he specialises in orthopaedic trauma and often works the night shift. He didn¡¯t have time to return my call during the day and only called me an hour ago. I noted down what he said, so you can read it when you wake up tomorrow.¡± <i>Geese Fly North</i> slowly exined his reasons to Qi Jing in a serious tone.


    ¡°So just now... you¡¯ve been writing this up this whole time?¡± Qi Jing asked, slightly stunned.


    ¡°Un, I was scared I might miss some details if I left it until tomorrow, so I quickly wrote it all down while it was still fresh in my mind.¡±


    Qi Jing was at a loss for words.


    He redirected his gaze back to his inbox. The email was packed with words, sectioned into paragraphs, each going into detail while being easy to understand. It wasn¡¯t the type of information that was copied off the inte; it was all typed out, word by word, by <i>Geese Fly North</i> himself.


    Sensing Qi Jing¡¯s silence, <i>Geese Fly North</i> seemed to slightly lower his voice. ¡°W-Was that too much?¡±


    Qi Jing denied his thought three times in one breath. ¡°No. It isn¡¯t. You wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    After saying that, he fell back into silence again.


    Time slipped away in the quiet¡ªone second, one minute, at a time. Even though it was clear that they should go offline soon to rest, neither of them made a move.


    Not speaking was Geese Fly North¡¯s usual reaction.


    However, Qi Jing didn¡¯t speak either, as if he had been infected with the illness known as selective mutism. At that moment, he found it incredibly difficult to gather the words in his brain to form a response.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± Finally, he said no for the fourth time, his voice a little hoarse.


    There was no response from <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> side, but Qi Jing knew he was listening. And that he had to be frank to clear up any misunderstanding this long silence might have caused.


    Qi Jing started byughing¡ªthe embarrassed kind ofugh¡ªbefore rifying himself, ¡°I don¡¯t think that you were overstepping. It¡¯s just... Hahaha... I¡¯m sorry, my attitude might suggest otherwise, but I¡¯m actually really happy.¡±


    Once he finally managed to get the first words out, he paused for a bit before continuing, ¡°It¡¯s just that... it¡¯s been so long since someone showed such concern for me that I¡¯m probably not used to it, and... a little shy or something.¡±


    Then, heughed at himself.


    At this time, <i>Geese Fly North</i> suddenly said, ¡°Then, how can I get you used to it?¡±


    Qi Jing waspletely frozen in front of hisputer; never in his wildest imaginations would he have thought that this would be the response from the other party.


    While he still had the smile on his face, Qi Jing tried to get through the topic in a joking manner. ¡°What¡¯s good about getting used to that? Developing unnecessary dependence will only slowly make one unable to bear hardship.¡±


    <i>Geese Fly North</i> replied, his voice just as firm as ever, without a hint of amusement for Qi Jing¡¯s words, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s unnecessary dependence.¡±


    This time, he couldn¡¯t even y it off anymore.


    Qi Jing stiffened in his seat and did not reply.


    While <i>Geese Fly North</i> continued, ¡°Don¡¯t be embarrassed to ept others¡¯ concern. Especially since you are still injured, this is something you deserve and you can learn to get used to it. There¡¯s no need to be shy... or anything like that.¡±


    The little pause at the end of his statement elicited a chuckle from Qi Jing. It felt like the person who said it was a better reflection of the word than the person listening.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t win against you. Alright, I try to get used to it.¡± Qi Jingpromised as he shook his head with a smile.


    How could he win against that when his heart was already filled to the brim¡ªoverflowing, even¡ªwith warmth from a single email. There was no need to go out of his way to deny it. And it was precisely because he knew that person¡¯s kindness was genuine that it was impossible for him to selfishly deny it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to carefully read through your email.¡±<i> I won¡¯t even wait till tomorrow; I¡¯ll finish reading it tonight even if I have to stay upte.</i>


    ¡°Mhm.¡± <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> voice sounded slightly relieved.


    ¡°I will also be sure to properly follow everything as stated.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Well then, please continue taking care of this little ol¡¯ injured person¡ªchatting and exchanging emails and such,¡± Qi Jing said half-seriously and half-jokingly.


    Unexpectedly, Geese Fly North fell silent for a while.


    He was quiet for such a long time that Qi Jing even wondered if either one of them had gone offline and repeatedly looked up to check the QQ chat window.


    ¡°If...¡±


    When he spoke up again, his voice was so soft it was barely audible.


    ¡°If I went to visit you, would you find it... strange?¡±


    Qi Jing was momentarily stunned.


    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to react, but what the other party said made it hard for him to give an immediate reaction.


    When he finally came back to his senses a bit, his first reaction was tough¡ªit was the kind where he wasughing in the understanding that the other party was deliberately teasing him.


    Hence, he teased back in turn without backing away, ¡°The National Day holiday has already ended; just how will you find the time toe over to visit? How many days will it take by train? Or are you nning on parachuting down? It might actually be faster that way.¡±


    From his teasing tone, it was obvious that Qi Jing didn¡¯t take the person¡¯s words seriously.


    For a long while, no sound came from his headphones except for the asional hissing sound of the electric current captured by the microphone.


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± When <i>Geese Fly North</i> opened his mouth again, he spoke in a rather hoarse whisper that Qi Jing seldom heard from him. ¡°It was indeed quite impractical.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it, it¡¯s the thought that counts,¡± Qi Jing said with a smile, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Mhm... You really should go to bed now.¡± <i>Geese Fly North</i> softly reminded him of the time.


    Qi Jing nced to the side and saw that it had already passed twelve midnight.


    ¡°You too. This time, I¡¯ll really be turning off myputer,¡± Qi Jing threw out a little white lie.


    He had nned on studying the relevant information <i>Geese Fly North</i> had speciallypiled for him after closing QQ as his own way of thanking the man.


    ¡°Good night.¡± That man¡¯s second goodnight of the day sounded much more natural.


    ¡°Keke,¡± Qi Jing teased him onest time with a chuckle, ¡°That¡¯s not right, it should be ¡®good morning¡¯ now.¡±


    This time, <i>Geese Fly North</i>ughed softly as well.


    ¡°Sleep.¡±


    As the sound of the storm outside the window grew louder, it made that word sound like a whisper.


    ¡°Patients suffering from bone fracture should avoid consuming caffeinated beverages, such as coffee itself.¡±


    The moment he read that line, Qi Jing silently stared at the emptied cup of coffee by his hand and knitted his brows together¡ªtroubled.


    ¡°In the early stages, the fracture patient should adopt a light diet. Avoid greasy, fried, and spicy food. Even the bone broth that¡¯s widely popr should not be consumed.¡±


    ...Well great, the food he had been eating these few days, which he bought from the restaurants around his neighbourhood, were all part of this list of foods to be avoided.


    Qi Jing did know that the food sold outside wasn¡¯t that clean. Eating those foods for long periods of time also wasn¡¯t good for his stomach. And since for the restaurants, it was all about the colour, aroma, and vour of the dishes, there was no way they could be light-handed with the oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar. Moreover, where he was staying, the local cuisine tended towards rtively stronger vours, so mildly voured foods were often hard to find.


    But just drinking clear soup wouldn¡¯t be able to replenish his body with the nutrients it needed.


    In the email <i>Geese Fly North</i> sent Qi Jing, he also provided a list of what he should eat and what he should eat less of. It made it a lot easier for Qi Jing; he just needed to buy groceries ording to the list.


    Qi Jing decided to stop getting takeaways and start cooking for himself.


    The next day, his fridge that had been empty for the longest time was finally filled with stuff. He had specially picked up fruits that didn¡¯t require peeling; bought two portions of milk for both Big and Little Return Date; some vegetables to be nched; and a few eggs for protein.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if it was the cat¡¯s special body clock doing its thing, but Little Return Date had been sleepy for the whole day, just lying in the nket, not causing any ruckus. Qi Jing was more than happy to use that window of time to do his grocery shopping while it was napping.


    However, when he actually got to the act of cooking, it turned out to be ten times harder than he had imagined. Among other things, just cracking an egg was a tricky task. Most people were ustomed to cracking an egg with both hands. They would open the egg from the cracks, allowing the yolk to flow into the bowl with the egg white.


    With his right hand, he knocked the egg against a surface as one normally would, but was stumped when it came to the next step of properly cracking open the egg. He tried to forcefully break the shell by shoving his thumb inside and, in the end, something dide out, just at the cost of crushing the entire egg in his palm. Pieces of the shell fell into the bowl and he could only slowly pick them out one by one.


    Another example would be the green veggies.


    He could afford to be a little sloppy with washing them, but it wasn¡¯t like he could just throw the entire thing into the pot and cook it whole. Tearing the vegetables? He couldn¡¯t do it with one hand and it would be far too unsightly to do it with both his hand and feet.


    In the end, he had to chop it up with a knife.


    As the vegetable was rather round in shape, it kept rolling around the chopping board. After fighting with it for what felt like half a day, he finally managed to cut it into bit-sized pieces. Just that this entire process took him ten minutes. He was already in such a mess just making a simple dish; he really couldn¡¯t imagine what he would do when it came to dishes that were slightly moreplicated.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok. It¡¯s fine, at least it¡¯s healthy.¡±


    Qi Jing consoled himself with that and his mood improved as he finished his meal.


    After lunch, there still wasn¡¯t any movement from Little Return Date who was temporarily living in a cardboard box.


    Qi Jing had no experience with cats and thought it was just sleeping very well. He didn¡¯t notice anything strange either when he checked on it the first few times. It was only until the afternoon when he heard Little Return Date sneeze very weakly while he was working did he realise that something was wrong.


    Little Return Date had woken up by then, but couldn¡¯t fully open its eyes. Its eyes were barely half-open¡ªlike two slits¡ªand it looked like it didn¡¯t even have the energy to keep them open. Because it was too dark inside the box, Qi Jing picked up the little guy to carefully observe it under the light. However, the little fe started squirming at the sight of the light and hid under the nket, refusing toe out.


    Qi Jing had his heart in his mouth as he gently stroked it, worried that it had eaten something bad and was unwell. However, the kitty still ate a little and didn¡¯t show any signs of vomiting. It was just that itpletely went limp after that.


    The temperature of the ce his fingers touched seemed rather high, and it wasn¡¯t just the fur, the paw pads felt very warm as well. But he couldn¡¯t tell if it was in the normal range or not.


    When Little Return Date started shedding tear-like secretions; its nose wet, as if it hade into contact with water; and its eyes turned bloodshot; Qi Jing was virtually scared silly.


    Little Return Date was definitely ill. Qi Jing¡¯s mind was in a mess as he cradled the little guy in his arms, trying to give it as muchfort as he could.


    ¡°Meow.¡±


    The little guy would actually asionally open and look at Qi Jing with its misty eyes. It reached out a trembling paw and patted his chest, as if tofort him.


    <i>The hospital. We have to go to the hospital.</i>


    At the same time this thought shed through Qi Jing¡¯s mind, a person¡¯s name also came up. Because of that name, he stopped dead in his tracks when he was rushing out the door with the kitten in his arms.


    ¡°No,¡± he mumbled to himself, ¡°I just need to find a vet clinic nearby.¡±


    When he realised that he didn¡¯t have to go to that particr hospital, his ragged breathing was finally able to return to normal¡ªslow and steady.


    Taking ten thousand steps back, it was illogical and didn¡¯t make any sense for him to go there.


    Where he lived was really far from the north of the city; it would probably take far too much time for him to travel there. He didn¡¯t know just what kind of illness Little Return Date hade down with and whether or not it could afford to wait.


    Hence, he had to find a clinic nearby.


    Thinking of that, Qi Jing went back inside and looked up online for ces that provided pet medical services in the neighbourhood. The nearest one was about a fifteen-minute walk away, so it wasn¡¯t too far.


    He checked the clock on the wall before he left the house.


    Although the journey wasn¡¯t very long, he had no idea how long the check-up would take. There was a chance that he wouldn¡¯t be back in time for the call arranged with <i>Geese Fly North</i> this evening.


    A/N: I feel like... I can imagine Dr. Shen¡¯s face as he sits in front of theputer screen aaaaah... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Lilies: poor meow meow :<


    Whitere: QAQ not used to epting care and concern!! Poor Qi Jing... Little Return Date, pull through!!

 Chapter 25

    <h4>Chapter 25</h4>


    Editor: Mashiro


    Qi Jing¡¯s hunch proved to be right.


    When he got to the clinic, there was already a line of people queueing in the waiting room. It seemed like the business was pretty good. It¡¯s probably because the weather had been cold and rainy these past few days, resulting in an increase in animals falling ill. On top of that, today was a Friday, which meant that many pet owners took the opportunity of leaving work early to bring their pets to the clinic. Qi Jing supposed that he would have to wait for quite a while.


    As his right hand was being used to hold Little Return Date, he couldn¡¯t even hold his umbre properly. On his way to the clinic, several parts of his body got drenched by the rain and his hair was dripping wet. In addition to that, his left arm was covered in a thick ster cast and he looked no better than the little cat in his arms.


    They received a lot of weird looks when the sick person plus sick catbo walked through the door.


    All the other pet owners had cages and pet carriers, while he was the only one who came with a nket wrapped around Little Return Date. Needless to say, they appeared rather shabby inparison.


    Qi Jing hurriedly put away his umbre and let Little Return Datey on hisp. Then, ady who seemed to be a front desk receptionist came up to him to get him to pay a 15 yuan registration fee, register, and wait for his turn to do the check-up. He paid the money and the receptiondy left without looking back.


    Since he camete, all the slightly morefortable seats were already upied, leaving only the seat closest to the entrance of the clinic. While he waited, people frequently went in and out through the door. The door would often either be wide open or not properly closed. Qi Jing who was already wet with clothes sticking to his skin was chilled to his bones when the cold breeze ofte autumn hit him.


    ¡°Achoo!¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but sneeze.


    Little Return Date, who was lying groggily on hisp, raised its head in response, poking out a paw like it wanted to pat Qi Jing. He couldn¡¯t help but smile at that as he gently pressed his finger against the centre of its paw, ying with it to relieve both their boredom.


    ¡°You¡¯ve infected me. Look, I¡¯m sneezing just like you.¡±


    ¡°Meow...¡±


    Little Return Date narrowed its eyes angrily before turning its body to rub its head against Qi Jing¡¯s abdomen, as if it was really repenting.


    Both big and little return dates waited nearly an hour before it was their turn to see the doctor.


    The vet at the clinic asked some basic questions about the kitty¡¯s condition, but Qi Jing could only give vague answers. He was particrly clueless when it came to its age and medical history.


    The vet was rather confused and asked, ¡°This isn¡¯t your cat?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. It¡¯s a stray cat I picked up two days ago,¡± Qi Jing answered truthfully.


    He was the type of person that with one look, anyone could see he had never owned a cat before.


    ¡°Oh...¡± the vet remarked meaningfully with a raised brow.


    After sizing up Qi Jing¡¯s appearance, without a change in his expression, he stated the tests that need to be done, ¡°From what you just told me, this cat needs to do a few tests. First, we need to do a blood test, then a check on whether it has feline distemper. It¡¯s best if we do a test for feline infectious peritonitis as well, and let it stay overnight for observation. What do you think?¡±


    Qi Jing stared nkly while trying to digest the doctor¡¯s word. He did not understand any of the key terms that were said at all.


    Previously, when he did the special coverage on the cat abuse incident, all the cats that he hade into contact with suffered from external trauma. Besides, the follow-up on the adoption was his main focus, so he avoided using medical jargon as much as he could and didn¡¯t specifically learn them. Those parts... had always been written by the doctor himself, he only quoted what he had received.


    There seemed to be a break in his thoughts when his mind drifted to another doctor. He shook his head with a frown and pulled himself out of it, just in time.


    ¡ªThere¡¯s a life at stake right now.


    ¡°Ok, we¡¯ll do as you said.¡±


    ¡°Then, for today, you¡¯ll have to pay 600 first.¡± the vet said before calling over the receptionist to settle the bill.


    ¡°600?¡±


    Qi Jing was stunned by that figure; he didn¡¯t expect that the charges for veterinary treatment nowadays would be this costly. As he left his house in a hurry, he didn¡¯t bring his card with him and didn¡¯t have that much cash on him either.


    He had no choice but to exin himself, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have enough money on me right now. Can you do the tests first? I¡¯ll take this time to go home and get some.¡±


    The receptionistdy spoke this time, ¡°At our clinic, you have to pay first before we can start doing any tests. Go home and get the money first, then we¡¯ll do the tests when you get back.¡±


    Qi Jing was at a loss for words for a moment but kept his calm and said, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what, I only have about 200 yuan on me at the moment, so do what you can first, and I¡¯lle back and pay for the rest.¡±


    The doctor gave him a look of admiration and seemed to admire him for being this generous for a stray cat.


    Then, two youngdies, in nurse¡¯s uniform, came over and took Little Return Date away from his arms. They brought it inside the room to draw blood for testing and checked for feline distemper with test strips.


    Qi Jing rushed back home to take his credit cards and some cash before heading right back to the clinic. He had lost any mood to prepare dinner.


    As soon as he entered the clinic, he was greeted with the sight of Little Return Date, who was wrapped up in the nket and simply being left in a corner, outside theb.


    When they saw the hint of anger on his face, the nurse exined that he didn¡¯t have a cage and they weren¡¯t sure about the stray cat¡¯s condition. Hence, they didn¡¯t dare to put it with other cats and temporarily left it in the corner.


    Qi Jing endured it and didn¡¯t say anything. He went over himself to pick Little Return Date up.


    The area on Little Return Date¡¯s neck where blood was drawn was currently reeking of a fishy, alcoholic smell and its fur was messed up, like a bird¡¯s nest. It curled up and shivered in his arms.


    It seemed to have suffered a lot in the half an hour that he was gone.


    ¡°The blood test results are out. This cat has low white blood cell count and the test strip also came out positive, so our preliminary conclusion is that it has feline distemper. To be on the safe side, we¡¯ll do another peritonitis test. He¡¯ll have to be hospitalised and put on drip tonight.


    The vet showed Qi Jing a stack ofb reports before taking them away just as quickly, knowing that he wouldn¡¯t understand them anyway.


    It was true that Qi Jing didn¡¯t understand the densely packed data on the papers, but ording to the doctor, peritonitis has a fatality rate of 95%, with young cats being especially vulnerable to it. When he heard that, he couldn¡¯t help but feel his blood run cold.


    The one thing he couldn¡¯t stand the most in his entire life was watching a little life being lost right before his eyes.


    Anyway, the money had already been paid so the vet is free to do whatever tests he deemed fit. Qi Jing would judge what to do next after the stay at the clinic for overnight observation.


    Little Return Date was ced on a steel bed with a disposable diaper under it as the nurse prepared its drip. The little guy seemed to have developed a great fear of needles and struggled desperately. It held Qi Jing¡¯s arm in a death grip, digging its nails into him as it cried. However, for the sake of its recovery, Qi Jing had no choice but to harden his heart and ignore it. He frowned as he watched the nurses surround and hold the little guy down, finally inserting the indwelling venous needle.


    After the area where the IV was inserted had been wrapped in gauze, Little Return Date gave up resisting and wearily curled up into a ball. Qi Jing didn¡¯t know if the symptoms had worsened as its eyes were all watery.


    When he thought about the fact that it¡¯s going to spend the night all alone in the clinic, surrounded by strangers, Qi Jing suddenly felt that the scene before him ovepped with when he was hospitalised, which made it even harder for his heart to bear.


    He implored the nurses for a small stool.


    At least for now, he could apany the little guy by its bedside for a while, gently rubbing it behind its ear, calming its fears. Only after the little guy fell asleep did he get up and take his leave.


    It waspletely dark when he returned to his apartment, and the temperature was lower than it had been during the day.


    After getting soaked by the rain, as he was in a hurry and didn¡¯t have time to change his clothes, the three to four hours spent taking care of Little Return Date was spent in wet clothes that stuck to his body, which was then dried by the cold winds. Now that he was back home, where the temperature was higher and he gradually warmed up a bit, it was only then that he felt a chill permeate his limbs and couldn¡¯t help but start shivering.


    ¡°Achoo!¡± He sneezed yet again.


    Not only did Little Return Date pass on the sneeze to him, but now both human and cat were showing symptoms of fever.


    He started feeling a dull pain on either temple¡ªa symptom of a severe cold that Qi Jing was well acquainted with. He hadn¡¯t eaten dinner yet, but he didn¡¯t have any appetite at all. Despite that, his stomach started cramping from theck of food, so he ran to the kitchen to get himself a ss of water to settle it.


    Even when he went to his room, he still wasn¡¯t in a hurry to change his clothes but instead, turned on hisputer and logged in to QQ.


    It was already past their agreed timing, there was no doubt that he waste...


    As expected, Geese Fly North¡¯s profile picture quietly hung on the list of people online. He left two messages, at 6 and 7 PM, both with the simple message: ¡°Are you there?¡±. Of course not, he was still in the clinic with Little Return Date at that time.


    Qi Jing barely picked up his spirits and hastily put his headphones on.


    ¡°Hello?¡± After the call connected, he tried calling out in his terribly nasally voice. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, something came up today.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Did you catch a cold?¡± Geese Fly North was quick to detect that something was wrong with him.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, just a little ufortable.¡± It wasn¡¯t just a little; he was feeling extremely ufortable from the sopping wet clothes. If he didn¡¯t get out of it soon, he would develop a high fever for sure.


    It¡¯d be over if both big and little return dates fell sick at the same time.


    In order to prevent that from happening, Qi Jing stered on a smile and said, ¡°Geese Fly North-sama, can you wait for me for a bit? I just need to change my clothes. It¡¯s been a few hours since I got caught in the rain and I haven¡¯t had an opening to change. Ah, but my hand is in a cast and I¡¯m not the most agile right now, so you¡¯ll have to give me at least ten minutes...¡±


    The other side just froze at his words.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say any more; go ahead and do what you have to do. Also, don¡¯t just change out of your clothes, go take a hot bath to wash away the coldness,¡± Geese Fly North said promptly in a serious tone.


    Qi Jing quickly tried tough it off. ¡°But it¡¯ll take much longer if I showered. I¡¯m afraid you¡ª¡±


    That man stopped him from going any further and made a four-word promise: ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±


    Since Geese Fly North was being so insistent, Qi Jing had no choice but to end the call for now. He went to the bathroom, stripped himself of his wet clothes, wrapped the cast in stic, and happily took a hot shower.


    As he raised his head to the hot water raining down on him, he couldn¡¯t help but shudder. Sure enough, much of the chill in his body dissipated with the hot shower.


    Changing clothes and taking a shower were two tricky tasks that took him thirty to forty minutes every day. And since he was in a condition worse than usual today, by the time he came out in clean clothes, an hour had passed.


    However, he did feel much morefortable than before.


    Qi Jing regained a bit of his strength and sent another request for a voice call.


    ¡°Thank you for waiting for me,¡± he said with a grateful smile on his face; hopefully, he was able to transmit that feeling through the rity of his voice.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± That man repeated the same words he had asked Qi Jing when they first reunited.


    ¡°I...¡± The memory of today shed before his eyes; the haggard appearance of the Little Return Date was vivid in his mind. Qi Jing suddenly felt a trace of bitterness in his throat, and before he knew it, he actually replied honestly, ¡°Not really.¡±


    Perhaps it was because he was sick that he could easily express his true feelings.


    After a long pause, he heard Geese Fly North say with a sigh from the other end of the line, ¡°Why did you still run about in the rain when you¡¯re injured?¡±


    Qi Jing sighed in turn and replied with a smile, ¡°Do you still remember the little cat I picked up the other day? It felt sick for some reason; it was burning all over and seemed to be in a really terrible condition. I was worried it might have caught some serious illness, so I took it out to see a doctor.¡±


    Hearing that, Geese Fly North suddenly blurted out in a daze, ¡°Then howe I didn¡¯t see¡ª¡±


    Before abruptly cutting himself short.


    After just a few seconds, he sounded less startled but his voice sank. ¡°I... I didn¡¯t see you online... So that¡¯s why.¡±


    It was apletely illogical mumbling where he answered his own question.


    Qi Jing found it strange but just replied with a smile, ¡°Yeah, I was in the clinic for the whole of just now.¡±


    Geese Fly North repeated mechanically, ¡°...Clinic...¡±


    ¡°Mhm, it¡¯s quite near my house¡ªabout a fifteen-minute walk away.¡± Then, Qi Jing exined the reason he got soaked in the rain, ¡°But because I had to hold the cat with my uninjured hand, I couldn¡¯t hold the umbre properly. Coupled with the winds and everything, I ended up being drenched. Ah, but luckily, the cast didn¡¯t get wet, otherwise, I would have been in trouble.¡±


    As he said that, Qi Jing chuckled with great relief.


    No matter how difficult the situation, he would always manage to unearth one or two cheerful things from it; such was a needed optimism.


    Geese Fly North listened quietly and waited until he had finished before asking, ¡°What did the doctor say?¡±


    ¡°The doctor said¡ªactually I don¡¯t quite understand what he said.¡± Qi Jing recalled the conversation at the time and briefly summarised it, ¡°He said that the white blood cell count was low and that it might have feline distemper... He also said that they needed to do some other tests. The little guy is currently on drip and staying at the clinic; I¡¯ll go check on him again tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how old the cat is?¡± Geese Fly North asked again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know... It just looked very young.¡± He could tell with one look that Little Return Date was a kitten, seeing how it was still stumbling all over the ce as it walked.


    ¡°Did it eat anything today? Did it vomit?¡± Geese Fly North asked yet another question, in a low voice.


    ¡°The kitten ate but I didn¡¯t see it vomit. It didn¡¯t feel any different between today and yesterday, in terms of eating, it¡¯s just verynguid.¡± He had been asked the same questions at the clinic earlier today, so his answers flowed out fluently.


    The other party didn¡¯t say anything for a brief moment, as if he was hesitating whether he should continue or not, if he should say it or not.


    In the end, he still couldn¡¯t remain silent on the matter. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like feline distemper. However... it¡¯s hard to judge just by listening.¡±


    Hearing that, Qi Jing instinctively teased him with a smile, ¡°Keke, you sound like a doctor.¡±


    <i>Geese Fly North</i> suddenly turned to stone.


    No more words could be heard from the headphones for a while.


    ¡°C-Cough, cough...¡±


    Just then, Qi Jing suddenly felt an itch in his throat and couldn¡¯t help but start coughing violently.


    Crap, he didn¡¯t notice it when he got back home but now, he could feel a burning pain at the back of his throat when he coughed. His cough sounded croaky and it was bing more apparent that he had caught a cold.


    Looks like I won¡¯t be able to escape from this.


    ¡°C-Cough, cough, cough... Ah, so sorry, let me go get some water... Cough, cough.¡±


    Qi Jing was coughing so hard his brows knitted together. He had no choice but to politely call for a pause in their conversation, to get himself another cup of water from the living room. He brought a hand to his burning throat and gently pressed on it before reaching his hand out to pick up the ss he had ced on the other end of the table. However, the moment he stood up, his vision suddenly cked out and the world spun around him; he almost fell over.


    In the rush of the moment, his right hand banged onto the table in his bid to stop his fall. Theputer desk couldn¡¯t help but shake when he knocked into it hard, causing the ss to fall onto the wooden flooring with a crash, smashing to smithereens. Under the reflection of the light from the incandescentmp, the numerous shards of ss appeared deathly pale.


    Oh right... he hasn¡¯t had his dinner yet. It seemed like he stood up too fast and got light-headed from his low blood sugar.


    Well, as long as he didn¡¯t break his arm again after it got fixed.


    After calming himself down, Qi Jing propped up his body. The buzzing in his head gradually cleared up and he finally heard that person¡¯s anxious shouts from the headphones on the desk.


    Since he wasn¡¯t wearing the headphones, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t quite hear what he was shouting. However... it sounded like his real name was being called.


    <i>Oh crap, my cold has gotten so bad I¡¯m starting to hear things.</i>


    Qi Jing actually hit the table quite hard just now; he gasped for air while grimacing in pain and barely forced a smile.


    <i>How could Geese fly north possibly know my real name? I have heard wrong.</i>


    Ah, he probably heard themotion happening on this side but didn¡¯t know what happened, so he¡¯s worried now, isn¡¯t he?


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine!¡± Qi Jing hastily grabbed the headphones and yelled into the microphone after he steadied himself. ¡°I was just a little dizzy when I got up just now and bumped into the table, knocking over the ss, but I am alright.¡±


    With his ear pressed against the side of the headset, all Qi Jing could hear from that angle was the man¡¯s non-stop panting.


    After this scare, even his cough was gone. Right now, he was no longer in a hurry to get water and had even less energy to clean up the broken ss, so he decided to just put his headphones back on and asked, ¡°What were you shouting just now? My headphones were on the table, so I didn¡¯t quite catch it.¡±


    Geese Fly North didn¡¯t say anything.


    <i>I must¡¯ve given him quite the scare.</i> All he could hear was the other party¡¯s low breaths with no sign of answering anytime soon.


    Qi Jing felt really bad and apologised sincerely, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you worry. I¡¯m really alright. It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t had my dinner and came online the moment I got home from the clinic, so my blood sugar is low at the moment and I just feel a little light-headed.¡±


    No reply.


    Qi Jing could only continue finding words, tofort the other party. ¡°Ah, but... I ate a lot for lunch and the food I got was based on the email you sent me. I guess I replenished a decent amount of nutrients.¡±


    No reply.


    Qi Jing pressed on, this time, with a slightly awkward smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯ve been having takeaways during my hospitalisation and even after I got home, I¡¯ve also had some outside food. I know it¡¯s greasy and not nutritious, but look, I¡¯ve started to improve on my diet, haven¡¯t I? I¡¯ll start cooking my own meals and have mild food as much as possible, so that I can get well soon.¡±


    Still no reply.


    At that point, Qi Jing didn¡¯t know what else to say, so he followed suit and fell silent.


    Just then, Geese Fly North¡¯s deep voice sounded in his ears. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask; what about your family? Why don¡¯t you have anyone around to help you?¡±


    Be it cooking, or falling sick, or taking care of the kitten¡ªthere was no one around to help him.


    The emotions that had been buried for a long time were unearthed by those words. Qi Jing blinked nkly as he felt a sharp sh of pain.


    He stared straight at the shattered ss on the floor, before finally managing a forcedugh.


    ¡°No,¡± he said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a family. They threw me away after I came out of the closet, and I live alone now.¡±


    The words came out naturally.


    There were many kindred spirits within the circle and even if they weren¡¯t, their eptance for people like him were high, so he could speak frankly.


    The scars were old, but they still hurt when they were uncovered.


    He heard his voice bing more nasally towards the end of the sentence and had no choice but to take deep breaths in order to suppress the tremor in his voice as best as he could.


    Finally, he said with a weak smile, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you had to hear about my embarrassing story.¡±


    ¡°Return date,¡± Geese Fly North suddenly called out to him.


    He stopped dazedly, waiting for him to continue. However, what Geese Fly North said next was not a response to whatever he said, but something that soundedpletely unrted.


    ¡°Will you find it strange if I were to visit you.¡±


    It was the exact same words as yesterday.


    Only this time, the questioning tone in his voice had disappeared; it was as if he was stating a matter that had already been decided.


    When Qi Jing processed the other party¡¯s words, he thought it was just thetter¡¯s habit offorting out of politeness, so he replied with a smile, ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re really nning on parachuting over?¡±


    This time, Geese Fly North¡¯s pause was shorter and his voice was very calm.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, in the same city as you.¡±


    Mashiro (impersonating as Qi Jing): Oh, if that¡¯s how it is, then please do visit. I wouldn¡¯t find it strange. bwahahahaha (*evilugh at the end*)


    Geese Fly North suddenly nks up and then in a nervous voice: Did you......hit your head?

 Chapter 26

    <h4>Chapter 26</h4>


    Editor: Whitere


    Cheers to MCJohnston kek (¡ñ ????¥í????)¤Ä¥í


    The smile on Qi Jing¡¯s face stiffened.


    The tone of the voice was so serious; it scared him and he couldn¡¯t justugh it off.


    ¡°You¡¯re... being serious?¡± Even though he knew the answer was yes, he still wanted to hesitantly ask one more time.


    ¡°Yes, I mean it.¡± The other party also replied to him very clearly and earnestly.


    The voice of that person seemed to suddenly close in on him and the distance disappeared all of a sudden as if he was really whispering right by his ear. Qi Jing instinctively backed away, forgetting how to even blink.


    Then, they fell into an unprecedented long silence.


    Although <i>Geese Fly North</i> didn¡¯t say anything, Qi Jing could asionally hear slight shuffling soundsing from his side, like he was moving something on his table.


    While Qi Jing was still stunned, he spoke again gently, ¡°I¡¯ve just made my geolocation visible, so you can go take a look.¡±


    Qi Jing held his breath and moved his cursor onto the other party¡¯s avatar in his daze.


    The geolocation disyed by the QQ system based on the IP address indeed appeared¡ªthe same province, the same city.


    A small rain cloud that came after the city¡¯s name also matched the weather outside his window. It was as if raindrops were really falling, hitting his heart with each drop, causing it to shake. He felt like what was shaken was not only his heart, but even his fingers trembled a little.


    ¡°If you say that so suddenly... I¡¯m really not mentally prepared for it at all,¡± Qi Jing muttered before adding augh afterwards to try to sound like less of a mess.


    ¡°Would you hate that?¡± That man¡¯s voice was low and deep, yet controlled and restrained. It had a gentleness that one couldn¡¯t refuse.


    ¡°No,¡± Qi Jing replied as calmly as he could.


    In the past, he had also met up and dined with friends from the circle.


    But it was really sudden this time. Moreover, this person... was <i>Geese Fly North</i>.


    ¡°I really, really want to visit you,¡± <i>Geese Fly North</i> said. Every word was spoken softly, but full of emotion.


    At this moment, all his meaningless struggles had be pale and weak and the final wall in his heart came crashing down.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Qi Jing heard himself reply still in a daze.


    Very slowly, he typed out the address of his neighbourhood on the keyboard.


    It wasn¡¯t that it was difficult to type with one hand. It was just that there was this sense of unreality, as if the force his fingers exerted hadnded on a ball of cotton, so soft it didn¡¯t feel like he was pressing on anything.


    Done and sent.


    After the entire process was over, Qi Jing silently closed his eyes and took a deep breath.


    Having received his address, <i>Geese Fly North</i> also sent him a message. The message had no words in it, just a string of numbers.


    ¡°This is my phone number,¡± the voice in the headphones said. He couldn¡¯t hear any emotions so he couldn¡¯t guess the other party¡¯s expression. ¡°I have a day off tomorrow, Saturday. If nothinges up, I¡¯ll be there around 8 AM. I¡¯ll call you when I get there.¡±


    Qi Jing listened nkly and nodded nkly to his screen.


    ¡°Rest well tonight.¡± That was thest thing <i>Geese Fly North</i> said before exiting the voice chat.


    Then, the call ended.


    Even after he removed his headphones, the sense of unreality was still there.


    Qi Jing felt like a man who had just been fished out of the water; even though he could take big gulps of air upon going ashore, it still took some time before his mind rebooted.


    He turned off hisputer and sat in front of the ck screen for a while before picking up his phone and sending a text message to the new contact he had added: ¡°This is my number. See you tomorrow.¡±


    He got a reply very quickly: ¡°Received. See you tomorrow.¡±


    Qi Jing stared at those words, still dumbfounded by the situation, when another message popped up: ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Ke.¡± A weak smile inadvertently appeared on his face. With only a screen between them, he touched the warm word and couldn¡¯t help but lower his head while mumbling to himself, ¡°I¡¯m already so nervous... How can I possibly have a good night?¡±


    With an uneasy heart, hey in bed and gradually fell asleep to the pitter-patter of the rain outside his window.


    The next day, the rain seemed to get stronger and the sound of running water could constantly be heard from the drainpipes.


    It was probably because he had things on his mind that Qi Jing¡¯s eyes were already open early in the morning. When he checked the time, it wasn¡¯t even 7 AM yet. It was quiet all around him except for the lingering sound of the rain.


    He didn¡¯t continue lying in bed to rest but got right up to wash up and change.


    He nned on making sure he was well-groomed so that he appeared less haggard and more energetic. He wanted to at least leave a good impression for the first meeting.


    After having a simple breakfast, Qi Jing was already out the door and gone downstairs by 7:30 AM. The only things he had on him were his phone and an umbre for the rain. The rain today was much heavier and stronger thanst night so it would probably be quite inconvenient for the other party no matter what form of transportation he took.


    When Qi Jing arrived at the entrance of his building, he waspletely uneasy as he watched the rain pour down outside. He walked over to the corner where he had picked up the kitten and sat down. This location had the best view and there was an eave to protect him from the rain, making it perfect for waiting.


    Although he was sheltered from the rain, he was not protected from the winds. The early mornings in mid-October were chilly and even when covered with a shirt and coat, one could feel the cold. Moreover, Qi Jing still hadn¡¯t recovered from the cold from yesterday and was running a slight fever, so he¡¯s extremely scared of the cold in his current state. Yet he was sitting in a ce where he was faced with the brunt of the strong winds and could only hug his knees to keep warm.


    It was almost 8 AM yet the sky looked like it was still in the middle of the night.


    Thick, grey clouds hung above the buildings, over the city whose vibrance had faded and washed away with the rain. Everything before him looked like a ck and white photograph from a printer that had run out of colour ink or an old movie produced with traditional negative film. It was as if everything was obscured behind ayer of hazy grey.


    That¡¯s why, when that ck umbre appeared, he thought he was still in the ck and white film and forgot to snap out of it.


    A ck umbre and ck clothes seamlessly appeared in this grey background.


    Qi Jing waspletely unaware that there was someone in front of him.


    When his phone suddenly started ringing, he was still staring at the pea-sized raindrops that formed a line under the eaves. When he heard the ringing, he hurriedly lowered his head to answer it.


    ¡°Hello?¡± He panted, his voice low, as he rushed to stand up with the help of the wall.


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    For the first time, he heard that familiar voicee out of his phone. It wasn¡¯t in front of hisputer but amidst the constant pattering of the rain in the background. He could even hear the crisp sound of the rain falling against the umbre.


    <i>And here I thought he wouldn¡¯te... It was raining pretty heavily after all.</i>


    Qi Jing felt a little warm in his heart; he felt both touched and guilty as he said, ¡°You¡¯re already here?¡±


    The man on the other end of the line was silent for a moment before he replied softly, ¡°I already see you.¡±


    Qi Jing was stunned.


    During the phone call, his eyes were kept to the ground in order to keep an eye out lest he identally tripped and fell. Hearing those words, he abruptly lifted his head and finally saw someone standing quietly in the rain not far away. In the faded background, that man didn¡¯t appear to have much presence as ck was subtle against the grey colour.


    The umbre the man was holding was ck, as were his long-sleeved jacket and pants.


    As the wind blew in the rain, his umbre was held at an angle that obscured his face.


    However, just watching that man from afar gave Qi Jing a feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    Qi Jing was in a daze.


    Deeply confused by his fleeting thoughts, he unconsciously took a step back.


    As if noticing his movement, the man, stopped in the middle of the rain, suddenly took a step and began to approach him. Neither of them had hung up the phone yet¡ªother than the unending sound of the rain falling, they could hear each other¡¯s breathing which was captured by the microphone.


    Qi Jing stared nkly as that man walked through the fallen Wutong tree leaves. As that person got closer one step at a time, Qi Jing found himself slightly overwhelmed by the ripples formed in the puddles of water.


    Eventually, the person in front of him stopped less than two metres away from him.


    Only when that person got closer did Qi Jing notice that the former had a tight grip on the handle of his umbre, firmly holding the umbre at an angle. He did not raise his umbre so his face was still hidden.


    It was raining cats and dogs and it was as if the ck umbre was covered in a fog from all the rainfall as water slid down in turn.


    The continuous, loud tapping of the rain seemed to be urging them to break the silence.


    ¡°...Geese Fly North?¡±


    Qi Jing called out very softly¡ªboth into the microphone and to the person¡ªfor fear he had called the wrong person.


    Fortunately, the voice that came from under the umbre was exactly the one he was waiting for, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Never would Qi Jing have ever thought that they would be within reach of each other.


    If Qi Jing could move his left hand, he would probably make that habitual move of touching the back of his ear.


    To create a lighter atmosphere for a conversation, heughed first, deliberately speaking to the phone rather than to the man himself. ¡°Why don¡¯t you put your umbre away? Do you not want me to see your face that badly?¡±


    At that moment, that man¡¯s grip on the umbre tightened slightly. His knuckles were frozen white from the cold air, but he still wasn¡¯t letting go.


    ¡°Will you promise me one thing first?¡± He said.


    ¡°What?¡± Qi Jing looked up nkly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised no matter what I look like.¡± That man said word by word, in a voice lowered like never before, to the point his voice was even beginning to sound a little hoarse.


    That pleading tone sounded in Qi Jing¡¯s handset and in front of him at the same time.


    For Qi Jing who was soft-hearted to begin with, at this moment his smile grew all the more soothing in order tofort the other party. ¡°What are you afraid of? I don¡¯t care about your looks at all. Put it down¡ªI¡¯ll promise you anything.¡±


    The man under the umbre took a deep breath.


    The call ended there. Qi Jing knew that because he saw that person put down the hand holding on the phone and gently disconnected the call.


    Then, the other hand moved as well. The hand that was holding the umbre flicked slightly to the side to reveal a man¡¯s face under the umbre. Through the unrelenting rain that fell between them, their eyes met silently.


    Eyes that were as ck as the umbre; eyes that left a deep impression on him.


    How could it not?


    He had never forgotten them¡ª


    It¡¯s precisely because he hadn¡¯t forgotten that it hurt. It hurt so much that he couldn¡¯t even blink.


    ¡°...Geese Fly North?¡±


    Even though he could see the face, the answer to that question suddenly became foreign and terrifying.


    Of course, he knew what the answer was. But perhaps, more than this name, there was another that was more suitable for the man standing before him.


    ¡°...Shen Yan...?¡±


    The words came out like he was muttering to himself. It wasn¡¯t so much of a question as it was an answer.


    In that instant, all the blood in his veins seemed to have frozen and his fingers were icy. His face was white as a sheet as he instinctively bowed his head to catch his breath; his rapid breathing sounded particrly clear in the patter of rain.


    ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± The voice that answered him was that of <i>Geese Fly North</i>, as well as the man called Shen Yan.


    His voice lower and huskier than his first two replies, but just as honest as ever.


    Qi Jing felt his breathing be shaky as he closed his eyes and said nothing.


    He held a death grip on his phone, pressing it against his lips so that he didn¡¯t sound too difited or rattled, but his knitted brows easily exposed him.


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± the man in front of him said slowly, calling out his name, ¡°you actually... saw thest email from me, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Qi Jing did not say anything, but his silence was already in itself an acknowledgement.


    The email which he never replied to was still sitting in that folder called ¡°To be deleted¡± till this day. The emails were always written under the name, Dr. Shen, except for thest one.


    Thatst email was written by Shen Yan.


    He couldn¡¯t reply to Shen Yan¡¯s email just as he couldn¡¯t reply to his words now.


    As the rain continued to fall with no end in sight, only this small area under the eaves seemed to be isted in a world of its own. It was a truly forgotten corner, leaving only these two individuals¡ªall they could see was one another, all they could hear was each other¡¯s breaths.


    There was nothing else other than that. He didn¡¯t even register when the ck umbre had been put away. That person walked out from under the umbre and made his way in front of Qi Jing through the line created by the eaves that clearly separated the rain from the shelter.


    Something thick and snugnded on his shoulders¡ªit was a jacket and one that still carried that man¡¯s warmth. That pair of hands gently tugged at either side of the jacket, securely wrapping Qi Jing in it without touching his cast.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s really warm.


    Qi Jing had absolutely no strength or reason to struggle against it.


    Perhaps it was because his body had warmed up that his internal systems rebooted. Once he had gone through the shock and suffocation of feeling like he was drowning, all that remained was uncertainty.


    Shen Yan was well within his reach, both his person and his breaths.


    Qi Jing¡¯s head was lowered and several locks of his hair even brushed against the other party¡¯s shirt, causing a soft rustle. The hands that ced the jacket on him did not let go and remained on it all this while. Shen Yan¡¯s strength was so light Qi Jing could barely feel it so he didn¡¯t feel any burden on his shoulders. However, this seemingly simple action restricted his movement and prevented him from turning away.


    ¡°I... want to go check on the kitten first,¡± Qi Jing suddenly blurted.


    Little Return Date had spent the night at the clinic; Qi Jing wondered how it was doing and if it was recovering well.


    He tried to raise his hand, gently cing the back of his hand against Shen Yan¡¯s left hand which was grasping the jacket. He didn¡¯t make a move to push it away, just lightly touching it. It was only when their hands came into contact that the stark difference in the temperature of their hands could be clearly felt.


    It seemed like Shen Yan understood the message of his action as the former released his hand and took a step back.


    The cold air rushed back in from any opening it could find.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t look up so he didn¡¯t see Shen Yan¡¯s expression at that moment. All that he could see within his range of vision was the other party picking his ck umbre up from the ground and even helping Qi Jing open his umbre.


    However, there seemed to be absolutely no intention of retrieving the jacket.


    Qi Jing subconsciously pressed his hand on the spot where the other party¡¯s hand had been ced, clutching it listlessly. Before stepping out into the rain, he could still reminisce about the warmth that had been there for a moment.


    A/N: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ Actually, I don¡¯t know what to do with these two either...


    Lilies: And our little ??¡¯s (don¡¯t think there¡¯s a goose emoji lollol) identity has finally been revealed!!


    Whitere: Qi Jing, reminiscing about his warmth? You¡¯re such a goner...

 Chapter 27

    <h4>Chapter 27</h4>


    Thank you MCJohnston and Granny for your coffees! <3


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: Mashiro


    What was once ced in front of him was two different puzzles.


    Either was far from beingplete, but he wanted to know their full pictures. In the process of assembling them, he had found that some ces felt simr, but he didn¡¯t think deeply about it.


    Until now.


    Until now, when he finally discovered that they were simply different parts of the same picture.


    That picture immediately becameplete, vivid to the point of being somewhat scary. The man from the picture came out, and walked to his side, entering his world.


    But the rain was pouring down in that world, chilling them to their bones.


    The two of them walked under their own umbres with no contact between them.


    The fifteen-minutes walk felt unusually long, as neither of them initiated any conversation.


    This silence made the wet asphalt before them seem never-ending. It stretched and winded, between streets and alleys, as if they could walk on it forever and never see the end.


    On this rainy weekend, besides stalls selling breakfasts, most of the shops were closed. The alleys that were bustling on weekdays now felt cold and dested. asionally, a car or two would ride over a puddle with a ssh. Besides that, the only audible sound was the pitter-pattering of rain droplets hitting their umbres.


    Qi Jing walked in the front, leading the way, while Shen Yan followed behind him, keeping silence.


    Every time Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but slow down to look behind and check if that man was still following him. The distance between them would shorten, and they would walk side by side, but whenever that happened, Shen Yan would again slow down ordingly, allowing them to stagger back to their original distance.


    The clinic had just opened a while ago, and there was no one in the waiting room, except a person who looked like a janitor. He sleepily came out to throw out the garbage bags.


    Qi Jing was currently asking the janitor if the doctor was in, but Shen Yan¡¯s eyes were focused on the garbage bags that have just been thrown out. Those were just the ordinary small stic bags in different colours; under the translucent stic he could vaguely see animal fur and blood stains mixed with the medical gloves.


    Furrowing his brows slightly, he followed Qi Jing and the janitor to the front of the doctor¡¯s office.


    The one to receive them was the same doctor who diagnosed Little Return Date yesterday. It seemed like he didn¡¯t get enough sleep, his hair was messy, even two of the buttons on hisb coat were misbuttoned.


    When Qi Jing inquired about the condition of Little Return Date, heughed and said: ¡°It contracted feline distemper, so it needs to be on drip for at least one week. It¡¯s still too early to say anything.¡± At that time, Shen Yan who was standing by the side asked suddenly: ¡°Would you mind if we went and took a look at it?¡±


    The other party agreed readily, ¡°Of course, of course. But the cat needs to continue being hospitalised.¡±


    While guiding them to the tiny cat ward, the doctor kept trying to sell imported drugs to Qi Jing, exining how they were more effective. After opening the door, their senses were assaulted with the strong odour of animal faeces. Qi Jing frowned slightly, instinctively covering his mouth and nose while Shen Yan seemed to be used to it already as he went inside.


    There were ten cages of various sizes ced in the roughly nine square metre ward, and Little Return Date was ced in one of them. It was still covered with Qi Jing¡¯s nket, it wasnguid and its eyes were shut. There was indeed a drop bottle hanging beside it, connected to its small paw with a thin infusion tube.


    Seeing this, Shen Yan¡¯s expression became grim as he said in a low deep voice: ¡°Are you sure this kitten has panleukopenia?¡±


    The doctor nodded: ¡°Of course, tests and the amount of leukocytes can prove it¡±


    Shen Yan looked him in the eyes, his gaze stern, making the doctor feel a little scared. Without saying a word, he came over to the cage to observe the appearance of Little Return Date, then he said: ¡±This kitten seems to be at most two months old. It still should have retained the antibodies from its mother, so the probability of it developing panleukopenia is very small. Even if it really contracted it, you not only didn¡¯t iste it, but you also put it in the same room as the other cats, causing a danger of cross infection¡ªit¡¯s a vition of the biggest taboo of dealing with panleukopenia.¡±


    This clinic didn¡¯t even have a separate rubbish can for biomedical waste, and there were bloodstains everywhere. It was obvious that disinfection and sanitation work were substandard, and the risk of infection was very high.


    With him stating the matter so clearly, the doctor finally realised that he was a fellow vet, and his expression changed drastically.


    Qi Jing was bewildered, he stared at the doctor and asked coldly: ¡°So you were lying to me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken, this cat really caught a panleukopenia!¡± The doctor figured that Qi Jing was the owner of the cat, so he came over to him in big strides, yelling with emotion: ¡°Mister, would you rather believe the medical tests, or a baseless statement? Who will be held responsible in case this kitten gets discharged and dies?¡±


    In a moment of desperation, he actually used Little Return Date¡¯s life as a bargaining chip.


    At that moment, Shen Yan turned the drip bottle over, and frowned seeing the words on it: ¡°Even glucose and saline water are expired. If you leave the kitten here, I¡¯m afraid that it won¡¯t make it out of this clinic.¡±


    The situation was already clear. When Qi Jing heard these words, his heart sank, and he could only feel a deep remorse caused by his mistake.


    If he had found a better ce to treat Little Return Date at that time, it wouldn¡¯t have gone through all this pain. If only he had put aside the conflicts in his heart and went to see Shen Yan then...


    Amidst the arguments and excuses from the doctor and nurses, Qi Jing chose to discharge the kitten from that clinic without a second thought.


    The doctor insisted that their diagnosis was right, but was unable to produce neither the blood examination result nor the test results from the day before, saying that he had already disposed of them right after the examination was concluded. In the end, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t even get the most basic data. He¡¯d just treat the money he paid as a payment for a hard lesson learnt.


    After taking out the IV needle, Little Return Date looked even worse than before getting admitted. The secretion in the corners of its eyes has already be a sticky mess, making it unable to open its eyes, and its limbs were hanging without any strength. At his repeated requests, the nurse gave them two disposable diapers and a disinfectant wipe reluctantly.


    Shen Yan sat quietly at one side, using a wipe to clean Little Return Date¡¯s eyes and the filth around the puncture from the needle. Then, he wrapped it with twoyers of diapers, so that it would temporarily keep it warm.


    After all the things that happened in one night, that little nket was dirty with who knows how many animals¡¯ fur and feces, and who knew if it contained any bacteria from other cats. Seeing Shen Yan shaking his head slightly, Qi Jing threw the nket away without any hesitation, nning to buy a clean andfortable one for the little guy.


    But these small acts done to atone for his mistake couldn¡¯t alleviate his self-me.


    Qi Jing held the little guy in a daze. He nested the small and thin body in the crook of his arm, and lowered his head to press his cheek against its forehead. The kitten seemed to feel his touch, a pair of cat ears trembled a little, and the fine fur tickled his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± He turned his face, and murmured with his lips almost touching the little guy¡¯s ears.


    It was as if Little Return Date heard the pain contained in his voice. Its ears stood upright, and the little head moved up a little. It opened its eyes slightly, uttering a couple of feeble meows.


    ¡°Let me take care of it.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s murmur could be heard from a close distance.


    Qi Jing nodded lightly with his head down, but he couldn¡¯t bear to let it go. He hugged it for a long time before handing it over to Shen Yan.


    They were ready to leave the clinic. Qi Jing was injured, and his movements were restricted, so it would be hard for him to go out on a rainy day with a cat in his arms. He understood that Shen Yan was being considerate of him, and his anxious heart had gradually calmed down when he heard those words.


    Once again, Shen Yan opened an umbre for him first before opening his own, and they went out together.


    Outside the clinic, the rain had subsided for a bit, but the sky was still overcast. The cars on the road had already turned on the headlights, illuminating the wet road.


    ¡°We can¡¯t use a subway or any public transport with a cat. Let¡¯s just hail a cab.¡± Shen Yan didn¡¯t openly state where they were going, but Qi Jing was very clear about it.


    It¡¯s not that he never thought of the possibility of returning to that hospital one day, he just didn¡¯t expect it to be so soon, nor did he expect that it would be the doctor himself who would pick him up.


    They hailed a cab and headed towards the north part of the city.


    Qi Jing walked towards the car door. Just as he was about to put down the umbre to pull on the door handle, Shen Yan suddenly leaned over without making a sound, and reached to open the car door for him.


    Qi Jing was startled. He tightened his grip on the umbre slightly before saying, ¡°... Thank you.¡±


    Now, that man¡¯s hand was less than a few centimeters away from his. When he subconsciously loosened his grip, Shen Yan subtly took the umbre from him, holding it for him. The rain fell continuously, but not a single droplet fell upon him. ¡°You go in first, I¡¯ll take the umbre.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He repeated this phrase mechanically. He didn¡¯t know what else he could say, or how he would say it.


    Only after he sat in a car did Shen Yan close the umbre and went to the other side of the taxi to get in the backseat with him.


    The road from there to the north of the city would usually take twenty to thirty minutes. With such bad weather and a slippery road, the taxi driver didn¡¯t dare to drive too fast. If they run into a traffic jam on their way, it would probably take even longer.


    Maybe because it feltfortable being held along the way, Little Return Date moved a little, and crawled out groggily. It first opened its eyes to size up the stranger before it.


    Shen Yan saw it waking up. He didn¡¯t do anything else besides cing his thumb on the base of its ears, gently putting the four fingers on the top of its head, stroking the fur there patiently.


    Little Return Date was rather wary in the beginning, when he put his hand on it, it struggled for a while. It was probably still terrified by the experiences from yesterday. But after a long while of stroking, its slightly standing fur softened down, and it found afortable angle to ce its tail. It raised its head to rub against his hand a couple of times, then lied down and continued to doze off.


    It looked like the little guy had already gotten used to Shen Yan.


    ¡°How is the kitten¡¯s situation?¡± With the two of them sitting next to each other, this was the first time for Qi Jing to take initiative to talk. At that moment, his state of mind was much calmer than in the morning, and his voice no longer trembled. It was just that when he talked to Shen Yan, it was a little husky.


    ¡°It still has a fever, but its current state is very stable. For anything else, I¡¯d have to see the examination results.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s response was also somewhat husky. Qi Jing could hear that.


    And exactly because he could hear that, that bitterness in his heart spread gradually, like a drop of ink thatnded on a sheet of xuan paper.


    Even though, up until the moment when the umbre was lifted to reveal the person under it, they were greeting each other like a pair of good friends.


    Even though, up to yesterday night, they were still chatting, talking to each other so naturally.


    Even though... He was once able tough freely in front of him.


    He didn¡¯t want them to be like now, having no words to say to one another.


    ¡°It¡¯s called Return Date.¡± When he spoke once again, he could sense that the other party had nced in his direction. That nce stayed on him for as short as his pausested.


    ¡°The little guy¡¯s name.¡± Qi Jing added. He did his best to sound just the same as when they chatted before¡ªcalm, gentle. ¡°When I picked it up, I didn¡¯t think too hard and just used thest two words from my ID.¡±


    ¡°Return Date.¡± Shen Yan repeated in a low voice. It sounded just as if he was calling Qi Jing.


    It made Qi Jing feel a little awkward which prompted him to give a friendly reminder. ¡°You can... add ¡®Little¡¯ in front of it.¡±


    When he said that, the person sitting by his side seeminglyughed faintly.


    It was a very lightugh, but Qi Jing felt as if the air once again started to flow naturally in the car.


    ¡°Do you want to stroke Little Return Date for a while, to make it feel at ease?¡± Shen Yan asked him.


    Qi Jing responded with an ¡°Mhm¡±. He thought that Shen Yan would hand over the little fellow for him to hold, but the man didn¡¯t move at all, he just removed his hand from the kitten¡¯s head to give Qi Jing some space. They were sitting very close, and Qi Jing sat on his left side, so just by reaching out slightly, he would indeed be able to touch Little Return Date.


    I¡¯ll just stroke it for a bit. Qi Jing thought.


    He reached out his hand, across the space between the two of them, and finally touched Little Return Date¡¯s head. The feeling of fine, soft and smooth fur on his hand felt veryfortable.


    Little Return Date had probably smelled its owner, so it turned its body over and lifted its head, so that it could lick his hand. Amused by its behaviour, it elicited a smile from Qi Jing. He was about to knead its ear and massage the top of its head, but who would have expected the little fe to stretch out its paws and hold his fingers, refusing to let go.


    Qi Jing had been caught off guard, and wanted to slowly take away his hand.


    But at that moment, Little Return Date started meowing miserably. It made both his heart and his fingers soften, and he could only leave his hand like this.


    The only problem was, the kitten was lying on Shen Yan¡¯s chest.


    With Qi Jing¡¯s hand ced like this, the back of his hand inevitably touched it lightly


    Originally he wanted to move away slightly, but unexpectedly, Little Return Date put its entire body weight on it, so his fingers were stuck and he could no longer move them. He slightly adjusted his sitting posture to make it more natural, but it wasn¡¯t very effective and part of the weight of his arm was still on that person¡¯s chest


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this...¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    This unexpected touch was glossed over with just six words.


    It¡¯s all your fault. Qi Jing smiled bitterly and pinched Little Return Date¡¯s paw. Little Return Date was still oblivious of its faults. Feeling its owner pinching it, it tightened its grip instead.


    Under these circumstances, Qi Jing tried to stroke it lightly.


    The movement of his fingers were restricted, so the highest ce he could touch was little fe¡¯s neck, hence he lightly scratched its chin with two fingers. The kitten especially loved to be touched there, so it raised its head very obediently.


    It was just that with every move he made, the back of his hand would brush Shen Yan¡¯s clothes.


    As Shen Yan had given him his jacket, that man was only wearing a long-sleeved shirt and Qi Jing could easily feel his body heat being transmitted through the thinyer of fabric.


    So he slowed down his movements.


    He didn¡¯t cease them; just slowed down.


    Qi Jing thought that he had found a rather poor pretext to satisfy his selfish motives.


    He had already gotten used to Geese Fly North¡¯s voice and Shen Yan himself appeared at the same time. The boundary between his impression of the two began to blur, and he could not discern who was who anymore.


    He felt closer to him in this tiny car than, when they were under that roof.


    Perhaps it¡¯s not the physical distance that had shortened, but his thoughts of wanting to get closer to Shen Yan which had be clearer.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what the consequences would be, he had a lot of excuses to use. For example the chill of the rain, or the warmth of the other party, or the short time together in the car for half an hour.


    Or perhaps his cold that he was still recovering from.


    Qi Jing felt a little dizzy, so he used it as another pretext.


    After all, it¡¯s normal to have symptoms of fever, isn¡¯t it?


    He leaned back on his seat. He felt the dizziness ovee his consciousness and couldn¡¯t help but close his eyes, unable to think anymore.


    The warmth he felt on the back of his hand was like an anaesthetic, numbness spread from that ce throughout his body. It seemed like even his throat hadn¡¯t been spared, because of that, he kinda lost control over his breathing and his breaths began to hasten.


    In order to clear his mind a little, he opened his eyes once again.


    He had just nced at the rear-view mirror when he caught the sight of the man beside him. That man was probably also looking at him, because their eyes met in the mirror.


    Qi Jing nearly jumped at that. He subconsciously let go of the kitten and pulled away from Shen Yan abruptly, but before he could even gather his thoughts, Shen Yan lifted his arm and quickly grasped his hand in midair


    A/N: I really wish I could be that taxi driver...


    T/N: Luci: And I don¡¯t, my obnoxious gawking would scare these two into forgetting about their gay panic. And we don¡¯t want that, do we? ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)

 Chapter 28

    <h4>Chapter 28</h4>


    Editor: whitere


    Hands that held a scalpel on the operating table for years had a surprising force behind them. Qi Jing couldn¡¯t break free from the seemingly light hold at all. His hand seemed to be stripped of all its strength as he lost his bnce and fell onto the seat between them, following Shen Yan¡¯s downward tugging motion.


    The rain continued to fall.


    An unfamiliar piano solo was ying on the taxi¡¯s radio, a long and quiet tune perfect for listening along to the pattering of rain outside the taxi window.


    The taxi driver seemed to bepletely immersed in the music, humming softly to the beat with the rest of his focuspletely on the steering wheel. Little Return Date, on the other hand, just minded its own business and happily licked its paws.


    Qi Jing¡¯s back waspletely stiff. He wanted to sit up a little and move closer to the window seat. However, right now, he couldn¡¯t even sit up; not only were his knees totally weak, but even his toes also were all limp and he couldn¡¯t gather any strength to move them at all.


    All of his senses seemed to be focused on his right hand.


    It felt like it wasn¡¯t his hand that was being held, but his heart.


    Because his heart tightened too quickly in that instant, it actually felt like someone gripped it tightly. As his heart pounded violently, thumping against his chest, each time louder than thest, it even caused his ears to start ringing a little.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if his own hand was shaking, but the other party¡¯s hand seemed to be trembling a little. Four fingers wrapped around Qi Jing¡¯s hand from the crook between his thumb and index finger, reaching into the centre of his palm, while that man¡¯s thumb rested against the knuckle of his pinkie. With the back of his hand closely stuck to the other party¡¯s palm¡ªmaybe it was because both their temperatures went up, their hands were even a little sweaty.


    As time went on, they could even feel each other¡¯s heartbeat.


    Pulsating rhythmically.


    His or Shen Yan¡¯s¡ªit was hard to tell whose was faster.


    The prelude in the piano music had passed and the pace of the music started to quicken, just as the rain began to pour down outside the window.


    Shen Yan¡¯s hand remained unmoving for a long time, simply holding his like that.


    At this moment, that man¡¯s thumb suddenly rxed a little before holding onto his hand more firmly and he gently grazed his fingertips along the edge of Qi Jing¡¯s joints as if he was carefully tracing the outline.


    With every touch, Qi Jing felt his head spin as his throat throbbed.


    ¡°Shen Yan.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but call out that man¡¯s name.


    He didn¡¯t know if he wanted to remind the other party or himself, or perhaps it was neither; he was just mumbling to himself in a daze.


    However, that person seemed to understand and he suddenly said softly, ¡°Band-aid.¡±


    Qi Jing was stunned.


    ¡°The band-aid... got scratched off by the little fe.¡± Shen Yan uttered those words extremely slowly, calmly, and restrained.


    Only then did Qi Jing realise that Shen Yan¡¯s thumb had stopped on the band-aid on the back of his hand. He got that wound when Little Return Date scratched him while he was trying to bathe it.


    The band-aid had been wet several times in the past two days and its surface had started to wrinkle. Then, just now, when he was ying with the cat, he identally got scratched by it, so of course, the corner was starting toe off. Even so, there was no need for Shen Yan to press it down with his entire hand, much less hold it there this whole time.


    And here he thought his excuse was bad... to think Shen Yan¡¯s excuse would be even worse.


    However, he did not want to expose the other party.


    Even though it was obviously raining outside the car, the air inside of the taxi was very dry, probably because of the heater.


    When Qi Jing spoke, his throat was so dry that it hurt. ¡°Um&#k2026; That¡¯s where it scratched me&#k2026; two days ago.¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say a word, his thumb remained fixedly pressed on the band-aid with no signs of moving at all.


    Qi Jing did not prompt him nor speak any more.


    He turned his head and silently stared at the streaks of rain on the window ss. The headlights of the cars on the road tinted the windows a warm colour. The colour resembled that of unripe plums¡ªjust like the taste in his heart, mostly sour before one could taste a hint of sweetness.


    There was still some way to go before they arrived at their destination. In this small, yet warm car, it felt as if he was in a different world from the one with cold rain and strong winds outside. Just for a while, he could be a little greedy, he could pretend not to know, pretend not to understand. Let go of this so-called rationality and responsibility of grown men and go back to the innocence of a teenager.


    Right here, right now, he couldn¡¯t even lie to himself that he was unhappy.


    He was basically on cloud nine.


    The piano piece on the radio finally came to an end and the host¡¯s voice came back on again, ready to read a letter from the next listener. This appeared to be a music-on-demand type of program.


    ¡°This listener said that a fellow listener from his college days is getting married and he¡¯s specially requesting a song on-demand to wish him well in advance. Here¡¯s what he wrote, ¡®Good brother, I heard you¡¯re finally officially leaving that single life so I¡¯m here to first congratte you. I wish for you and your wife to love each other for a hundred years and live a long and happy life.¡¯¡±


    The host¡¯s tone was just as joyful and bright as the contents of the letter.


    Qi Jing suddenly froze. His reflection in the car window was no better than the grey sky outside.


    He too, once said simr words, simr blessings.


    As his voice was particrly distinguishable and his words were well-artictedy, at that time, he even agreed to emcee for the wedding. He smiled to a room full of guests as he said out each line.


    His memory suddenly shook out all these details which messily crashed down on him just like a bucket of cold water.


    Qi Jing shuddered and pulled out his hand with a jerk.


    Then, a yful, lively love song with lyrics that told a ¡°Happy Ending¡± story began to st out of the car speakers. The song was upbeat with a fast tempo, but even then, it couldn¡¯t keep up with the speed at which he was blinking his eyes in panic.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Even after he stopped blinking so fast, he still didn¡¯t have the courage to look at the person beside him.


    Shen Yan did not ask him what he meant by that, but Qi Jing knew he understood and even put all the me on himself, ¡°I might have... been a little strange just now.¡±


    The shadows of the moving windscreen wipers reflected in his eyes. The rhythmic, monotonous sound apanied by the joyous singing from the speakers strongly contrasted with the dead silence between them.


    When Qi Jing was starting to lose track of how long this deafening silence had gone on for, it was Shen Yan who spoke again.


    ¡°That wound... should be fine already, so you can take the band-aid off.¡± He sounded a lot calmer than Qi Jing had imagined; it was just that it felt like it took a lot out of him to voice it out.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± Qi Jing gently shook his head. ¡°If you remove it, you¡¯ll see the scars.¡±


    Even if the scars beneath it had healed, the scars would definitely still be there. And the scars must be ugly to look at.


    If possible, he¡¯d rather not show something like that to Shen Yan right from the start. He wanted to leave Shen Yan with the best, most beautiful impression and not a scar.


    For the remainder of the journey, the two men reverted back to the silence they had when they first got into the car.


    It was already past 9 AM when they arrived at the hospital. On Saturdays, the clinic was only open until 2 PM and the number of people who used the weekend to bring their pets to the hospital was high. Hence, those that needed to do multiple tests had to rush down first thing in the morning.


    Before getting out of the car, Shen Yan, who had said nothing since the end of their conversation, finally said three words, ¡°Wait a minute.¡±


    Just like when they boarded the car earlier, Shen Yan picked up Little Return Date in his arms before going over to Qi Jing¡¯s side to open his door for him, holding the umbre for thetter to shield him from the rain. The drop-off point was only a dozen metres away from the hospital entrance so there was really no need for this at all, but his silence made Qi Jing feel ill at ease, so he did not refuse.


    When the head nurse, Ms. Pang, saw Shen Yan who was supposed to be on leave today, her reading sses slid slightly down her nose. ¡°Dr. Shen? What are you doing here? Aren¡¯t you¡ª¡±


    Before she could finish her sentence, she was taken aback by the sight of Qi Jing with a slightly wry smile on his face and his arm in a cast, standing behind Shen Yan.


    This time, her sses almost slipped right off.


    It¡¯s been a while since theyst met and Qi Jing looked to have lost quite a lot of weight¡ªhe had none of the vibrancy from when they first met. Hisplexion was poor, looking a tad haggard even, not to mention the arm in a cast; anyone could tell with one look that something had happened to him. Ms. Pang immediately grabbed him to inquire about his condition, nagging him to find out what happened exactly.


    While chatting with her, Qi Jing inadvertently caught sight of Shen Yan putting on a white coat from the corner of his eyes, ready to examine Little Return Date who had been ced in a tray. He couldn¡¯t keep his eyes off the man, staring nkly at him buttoning up his shirt, picking up his medical folder, observing, and recording.


    However, as blood needed to be drawn for Little Return Date, that figure soon disappeared out the door and out of his field of vision. Noticing that he was a bit distracted, Ms. Pang followed his line of sight.


    When she realised that he was looking at Shen Yan, she said cheerfully, ¡°Oh Reporter Comrade, you haven¡¯t been here since thest report so I thought I wouldn¡¯t see you again. To think you¡¯ve be friends with Dr. Shen; you guys seem quite close, too.¡±


    Qi Jing was slightly stunned, he barely managed a smile as he replied, ¡°Actually... we aren¡¯t really very close.¡±


    <i>But I guess we could be considered friends.</i>


    <i>Friends should be okay, right?</i>


    ¡°However, I respect him very much.¡± Qi Jing found the most appropriate and honest description. Whether it was the voice actor, Geese Fly North, or the meticulous surgeon in front of the operating table, Shen Yan, they were both a presence he admired.


    As Ms. Pang was still in the middle of her work, their conversation didn¡¯tst more than ten minutes before she was called by a younger nurse to help in another ward. Qi Jing sat alone in the empty office, staring at the white wall in a daze.


    The pet hospital was equipped with a heating system to prevent the animals from catching the cold in the fall and winter months so the temperature was just right and there was basically no need to wear a coat. However, he ultimately did not take off Shen Yan¡¯s coat. He even tugged at it multiple times with his right hand, hiding himself in it, hoping he could temporarily trick himself with the smell of the owner on the coat.


    Unfortunately, the warmth was already gone.


    The drive here was nearly an hour long and it was only natural that the residual body heat wouldpletely dissipate. Just as he was lost in his thoughts, the office door suddenly opened. He thought it was Ms. Pang who came back to get something, but when he looked up, he unexpectedly met those familiar eyes.


    Qi Jing immediately straightened up and asked, ¡°The test results are out?¡±


    Shen Yan shook his head lightly as he answered, ¡°Not yet. I just took its temperature and it is indeed running a high fever. The blood and stool tests will take some time and the microbial culture will take even more time.¡±


    So Shen Yan didn¡¯te back to tell him about Little Return Date¡¯s condition?


    While Qi Jing was still at a loss, Shen Yan took out a brand new band-aid. He helped Qi Jing remove the packaging and sticker and gently handed it over. ¡°I came back to give you this. Regardless of the scar, the band-aid should still at least be changed. I won¡¯t be watching so put it on yourself.¡±


    Qi Jing suddenly felt his own gaze quiver as he slowly reached out to take the thing in Shen Yan¡¯s hand.


    The exposed ster that stuck firmly onto his fingertip was like his current feelings, clinging onto that person, unable to let go. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Shen Yan said with a nod. He seemed to deliberately want to avoid his gaze lingering on Qi Jing for too long so he subtly shifted his gaze and turned away to go check on Little Return Date.


    After Shen Yan left, Qi Jing told himself he needed to buck up. Then, he whipped out his phone and contacted the TV station.


    ¡°Hello, Director? It¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Qi Jing, how¡¯s your recovery going?¡± The director had been quite done recently with the News Channel missing this capable subordinate. He would go on and on about it to whoever he met.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about work even when I¡¯m resting at home¡ªdo you think I¡¯m resting well?¡± Qi Jing joked deliberately.


    ¡°Did youe up with another proposal?¡± Having worked together for many years, the director did have a pretty good understanding of Qi Jing.


    ¡°Mhm, I actually do have a proposal. It¡¯s somewhat rted to the cat abuse report I wrote aboutst time... Anyway, I wanted to draft it out for you first, then send it to you tonight to see if it¡¯s feasible.¡±


    Although what happened to Little Return Date was his personal experience, he was sure that simr issues did more or less exist in other pet hospitals or clinics.


    Pet medical institutions currentlycked regtion and the entire market was pretty messy. The problems Shen Yan pointed out today made his blood curdle and he wanted to use his connections in the media industry to gather more information about it. If all went well, he might be able to start another special report and go visiting the local pet hospitals undercover.


    The truth was, he had been looking forward to the day when he could n and host his own show since he entered the journalist profession.


    One didn¡¯t have to be a reporter for the TV station for life, there were also opportunities for promotion, but it mainly depended on the direction of development and the ability of each person. Some choose to be in management, while others preferred to be TV program editors. For those with great voices and were strong in exining things like him, they had a high potential to be show hosts in the future.


    It was precisely because of his contact with Shen Yan and his picking up Little Return Date that such thoughts recently became stronger again.


    In the istion ward, Qi Jing saw Little Return Date who had finished having its blood drawn. This time, it clearly did not face the same coercion as yesterday. The blood draw seemed to go smoothly and the site of injection was also properly cleaned and didn¡¯t have any strange odours.


    Shen Yan prepared the cage with a sterilised cotton sheet and a small nket for the little guy. It was very soft andfortable and the little fe quickly forgot all about its previous nket. It quickly fell in love with its temporary shelter and happily rolled around inside.


    Unlike what the vet from the other clinic had said¡ªthat the white blood cell count was low¡ªthe test results showed that it was normal. Other than fever, Little Return Date did not show any other special symptoms so it was probably amon cold. The nurse had already given it the necessary jabs, but to be on the safe side, Shen Yan insisted on doing a full pathology test. He was worried that Little Return Date might have contracted other germs during his stay at that clinic.


    Of course, the little fe waspletely oblivious to its condition; all it cared about was eating and sleeping.


    Shen Yan mixed up milk from some milk powder for kittens coupled with crushed cat food to supplement its body with the necessary nutrients. The kitten now saw Shen Yan as its second food dispenser and afortable warm bed. It would start rubbing itself against Shen Yan the moment it saw him.


    Seeing that it was recovering well, Qi Jing felt like a weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders.


    ¡°Little Return Date is still a kitten and it was probably weaned not too long ago so it can still drink a little milk as thectase is notpletely gone. However, it can¡¯t drink anymore in the future, it can¡¯t digest it.¡±


    When Shen Yan was writing the medical report, following the standard operating procedure, he also asked Qi Jing what he had been feeding the cat for the past few days. Only then did Qi Jing find out what to feed it and what not to feed it.


    ¡°As I thought, I really can¡¯t take care of a cat.¡± He gazed at Little Return Date¡¯s soundly sleeping figure in the cage and said with a wry smile, ¡°I can¡¯t even feed myself properly, often going hungry, let alone a cat.¡±


    At that moment, Shen Yan¡¯s pen that was still writing on the paper stopped short.


    The hands on the wall clock had already slowly moved to the number right at the top; it was lunch break for the medical staff at the hospital and they were all going to lunch one after another.


    He stared fixedly at the section titled ¡°Diet History¡± on the medical record. He lowered his eyes, hesitant to speak. Then¡ª


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± he asked softly, ¡°would you like to...e to my house for lunch?¡±


    A/N: I feel like Dr. Shen is going to perish in the silence if he doesn¡¯t explode in it... but then again, he really isn¡¯t the type to explode. What to do _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    whitere: The subtext in the taxi... the undercurrent of meaning in Shen Yan¡¯s every word... I love this man so much.

 Chapter 29

    <h4>Chapter 29</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editor: Mashiro


    Shen Yan¡¯s home was not that far away from the clinic, so it took them less than ten minutes to get there.


    The Northern part of the city belonged to the old town. Unlike in the new district where Qi Jing lived, the buildings here were rather old, and there were a lot of old-fashioned alleys and houses.


    The majority of the residents had been living there for generations. Most of the younger people had moved out, while the retirees enjoyed this leisurely, slow-paced life. From time to time, old people sitting under the eaves drinking tea and listening to the rain could be seen on the quiet streets. Some of the more refined onesid out the chess and yed while listening to it.


    Both the inside and outside of these walls were pervaded by a tranquil and simple atmosphere.


    Amidst the heavy rain, vines that seemingly appear out of nowhere hung in front of the building, constantly dripping with water. Patches of grey moss could be found here and there on the white wall and they would asionally catch little snails crawling slowly along the trails of the rainwater.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± When they arrived at the front of an old-fashioned residential building, Shen Yan pointed at the unit closest to the inside.


    Because it was an old building, theyout of the corridor was still the outdated one, so it seemed rather low and narrow. And just outside the building stood several towering Bodhi trees which made the path which was already fairly dim from the gloomy weather even darker, and he could barely see the steps below his feet when he entered.


    The light in the corridor should be sound-activated, but it didn¡¯t turn on even after Qi Jing had taken a few steps.


    Just when he was about to walk upstairs holding onto the wall, Shen Yan who was walking before him turned around and motioned for him to stop for a while: ¡°The light in the corridor broke two days ago, and as for now, it still hasn¡¯t been repaired. Your hand is hurt, so you¡¯d better take care not to fall.¡±


    Saying that, he stretched out his hand gently.


    How fortunate the light is a little dim.


    With his back to the light, the expression on Qi Jing¡¯s face was covered by a shadow, but he still stretched his hand out slowly. He was a lot calmer this time when he held the man¡¯s hand for the second time. It¡¯s just that the temperature of his fingers were on the lower side. Shen Yan quietly grabbed his hand in turn. His palm was still as warm and strong when he led Qi Jing up the stairs.


    By the time they arrived at the third floor, his eyes had already gotten used to the darkness, and there was a trace of sunlight at the end of the corridor.


    But Shen Yan didn¡¯t let go of his hand at all. It was only when they came to the door that he gently lowered Qi Jing¡¯s hand as he had to get his keys to open it. Qi Jing stood in the corner waiting, motionless, without uttering a single word as he clenched his hand into a fist and pressed it against the side of his thigh.


    ¡°Please,e in.¡± After opening the door, Shen Yan made way for him and invited him inside.


    Although the residential building seemed old from the outside, the interior looked newer than Qi Jing expected. Perhaps it was renovated a little. Theyout of the apartment was about the same as in your usual residential apartments, with two bedrooms and one kitchen. It couldn¡¯t be described as spacious, but it also wasn¡¯t cramped; the size was just about right.


    Maybe it was because he was used to the emptiness of his apartment, but when he¡¯s here, Qi Jing felt as if the interior was filled to the brim.


    It didn¡¯t feel overly packed, but rather quite homey. There was a lot of furniture there, and almost all of it was made from ck walnut wood. There were all kinds of trinkets, books and pottery in therge cupboard ced in the living room. The sofa was covered with square cushions, that were soft and cosy. The coffee table and the dining table were quite wide, and upied a lot of space. Visually, the house gave a safe and homely feeling.


    This is what home looks like¡ªQi Jing couldn¡¯t help but think so when hepared it to the empty and simpleyout of his own ce.


    ¡°Sorry, the apartment is quite old.¡± Shen Yan leaned down and tidied up the cushions of various colours to make some room for him to sit.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, I think it¡¯s very good.¡± Qi Jing said hurriedly.


    But looking at the amount of things here... He probably isn¡¯t living alone. Sometimes, the observative skills formed by his upation brought negative thoughts like this to his mind.


    Qi Jing was thinking in silence while looking around, subconsciously searching for the traces of other people living here.


    Seemingly able to read his inquiring gaze, Shen Yan suddenly said lightly: ¡°I also live alone. This used to be my grandfather¡¯s ce. After he passed, I kept all his things and I didn¡¯t want to give them away either, so it looks quite cramped here.¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback and blurted out two words: ¡°Grandpa¡¯s grandpa.¡±


    Just after he said that, he realised these words were inappropriate, and awkwardly avoided Shen Yan¡¯s gaze, regretting his slip of tongue. However, Shen Yan didn¡¯t mind it at all, he even smiled lightly, ¡°Exactly, Grandpa¡¯s grandpa. I was brought up by him.¡±


    The topic stopped at that, and he didn¡¯t mention a word about his other family members.


    Naturally, as a clever man, Qi Jing wouldn¡¯t do something as stupid as asking these questions on his own ord. He just quietly sat down with conflicted feelings.


    ¡°What do you like to eat?¡± Shen Yan asked him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any special preferences, you can do something simple, don¡¯t trouble yourself too much.¡± Usually, Qi Jing¡¯s diet was a mess. Sometimes he would be so busy with work that he wouldn¡¯t eat anything but biscuits to satisfy his hunger throughout the day. At his house, stomach medicine was a basic necessity, ¡°The ones you sent me in the mailst time would be good, they are light and easy to make.¡±


    Shen Yan replied with a short ¡°Hmm¡±. He opened a refrigerator and bent over to look for the suitable ingredients.


    At that moment, Qi Jing got up from the sofa and hesitated before speaking: ¡°Um... I can help you if you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    To be honest, he was at loss when he first heard Shen Yan¡¯s invitation.Going to his house to eat meant he would be cooking for him personally. Shen Yan had already sacrificed his free time to take care of Return Date, and now, even after he returned from the vet clinic, Shen Yan still had to busy himself to take care of him. Qi Jing felt sorry about it.


    Although he could only use one hand, he could at least try to help around the kitchen as an assistant.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shen Yan looked at him and nodded after a long while.


    Then again... Watching after a fire isn¡¯t that much of a help, is it?


    Qi Jing looked at the flickering me on the gas stove before him, then at the water that was just about to start boiling and at Shen Yan in silence. Shen Yan didn¡¯t meet Qi Jing¡¯s eyes but kept his lowered as he chopped up the head of a cauliflower into smaller portions and said, ¡°Just like this is fine.¡±


    ¡°I still can help with something else.¡± He insisted.


    He had done a total of three things since stepping into the kitchen: rinsing rice, cooking rice and watching after a fire, all of which were simple chores that required no effort or skill.


    On the other hand, Shen Yan was so busy he didn¡¯t have time to turn around, and the sound of chopping never stopped. On the kitchen counter there were not only vegetables, eggs, tofu and other healthy food, but also half a kilogram of lean meat to add some protein and two fish heads for making a soupter. He had his sleeves rolled up halfway, from cleaning and cutting vegetables to seasoning, he had done everything skillfully, his expression was concentrated as if he stood before the operating table throughout the whole process. Qi Jing waited for a long time before he found a suitable moment to speak.


    Maybe it was because his voice was unusually earnest, Shen Yan stopped for a moment. He thought a little and cracked open two eggs into a bowl, then gave him a pair of chopsticks.


    ¡°In that case, you can help me with beating the eggs.¡± That¡¯s what he meant by ¡®substantial work¡¯.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± It was the first time when Qi Jing felt that the cast on his hand was heavy, so heavy that it weighed down his heart, ¡°I honestly want to help, really.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already helping.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s expression was calm and it didn¡¯t look like he was just paying lip service. His action of cutting vegetables slowed down a bit, as he said his next words in a hoarse voice amid the sound of chopping on the cutboard, ¡°And also... I¡¯m already very content with the fact that you¡¯re willing toe here.¡±


    The stove fire flickered a little.


    The pot of water on the stove reached its boiling point at this time, and the air bubbles rising from the bottom of the pot broke through the water¡¯s surface, spraying water around.


    This sound would be a good portrayal of what was happening in Qi Jing¡¯s heart¡ªon the surface he was calm, but the temperature inside was rising continuously as he gradually began to waver, until the feelings hidden inside him started to surge beyond his control, and erupt.


    His face was pale, and he didn¡¯t say anything for a while. Large amount of steam rising from the pot concealed the slight shaking of his body.


    It seems Shen Yan took it to his heart when I pulled away my hand.


    That¡¯s why he would say something like this.


    Shen Yan was a very cautious person. He was quick to understand the hints in other people¡¯s actions and adjust himself. Qi Jing knew Shen Yan used to suffer from the speech disorder, yet he still reacted in such a way that hurt Shen Yan¡¯s feelings. It was simply rubbing salt into Shen Yan¡¯s injuries. He clearly apanied him through all these hardships, yet he was telling him he was ¡®content¡¯ with just Qi Jinging to his house and eating a meal with him.


    So many times. I always receive his care, yet my only reaction is to push him away ruthlessly.


    There¡¯s no more hideous thing than that...


    He lowered his eyes and saw that the bowl of eggs was already shaking even before he started beating it. Probably his hands were shaking too much. A sense of remorse tightened his throat, making his voice almost inaudible: ¡°... In fact, I¡¯m very happy. Because it¡¯s you who invited me.¡±


    Afraid that the other person won¡¯t hear his words, he repeated himself, enunciating each word as clearly as possible.


    ¡°It¡¯s only because it¡¯s you that I am so happy.¡±


    At that moment the sound of knife chopping on the cutting board ceased.


    Shen Yan heaved a deep sigh. It was hard to tell whether it was a sigh of relief, or deepening perplexion: ¡°I always thought you hated me.¡±


    Their conversation stopped at that.


    I have never once thought that way¡ªQi Jing really wanted to reply like this. The reason he didn¡¯t blurt out that reply was because just as he wanted to open his mouth to refute, he realised that much of his behaviour thus far wouldn¡¯t be able to back it up. In fact, it might even backfire, so he could only stand there, unable to do anything.


    When the meal was ready and the fire was put out, he had finally walked out of the kitchen slowly.


    Eating around the table with your family was a normal thing, yet he hadn¡¯t done that for years.


    It was not the same as social dining for work or meeting up with friends in private for a meal. Knowing that someone made the hot and steaming food before him just for his sake made him feel like he was taken care of by that person. And thest time he experienced something like this was before he left his home.


    It¡¯s been so many years that Qi Jing had already forgotten about how it felt because he didn¡¯t have anyone to remind him about that feeling for too long.


    Until now. Until he met the man across the table.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Shen Yan seemed to have no intention of continuing the previous topic. Qi Jing nodded his head obediently and thanked in a low voice, sitting down behind the table.


    It was just two of them, but they had five dishes and one soup on the table. Cauliflower with garlic, tofu egg drop soup, auric fungus, and poached sliced pork, even fish head soup with pickled bamboo shoots... They were allpletely ordinary home-cooked meals, but not only was each dish colourful and pleasing to the eyes, they were also extremely fragrant. Even his appetite¡ªwhich had been bad since he caught a cold¡ªhad improved.


    Shen Yan got him a bowl of just cooked white rice and put it before him, then helped him with grabbing the chopsticks.


    In recent years, apart from when he ate out in restaurants, Qi Jing hardly had the chance to see such a wide spread of dishes before him, much less in a private setting, where all the dishes were prepared by Shen Yan himself.


    He couldn¡¯t even bear to move his chopsticks, ¡°... Your cooking skills are really good.¡±


    Shen Yan saw that he had not tried anything yet, and the corners of his mouth quirked up a little, but just lightly: ¡°How do you know that before he even tasted it?¡±


    ¡°I can see that it¡¯s delicious just by looking.¡± Qi Jing answered honestly.


    He suddenly remembered that hospital boxed lunches that apanied him for days he spent in a hospital bed¡ªrice hard like gravel, too salty endivia, tasteless eggs, and only one dish that was barely worth any praise, fried tofu.


    He forced a smile and said: ¡°In the first days after the surgery, I was alone in the hospital and didn¡¯t have anyone to bring me food, so I would go to the hospital cafeteria to buy boxed meals. That meals were theplete opposite, just by looking at them you could tell they¡¯re disgusting.¡±


    Nevertheless, he at least had these lunch boxes to apany him in the most difficult time, and didn¡¯t die in the hospital bed


    At that moment, Shen Yan spoke suddenly: ¡°You lost a lot of weightpared to before the ident.¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback as he turned his head towards Shen Yan in a daze.


    That man sitting across the table full of steaming dishes showed a solemn expression as he frowned. His eyes stayed on his face for a long time as he said: ¡°Every time we chatted before, I had vaguely sensed that... you had probably suffered a lot during that time. But when I saw you once again, it gave me a scare.¡±


    Hearing that, Qi Jing subconsciously covered half of his cheek with his hand, and asked in a hoarse voice: ¡°Did I lose so much weight that I could scare people now?¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how much weight he had lost during that half month, he didn¡¯t measure it at all. But if everyone said the same thing, then he had to have lost quite a lot. He could only wish that Shen Yan did not find him unbearable to look at.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of changes in your body, but your whole person.¡± Shen Yan said slowly.


    He still remembered his impression on Qi Jing from when they met at the hospital for a follow up report on the cat abuse news.


    Back then, although Qi Jing would look tired from time to time, he was still full of vigour. His face was always full of smiles, and he always greeted everyone politely. He was like a ray of morning sunlight. Although not as intense as the midday sun, it was gentle and warm, as it made one feelfortable.


    Unlike him at that moment.


    Unlike how Shen Yan had seen him under that umbre; sitting by himself in a corner, with his hand covered in cast. Alone and helpless, as his face looked exactly like the city during rain¡ªdark and gloomy.


    ¡°Of course myplexion wouldn¡¯t be as good, I broke my hand after all.¡± Qi Jing smiled while shaking his head, although his smile was a little forced.


    After all, no sick person would have a goodplexion.


    Shen Yan also shook his head lightly, but did not smile, ¡°You can obviously treat yourself better.¡±


    Qi Jing blinked slowly, bewildered.


    Better... The concept of treating himself ¡®better¡¯ was too vague, and it was too unrealistic to attain with his current life situation. So he did what he was the best at; finding positives in the midst of harsh reality. ¡°Thepany gave me a month worth of leave because of my injury, so I can recuperate at home. Compared to how I usually have to run about busily without any regr sleep hours or meals, it¡¯s already much better. I would have to quit my job to change my current lifestyle.¡±


    Shen Yan still didn¡¯t smile, ¡°I know that journalism is a hard profession, but I¡¯m not saying you should change your job.¡±


    So... he wasn¡¯t referring to that?


    Qi Jing looked at him in confusion: ¡°Then, what do you mean?¡±


    Shen Yan looked away. He lowered his head and looked at the bowl and chopsticks in front of him as he raised his hand, lightly touching his lips with a finger. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but it took a long while before he got the words out.


    ¡°What I mean is¡ªyou should find yourself someone that would take care of you.¡±


    T/N:


    Luci: Qi Jing, you¡¯d better decide quickly. He cooks, he fluffs and he prot, if you won¡¯t grab him, I will. ( ?? ¦Ø ?? )


    Mashiro: My brain automatically converts it as ¡°Let¡¯s be together¡±


    And my fujoshi mind started screaming, ¡°Yeaaa!! My Ship started sailing, my ship started sailing!! Bon voyage mon ship!!¡±

 Chapter 30

    <h4>Chapter 30</h4>


    Editor: whitere


    Happy New Year!! Many thanks to the readers who have been with me from the first chapter, basicallymenting on every chapter religiously hahaha I¡¯ll be in your care this year as well


    On the ck walnut table before him were tes of fragrant homemade dishes, still steaming.


    Also steaming was the rice in the bowl. Each rice grain was round and full and when clustered into a bunch, it appeared extra warm.


    It was the sense of home that he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time.


    It was the feeling of being cared for that he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time.


    And seated opposite him was a man who once told him that he should find someone to take care of him.


    If all of this was not considered taking care of him, then what was?


    If... the person in front of him was not the one, then who was?


    A white pendantmp hanging above the dining table emitted a faint warm light that shone down the tabletop, reflecting off the ck wood to give a white halo that softly encircled the two people sitting together on either end of the table. The old wall clock ticked, measuring the silence that psed between them.


    Quite some time had passed and no one spoke.


    Because he still didn¡¯t get a reply after so long, Shen Yan slowly lifted his downcast eyes back up to look at Qi Jing. But what he saw next, stunned him.


    Qi Jing was still holding the chopsticks in his hand with the tip resting on the fragrant rice in the bowl. However, it was just ced there, he wasn¡¯t picking up any rice.


    His hand remained in this position for a long time, unmoving, while something dripped onto the rice. One drop, two drops... He didn¡¯t make a sound at all, they just gradually rolled down his cheeks, quietly seeping into the rice grains.


    It was like the raindrops falling from the eaves were in sync with him, pattering against the windowpane, one after another. The warmth of the room left the window panes thinly covered with a fine, yet denseyer of mist, blurring the light emanated from themp.


    Qi Jing lowered his eyes onto his bowl and saw that things were falling from his eyes, one by one. In that instant, he also saw a sh of light that soon disappeared into the soft, fluffy rice. Then, his fingers made a move, picking up a small ball of rice with his chopsticks and slowly sending it into his mouth.


    It was indeed fragrant and sweet.


    Although there was a slight bitterness added by him, the soft, warm taste overpowered everything.


    It waspletely different from the rice he had eaten in the hospital room that day¡ªit tasted of happiness. This was something he once thought was out of his reach, but now he was savouring it in his mouth.


    He knew his current appearance must have given that man a scare, but he didn¡¯t want to hide it as there was no way to hide it. The things spilling out from his eyes were already beyond his control. There was no point wiping them away, so he could only gulp down the rice in the bowl, leaving the two faint streaks on his face be. Every time they dried, a new wave woulde again.


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡±


    Qi Jing moved slowly, his hands shaking all the while, but he still remainedmitted to bringing the rice into his mouth. Then, he picked up some vegetables to go with his rice.


    ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡± The same words, the same slow chewing.


    ¡°Qi Jing...¡± Not too far away, in front of him, Shen Yan finally spoke in slightly husky voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± Qi Jing tried to ster a smile on his face.


    He didn¡¯t know if he eventually managed to form a smile, but it didn¡¯t matter. The tears wouldn¡¯t stop. The worst state he¡¯d ever been in his entire life was now entirely on disy with no holds barred. However, he didn¡¯t feel embarrassed at all, because his heart was already filled to the brim by thoserge grains of rice; there was no room left for any other emotions.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± He repeated those words once more, but the trembling of his shoulders grew stronger. He choked back on tears, still trying his very best to hold back.


    He didn¡¯t want to make it too awkward for Shen Yan.


    He didn¡¯t want to make Shen Yan worry, because his current reaction was not out of pain, but because his words had touched the weakest corner of his heart. And in that instant, his emotions just overflowed, flowing out of his eyes.


    But unfortunately, the sound of him choking back his sobs was bing increasingly clearer and could be heard again and again in the silence.


    The sound of the rain settling down apanied his sobs.


    At that moment, Shen Yan lightly got up from his seat and only after a long while, said a few words, ¡°I¡¯m going downstairs to get the mail.¡±


    Qi Jing did not reply, instead nodded his head as a response.


    Shen Yan stood rooted to the ground for a moment before finally leaving the dining table, slowly moving past Qi Jing to go out the door.


    After he heard the sound of the door closing gently, the house fellpletely silent, leaving some space for Qi Jing topose himself and sort out his emotions.


    Only after Shen Yan left did Qi Jing lift his head that was lowered this whole time and put down his chopsticks to briefly wipe his eyes with his sleeves. As he awkwardly sniffed through his panting, the vigorous rise and fall of his chest finally eased a little. He was really grateful to Shen Yan for giving him some time to himself.


    When he looked down at the table, Qi Jing saw that he actually finished half his bowl of rice during that short period of time.


    Then, his line of sight was soon directed to the other side of the table, the rice and dishes ced in front of Shen Yan were all untouched. Wow, he really was a bad guest, eating faster than the host. His reddened eyes couldn¡¯t help but curve into little crescent moons as a faint smile found its way onto his face.


    He remained in his seat for a little longer before going to the tap to wash his face, rinsing away the leftover traces of his tears.


    The phone in his pocket suddenly rang just as he wiped off the water droplets on his face.


    It was a message.


    The contact of the sender was a single character ¡°Yan¡±. Initially, the contact was saved as Geese Fly North and after learning that person¡¯s real identity, he did consider changing it to Shen Yan, but in the end, he decided to only keep ¡°Yan¡±, the same character for Geese, shared by both names.


    That message only contained one short line.


    ¡¾Tell me toe up when you feel that you¡¯re ready.¡¿


    <i>He¡¯s really so... considerate.</i>


    Qi Jing felt the areas just beneath his eyes heat up as he took a deep breath, suppressing the pain in his throat that had just barely subsided. In order to collect himself more thoroughly, he returned a simple reply: ¡¾I still need some time.¡¿


    After sending the message, Shen Yan did not respond for a long time.


    About five minutes had passed and Qi Jing was daydreaming to the autumn rain falling outside the window when his phone beeped again. A second text message from Shen Yan hade:¡¾I won¡¯t go up, but can I call you?¡¿


    When Qi Jing saw that text, he didn¡¯t type a reply but instead just proceeded to dial the other party¡¯s number.


    ¡°Hello?¡± After calming himself down for so long, his voice had already stabilised and he was no longer choking back his tears. In fact, it even had the same trickle of warmth emanating from the food on the table. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Just downstairs at the ce where we entered from.¡±


    Which meant that Shen Yan was currently situated very close to the eaves as he could hear the pleasant, clear, and crisp sound of the rain in the background.


    Hearing Shen Yan¡¯s words, Qi Jing stood up and walked to the living room window, looking in the direction of the entrance to the ground floornding.


    And just as expected, there Shen Yan was, leaning against the wall alone, quietly waiting under the eaves. From his angle, Qi Jing could vaguely make out the other party¡¯s body movements. If not for theyer of fog over the ss, he might even be able to clearly see Shen Yan¡¯s expression.


    However, Qi Jing did not do anything to wipe away the fog.


    This wasn¡¯t too bad either; there wasn¡¯t a need for him to see it clearly. This way, he could concentrate more on the other party¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Sorry, I gave you a scare just now, didn¡¯t I?¡± Qi Jing said with an apologetic smile.


    ¡°No... I was just slightly at a loss for what to do.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s reply was as he had expected.


    ¡°Actually, I gave myself a scare as well.¡± Qi Jing found afortable standing position, simrly with his back against the wall, his head leaning on the window as he looked sideways at the person downstairs who he was talking to. ¡°Out of nowhere, it just naturally became like that without any warning at all and I couldn¡¯t even begin to contain it.¡±


    Shen Yan said in a low voice, ¡°You don¡¯t have to suppress it. It¡¯s best to let it out.¡±


    Qi Jing replied with an ¡°Mhm¡± and the two of them kept quiet for a little while as they would when they chatted online, letting the sound of the rain fill the gaps.


    After quite some time, Qi Jing restarted the conversation. ¡°Why did you think of calling?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m a little worried.¡± When he said those words, the person downstairs seemed to have lowered his head with his back to the lighting from the entrance to the building. As the sound of the rain apanied his low breaths, there was also the electric current that made everything slightly distorted, giving Qi Jing the feeling like he was in another world. ¡°And... somehow, I felt that it¡¯ll be easier for you to speak truthfully when we¡¯re not face-to-face.¡±


    Qi Jing was slightly stunned at first before that expression blossomed into a mncholic smile. ¡°What do you want to hear me speak truthfully about?¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s deep breaths could be heard from the microphone as he said, ¡°Do you remember what I said in the kitchen?¡±


    <i>Yes.</i>


    ¡±I always thought you hated me¡±¡ªwas what Shen Yan said and he didn¡¯t reply.


    ¡°I...¡± How could I hate you. Even if there was no way to prove it, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but want to rify.


    However, Shen Yan gently interrupted him¡ªvery lightly, yet very insistently.


    ¡°May I say a few words before you answer?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, go ahead.¡±


    Upon receiving permission, Shen Yan remained silent for a short while as usual before actually starting. ¡°Because I had a speech impediment, I¡¯ve never been very good atmunicating with people since before. There are few willing to speak to me and even fewer who are willing to listen to me.¡±


    Qi Jing had heard him mention this before, just that this time, it was more emotional.


    Shen Yan softened his voice. ¡°Even in my upation... although the symptoms are almostpletely gone, I am still subconsciously unable to get used tomunicating with strangers. But when I¡¯m interacting with small animals, I¡¯d feel a lot more rxed and there isn¡¯t any pressure. This is why I enjoy spending time with the little ones and wish to share stories about them with others, but... I don¡¯t know how to do that.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing was a little taken aback. He seemed to understand at once the reason Shen Yan said those words. Sure enough, that man mentioned him. ¡°Back then, when you got me to write a diary, it was the first time anyone had told me that they wanted to see me write about this stuff.¡±


    In that instant, Qi Jing had mixed emotions and he couldn¡¯t help but emphasise in a hoarse voice, ¡°Shen Yan, I want you know that while my initial suggestion was indeed for the news report, but after seeing the diary entries, I truly, from the bottom of my heart, liked what you wrote. It wasn¡¯t just for the job.¡±


    The man on the other end of the line seemed to chuckle a bit. ¡°I know, because you replied to every paragraph in your reply; I know you read it very carefully.¡±


    <i>Not only did you reply to every paragraph, you didn¡¯t leave out any details. And you always did that for every return mail. </i>


    <i>It was the joy of the words I said being met with a 100% response.</i>


    ¡°Although I¡¯m in contact with sick animals every day and write medical records for them every day, it was the first time to write them in the form of a diary.¡±


    Medical reports were objective descriptions whereas one could input their own personal thoughts into diaries; it was basically equivalent to baring his heart.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know how to go about writing it, so I just wrote whatever came to mind. When I sent out the first email, the truth was... I was actually really worried, worried that you¡¯d be averse to these personal descriptions.¡±


    But Qi Jing did not.


    And not only did he not, but he also said that he really liked it with a smile and even gave voice to those words so that more people could hear it...


    ¡°And then I... I might have been a little... reluctant... to let it just end like this.¡± At this point, Shen Yan¡¯s voice had faded until it was rather hard to hear. The way he spoke¡ªit was almost as if he was struggling to breathe. ¡°I might have... overstepped the boundaries... when I wrote thatst email to you, saying things that were probably too personal...¡±


    Qi Jing held his breath.


    When Shen Yan said those words, he paused several times and in those little bouts of silence, every patter of the rain was like a needle pricking into Qi Jing¡¯s heart.


    After a long while, Shen Yan finally finished his words, ¡°I waited for a long time but you didn¡¯t reply. I... I really regretted it; I was so scared...¡±


    Actually, there was more he didn¡¯t bring up.


    For example, the fact that he once gave up hiding his identity as Geese Fly North and called the TV station to inquire when Qi Jing was out of town on a business trip.


    For example, the fact that when he saw the news of Qi Jing¡¯s car ident on the post thread, he was so shocked that he did somethingpletely unexpected for him¡ªhe asked for Qi Jing¡¯s QQ number from Puppet.


    For example, the fact that he had the impulse to visit Qi Jing despite the rainst night, but that rationality ultimately won and he gave up that thought.


    Shen Yan¡¯s voice hadpletely disappeared and so did his breaths.


    Qi Jing realised the heavy breathing he heard was actually his own. When he returned to his senses, he felt a little light-headed and couldn¡¯t help but knit his brows together as he pressed his forehead against the windowpane.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± he called out through his soft panting, ¡°Shen Yan, I¡¯m so sorry, it definitely wasn¡¯t because I hated it... that I didn¡¯t reply to thatst email from you.¡±


    His tone was careful like he was coaxing a child¡ªafraid that one wrong word and it would be an irreversible mistake.


    ¡°I¡¯m speaking the truth from the bottom of my heart,¡± Qi Jing swore.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Shen Yan answered softly.


    After that, neither of them continued to speak for some time. Qi Jing closed his eyes tightly and listened to the patter of the rain from the end of the line while Shen Yan remained right where he was, quietly standing in the shadows, as he adjusted his emotions. From time to time, they would hear the sound of the electric current running through the handset and it was a clear indication that they were still on the phone with one another.


    In the end, it was Shen Yan who went back to the beginning first. ¡°Qi Jing, for what I¡¯m about to say to you next... could you temporarily treat me as Geese Fly North?¡±


    His sudden request elicited a chuckle from Qi Jing. ¡°But you are Geese Fly North to begin with.¡±


    ¡°What I mean is, can you just think of me as Geese Fly North and forget about the fact that I¡¯m Shen Yan?¡± Through the window covered in ayer of fog, Qi Jing saw Shen Yan take two steps closer to the wall under the eaves. As the sound of rain grew louder, Shen Yan said, ¡°That way... you will be more objective in answering my following question.¡±


    A small smile appeared on Qi Jing¡¯s face.


    Although it was only a psychologicalfort, there was no harm in promising him. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll definitely say what I really mean. Go ahead and ask.¡±


    Shen Yan took a deep breath as he would be asking the most ridiculous question that he had ever asked in his life; one could hear the unease in his voice.


    ¡°If... you could rate your impression of a person from zero to ten, with ten being full marks and zero being noment or even dislike, what would you give ¡®Shen Yan¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡± Qi Jing lowered his head as a chuckle escaped his lips, but he was all warm inside as a sense of tenderness subconsciously overflowed. ¡°That question of yours sounded like those questionnaires we used to fill out as students.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯tugh, I¡¯m asking this earnestly.¡± Hearing Qi Jing¡¯sughter, the voice of the person who was downstairs lowered even more, but he didn¡¯t give up because of it.


    Qi Jing¡¯sughter did not stop. He continuedughing very, very softly, to the point his eyes became slightly moist as he watched that figure.


    Then, theughter stopped and he gave a genuine answer,¡± Eleven.¡±


    And unsurprisingly, the other party was stunned.


    ¡°What do you mean by eleven?¡± The deep voice on the other end of the call mumbled like the microphone was ced right on the mouth.


    ¡°That one more beyond the range given is an additional point,¡± Qi Jing said with a soft chuckle.


    At this point, there was a brief silence.


    However, Shen Yan was still bent on getting aplete answer. ¡°What does the additional point... mean?¡±


    Qi Jing was still looking down, his eyes centred on the figure standing under the eaves. The moment that man finished his words, Qi Jing put down the phone in his hand for a while and outstretched a finger to draw two arcs, with the help of the thinyer of fog on the window, on either side of that figure.


    When the two arcs came together, they formed a heart, framing that man in the middle.


    He smiled and picked up the phone again.


    ¡°The extra point means that... it¡¯s more than like.¡±


    What else could it be...


    He couldn¡¯t think of another answer.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡± At this moment, he was caughtpletely off guard by the words that sounded in the receiver. ¡°I¡¯ming up.¡±


    It took him several whole seconds before he finally registered what they meant and he gasped while eximing, ¡°Wait! Shen Yan, wait a minute! I¡¯m not¡ª¡± ready yet.


    When he noticed that the call had already been disconnected and looked downstairs, the man was no longer there anymore.


    It instantly put Qi Jing in a panic.


    His first reaction after putting the phone down was to hastily wipe off what he had just drawn on the windowpane; he even wiped it several times to be sure. However, even after all the fog on the windowpane had been wiped away without a trace, the violent pounding of his heart did not slow down.


    He regretted wasting time being so invested in cleaning the window because before he could get to the front door, he could already hear the sound of the keys turning as it opened a peep. Flustered, he forcefully pushed against the door, firmly preventing the person outside from entering.


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯te in yet!¡±


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡± Even if he couldn¡¯t see the face, he could hear the voice of the person outside¡ªmore than ever, the emotions in that voice were so strong it left Qi Jing in a daze. ¡°Let me see you.¡±


    ¡°You just... give me a minute first...¡±


    Qi Jing was gasping for air so heavily that he couldn¡¯t even say a simple sentence like that in one go. His mind waspletely nk and the only conscious part was all directed at his right hand, pushing against the door with all his might to stop it from opening another inch.


    He could only use one hand at the moment, and to be honest, because of the extreme nervousness, he barely had any strength in his body; doing this was nothing more than a futile struggle. If Shen Yan so wished, he could totally push the door open, but he deliberately used just enough force to reach this bnce¡ªenough to keep the door open, but not so much as to force his way in.


    Qi Jing noticed that when he slowly came back to his senses.


    He barely managed to take in a breath as he panted weakly. However, in the next moment, his breath was caught, because his hand on the door was gently covered by that man¡¯s before being grasped¡ªa very firm and desperate grip.


    The door remained at a standstill.


    The opening of the door was less than twenty centimetres wide and a faint light leaked inside the room through the gap.


    When Qi Jing lowered his head, he could see that Shen Yan¡¯s shadow had upied part of the light, but right now, Shen Yan had upied the entirety of his heart.


    The ce where their ten fingers touched felt like it was burning.


    ¡°Wai...¡± His intake of air was too hurried, to the point it almost sounded sharp whenever air flowed in and out of his throat¡ªhe couldn¡¯t even finish his sentence.


    Shen Yan was indeed waiting.


    But although he was waiting, he never let go of Qi Jing¡¯s hand and neither did thetter.


    Qi Jing felt like his heart was about to leap out of his chest. As his heart pounded violently, the deafening sound of the ¡°drums¡± was starting to make his head spin. Thump, thump, thump¡ªhis heart was palpitating at extreme speeds. The louder the sound got, the more his vision became blinded by patches of white. He felt like he was standing in a pile of cotton as his knees went weak.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡± More than any of these, the soft whisper calling out to him was the hardest for him to resist. ¡°I can wait for you until you feel that you¡¯re ready.¡±


    ¡°Mhm...¡± He answered through trembling lips.


    ¡°But... can you let me wait beside you?¡± Shen Yan asked in a husky voice.


    <i>Ah, it¡¯s against the rules to say such pleading words so meekly.</i> He easily pushed the right buttons which caused Qi Jing¡¯s heart to soften and remove all its defences, rendering any struggle useless.


    He only lightened the force he ced on the door a little and the door was immediately pushed open inwards. Right then, Qi Jing instinctively bowed his head, because he couldn¡¯t look directly into Shen Yan¡¯s eyes at the moment. Even though Qi Jing¡¯s hand had already been removed from the door, the hand holding his still didn¡¯t let go and came off the door with him.


    Then, with a gentle pull, he fell into the warm embrace in front of him.


    A/N: Dr. Shen, I give you 12, quicke into my bowl! TAT (gets forcefully picked up and removed by Little Return Date)


    Lilies: Shen Yan is so pure I gib 100


    whitere: AHHHHHHHHHHH. The heart in the foggy window, the text ¡°when you¡¯re ready¡±, the embrace! How are they so cute?? How is Shen Yan so perfectly patient and present?! <3333333


    Luci: ps the table THEY NEED PROTECTION, AND I CAN PROVIDE IT.

 Chapter 31

    <h4>Chapter 31</h4>


    All the love to MCJohnston for a coffee!


    TLC: Lilies


    Editor: Mashiro


    The door opened, then closed. The door lock snapped lightly with a ¡®click¡¯, and thest trace of light seeping from outside disappeared.


    At that moment, Qi Jing closed his eyes like a blind man, groping around in the darkness. Lost and helpless, he could only rely on his hearing and sense of touch to find his home.


    And his home had found him first.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡± It was the first time he felt iting from such a close distance.


    Shen Yan¡¯s voice, his name¡ªwhen those two came together, it made Qi Jing¡¯s emotions well up and overflow like a flood. And he was like a dyke during high tide, drowning little by little, butpletely willing to submerge in it.


    The hand that had held him before had released its hold, this time, moving to lightly cup the back of Qi Jing¡¯s head, letting him lean against his shoulder. Shen Yan barely used any strength in that hug, out of concern for Qi Jing¡¯s hand that was in a cast; he just circled his arms around Qi Jing with utmost restraint, enclosing them in that very private, but also very warm world of two.


    It¡¯s so warm.


    Qi Jing breathed deeply, and¡ªas if copsing¡ªrested his head against that shoulder, burying his face in that man¡¯s shirt. His eyes were half-opened, as he blinked nkly.


    His right hand was gripping on the bottom corner of that shirt, as if he was a drowning man clutching at a life-saving straw.


    He had always been afraid of falling. And now that he had really fallen into the hands of the other party, he was afraid of thetter letting him go. He carefully cracked open from his secure cocoon, allowing the most fragile part of him to be exposed to the world, temporarily letting that man shield him from all the storms for a while.


    Only when he got to know how the stability of having someone by his side felt did he realise how lost he had been, drifting off alone.


    Even a lone boat has times when it needs to be docked, doesn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± His voice was hoarse and almost inaudible as he inquired, ¡°Are you...?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The vague question received an unusually clear answer.


    Qi Jing exhaled slowly, as if uttering a sigh of relief, or maybe it was out of joy. He closed his eyes again like a weary man who could finally fall asleep.


    The hands that clutched on Shen Yan¡¯s clothes tightly had finally loosened. They trembled slightly as he moved them upwards, his palms t against that broad back, he tightened the hug without any hesitation.


    It didn¡¯t matter anymore.


    No matter the ending, he yearned for a beginning.


    And this time, he was by no means repeating the same mistake, he was sure of that. Because... It was Shen Yan. Shen Yan was different. All he received from that man was reassurance, warmth, and happiness¡ªit waspletely different.


    The apartment once again turned quiet. The sound of the wall clock ticking by, the rapping of rain hitting against the window, and even the sound of water dripping from the faucet every once in a while; they were all incredibly clear at that moment.


    There was no longer a need for words. The two people nestled in each other¡¯s embrace, in the dark corner behind the door as if isted from everything else around them, they became the only one for each other.


    Shen Yan turned his face sideways, pressing his cheek against Qi Jing¡¯s hair, hiding half of his face within it. He furrowed his eyebrows¡ªan expression of him being painfully patient, as if he was too afraid of taking the next step. His fingers traced the outline of Qi Jing¡¯s neck and slowly fumbled up each bone along his vertebrae. Then he buried his fingers in the soft hair, caressing it as if he was tenderly stroking an extremely precious treasure.


    Qi Jing felt a slight tingleing from the back of his head; it was both warm andfortable.


    He couldn¡¯t help but get a little closer. His nose grazed against Shen Yan¡¯s ear, and he rubbed against it subconsciously. asionally, a lock of hair or two would gently brush against his cheek and an indescribable sweetness filled the depths of his throat.


    That violent heartbeat from the beginning had calmed down already.


    At that moment, he could feel the strong, continuous heartbeat in the chest below his Adam¡¯s apple. It was pounding heavily against his chest, but it didn¡¯t make it hard for him to breathe. It¡¯s just his body just couldn¡¯t cool down.


    However, unlike them, the table full of food couldn¡¯t wait for too long.


    ¡°The food will get cold...¡± His voice sounded as if he had a fever. His throat felt as if it was burned, and he said these words on a single exhale; they were light as if they were weightless.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Shen Yan responded softly but didn¡¯t move at all.


    Qi Jing also didn¡¯t move, and stayed still in his embrace. He closed his eyes, and listened to that man¡¯s strong heartbeat reverberating in his chest.


    For precious moments, no matter how long theyst, it would always be too short, so it wasn¡¯t a bad idea to indulge in them a little longer.


    Unfortunately, this silence was shattered by the sudden, continuous ringing of a mobile phone. The loud sound startled both of them; Qi Jing gasped lightly, blushing subconsciously. He retreated from the other man¡¯s embrace, separating himself from the other. At that moment, Shen Yan woke up from his stupor. He seemed to remember something, and couldn¡¯t help but shake his head as he had to take back his hand and get his phone from a pocket to turn off the rm.


    ¡°You set a timer?¡± The sound from just now was made by a timer. Qi Jing couldn¡¯t fathom what its purpose was and felt curious.


    ¡°Uhm. I set it for half an hour when I went downstairs.¡± Shen Yan heaved a deep sigh, ¡°It¡¯s my fault, Ipletely forgot about it.¡±


    ¡°Why did you set the timer for half an hour?¡± Qi Jing became even more curious.


    Shen Yan opened his mouth, but couldn¡¯t say anything for a while. He evaded Qi Jing¡¯s eyes as he said: ¡°At that time I thought that... If you didn¡¯t respond to my messages or answer calls and didn¡¯t give me any reaction during that half an hour, I would need to go back to check on you.¡±


    Qi Jing was dumbfounded; by the time he returned to his senses, the corners of his mouth had already curled up as he couldn¡¯t contain hisughter. With ¡®pfft¡¯, he lowered his head to lean it against that man¡¯s vicle. Without saying a word, he reached out his right hand quietly to once again find that man¡¯s left hand, holding it naturally. Heughed for quite a long time while keeping that position. ¡°Did you perhaps think that I would do something stupid?¡±


    While saying that, he thought: It would be so good if it wasn¡¯t set for half an hour, but an hour or more.


    Shen Yan returned the grip, his voice just as gentle as his hold on Qi Jing. ¡°It was not only that. You caught a cold, and almost had an ident when you broke a ss before. I was mainly afraid of that.¡±


    After saying that, he backed off a little. He reached with his right hand and put it on Qi Jing¡¯s forehead, checking his temperature.


    Qi Jing¡¯s head and eyes were still lowered as he said in a low voice: ¡°... Doctor Shen, you might not be able to check it urately at the moment.¡±


    Of course it would be inurate.


    At that moment, he was like a piece of paper trying to contain a fire; he could start burning at any moment. He deliberately teased Shen Yan to make him a little embarrassed as well, so as to conceal the temperature of his face.


    Shen Yan was indeed taken aback by how he was called ¡®doctor Shen¡¯, so he moved his hand slightly, as if wanting to take it away from his forehead. And that was within Qi Jing¡¯s expectations. However, what Qi Jing didn¡¯t expect was that Shen Yan would stop his move midway, then once again touch his forehead with his fingers. This time he didn¡¯t leave them there, but gently tucked a lock of Qi Jing¡¯s hair to the side, until he burrowed his fingers in his hair as he cupped Qi Jing¡¯s ear in his hand.


    ¡°It really is hot.¡± Shen Yan looked at him and smiled lightly.


    It was the first time for Qi Jing to see his smile from such a close distance, and he was stunned for a moment before finally registering what the other party had just said. In that instant, he found himself feeling even more awkward than Shen Yan had before. He coughed twice and evaded Shen Yan¡¯s eyes.


    He never thought that the day woulde when he would lose at teasing, and wouldn¡¯t be able to retort.


    By the time they went back to the table, the food on the table had already gone cold.


    Shen Yan used a microwave to warm up all of the dishes, reheated the soup in the pot, then brought everything back as the two of them continued to eat.


    But Qi Jing quickly realised that if Shen Yan continued to sit opposite him, the meal wouldst at least two hours. It was because even though he had already calmed down, he couldn¡¯t help but take a peek at Shen Yan from time to time and be mesmerised by the other. Every time it happened, the movement of his hands would naturally slow to a halt and he wouldn¡¯t even move his chopsticks; not to mention the times he would sometimes meet the other party¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°If we continue like this, then this meal might continue until the evening and we might as well take it as having lunch and dinner with one meal.¡± Qi Jingughed first. After setting his heart at ease, he was much more open when facing Shen Yanpared to before.


    Shen Yan probably caught on to what Qi Jing was referring to. Then, seeming to have understood, he stood up lightly, leaving his original seat and actually moving another chair to sit on Qi Jing¡¯s right side.


    ¡°Is it better now?¡± Shen Yan asked in a light voice.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Qi Jing stared at him for a while, nodding with a smile. Although with such an arrangement they wouldn¡¯t be able to see one another and meet each other¡¯s gaze from this position, having Shen Yan at his hand¡¯s reach felt wonderful too.


    And not only that, sitting like this, they were also able to add food to each other¡¯s bowls. At least as long as their chopstick didn¡¯t collide midway whenever they moved at the same time, as it happened quite often.


    With a ¡®ck¡¯, their chopsticks had collided in midair for the third time. Qi Jing was so amused by the situation.


    As amused as he was, he still felt warmth well up in his heart. He calmly put down the food, and begged for mercy all seriously: ¡°All right, all right, I have enough food in my bowl already, and I guess that also goes for you, so from now on, let¡¯s just eat our share, okay? Otherwise we will really eat until dinnertime.¡±


    Having heard that, Shen Yan retracted his chopsticks silently, but didn¡¯t move to continue eating his food. It took him a long time before he spoke up: ¡°You could just stay for dinner too.¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback. The time was nearly 2 PM , and they started having their lunchte, dinner would probably be postponed to at least 7 or 8 PM. Was Shen Yan asking him... to stay in his apartment during that time?


    Shen Yan added in a low voice, like he was looking for an excuse, ¡°If the rain continues, it would be inconvenient to go out.¡±


    Hearing that, Qi Jing looked outside the window subconsciously. As a loyal weather forecast viewer, he remembered that yesterday, the weather reporter had said that the rain would weaken in the afternoon; it could alsopletely disappear and leave them with cloudy skies And the weather department that had never been quite so urate with its forecasts got it right this time. The sound of rain hitting against a window had already disappeared, and the only sound of rainwater falling from the eaves¡ªwhich was just the rain that had umted on the roof earlier¡ªcould be heard.


    And even if there was rain, it should be just a drizzle; not the kind that could hinder going out.


    For the first time, Qi Jing was dejected by an urate weather report.


    ¡°Mhm... It really wouldn¡¯t be good to go out if it rains.¡± He intended to ignore the change of the weather and y dumb once.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡± The person by his side called him suddenly.


    After a long period of silence, Shen Yan straightened his posture slightly. That posture reminded Qi Jing of the way he used to sit when answering an unfamiliar question he did not know the answer to back when he was a student; with his heart in his mouth for fear of misspeaking even a single word.


    ¡°If, and this is just a supposition...¡± Shen Yan nced out the window just as Qi Jing did and the situation outside was clear to see. When he looked back, his eyesnded at Qi Jing; an unshakeable resolve could be heard in his voice, ¡°If the rain stops by the afternoon, and the weather improves, then I will apany you back to your ce to take necessary things. You will stay with me for the time being, until your cast will be taken off.¡±


    Whether rain or shine, the conclusion arrived at either scenario had something to do with eating. But the differenceid in that if the rain continues, it would be a single meal; if the rain stops, he would not only receive a month¡¯s worth of meals and also a great deal of other things.


    Regardless of whether such an agreement was sensible or logical, by the time Qi Jing came back to his senses, he was already standing by the window, looking at that fine drizzle absentmindedly.


    Meanwhile, Shen Yan had already cleared the dishes on the table, and was now washing them in the kitchen. With just a wall between them, the sound of running water was light and pleasant to an ear. The ceramic tableware made a crisp sound whenever they collided; all these lived-in sounds were made by the other person. For him, who lived alone for so many years, they sounded quite unfamiliar.


    After all, this house before him was extremely homely,pletely different from his cold and bare-bones apartment.


    Naturally, the person living here was also different.


    Honestly, Qi Jing himself didn¡¯t know whether he wished for the rain to stop or not.


    The warmth of the other person still lingered around. He couldn¡¯t deny that he grew attached to that warmth, just as he grew attached to the man who gave it to him. And it was because he grew attached to Shen Yan¡¯s warmth that he wanted to slowly enjoy it, bit by bit.


    He was afraid of being greedy. If, by any chance, he took too much, then it would all be gone.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Before he knew it, the person in the kitchen was already done washing up and appeared by his side.


    ¡°Nothing much.¡± Qi Jing smiled faintly. He decided to leave everything for the rain to decide.


    Shen Yan looked at him with a silent query in his deep, ck eyes. His gaze was gentle as always, without any trace of overbearance, so even if Qi Jing reciprocated his gaze, he still wouldn¡¯t feel pressured to exin his thoughts. The personal space and tolerance Shen Yan gave him had always been one of Qi Jing¡¯s favourite parts about him.


    ¡°I left some books and magazines under the coffee table. You can check them out if you¡¯re looking for something to read.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Qi Jing answered. To be honest, he didn¡¯t intend to read the books, he just wanted to see what Shen Yan usually read, so he could understand him better.


    He reached out under the tea table, and took out a random book. The moment he saw the title on the cover, he was stupefied.


    It was a library book; a library barcode was stuck on the cover, and on the title page, there was a record card attached to it. At first nce, it looked no different from any other library book. Or it would be, if Qi Jing didn¡¯t see his own name appear on that record card.


    ¡°Strange...¡± He blinked while stroking his name on the record card in disbelief, confirming it really was his name. Not only that, his memory of this book was still fresh in his mind. ¡°I have once borrowed this book from the provincial library.¡±


    Part of his name was covered with a date stamp. It was clearly stamped in July.


    At that time, he had specially borrowed that book from a library in order to gather data about the birds in culture for the Science Channel, so naturally, he had a deep impression on it.


    ¡°I know that.¡± Shen Yan averted his eyes slightly, seemingly feeling a little awkward, ¡°It¡¯s because I borrowed it back on purpose.¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback. What surprised him the most was not the fact that Shen Yan had borrowed that book on purpose, but how would Shen Yan have known that he borrowed it. ¡°How did you know I had borrowed this book?¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t respond at first.


    Qi Jing looked at that record card in confusion, and wondered to himself: Could it be that Shen Yan had seen my name on the record card by chance? There were at least tens of millions of books in the provincial library, with such arge number of books, the possibility of such a coincidence was even lower than winning the lottery.


    Back then, on the day when he went to borrow that book, there was only him, librarian, and...


    Ah.


    Suddenly, that memory had be vivid and it was as if he could see the rows of bookshelves from that day, and the window at the end of the aisle appear before his eyes.


    The lighting from the window was so brilliantly blinding, it obscured the person standing there to the point he couldn¡¯t even see their silhouette clearly. He only remembered a scene of faint white, as well as the person who stood in that white light and stared at him motionlessly.


    Qi Jing took in a big breath as his eyes subconsciously widened in realisation. ¡°It was you...?¡±


    ¡°It was me.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s eyes were still downcast. He sighed lightly, and forced a smile, ¡°I had already known that you were Don¡¯t ask for my return date back then.¡±


    Luci: This chapter is filled to the brim with fluff, and I love it~ I actually feel like I¡¯m stuffed with a bucket-full of sugar, and I still don¡¯t feel like it¡¯s enough (?¦Ø?)


    And both of them getting confused by each other¡¯s actions... Qi Jing and Shen Yan are literally taking turns in having their share of gay panic LMAO


    Mashiro: A goofy smile was stuck on my face throughout the chapter (*¨R¨Œ¨Q)

 Chapter 32

    <h4>Chapter 32</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: Whitere


    Back when Qi Jing first entered the circle, Ninth Lady who was responsible for pulling him in had once said that his voice was very unique. Even when put into the same category of scion-sounding voices, people with keen ears would still be able to recognise him.


    Having such a highly recognisable voice had its pros and cons.


    On the good side, it was easy for it to be remembered by the audience, but on the bad side, no matter how one tried, it was impossible to not get recognised.


    Fortunately, Qi Jing didn¡¯t y a lot of main roles. He didn¡¯t use his usual voice in¡¶Trap¡·, his most popr and viral drama, so the amount of people who knew his real voice was rather small.


    ¡°The way you said ¡®thank you¡¯ was identical with how you said it at the end of that night¡¯s run-through. ¡° It seemed like Shen Yan was one of those people with keen ears.


    Although a two hour long run-through didn¡¯t sound like a lot, both of them yed main roles with arge amount of dialogue and they also repeated some lines multiple times. Whenever they rehearsed with another CV, it was often necessary to listen attentively to the other actor so as to make the adjustments ording to changes in the other party¡¯s performance. It was easy to make asting impression through these series of back-and-forths.


    And since the day Qi Jing went to the library was only two days after the run-through, it was natural that memory was still fresh in Shen Yan¡¯s mind.


    But to be able to recognise a person by a single ¡®thank you¡¯, it still feels too incredible.


    ¡°I had just said two words, and yet you recognised me?¡± Qi Jing was still shocked to the point of forgetting to blink. No wonder... No wonder he felt as if that man by the bookshelf kept staring at him. So it was because of that...


    Shen Yan sat beside him, neither admitting or denying anything.


    ¡°No, although I thought it sounded simr, I wasn¡¯t sure. Until...¡±


    ¡°Until I showed up in the clinic.¡± Qi Jing finished his sentence nkly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Shen Yan admitted.


    ¡°Strange... Why didn¡¯t I recognise you when I¡¯ve obviously heard you speak as well...¡± Qi Jing mumbled to himself, before freezing suddenly. Qi Jing stared at Shen Yan as it hit him, ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s because you wore a mask whenever you talked, so your voice sounded distorted.¡±


    As he said those words, Qi Jing recalled the moment the first time they met¡ªtheir eyes met when Shen Yan came out of the operation room, thetter raised his hand but stopped before eventually lowering it again. At that moment, Shen Yan was clearly about to take off his mask.


    ¡°You did that on purpose?¡± Now that Qi Jing thought about it, realisation dawned on him, so he didn¡¯t mistake it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... ¡° Shen Yan heaved a long sigh.


    He appeared rather guilty as he evaded Qi Jing¡¯s eyes. He lowered his head and looked on his intertwined fingers on his knees, his sitting posture rather stiff. Regardless if he was certain of Qi Jing¡¯s identity or not, at that time, Qi Jing was more of a stranger to him at that time. And with how he was ¡®Shen Yan¡¯ at the time, he didn¡¯t know how to bring up a conversation that only ¡®Geese Fly North¡¯ would be able to engage in.


    It was only one run-through, so maybe Qi Jing had already forgotten about him.


    Besides, he didn¡¯t know how many interactions they would have between them


    There were too many unknowns. It was better for him to just not bring it up and to start by approaching him as a stranger.


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologise, I was just a little surprised. I didn¡¯t mean to criticise you at all.¡± Qi Jing smiled lightly and put his hand on Shen Yan¡¯s hands, giving them a little squeeze to console him. He felt that man¡¯s hands rx gradually and be less stiff under his hold. Only then, did he sigh emotionally with a smile on his face, ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect that you had also been watching me all this while.¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect that the observer would also be the one to be observed.


    It turned out that while he recorded down the key words describing that man one by one with a ss wall separating him from the operating room, he, too, had unwittingly be a subject of observation. One side was in the know while the other knew nothing. But both of them observed the other carefully, cautiously, going from curiosity to affection, from not minding to minding.


    Their memories of each other umted day by day, month by month, like sheets of paper in a notebook; before they knew it, the quantity had be the quality.


    But more importantly, this qualitative change wasn¡¯t one-sided, but mutual.


    Once he got to know about that, he suddenly felt his heart melt, like a candy melted under the sun, sweet both inside and outside.


    ¡°Why did you borrow this book?¡± He smiled and went back to the original topic.


    Whether it was before or now, he couldn¡¯t help but want to make the puzzle before himplete, to see it even more clearly. Even if ¡®Shen Yan¡¯ and ¡®Geese Fly North¡¯ merged into one.


    ¡°It¡¯s because you agreed.¡± Shen Yan gave a response that left Qi Jing feeling puzzled.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you agreed to let me chat with you everyday.¡± The afternoon sun shone on Shen Yan¡¯s face, making his eyebrows look somewhat brighter while casting a shadow that caused his eyes to appear darker and quieter. Halfway through the sentence, he heaved a sigh, then continued slowly, ¡°Although I was the one who proposed it at first... because of my past illness, I was afraid of appearing umunicative when talking and making you think that I¡¯m boring because I couldn¡¯t find anything to talk about. Then I remembered that you have borrowed this book before, so I borrowed it back to read it, to learn what you read, and maybe I would be able to find something that we could talk about in conversation.¡±


    It was an unexpected answer to his question, but it did coincide with his previous assumption.


    It looked like not only the observation was mutual, but also them proactively trying to get to know the other better.


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyes curved into little crescents as he sighed with a smile, ¡±What else is there that you are hiding from me or that I don¡¯t know of? Tell me.¡±


    Shen Yan lifted his head. There was a short moment when he remained silent, and just stared at Qi Jing.


    ¡°There¡¯s one more thing: right now, I¡¯m very nervous.¡± His voice was hoarse and faint as he spoke, ¡°I¡¯m nervous, because I don¡¯t know if the rain will stop. Does this count as concealing something...?¡±


    It would count. Shen Yan did really conceal that from him if it weren¡¯t for his fingers trembling slightly before he spoke.


    Qi Jing felt something jab at his heart. Its strength was simr to how Little Return Date used the pads of its paws to paw at his palm. It bore no intention of inflicting any harm to him; it was a fluffy, soft touch¡ªjust enough to stir up his feelings of tender affection.


    His body moved before he said anything. He scooted closer to Shen Yan on the sofa. Their clothes rubbed against each other; their hands also pressed together. Qi Jing cocked his head a little, resting it on Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Doctor Shen,¡± His head was resting very lightly, barely putting any weight on that shoulder. He looked down on his fingers that were quietly rubbing on other party¡¯s fingers. ¡°Actually... be it rain or shine, you should be able to do something about it, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    The other party seemed to have noticed something as he slowly turned his hand and intertwined his fingers with Qi Jing¡¯s.


    Qi Jingughed in a low voice, ¡°Do you want me to exin it for you?¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything, but Qi Jing could feel him turn over his head, as if he rested his cheek on Shen Yan¡¯s head.


    ¡°If the sky clears up, we will do as you said; if it doesn¡¯t, you can just make me stay for the evening. Either way, it would be raining, so I wouldn¡¯t be able to leave, and I would have to stay till the next day. If it continues raining, then I would stay until the third, fourth, fifth day... There will eventually be a day when the rain stops, don¡¯t you think so?¡± He whispered while ncing outside the window from the corner of his eye.


    Within the windowpane encased by a square window frame, overcast clouds in the background parted, revealing a small, narrow opening. Two or three rays of tender sunlight broke through the clouds, just like young seedlings breaking through the soil.


    They went back to Qi Jing¡¯s house together and did some light packing.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t need that much. He picked a few daily necessities, some changes of clothes, a pile of documents brought back by him from thepany to organize, as well as hisptop and the recording equipment.


    While he was organizing his things, Shen Yan looked around his ce, carefully observing the apartment Qi Jing lived in. Themunity was located in the new district; all of the apartment buildings around looked about the same: modern and minimalistic. The facilities here were quite good; the walls, doors, and windows were all new. If properly decorated, it would make a nice ce for a family to live in.


    ¡°Your apartment is very...¡±


    ¡°Empty.¡± Qi Jing, who was disassembling theputer cables, automatically lifted his head at that moment and added with a smile.


    Shen Yan paused, seemingly unable to refute that. It took him a long time before he reworded it: ¡°New. Your apartment is very new.¡±


    Qi Jing shook his head with augh, ¡°It is very new, but it¡¯s also very empty. There¡¯s no furniture or decorations. I¡¯ve lived here for quite a few years already, but it looks as if I have just moved in.¡±


    He was saying the truth. Looking around, all of the furniture was modern and minimalistic with geometrical design and monochromatic colours. The wooden furniture were basically crude wood carved in the simple designs, without any trace of unnecessary, superfluous elements. Things like sofa or bed on the other hand were all uniformly pure white with the pillows and backrestbined into one; visually, itcked warmth.


    ¡°I was already working as a news reporter when I moved in.¡± Qi Jing spoke unhurriedly, ¡°Just as you said, working as a reporter usually keeps one very busy. Business trips are amon urrence, and even if I stay in the city, I have to go out at times. Every time I go back to home, I simply eat, take a shower, and sleep. Sometimes I would watch TV or dub some audio dramas. I wouldn¡¯t even be able to use any sophisticated or luxurious furnishings.


    Shen Yan listened quietly. He looked at the pile of medicine bottles of all sizes in Qi Jing¡¯s bedside table drawer, a few of the mostmon ones were stomach medicines and painkillers. He furrowed his brows.


    ¡°What do you normally eat? How did you get yourself into such a condition?¡± He looked at thebel on one of the bottles he picked up and sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not picky; I eat everything. Most of the time I get takeaways, and cook something for myself when I¡¯m free. When I¡¯m busy, I just eat some cookies to curb the hunger.¡±


    Originally, Qi Jing also wanted to add ¡°Sometimes when I miss a meal, I simply don¡¯t eat anything.¡±, but seeing the stern expression on Shen Yan¡¯s face, he swallowed the words he was about to say.


    ¡°What about the work and rest schedule?¡± That question was even more difficult to answer.


    Qi Jing gave an awkward chuckle before telling Shen Yan one of his moremon schedules, ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, it depends on the situation¡ªI go on business trips frequently, and usually when it¡¯s time to return, we set out in the morning of the local timezone. By the time I¡¯m back, it¡¯s either noon or afternoon. Most of the time, I¡¯m too tired to do anything and go to sleep immediately... I would sleep until the middle of a night, so the silence is perfect for catching on with my overdue dubs. After recording for a couple of hours, I would have some breakfast and go to work.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t dare to tell Shen Yan about some of his more outrageous working hours.


    Shen Yan looked at him fixedly. Astonishment, helplessness, anxiousness, all of it could be seen in his eyes.


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± he uttered every word like a sigh, ¡°I really would be too afraid of letting you live alone.¡±


    Qi Jing, who was still packing his things, paused for a moment; he freed a hand to cover the bitter smile on his face. Only when that expression faded did he put on another, brighter smile.


    Out of his bittersweet sentiments, it would be better if Shen Yan only saw the ¡®sweet¡¯ part of them.


    ¡°I thought you came here to take me away.¡± He cocked his head and smiled like a mischievous child.


    Dragging a full suitcase, the two of them went back.


    For the sake of being economical¡ªand since they didn¡¯t have a cat with them this time¡ªthey chose to go by a subway and then take a bus to get back slowly. Those means of transport were more time-consuming than a taxi ride, so the sun had already set by the time they returned to Shen Yan¡¯s ce.


    After several days of rain, the once heavy, dark clouds seemed to have exhausted all of their water content, like a wrung-out towel that could no longer squeeze out a single drop of water. The emptied clouds still hung overhead in a corner of the sky, easily split apart by a gentle blow of the wind to reveal a few timid stars peeking through, twinkling in the darkness of the night.


    Not only the buildings were old in the old part of town¡ªeven the street lights were of the most crude type. Years of winds and rains had taken ayer of paint off thempposts¡ªone could not tell their original colour¡ªand their light was dim. Fortunately, the asphalt road still hadn¡¯t dried yet, and lights illuminated the puddles. Those lights sparkled and rippled on the water, so it was brighter than usual.


    The two of them walked quietly in the alley. Shen Yan took initiative to take on the task of pulling the suitcase. Since Qi Jing didn¡¯t have anything to pull, he added a task for himself which was to pull Shen Yan¡¯s other hand.


    After nightfall, the temperature dropped drastically. And since it was the first time the rain had stopped in a long while, the wind was especially chilly, stinging their face and hands whenever the wind blew. As neither of them was in the habit of wearing gloves in autumn, their hands were bound to get cold from being left out in the open like that, so it gave Qi Jing a very good excuse to carry out his ¡°task¡± and also gave Shen Yan a very good excuse to ept it.


    It was like that until they arrived at the entrance of the apartment building where they had no choice but to let go of their hands as the old building did not have elevators and the suitcase needed to be carried with both hands.


    ¡°You wait here for now.¡± Shen Yan said while bending down to carry the suitcase.


    Qi Jing recalled that the lights in the corridor were still unrepaired; he understood what Shen Yan meant and agreed obediently. After all, he was a man who had his bone held by a steel te and a cast on his arm; it wouldn¡¯t be wise for him to put up a front in the darkness when he couldn¡¯t even see his fingers. It would be better for him to not fall and not add any more to Shen Yan¡¯s trouble.


    There was no moonlight outside, and the light of the stars barely amounted to anything. He couldn¡¯t see Shen Yan¡¯s figure at all; he could only hear thetter¡¯s steps slowed because of the weight he carried.


    After a while, the dull thud of the suitcase being ced down safely could be heard from upstairs. There was no ident on the way, and there was no careless fall. Qi Jing breathed a small sigh of relief and waited patiently.


    Shen Yan took the suitcase inside, grabbed a shlight, and hurried downstairs. ¡°Sorry, I made you wait.¡± He found Qi Jing without a problem; he was waiting for him in the original ce.


    Qi Jing smiled towards him with gratitude, ¡°You worked hard.¡±


    Entering that cosy house for the second time, it still felt surreal to Qi Jing that he would be spending a month here.


    All of the things that happened today felt so unrealistic as if he was in a dream.


    Anyone who, like him, was so unlucky that they barely escaped from the jaws of death would probably probably feel the same when suddenly given such a wonderful experience that they wouldn¡¯t even dare dream of.


    Because Shen Yan cooked a lot of food for lunch, there was still a lot of it left in the refrigerator, so they made a simple dinner by heating the leftovers to eat. After dinner, Shen Yan helped him unpack all of his things from the suitcase and put them in the right ce.


    ¡°There¡¯s a small bed in the study. It has a set of pillows and aforter.¡± When Shen Yan spoke the first part of the sentence, Qi Jing thought he wanted to let him sleep there. He nodded in acknowledgment, but then there came a twist as Shen Yan continued, ¡°I will sleep there; you can sleep in the bedroom. You can move your clothes andputer in, and I¡¯ll make room for you on the table and wardrobe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay with sleeping in the study.¡± Qi Jing said in a hurry. How could he make the owner of the ce sleep in a study?


    ¡°The bed in the study is rather small; it would be inconvenient to move around on it.¡± Shen Yan shook his head.


    ¡°You think I can move around like this?¡± Qi Jing was amused by his words and pointed to the cast on his hand.


    Shen Yan stopped for a while. He looked as if he wanted to speak, but said nothing, looking at him. Finally, he insisted on his opinion, ¡°The bed in the bedroom is morefortable. I¡¯m afraid that you might be used to your bed or your room and have problems falling asleep in a new environment, so it¡¯s better for you to sleep in the morefortable bed.¡±


    Such a problem actually didn¡¯t exist for a person that was always away from home. Qi Jing knew it deep inside, and Shen Yan should certainly also know it.


    And yet, despite knowing that, he was still so insistent, meaning that he knew Qi Jing wouldn¡¯t be able to win against him. In the end, Qi Jing could only give in with a weak smile.


    A/N:


    I¡¯m not going to remind Qi Jing that the bed in the bedroom is actually very big.


    T/N:


    Luci: Because we¡¯ll eventually get to see him realise that by himself~


    Also, Shen Yan was so cute with how he wanted to make sure he could talk with Qi Jing so he borrowed the book he read. If that¡¯s not precious, then I don¡¯t know what is £¨£þ¦á£þ£©


    Whitere: QJying out the ns for SY to keep him in the house was just enabling at its finest. QJ, you sap. Love you.

 Chapter 33

    <h4>Chapter 33</h4>


    <i>Throws kisses at Kemostt for a coffee </i>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: Mashiro


    He undid the first button.


    Gently pushing against the button with his thumb, it smoothly popped out through the thin and narrow buttonhole. Because of that, the cor of the shirt came slightly undone to reveal the corbones on either side.


    Qi Jing¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple had also been brushed lightly by those fingers at some moment.


    Even though his cor has already been loosened, Qi Jing still felt his throat tighten. For a moment, he held his breath, not knowing where to look. The second button had also been unbuttoned under the gentle movements of the hands in front of him.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Shen Yan asked in a low voice.


    His fingers stopped on the third button; the dim and yellow light of the wallmp covered them in a faint glow, like ayer of fine gold.


    Qi Jing found himself slightly backed against the wall outside the bathroom. Realising that he had nowhere to retreat, he raised his lowered head to meet the eyes of the other man directly. Probably because of the light, those eyes looked even more profound than during the day, resembling a dark sea enveloping him; the warm waters made it hard for him to pull away.


    ¡°I... I¡¯m alright.¡± Qi Jing answered in a simrly low voice, thenughed absent-mindedly.


    But when Shen Yan reached the third button, which was located closest to Qi Jing¡¯s heart, his hand stopped there. With only a piece of fabric between them, he couldpletely feel Qi Jing¡¯s heart beating against his chest¡ªthump, thump, thump...


    ¡°Just call meter if you feel like the water is too cold, or if you can¡¯t find something. I will be waiting for you outside.¡±


    Shen Yan lowered his eyes, staring intently at his fingers that fiddled with the third button. He pushed it through the buttonhole, letting ite undone before slowly making his way down the other buttons. Qi Jing responded in a light voice, while letting Shen Yan fiddle with his shirt despite feeling slightly at a loss on where to put his hands.


    He had a lot of trouble undressing himself, and he usually had to struggle with his clothes for quite a while before he could take a shower.


    Of course it was better now, with someone there to help him¡ªor so it would have been, if the whole situation didn¡¯t make him feel so embarrassed.


    Thanks to the light from themp outside the bathroom, Qi Jing subtly sneaked a peek of his reflection in the mirror¡ªLuckily, my face doesn¡¯t look flushed yet.


    Outside the bathroom there was a tinypartment where the washstand and washing machine were located. Besides the door to the bathroom, thatpartment itself also had a separate door leading to the living room. When Shen Yan said he would wait for him outside, he meant he would be waiting in the living room, but the door of thepartment would be left open.


    One drawback to the old apartments was theck of space in bathrooms.


    Although the interior was nice and tidy, it was still rather cramped, about half the size of the bathroom in Qi Jing¡¯s apartment. Shen Yan was afraid that because Qi Jing wasn¡¯t used to theyout here, he might bump into something and possibly even fall¡ªto give himself a peace of mind, he made sure he would be able to hear what Qi Jing was doing.


    By the time all of the buttons were unbuttoned, he could see Qi Jing¡¯s chest through the opening in the shirt, rising and falling at an unusually fast pace.


    Shen Yan¡¯s hands once again went back to Qi Jing¡¯s cor, loosened the sling holding the cast, before gently pushing his hand under Qi Jing¡¯s shirt from either side. He could feel Qi Jing¡¯s pulse with his fingertips, as it throbbed rhythmically under the skin.


    Anyone would be nervous at a time like this, so his hands stopped for a moment.


    As if making a reminder, Shen Yan whispered: ¡°Okay, move your left hand out a little, don¡¯t make any sudden movements.¡±


    Qi Jing moved his arm as he was told. He didn¡¯t know if it was because he was afraid of pain, or perhaps because of something else, but he even closed his eyes as he did so. Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything and started to take off Qi Jing¡¯s shirt from his shoulders.


    With the cover on his body gone, Qi Jing felt a chill run through him, and he couldn¡¯t help but tremble a little. He moved in ordance with Shen Yan¡¯s every action in a daze, until all of the clothes on his upper body were off.


    When it was done, Qi Jing took a deep breath. Not because he felt chilly, but to calm his mind.


    At that moment, Shen Yan suddenly put a hand on his body lightly which gave Qi Jing a start, causing him to raise his head abruptly. However, to his surprise the other man¡¯s face was stern as he stared at the ce his fingers touched with a furrow¡ªturns out he was looking at the scars left by the ss shards during the ident. Apart from the one Shen Yan touched, there were a few more of such simr cuts all over his body. Even though most of them had already scabbed, the sight was still shocking to witness.


    ¡°I¡¯m already okay now.¡± Qi Jing saw the gloom in his eyes andforted him with a smile.


    Those wounds were nothing serious, it was just hard to change the bandages, that¡¯s all.


    Shen Yan stayed silent for a while, then said with a sigh: ¡°...If only I had been by your side when you were in hospital.¡±


    What he had said soundedpletely unrealistic, but Qi Jing was content with just that one sentence from him.


    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯m going to catch another cold if you don¡¯t let me go into the bath.¡± Qi Jing urged him on purpose to dispel Shen Yan¡¯s self-reproaching thoughts. As expected, Shen Yan quietly removed his hand when he heard Qi Jing¡¯s words and covered the cast with a stic film to prevent it from getting soaked.


    After Shen Yan left thepartment, Qi Jing went into the bathroom alone and closed the door under a calm facade&#k2014;only then did he slowly exhale a long breath as he patted his scalding cheeks.


    Shen Yan only took care of the upper clothes that were the most problematic for him. He didn¡¯t touch anything below, so Qi Jing had to take his time taking off his trousers.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t have courage to let Shen Yan take care of those, otherwise his mind would go wild for sure.


    However, as it stands, taking off his clothes was rtively easy, especially whenpared to the need to put them back on at the moment.


    When Qi Jing thought of that, he realised that he actually forgot to take a towel with him because of how nervous he was beforeing in¡ªthat was simply too tragic.


    ¡°Crap...¡± At that moment he was standing stark naked under the shower, hot water pouring on his head in a steady stream. His rapid heartbeat was like the countless drops of water falling on his hair¡ªit wouldn¡¯t stop at all.


    Given his current circumstances, dressing up and going out with his body wet was basically a form of torture.


    He stood there nkly for quite a long while, then paced back and forth under the shower. Finally, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and pull the shower curtain so that it covered as much as possible before calling out: ¡°Shen Yan¡ª¡±


    Within a moment, that man¡¯s hurried footsteps could be heard outside the bathroom.


    Maybe it was because Shen Yan thought that something had happened inside, so he sounded very anxious when asking: ¡°What happened? Did you bump against something?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Qi Jing tried his best to sound as calm as he could, ¡°I forgot to bring in the towel, it¡¯s the one by the sink...Can I trouble you to pass it to me?¡±


    The man outside seemed to be taken aback, and only managed an ¡°Okay¡± after a while


    Qi Jing subconsciously hid himself further behind the shower curtain. He didn¡¯t turn off the water, as the sound of flowing water in the bathroom could temporarily obscure his slightly awkward gasping.


    At that moment the bathroom door opened slowly with a ¡®ck¡¯, and a sound of footsteps could be heard going inside. The vapour was thick in the room as it veiled everything behind ayer of white fog, and there was also a shower curtain between two of them. Logically speaking, neither of them should be able to see the other clearly. Nevertheless, when Qi Jing reached out his hand to receive the towel, the water droplets still quivered from the trembling of his fingers.


    And as expected, there was a towel for him to receive not so far away.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He tugged on it the moment his fingers touched the fabric, but got a slight surprise when he didn¡¯t manage to grab the towel from Shen Yan¡¯s hand. The towel only fell into his hand without much resistance when he pulled on it for the second time.


    The water from the shower was still raining down loudly.


    And the thing in his chest was also being loud..


    Steam from the hot water was too thick, Qi Jing could feel his breathing slowly growingborious.


    ¡°Is there anything else... you need me to get?¡± He didn¡¯t know that even with a shower curtain between them, a person¡¯s voice could still sound so deep and strong.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing.¡± And his voice on the other hand couldn¡¯t be any softer.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s response before he went out was exactly the same as when Qi Jing was about to go in. His footsteps were light and he went out of thepartment room quietly, as if he didn¡¯t want to disturb Qi Jing.


    After taking a shower, Qi Jing properly dried himself and came out.


    He took off the stic on his cast and put on his trousers, but his upper body was still naked. He wasn¡¯t able to dry himselfpletely with only one hand, so some ces on his body were still wet and glistened under themp light. It was the same for his hair, droplets the size of the beans were falling from it one by one.


    Originally, he wanted to try his best and put on the top by himself, but Shen Yan saw he had gone out of the bathroom already. He slowly got up from the living room sofa and walked over without saying anything as he first helped Qi Jing put his clothes on. Just when Qi Jing was about to thank him, Shen Yan took a towel from somewhere and gently ced it over his head.


    ¡°Your hair needs to be blown dry, you can¡¯t catch a cold.¡± He said while wiping off the excess water from Qi Jing¡¯s hair for him.


    ¡°Hm? Are you going to help me?¡±Qi Jing said, purely out of jest. He still couldn¡¯t forget about the scene in the bathroom, so he had to joke around a little in order to disperse this atmosphere that made his heart throb.


    He didn¡¯t expect that Shen Yan would actually take a hair dryer and make him sit down.


    Warm air blew against Qi Jing¡¯s head as that man gently ruffled his fingers through his hair¡ªit was inexplicably pleasant. He was sofortable with being blown dry that he couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head a little. Seemingly aware of this, when Qi Jing tilted his head, Shen Yan moved his hand to stroke the hair on his temples, then his thumb rubbed slightly against the base of his ear. It felt a little ticklish, but was extremely addictive.


    Qi Jing had a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu like he had also done this action somewhere, at some point.


    The moment Shen Yan turned off the hair dryer, Qi Jing finally had an inkling after racking his brains over it¡ªthese moves were exactly the same as when he was taking care of Little Return Date!


    So he turned his head in a daze, blurting out a question: ¡°Did you just... treat me like a cat?¡±


    To be honest, such a thought didn¡¯t ur to Shen Yan, and he was also dumbfounded when he heard Qi Jing¡¯s words. After thinking it through carefully, those habitual actions he made due to his profession... It really seemed to be the case.


    Thinking of this, Shen Yan¡¯s couldn¡¯t stop corners of his mouth from quirking up as heughed lightly.


    Qi Jing was already used to seeing him behave upright and gentle, but it was the first time for him to see Shen Yan make such a cheerful expression, and was momentarily stunned. It even caused him to forget to probe Shen Yan further for an answer to his question.


    The lights in the old town were turned off earlier at night than in themunity Qi Jing lived in, maybe because there were more elderly people living here.


    Shen Yan lived on the third floor, which was rather close to the ground floor.


    If one opened the windows, a rustling sound of bodhi tree¡¯s leaves would be heard. It was a dark night, and it was hard to discern if it¡¯s drizzling again; one could only try to figure out from the sound of water falling from the eaves.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t touch theputer for a whole day, so now, when he finally had time to sit down, he intended to check messages on QQ.


    Shen Yan brought him a cup of water and some cut fruits. They were very beneficial for recovery of patients with a bone fracture, so Qi Jing epted them with a smile. When Shen Yan put those items down, he was in the middle of poking at the keyboard with his finger. Even a password took him forever to type, not to mention typing the chat messages.


    ¡°I can type for you.¡± Shen Yan said softly, ¡°If you have some messages you need to reply to.¡±


    Qi Jing did have a lot of messages to reply to.


    Due to the difficulty he recently faced with typing, he left a lot of invitations from producers hanging, and didn¡¯t respond to messages in group chats for production crews or private messages. In the post threads for the published audio dramas he simply wrote a short ¡°Congrattions¡±, and his weibo ount also contained barely a few words¡ªin other people¡¯s eyes, even though he was recuperating at home, it wasn¡¯t much different from when he ¡°yed dead¡± a lot.


    ¡°Really? Thank you so much for your help.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s smile was both full of apology and gratitude as he scooted over to make space for Shen Yan in front of theputer, and found himself a stool to sit on the side.


    Shen Yan sat down, and started with opening emails ording to Qi Jing¡¯s directions.


    For the most part, those emails were from the producers.


    The first producer asked if he received the script for the drama while crying noodle tears. After opening the email, the sorrowful wails of the producerdy upied most of the message window. Shen Yan could only turn his head and look silently at Qi Jing.


    Geese Fly North who had always answered every prayer and replied to each message in time probably had never seen a scene like that.


    Qi Jing held back hisughter: ¡°Just tell her that I will definitely read it over the next two days, and give her reply after reading through it.¡±


    So Shen Yan typed a sentence ording to his words. But just when he was about to send it, he seemed to think of something. Qi Jing¡¯s curiosity was starting to snowball; only to see Shen Yan add something at the end of the sentence.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I will make sure to read it over the next two days and give you a reply after reading through it. ^_^


    With three symbols, they nicely came together to make Qi Jing¡¯s trademark smiling face.


    Qi Jing was quite surprised and looked at Shen Yan with raised eyebrows.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say a word, and moved on to click on the message by the next producer after sending the message. This time there was no wailing nor noodle tears, instead there was a long string of exmation marks after each sentence.


    Qi Jing skimmed through it from the beginning to the end. Thatdy used about 500 characters to express her love towards¡¶Trap¡·audio drama, then she used 500 characters to express her love towards his sexy voice, and thest 300 characters were mostly her acting cute while she pleaded with him to ept a new role.


    Once again Shen Yan gave him that helpless look.


    This time, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t contain it anymore, andughed out loud: ¡°You can express thanks in your own words, then ask this producerdy to send me a script to read first. Preferably one that includes the story outline and character introduction. She can also include a link to the original novel, I will be sure to read it if I¡¯m interested in epting the role.¡±


    Therefore Shen Yan heeded Qi Jing¡¯s words and wrote a long paragraph of thanks that was incredibly formal and serious; it was a seriousness that Qi Jing might not be able to express even if he crafted the message himself. At the end, he once again added that smiling expression on his own ord.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: If you don¡¯t mind, Ms. Producer, please send me a script with a brief outline of the story and an introduction to the character for me to read. You can also include a link to the original novel, if I make the decision to ept this role, then I will make sure to read it. ^_^


    ¡°Why do you add a smiling face in every response?¡± And it¡¯s the one he liked to use the most too.


    ¡°Because you would always use it whenever you responded to me in your emails.¡± Shen Yan said in a low voice. He was quite familiar with the content of Qi Jing¡¯s mails, including the signature emoticon thetter liked to use the most; who knows how many times he had looked through them, over and over again, during time when Qi Jing had disappeared into thin air.


    Qi Jing felt warm in his heart; he couldn¡¯t help but move closer so that they sat side by side and leaned on the other¡¯s shoulder.


    Qi Jing¡¯s hair wasn¡¯tpletely dried yet and the damp ends of his hair wetted the side of Shen Yan¡¯s cor, making him feel cold. But at the same time a faint scent of shampoo could be smelled. Out of habit, Shen Yan lowered his head and buried his face in it¡ªit was the same scent of shampoo as the one he had in his bathroom, so its smell felt very intimate.


    The two of them maintained that sitting posture while slowly replying to all of the private messages.


    Next, were messages from the group chats.


    At that moment, Qi Jing suddenly thought of an interesting idea. He looked to his side, and with a smile on his face, he got Shen Yan to open the group chat named ¡®Gradually inching towards quitting themunity¡¯ first.


    Surprisingly enough, there were quite a lot of people online in the chat, including the Ninthdy from the time difference gang.


    It was rare for her to get up so early on the weekend to chat with everyone online¡ªit really seemed to be a good day to reunite with the old friends.


    But he decided to temporarily keep the fact they were his old friends a secret from Shen Yan.


    ¡°Say hello to them, you can greet them in whatever way you think is the most appropriate.¡± Although Qi Jing said it with a straight face that didn¡¯t reveal anything, he had already made his little calctions in his heart.


    Shen Yan thought for a while, then he typed the mostmon greeting in a tone Qi Jing always used whenever he replied to his emails.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Good evening everyone, I¡¯m back. ^_^


    Ninthdy: ......¦²( ¡ã¡÷¡ã|||)¦õ


    iCookie£º......¦²( ¡ã¡÷¡ã|||)¦õ


    Rolling ball of Meows: ......¦²( ¡ã¡÷¡ã|||)¦õ¡¾what happened?¡¿


    I won¡¯t survive if I don¡¯t procrastinate: ......¦²( ¡ã¡÷¡ã|||)¦õ¡¾I don¡¯t know... Keep the formation!¡¿


    March Bamboo Shoots: ......¦²( ¡ã¡÷¡ã|||)¦õSenior?? Senior, you¡¯ve been hacked?!


    Ninthdy: ...(facepalm) Who are you! Quickly confess who you are! You can¡¯t possibly be Return date, so who are you??


    As expected, Shen Yan froze in front of the screen for quite a long while, before he turned to look at Qi Jing with a dazed look on his face.


    His expression was exactly the one Qi Jing had expected, right down to the finest detail. Qi Jingpletely lost it asughter escaped his lips. While he leaned against Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder, he wasughing so hard he couldn¡¯t stop trembling: ¡°Hahahaha...¡±


    Seeing this, Shen Yan more or less understood what had happened, and he couldn¡¯t help but smile helplessly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t tell you that all of them are my friends from before I even got into the circle.¡± Qi Jingughed while apologising. He didn¡¯t leave Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder, instead leaning even closer, ¡°I don¡¯t act so proper with people I¡¯m close with, I don¡¯t greet them so politely, and like to joke around.¡±


    At that moment Shen Yan alsoughed lightly, ¡°Just like now?¡±


    Qi Jing teased him deliberately and was delighted to see his reaction; even though he ced a trap for Shen Yan himself, at the end, he still used his shoulder as a pillow while heughed without a care.


    Qi Jing was taken aback. After a moment he revealed a faint smile without giving a proper response.


    It¡¯s just his actions had already revealed the answer.


    A/N:


    Happy Chinese Valentine Day! ~\\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~


    I heard that on days like this it¡¯s a must to write suggestive parts, en... So they do act suggestively.


    T/N:


    Luci: Wow, Qi Jing, I didn¡¯t expect you would be so thirsty~ Tsk, tsk, tsk, that¡¯s so ungentlemanly of you LMAO. Though I¡¯d love to know what was happening in Shen Yan¡¯s head when he helped Qi Jing with undressing.


    Also, we slowly get to know different sides of the both of them! The plot is slowly shifting towards showering us with dog food~


    Mashiro: Oh poor Shen Yan!! He totally fell for Qi Jing¡¯s prank!! But imagining the scene where both of themughs together happily...Sigh, I feel so content with all the fluffs provided to us ¡É(¦á¨Œ¦á)¡É

 Chapter 34

    <h4>Chapter 34</h4>


    many many love to kemostt for the coffee


    Editor: whitere


    For the girls in the online voice acting circle, in addition to having ten swift fingers, they also had a keen eye for uncovering secrets.


    That¡¯s why, when Qi Jing tried to get away with it with a ¡°I was just teasing y¡¯all¡±, all the girls in the group expressed their doubt and concluded there had to be someone else before theputer.


    ¡°The truth please¡±¡ªall the girls unanimously called for the same thing.


    Qi Jing looked at Shen Yan troubledly and asked, ¡°Can we tell them the truth?¡±


    This time, Shen Yan looked at him with a slight smile. He neither approved nor stopped him¡ªhe was curious just how Qi Jing would clean up the situation he created. ¡°I¡¯ll say it if you want me to; I won¡¯t if you don¡¯t.¡±


    A lie would always grow bigger and bigger, ultimately crushing the liar.


    Hence, Qi Jing raised a hand in surrender and said, ¡°Thosesses are so clever that we can¡¯t hide it from them¡ªtell them.¡±


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: Who on earth is it? The truth, please! If you don¡¯t answer, I¡¯m going to call!


    <i>Ninth Lady</i>: It can¡¯t be that he¡¯s really been hacked, can it...


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: It can¡¯t be... I just saw him leave a message on QQ two days ago.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: The truth is. I¡¯m a little typing assistant. ^_^


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: !!


    <i>Ninth Lady</i>: !! He spoke!!


    <i>iCookie</i>: !! So it really was someone else!!


    <i>Rolling Ball of Meows</i>: Pfft!! What¡¯s that about a little typing assistant? Ah, it sounds so sweet ~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~


    <i>I won¡¯t survive if I don¡¯t procrastinate</i>: Pfft, it¡¯s already night time here, is the little assistant at Return Date¡¯s home?


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: Eh eh eh eh eh... Doesn¡¯t Senior live alone...


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Return Date is temporarily staying at my ce as he¡¯s injured and it¡¯s quite inconvenient for him to live alone. ^_^


    <i>iCookie</i>: Wow! Living together! ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ


    <i>Ninth Lady</i>: Holy heck!!


    <i>I won¡¯t survive if I don¡¯t procrastinate</i>: Holy heck!! Cohabitation!?


    <i>Rolling Ball of Meows</i>: (Covers face) So exciting!!


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: ...Holy heck, Little Assistant-kun... could it be... that you¡¯re Senior¡¯s boyfriend?


    Boyfriend.


    His junior, Ning Xiaoxiao, always knew where to find the key point.


    Qi Jing was slightly taken aback, then he saw that Shen Yan¡¯s fingers also seemed to freeze on the keyboard for a moment and felt likeughing. But his cheeks were so hot that he couldn¡¯t even find the strength to lift the corners of his lips into a smile.


    ¡°That... You answer it yourself,¡± he mumbled in a hoarse voice with his head lowered, virtually burying his face into that person¡¯s shoulder.


    He dare not look at it nor even think about it.


    His fingers subconsciously grasped the corner of Shen Yan¡¯s sleeve; he didn¡¯t use that much strength, but he also refused to let go. After all, that word was still a very vague and ambiguous boundary for them now. He was still feeling for his way himself as he progressed, and so was the other party¡ªalthough they had held hands and walked through wind and rain together, they didn¡¯t seem to have a particrly specificbel attached to them.


    He really cherished the person known as Shen Yan and the rtionship between them... That¡¯s why, he was still very cautious about everything, apprehensive to take each step, not daring to rush it.


    Shen Yan gently took a breath and didn¡¯t say anything, but Qi Jing heard him tap the keyboard a few times and sent a message.


    <i>I really want to look at the screen... to see what he wrote.</i>


    Qi Jing still kept his head deeply buried in the curve of Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder, his thoughts going all over the ce. After a long period of silence, he finally couldn¡¯t help but turn his head to the side, peeking at the screen with one eye.


    On the screen was a reply that he never would¡¯ve expected.


    A reply that was very much in line with Shen Yan¡¯s style¡ª


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I¡¯m still under probation. ^_^


    Qi Jing was slightly stunned when the words ¡°under probation¡± reflected in his eyes, both of which rounded in surprise. He felt a warm current wash over him; it was a nice mix of sweet and sour.


    At first, when they were in the taxi, it was like unripe plums which were more sour than sweet.


    This time, the plums were fully ripe and the sweetness overpowered the sourness, seeping into his heart bit by bit.


    ¡°I¡¯m slowly doing my best to work towards twelve points,¡± Shen Yan added in a murmur right by Qi Jing¡¯s ears as he lowered his head. In that instant, Qi Jing felt as if his body had been lit on fire and was unable to make a sound.


    Unsurprisingly, the entire group erupted at Shen Yan¡¯s words.


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: Oh my goodness aaAAaaaaAah!!!! ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õ


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: When!! I had no idea AaaAah!!!!


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: Little Assistant-kun¡ªAh, no, I mean Mr. Boyfriend Under Probation! Next time, please make sure Senior brings you along when we meet for dinner! This! Is! A! Must! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    <i>Ninth Lady</i>: Holy heck!! I can¡¯t calm down!! I feel like a mother whose son is marrying out!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    <i>iCookie</i>: Pfft, somehow something sounds off about Nine-Nine¡¯s words... Regardless, I¡¯m very excited as well! >///<


    <i>Rolling Ball of Meows</i>: aaAah... Congrats congrats! (/¨R¨Œ¨Q/)


    <i>I won¡¯t survive if I don¡¯t procrastinate</i>: I can¡¯t calm down+10086


    <i>I won¡¯t survive if I don¡¯t procrastinate</i>: Very excited+10086


    <i>I won¡¯t survive if I don¡¯t procrastinate:</i> Congrats congrats+10086


    <i>Ninth Lady</i>: Pfft, how economical of you Procrastinate! You might as well change your name to ¡°10086¡±~


    Qi Jing watched as those girls spammed the chat in a celebratory mood and just chuckled lightly while burying his face into Shen Yan; thetter remained unmoving as his pillow.


    Only after a long while did the atmosphere in the group finally settle down and the chat went back to normal.


    They were all veteran STAFF in the circle and understood that it wasn¡¯t really good to pry too much into the 3D live of a CV. Apart from giving their congrattions, no one asked for more details; after all, Qi Jing was a Taichi master, so it was pointless to even ask.


    And so, <i>Ninth Lad</i>y got down to business.


    <i>Ninth Lady</i>: Oh right, by the way, since you¡¯re back, Return Date, take a look at the event announcement on this web page. The registration will be over in a few days, so you better hurry if you wanna join~


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: What¡¯s this?


    <i>Ninth Lady</i>: Voice acting auditions for¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·. Go check it out first, alright~


    Not only had Qi Jing heard of¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·, it was well-known amongst many.


    It was a very well-produced single-yer Chinese game with considerable sales and had always been a hot topic in the game industry. This was already the third round of auditions they had for¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·.


    The background of this game was a pce Wuxia fantasy set in troubled times. It was adapted from a popr novel of the same name with distinctive characters and an intriguing storyline. The game developers followed the plot of the novel to a tee, releasing the games as a series like the books; five instalments had been released so far.


    The casting call this time was to find the right CVs to produce the audio for the characters in the fifth instalment .


    When the first instalment of¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·was first released, the online voice actingmunity was just emerging and there was no precedent for voice acting in single-yer games, so the developers didn¡¯t get it voiced. It was only when they were preparing for the second instalment that the gamepany started to invite professional voice actors to join. In order to increase publicity of the game and attract more attention online, starting from the third part, thepany decided to get their CVs through casting calls.


    This movement led to a boom in voice acting and many of the CVs were made famous through this.


    Qi Jing had missed the previous two rounds of casting.


    The first time was because he hadn¡¯t joined the circle yet and the second was due to his unpredictable travel schedules that didn¡¯t fit in with thepetition schedule, so he gave up on signing up from the very beginning.


    He clicked into the official website Ninth Lady provided him with and checked the programme listed on it¡ªboth the preliminary and semi-final rounds would bepleted by the end of the month. Since he happened to be homebound from an injury, he could indeed consider giving it a try.


    Other than the event timing, the official website also announced other details of the casting call:


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡¾Event Schedule¡¿:


    10 October to 20 October ¨C Uploading of entries.


    21 October to 25 October ¨C Preliminary selection by the judges; results will be announced on the 25th.


    28 October ¨C Semi-finals for individual characters on YY Communications tform.


    30 October ¨C Finals for individual + group on YY Communications tform. The final result will be announced on the night of the finals.


    ¡¾Event Flow¡¿


    Contestants upload their works for the roles.


    Pre-selection stage (30 contestants chosen for each role)


    Live individual semi-finals (Top 10 of each role goes through to the finals)


    Live individual + group finals (The winner would be the one with the highest individual andbined score)


    ¡¾Things to note¡¿


    1. Contestants must fill in their Identification Number when registering. Each Identification Number can only register for a maximum of three roles. Your Identification Number will be bound to your ount; vitors will be automatically disqualified from thepetition.


    2. The audio files for submission should all be in MP3 format and the size of each file should not exceed 1MB.


    3. Those who are unable to turn up on the day of the semi-finals and finals will automatically be deemed to have forfeited thepetition.


    4. In order to encourage more people to participate, each contestant will only be selected for at most two roles to enter the semi-finals. The judges will automatically pick the two with the highest score and the roles with the lowest score (even if it made it to top 30) will be eliminated.


    5. The grouping for the finals is determined by random draw (Please note: for the groupponent, the score is separated into individual andbined scores, rather than justbined score.)


    ¡¾Judging Criteria¡¿


    1. Voice Quality: Does it urately reflect the character¡¯s temperament, personality, and age?


    2. Enunciation: Whether or not your Mandarin Chinese is urate, the rity of your artiction, the rhythm of your delivery of long lines.


    3. Foundation points: Basic acting skills¡ªwhether or not the tone of the voice captures what is prompted in the script, if the change in emotions is done correctly.


    4. Charisma: Advanced acting skills¡ªmainly considers your ability as a CV to highlight the emotions of the characters through your lines, your ability to move the judges.


    5. Synergy with others: The ability to y against others¡ªthe way the CV adjusts to match with and thepatibility with the character yed by another CV; how well the scene is recreated. (Note: This criteria is only for the finals)


    The official panel of judges (consisting of three professional voice coaches) will be responsible for scoring each of the criteria listed above. The full score for eachponent is 5 with the final score being the sum of the average scores in each category.


    In addition to the scores given by the judges, this audition also has a feature which considers additional points generated from audience votes. The highest score that can be added is 1 which is calcted by dividing the number of votes given to the CV by the total number of votes cast. Both the individual and group portions have a chance for extra points to be added i.e. a total of one additional point in the semi-finals and two points in the finals.


    Audience voting will have a higher weighting in the finals, so we highly wee everyone to participate!


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    The above was the information on how the auditions would be carried out.


    Besides that, the website also included the background of the characters, their voice requirements and ten lines of dialogue that the contestants could choose from for the preliminary selection phase. Each person could choose any five lines from the ten to be recorded and uploaded to the official designated location. The lines for the semi-finals and finals would be provided during your turn on the day itself; this was to test CV¡¯s¡¯ ability to perform on the spot.


    There were a total of four main characters, six important supporting characters, and several NPCs with arge amount of dialogue to be voiced for¡¶Order to End the Heavens 5¡·. As this was a typical hetero game, there were bound to be a number of female characters, and they were all skipped over by Qi Jing; he just went straight to the section introducing the male characters and went through them one by one.


    There were ten male characters in total and their character information were as follows:


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    ¡¾Qin Tuo¡¿(Main Character 1)


    Age: Around 25 years old


    Voice characteristics: An upright character with a masculine voice¡ªbig-hearted, unrestrained, liberal, and has the air of a hero.


    Background: A disciple of the Xiao Shan Sect. He likes to make friends and travel around. After identally getting involved in the dangers of the Jianghu, he meets with various trials that help him be someone who is capable of taking charge of his own affairs. He receives the Order to End the Heavens and assumes the position of leader of the Twelve Wulin Alliance.


    ¡¾Fang Yisheng¡¿(Main Character 2)


    Age: Around 27 years old


    Voice characteristics: A young, cool, and noble sounding voice; he has a haughty and aloof personality. In theter stages, he coughs a lot as he was poisoned and often sounds out of breath.


    Background: The owner of Listen to the Wind Inn. He is one of the greatest martial artists of the pce, butter escapes by faking his death when he gets caught in the disputes of the imperial court. He is a shrewd and cautious man who is ruthless when necessary. He ister betrayed by Bai Ke and barely holds on to hisst breath when he is poisoned.


    ¡¾Emperor Chang¡¿(Important supporting character)


    Age: Around 30-35 years old


    Voice characteristics: A depressed, middle-aged voice. A narrow-minded character with an irritable and crazy streak.


    Background: An ipetent yet tyrannical emperor of the current dynasty. Due to long-term consumption of elixirs, he is low-spirited and has violent mood swings. He is manipted by sycophantic courtiers and makes several decrees ordering the hunt and death of rebels in the Wulin.


    ¡¾Marquess Shunyang¡¿(Important supporting character)


    Age: around 28-30 years old


    Voice characteristics: A deep, rich young voice. Hees from a military background, so he speaks powerfully with an aggressive edge.


    Background: On the surface, he is awarded the rank of a Marquess which can be passed on to his descendants for his military aplishments, but he is, in actuality, the illegitimate son of thete Emperor. He once had a single meeting with Fang Yisheng back when thetter was still serving the imperial court. The Twelve Wulin Alliance wishes to remove Emperor Chang, support the Marquess to ascend the throne, and establish him as the new ruler.


    ¡¾Yan Buliu¡¿(Important supporting character)


    Age: around 50 years old


    Voice characteristics: A prominent figure with a vicious and rich middle-aged voice. He¡¯s an imposing individual who often speaks with a sneer.


    Background: He has two identities¡ªone in the imperial court and one in the Wulin. He holds the position of chief minister and has his daughter marry Emperor Chang as his concubine. She is promoted to the rank of a consort, Consort Shu, by virtue of her birthing a prince and he uses his power as a rtive of the royal family to take control over the imperial court. Outside of the court, in the Jianghu, he is known as ¡°Hook of Hell¡±. In order to maintain the status of his n, he does all that he can to keep Emperor Chang and stands on the opposing side to Qin Tuo and his group.


    ¡¾Bai Ke¡¿(Important supporting character)


    Age: around 28 years old


    Voice characteristic: A young man with a despicable personality who is both vicious and cowardly. He is often moody and easily instigated by others.


    Background: A disciple of the Xiao Shan Sect and senior to Qin Tuo. Because of Qin Tuo, he is seriously injured by the skilled martial artists of the imperial court. He happens to be rescued by Fang Yisheng and takes temporary shelter at Listen to the Wind Inn. He willter be bribed by Yan Buliu and bites the hand that fed him by poisoning Fang Yisheng.


    ¡¾Liu Suyu¡¿(NPC)


    Age: Around 24 years old


    Voice Characteristics: A young, polite, and refined schr, hearing him speak is reminiscent of the spring breeze.


    Background: A good friend Qin Tuo makes during his travels. After cing second in the final pce examination, he is used as a spy to monitor Qin Tuo when the rtionship between them is found out.


    ¡¾Old Man Xiao Shan¡¿(NPC)


    Age: 60-70 years old


    Voice characteristics: A calm and magnanimous man with a heavenly immortal type of voice; he sounds both kind and dignified.


    Background: The master of Qin Tuo and Bai Ke and head of the Xiao Shan Sect; he treats and loves his disciples as his own.


    ¡¾Shopkeeper of an Inn¡¿(NPC)


    Age: 40-50 years old


    Voice characteristics: He has the voice of a worldly-wise businessman, cunning and snobby; the words between his lines are often prickly despite his amicable facade.


    Background: Owner of the Dragon Nest Inn which doubles as a hub for information exchange in the capital. They only work for money and have always maintained a neutral stance, allowing them to cleverly avoid all kinds of issues between people of the Jianghu. He is responsible for buying and selling information and has a sharp eye for detail.


    ¡¾Lu Wei¡¿(NPC)


    Age: 15-18 years old


    Voice characteristics: Youthful, bright, and clear voice. A naive, docile, and obedient boy.


    Background: A young page who waits on Fang Yisheng. He hasn¡¯t seen the storms of the Jianghu and has a simple and kind personality with a very sunny disposition to him. Later on, he suffers a great shock when his master is betrayed and bes gloomy.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t have much reaction while he was reading through the list, but when he saw the voice requirements for the role of Old Man Xiao Shan, a soft chuckle couldn¡¯t help but slip through his lips.


    He gently nudged Shen Yan while saying, ¡°This grandpa role is simply tailor-made for you.¡±


    Shen Yan appeared a little surprised by his words. ¡°...You want me to participate in thepetition?¡±


    Qi Jing nodded. ¡°Why not? I think you¡¯re very capable.¡±


    And since everyone could choose three roles, Shen Yan didn¡¯t even have to restrict himself to a grandpa voice and could try out other characters, including the role of a main character that he¡¯d rather not touch.


    ¡°No.¡± Contrary to Qi Jing¡¯s expectations, Shen Yan shook his head and withdrew his gaze from the screen as he continued, his voice a little hoarse, ¡°You should know that I can¡¯t voice in the presence of so many strangers, much less in apetitive setting... I think I¡¯d better pass on this.¡±


    In the previous two rounds of this casting call, the number of audience for the semi-finals and finals passed the 10,000 mark on both asions¡ªthis would put a huge psychological strain on him.


    Qi Jing sighed regretfully. He knew that Shen Yan could not be rushed in this area and still needed time to slowly adjust. Besides, he didn¡¯t want to force Shen Yan to do something he didn¡¯t want to face either.


    ¡°Alright. Although I think it¡¯s a pity, I respect your wishes.¡± He smiled and continued to rest his head on Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°If you want to participate, I will cheer for you,¡± Shen Yan said gently. Just as they had agreed before, he would converse with Qi Jing, rehearse his lines with him, and help him get into character¡ªhe would help Qi Jing to smoothly advance in thepetition in his own way.


    Qi Jing understood what he meant and responded with a ¡°Mhm¡± with a smile on his face.


    They leaned against each other quietly for a while longer; however¡ªprobably feeling that he was gone for too long¡ªhis QQ messenger started beeping again. Only then, did Qi Jing¡¯s gaze fall back onto the group chat.


    <i>Ninth Lady</i>: Return Date, are you done looking through it? Do you wanna consider joining? <(£þ¦á£þ)>


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: I think his little typing assistant might be unavable; that¡¯s why he isn¡¯t saying anything. ¨R¦Ø¨Q


    <i>Ninth Lady</i>: Pfffffft, it couldn¡¯t be that he¡¯s up to some funny business behind the scenes with Little Assistant-kun, could it?


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: That¡¯s highly possible!! ¨R¨Œ¨Q


    <i>iCookie</i>: Hahaha, so sweet!


    <i>Rolling Ball of Meows</i>: So sweet! +1


    <i>I won¡¯t survive if I don¡¯t procrastinate</i>: So sweet! +2


    Seeing that, Qi Jing cleared his throat and couldn¡¯t help but sit upright to personally rebut them.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Please get your head out of the gutter. ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    <i>March Bamboo Shoots</i>: This tone... it¡¯s Senior himself! Where¡¯s Little Assistant-kun!! Where¡¯s Mr. Boyfriend Under Probation!!


    <i>I won¡¯t survive if I don¡¯t procrastinate</i>: Did Little Assistant-kun go to rest? It¡¯s probably not a good idea to keep bothering Little Assistant-kun with your typing. We are a group of chatterboxes after all!


    <i>Rolling Ball of Meows</i>: Yeah, yeah, are we troubling Little Assistant-kun?


    <i>Ninth Lady</i>: Why don¡¯t we open a YY call and talk there? I also want to discuss thepetition with Qi Jing. Though of course, that¡¯s as long as we aren¡¯t inconveniencing Little Assistant-kun.


    <i>iCookie</i>: Hahaha, I agree! Let¡¯s go YY!


    ¡°Do you mind?¡± Qi Jing turned back and asked Shen Yan.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s been a while since you and your old friends got together, enjoy your call.¡± Shen Yan got up from his seat and asked Qi Jing to move back in front of theputer. He also helped Qi Jing bring over the headphones before saying, ¡°Just don¡¯t call toote into the night. I¡¯ll be in the study; call me if you need anything.¡±


    Qi Jing nodded with a smile.


    After Shen Yan left the room, he logged into YY and entered the call following the channel number given by Ninth Lady. It¡¯s really been a long time since hest heard the voices of these fewdies and he cheerily greeted each of them.


    As soon as he came up, Ning Xiaoxiao cried, ¡°Senior! Please get Little Assistant-kun to say a few words!¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Qi Jing smiled like a little fox. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted me to take him out to dinner with you? To keep the mystery alive, you can hear him for yourself then.¡±


    A miserable wail was hearding from Ning Xiaoxiao across the inte line.


    In order to put a stop to thatss¡¯ desire to listen to Shen Yan¡¯s voice, Qi Jing took the initiative to bring the topic back to the casting call of¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·, ¡°Tell me about that dubbingpetition; I¡¯m sure there¡¯d be a substantial amount of CVs participating in it, including many people I know.¡±


    ¡°Like Bronze Sparrow Terrace?¡± <i>Ninth Lady¡¯</i>s words were unexpected but reasonable.


    Well, he supposed, it¡¯s not at all surprising that the Great God would take part in thepetition.


    Qi Jing could basically imagine the advantage that he would have when it came to live voting.


    However, he was more curious about the roles chosen by <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>. ¡°Do you know which three characters were chosen by the Great God?¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao answered his question without missing a beat, ¡°His fan club... Ah, the one that I¡¯m in... I think I saw people say that it¡¯s ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯, ¡®Emperor Chang¡¯, and ¡®Marquess Shunyang¡¯. Especially ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯, the first male lead!¡±


    <i>iCookie</i> also chimed in, ¡°Hehe, I¡¯ve heard of that too. He seemed to really want the role of the first male lead.¡±


    Hearing that, Qi Jing tilted his head in deliberation. After pondering over it for a while, he suddenlyughed and said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll try out for the role of ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯ too.¡±


    Everyone was taken aback by those words.


    ¡°Senior! Why aren¡¯t you thinking straight! You¡¯re not suitable for this role, alright?¡± Ning Xiaoxiao screamed.


    ¡°Why huh...¡± Qi Jing narrowed his eyes slightly before continuing with a raised brow, ¡°Probably because I felt so suppressed by him and his fans during the recording for¡¶Trap¡·and couldn¡¯t show them what I can do; I ended up voicing a 0.5 sultry Shou that was deeply despised by the fans of the novel. I don¡¯t like that, so I want to get back at him in apetition with no holds barred.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have a showdown with Great God Bronze Sparrow Terrace huh, Return Date! Pfffft.¡±


    ¡°Do you have to have that showdown with him with ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯? Ah... I¡¯m so tired, I don¡¯t think I believe in love anymore...¡± Ning Xiaoxiao wailed a second time.


    ¡°Because I know that my voice definitely won¡¯t be able to take on ¡®Marquess Shunyang¡¯, so I can only use ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯. I could probably give ¡®Emperor Chang¡¯ a shot, but chances are bleak.¡±


    Qi Jing knew full well the disadvantages he had. His voice was thinner than that of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>, so there was no way he could try to match up with the other party¡¯s deep bass and there was no hope of him winning in a fight for those majestic and imposing type of roles.


    Although the voice requirements for Qin Tuo weren¡¯t that good in his favour either, there was a hint of simrity between the character and his personality in real life. Therefore, he might be able to perform even better than usual.


    ¡°Frankly speaking, the character of ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯ ispletely my thing... Please voice that character...¡± <i>Ninth Lady</i> pursed her lips.


    ¡°I concur; I also think you¡¯d be better suited for ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯, Return Date. While your voice might be a little on the warmer side, it doesn¡¯t really affect it that much so you can go for it,¡± <i>I won¡¯t survive if I don¡¯t procrastinate</i> chipped in her analysis, ¡°Ah, or that NPC, ¡®Liu Suyu¡¯, though NPCs don¡¯t have much room for disy your talent... Or if not, how about that young, refreshing character ¡®Lu Wei¡¯? You can also try using falsetto for it.¡±


    Qi Jing frowned, ¡°For the other two roles that you suggested, the first I¡¯ve done too much of and for the other, there¡¯s just no way for me to act young. I¡¯ve decided¡ªI¡¯ll sign up for ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯, ¡®Emperor Chang¡¯, and ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯¡ªthese three.¡±


    In this way, he would have at least two chances topete with <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>.


    Even though he, too, felt that he might not be suitable for these roles and had little chance of winning, thepetition itself was just an avenue for him to have some fun and gain some poprity along the way. He didn¡¯t need anything like getting into the industry and bing a professional CV.


    He just wanted to give it his best shot and leave with no regrets.


    Lilies: Qi Jing is so A


    whitere: I¡¯d like to give Lilies kudos for tranting all thepetition entry information. There was so much! Wow!


    (Qi Jing, we¡¯re rooting for you!!)

 Chapter 35

    <h4>Chapter 35</h4>


    Sorry guys for postingte today! £¾©n£¼


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: Mashiro


    One of the so-called definitions of being close friends was losing track of time when talking to them.


    After saying goodbyes to thest of thedies on YY, Qi Jing nced at the lower right corner of the window; he didn¡¯t realise it was already 10 PM. He felt invigorated at the thought that someday in the future, he would be able topete with the Great God on equal footing.


    Qi Jing logged out of the chatting software and ced his headphones on the side. Then he walked towards the study room¡¯s door on tiptoes, afraid of disturbing Shen Yan¡¯s rest.


    The door to the study was open, and a trace of faint yellow light seeped through the crack of the door¡ª<i>seems like he¡¯s still awake</i>.


    Qi Jing paced for a while before the doors, hesitating if he should go in or not. But ultimately he couldn¡¯t help himself and knocked on the door twice. At the moment Shen Yan seemed to be working on hisputer. The sound of knocking on the door interrupted the sound of typing, and he turned the chair he was sitting on to face the door: ¡°Pleasee in.¡±


    Qi Jing opened the door and came in. The study seemed to be a little smaller than the bedroom; tworge bookcases spanned across an entire wall and the remaining space still had to upy a desk together with a chair, so naturally, there wasn¡¯t much space left for a bed. What Shen Yan called a ¡°small bed¡± was in fact very small, only a little bit wider than a usual sofa. There was barely any space for one to turn their body and even theyout of the bed such as pillows and nkets were of the bare minimum.


    It was so minimal that it made Qi Jing feel uneasy inside: ¡°Maybe... it would be better for me to sleep on the smaller bed?¡±


    Shen Yan was surprised. He seemed to have guessed what was on Qi Jing¡¯s mind, andughed it off: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I used to sleep here once in a while, so I¡¯m used to it.¡±


    ¡°Still...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a patient. ¡± Shen Yan gave his final word.


    A patient. Just this word was enough to make any argument Qi Jing coulde up with weak.


    He knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to win against Shen Yan, left with no other alternative, Qi Jing could only give up on his insistence as he walked over.


    An open email could be seen on theputer screen. Qi Jing nced over¡ªit seemed to be work-rted, as it used a lot of medical jargon. Shen Yan followed his line of sight and looked on the screen, then he exined, ¡°It¡¯s our clinic¡¯s policy. Sometimes, after a pet has recovered and is taken back by their owner, their situation might be unstable, and even lead to a rpse. So the owners often ask questions concerning the follow-up treatment¡ªin such cases I would help with answering them.¡±


    So that¡¯s how it is, Qi Jing thought, he really is a professional, even though he could have just stopped caring about them once they left the clinic.


    That¡¯s why I would be so smitten with him¡ªthat thought made the corners of his mouth quirk up a bit. Qi Jing didn¡¯t say anything, and just smiled lightly as he took a stool and sat by Shen Yan¡¯s side. The patient and focused look on that man¡¯s face as he worked was Qi Jing¡¯s favourite thing to watch..


    ¡°I will finish writing this email soon, so please, wait for a while.¡± There was a trace of apologetic tone in Shen Yan¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, take your time. I¡¯ll be just watching from the side.¡± Qi Jing had no thoughts of rushing Shen Yan at all. With a smile on his face, he watched him as Shen Yan finished writing the email, checking it and then finally sending it. After sending the email, the screen disy cut back to the mailbox home page. Suddenly, among the list of folders he saw a folder marked with a star. Not only that¡ªthis folder was named after him.


    ¡ª¡±Qi Jing¡±


    At that moment, his heart skipped a beat, then it began thumping in a flurry.


    ... At one nce it was obvious what was inside. So all of those replies he had sent out before were all kept in this ce.


    When Shen Yan realised what he was looking at, he froze for a moment. He straightened his back, feeling somewhat awkward, his face strained as he tried to find a position that wouldn¡¯t make him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles. ¡°Those are.. the emails you have sent to me before. I was afraid I would miss some of them, so I gathered all of them here.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyes were focused on that folder for a long time.


    He was a professional in the media industry, so his name appeared in countless different ces¡ªthe news, forums,mentary works, production crews... But not once had he felt such valueing from his name, so vividly like the one on the folder before him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think that there¡¯s still&#k2026; one email missing from that folder?¡± He felt a slight tang in his nose, and his smile was a little bit forced.


    The foldercked one email, the final one.


    Hearing him say that, Shen Yan seemed to have understood something. He jerked his head up, meeting his eyes. Qi Jing looked back at him without evading his eyes. Perhaps it could be because it was wet with tears, the light reflecting in his eyes flickered lightly, like the reflection of sunlight on the surface of the ripples of ake, calm, yet a magnificent sight to behold.


    ¡°If you got the reply now, would you receive it?¡± He asked.


    He moved his knee slightly, bumping against Shen Yan¡¯s knee, leaving them to rest on each other. It was like a very immature and clumsy, even childish inquiry.


    Shen Yan looked at Qi Jing silently, ultimately not uttering a single word. After all, he had been waiting for that reply for nearly a month.


    That feeling was just as if he was waiting for thest bus all alone in the darkness on a rainy night, without any light, and without a watch to check the time. Just as he was thinking whether he had already missed it, a bus with its two bright headlights emerged from behind a curtain of rain. In a moment the world was illuminated, he instead found himself in bewilderment, unable to take a step forward for a long time.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± Qi Jing leaned his body forward, his face lowering over the ce their knees touched, asking once again, ¡°I want to write a reply. Will you ept it?¡±


    In his line of sight, Shen Yan¡¯s knee moved away from his.


    It wasn¡¯t to put distance between them, but to let them get even closer. In an instant, his shoulders were held carefully by a pair of arms that pulled him to the warm chest before him, epassing him in an embrace. His lowered head nicely nested right below that man¡¯s chin, and he could feel that person rubbing gently against his hair.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said before, as long as you¡¯re willing to read it, I will continue to write.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s low voice came from above,nding right in the depths of his heart, ¡°If you want to respond, I will certainly... I will certainly make sure to treasure it well.¡±


    Qi Jing chuckled as he lowered his head, sniffing at the same time. ¡°No matter what my reply is?¡±


    ¡°No matter what your reply is.¡±


    ¡°What if I said something like ¡®Doctor Shen, I have already given you 12 point¡¯, or ¡®Doctor Shen, you have passed your probation¡¯?¡± Qi Jing took advantage of the fact that neither of them could see each other¡¯s face and sneaked in that question while biting his lip with a smile on his face.


    As expected, Shen Yan didn¡¯t reply at first.


    In ce of a response was the gradual tightening of his arms around Qi Jing. He didn¡¯t put too much strength in his arms but they were very secure and they even started trembling.


    ¡°About that, you can give me your reply at ater time.¡± Both Shen Yan¡¯s reply and the amount of seriousness it contained were beyond Qi Jing¡¯s imagination. Just because Qi Jing asked him to wait... ¡°Think it over carefully before giving me a reply. Just like how I waited for the email from you, I won¡¯t give you any pressure; I will continue waiting for it patiently for as long as it¡¯s necessary.¡±


    However, Shen Yan didn¡¯t need to wait for a reply anymore.


    Qi Jing opened his work email, found that folder named ¡°To be deleted¡± and moved the emails from inside.


    He transferred all of the important emails he had received from Shen Yan and ced them in a new folder called ¡°Shen Yan¡±. Then, he opened thatst, eleven words long email, replying with only a single word: ¡°Okay.¡±


    One word was more than sufficient as the reply.


    And as about the other reply... He would properly deliberate over it as Shen Yan said, putting more thought into just how he would answer him.


    In the span of a month, he was now able to send the email from the recipient¡¯s bedroom. Not only that, the recipient was also waiting for his reply in the next room¡ªit felt so incredible. Qi Jing nced at the ¡®Sent¡¯ email box, making sure his email was indeed already sent. Now, he was in apletely lighthearted mood.


    ¡°I have sent my reply!¡± He shouted towards the study room.


    After a while, Shen Yan¡¯s response could be heard: ¡°I¡¯ve received it.¡±


    The burden on Qi Jing¡¯s heart was gone, and it felt as if his whole being was now more rxed, his emotions unable to settle down for a long time. He was about to stand up and go to the study, but he didn¡¯t expect that Shen Yan would be a step ahead of him, entering the bedroom before he could leave. Shen Yan held a notebook that seemed to look like a diary in his hand. He stood before Qi Jing, seemingly wanting to say something, but stopped and instead passed that notebook to him in silence.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Qi Jing asked curiously while lowering his head and opening that notebook.


    The title on the first page made him freeze for full three seconds: ¡°The animals¡¯ recovery¡±. It was almost the same as the title of the email he had received before.


    There was a date written under the title: it was exactly the day when he received thest email from Shen Yan.


    As he continued to flip through the diary, there was an entry for every single day, all of it describing the various animals received by the hospital, both cats and dogs. As long as Shen Yan was responsible for them, he would note everything down in the same style as in the emails. He meticulously described their health status tirelessly and in detail.


    Until today, Shen Yan had written almost a month¡¯s worth of diary entries, umting a thick stack of paper.


    Qi Jing looked at the man before him, seemingly shocked. ¡°You... You¡¯ve been writing... for all this time?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Shen Yan nodded his head lightly, and replied in a low voice, ¡°When I didn¡¯t receive your reply at that time, I thought you were probably busy with your work, or you were perhaps dyed by other matters, so I decided to write it all down first. After that... I kept writing and writing, and couldn¡¯t stop, waiting for the day I could input it into theputer and send it for you to read.¡±


    What if I kept my resolve to act in spite of my feelings, and never replied to that email?


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t dare to think about that question. If he thought about it any further, he would probably have to bear that sense of guilt for his whole life.


    ¡°You¡¯re really silly.¡± After a long while, Qi Jing could only utter these three words in a daze. He then heaved a long sigh, unable to stop a sad smile froming while looking at that diary. His tone was the same as when he had called himself a fool when he sat before theputer back then, but he simply felt his heart aching for Shen Yan.


    But the person in question was still as persistent as before; he said slowly: ¡°I¡¯m not silly, didn¡¯t you give me your reply already?¡±


    Qi Jing felt a whirlpool of emotions inside him. He had to try to control his surging emotions as best as he could. He breathed deeply, then forced out augh. ¡°Mhm... I will read it thoroughly, and just like before, I will write for you my thoughts on it.¡±


    However, Shen Yan gently took away the diary from his hands and closed it.


    ¡°Not now, what you now need is rest. You can read it when you get up tomorrow.¡± He reminded Qi Jing about the time; turns out it was already nearing 11 PM. Ever since he found out about Qi Jing¡¯s previous terrifying rest schedule, Shen Yan made it a point in his mind to make him go to bed earlier so he could adjust his biological clock back to normal.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± Suddenly, Qi Jing called out to stop him. At the time his hand touched that diary, he also grasped Shen Yan¡¯s hand, ¡°Can you read a portion for me? You can think of it as a bedtime story.¡±


    Shen Yan froze, stupefied¡ªhe didn¡¯t expect that Qi Jing would make such a request. His hand holding the diary loosened its grip subconsciously; the diary was back in Qi Jing¡¯s hands, together with his hand.


    ¡°Do you still remember how I used the content of your first email as mymentary in the report?¡± Qi Jing didn¡¯t let go of either and made a step forward, shortening the distance between them to less than half a metre.


    ¡°... I do.¡±


    ¡°At the time you had said that my voice was very emotive.¡± Bringing up the old matters, Qi Jing still remembered his burning hot ears back then. He couldn¡¯t help but lower his head andugh a little before saying, ¡°But I still think that it would sound more emotive if the one to read it was the author himself.¡±


    Shen Yan stood unmoving¡ªbut Qi Jing could feel his gaze begin to soften.


    So he leaned even closer. The diary touched their chest¡¯s¡ªhis, and Shen Yan¡¯s¡ªas not only the warmth of their fingers, but also their undting breath mixed together under the tangerine light.


    ¡°That¡¯s why, Geese Fly North-sama, may I ask you for your version?¡± Qi Jing raised his eyebrow andughed.


    After turning off the main light in the room, leaving only a floormp emitting a clean yet not too dazzling light. Qi Jing quietlyid under the covers, smiling faintly as he looked attentively at the man sitting beside the bed.


    The bed in the bedroom was much bigger than the one in study. Lying on it felt extremely warm and cozy, but most importantly¡ªno matter whether it was the pillow or the bedding, everything was covered with Shen Yan¡¯s smell. Qi Jing felt that he wouldn¡¯t be able to find suitable words to describe that smell, despite his many years of news writing. In short, it was a very soothing smell, one that helped people fall asleep peacefully. It was the one and only scent, unique to Shen Yan.


    Even if it was only a psychological effect, he was confident that he would be able to sleep until he woke up naturally, unlike before when he would have to go through the torment of frequently waking up in the middle of the night.


    Shen Yan wasn¡¯t in a hurry to start; he even reached out a hand to carefully tuck Qi Jing in bed.


    But Qi Jing reached out his hand from beneath the quilt and gently rubbed against Shen Yan¡¯s palm with his index finger while keeping a straight face. Shen Yanughed helplessly, he could only abandon his intention of keeping the diary in his hand while reading, so he simply ced it on his thigh.


    ¡°Can I start?¡± He asked, as modest and polite as he had been during their run-through before.


    ¡°Do you know what I¡¯m feeling right now?¡± Qi Jing didn¡¯t respond, but threw a question without any rhyme or reason. The smile on his face didn¡¯t fade, so it was hard to tell whether he was being serious, or just fooling around.


    ¡°What are you feeling?¡± Shen Yan asked softly.


    ¡°I feel like a producer who got the exclusive rights to you.¡± Qi Jing narrowed his eyes slightly, like a fox, looking lost in thoughts.


    Exactly.


    It was the feeling that he only belongs to him... and no one else.


    Under the thinyer of fiery light, Qi Jing saw corners of Shen Yan¡¯s mouth pulling up into a smile, as if he wasughing but without making a sound.


    With that gentle smile, he opened the diary, and started reading the content of the first page


    ¡°6th September, in Cage 6,brador dog, two months old little guy. At the time it was hospitalised, it was already coughing for two days, and the symptoms of retching appeared. Its owner said that the little fellow didn¡¯t have an appetite these few days, and it seemed to have problems with digestion. The initial diagnosis is that it might be an inmmatory bowel disease caused by bacterial infection...¡±


    Qi Jing listened to him in silence. From beginning to the end, his eyes stayed on Shen Yan¡¯s face.


    He observed how Shen Yan would knit his brows slightly when he was reading about the more serious conditions.


    He observed how, when Shen Yan was describing the naughty side of the animals, his eyes overflowed with affection.


    He observed the serious expression on Shen Yan¡¯s face, his mouth parting and closing as he read each word,pletely focused on narrating the story.


    The voice Qi Jing was hearing was exactly as he had imagined before. Deep, upright, gentle, buried within, rich emotions that were not showy nor obtrusive, silently seeping in, permeating through his very being. These were genuine feelingsing from Shen Yan¡¯s heart, unblemished by a single bit of insincerity.


    ¡°Shen Yan.¡± He suddenly called the name of a man sitting by his pillow.


    The finger that was sped in the other party¡¯s hand through all that time moved, leaving neither deep nor shallow mark as if he was making up his mind.


    ¡°Even though... I really want to have the exclusive rights to you, that¡¯s very selfish.¡± Qi Jing said smiling, as if he was just mumbling to himself.


    ¡°Actually, what I really hope for is to make your voice heard by more people, for it to touch the hearts of many more. So that one day... I can rightfully stand by your side and act in an audio drama with you.¡±


    T/N


    Luci: Did I say before that the two of them are too pure for this world? No? Then I¡¯m saying it right now. Although Qi Jing¡¯s pretty naughty at times, I swear, his heart is pure! (look at how he reacts every time Shen Yan jokes or smiles at him!!)


    Lilies: can¡¯t stop, won¡¯t stop uwuing


    Mashiro: Both are just too much, they are too sweet for my heart to take!!! I think my heart is going to have premature diabetes.

 Chapter 36

    <h4>Chapter 36</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editor: Whitere


    Trigger warning: depictions of child abuse


    I hope that your voice can be heard by more people.


    It wasn¡¯t the first time for Shen Yan to hear someone say that.


    But out of all these people, Qi Jing was the only one who told that to the real ¡®Shen Yan¡¯.


    The diary in his hand wasn¡¯t any script, and he wasn¡¯t ying any role. They were all the things he wrote without concealing anything¡ªthe most genuine him.


    Nevertheless, Qi Jing still voiced such expectations for him...


    His voice stopped. Not because he had nothing to say, but because momentarily, his vocal cords had lost all of their strength. As if he choked.


    Shen Yan¡¯s hand clenched lightly at the marks left from Qi Jing¡¯s fingers scratching. Then, his grip tightened gradually, getting stronger and stronger.


    Maybe it was because having only a single finger gripped felt funny and it hurt a little when Shen Yan exerted force on it, it caused Qi Jing to instinctively wrinkle his brows a little before directing a smile at Shen Yan.


    He was about to say something, but his smile froze the moment their eyes met.


    With the floor light shining from behind Shen Yan, it cast a shadow that made it hard to see the expression on his face¡ªQi Jing only knew that Shen Yan¡¯s brows were knit and his eyes were downcast, as if he was enduring something.


    There was no gleam in Shen Yan¡¯s eyes. They were deep and ck, like the depth of the sea where the sunlight couldn¡¯t get through¡ªso deep that one could not see the bottom and an invisible force stopped anyone who wanted to dive into them.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Qi Jing¡¯s mind short-circuited for a moment¡ªwhen he finally sobered up, he used his finger to scratch at the centre of Shen Yan¡¯s palm as he put a gentle smile back on his face.


    Even though Shen Yan hadn¡¯t said anything, Qi Jing could still see the subtle change in his mood.


    And it wasn¡¯t a good kind of change.


    ¡°Shen Yan?¡± Feeling an unknown sense of worry well up, Qi Jing called him once again, raising his shoulders to sit up. At that moment Shen Yan finally showed some reaction, silently pressing him back down on the pillow.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough reading for tonight. You should go to sleep soon,¡± Shen Yan closed the diary and leaned over to say in a low voice.


    Due to his movement, the angle at which Qi Jing was looking at him changed, and the light finally managed to slip in to light up a half of his face.


    It didn¡¯t look like there was anything out of ordinary about him; he still seemed as gentle and quiet as always. The darkness in his eyes was like a sea surface, the reflection of the light in his eyes seemed like the stars in the sky reflected on the waves, making them appear less gloomy.


    It was alreadyte by that time¡ªno matter how much he yearned for Shen Yan¡¯s voice, he still shouldn¡¯t sacrifice Shen Yan¡¯s usual rest hours for his own sake.


    Qi Jing nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll look at it again tomorrow.¡±


    Shen Yan put the diary down without uttering a word, cing it beside Qi Jing¡¯s pillow. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry to get up and walk away; he gazed at Qi Jing silently for a long time. Only then did his tight grasp loosen a little, letting their warmth part.


    ¡°Hurry up and go to sleep. I¡¯ll turn the lights off for you.¡± He urged softly.


    He got up from the bedside and walked to the floor light, turning the light off, plunging the room into darkness, save for the faint light that seeped in from the living room through the seam of the door. Qi Jing squinted¡ªadapting to the darkness took him a few seconds. When he opened them once again, he was able to see the silhouette of the other man still standing by the wall.


    As if he didn¡¯t want to leave.


    To be honest, Qi Jing also didn¡¯t want to let him leave. When he made Shen Yan read the diary for him, other than to listen to his voice, more importantly, it was to spend even just a little more time with him.


    Their road together was bound to be long, but today, the man he longed for wasn¡¯t just a photo in his phone¡¯s gallery or an image from his memory. He could be heard, he could be touched, he even gave Qi Jing a tangible hug&#k2014;he was warm to the point of being addictive, so Qi Jing sought after him greedily like an addict.


    He had too many bitter experiencestely, so his desire for sweetness was even more intense than usual.


    ¡°What happened? You don¡¯t want to go?¡± The best way to conceal one¡¯s true thoughts was to jokingly redirect a question at the other party.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t answer, nor did he move.


    ¡°We can always sleep together, after all, this bed is quite wide.¡± Qi Jing narrowed his eyes into two little crescents like anguid cat, deliberately teasing Shen Yan.


    Qi Jing had a bad habit¡ªeven if he knew that the other party was already stumped by his question, he still couldn¡¯t help but joke around a little longer. Shen Yan definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to answer this one anyway.


    Just as he expected, Shen Yan didn¡¯t react.


    Seems like I went too far with that one. With a giggle, Qi Jing took the initiative to help relieve Shen Yan from his distress, ¡°I¡¯m just joking. You should quickly go get some rest too, goodnight.¡±


    At that moment, Shen Yan stepped out of the shadow, slowly walking back towards the bedside.


    Qi Jing would think he was onlying back to say goodnight¡ªthat is, if he didn¡¯t lean down suddenly, propping his hands on either side of the pillow.


    Feeling the pillow sink, Qi Jing was so startled that he instinctively propped his body up, gasping quickly.


    The gasp was very light, so light that if it weren¡¯t for how close at hand the other man was, he wouldn¡¯t be able to hear it.


    But Shen Yan was too close, so close that even in low light, Qi Jing could still see the outline of his face clearly. Moreover, the distance between them was shortening inch by inch until they could share the same breath between the two of them. Shen Yan¡¯s breath brushed by Qi Jing¡¯s skin, making him feel ticklish¡ªhe could even feel its warmth.


    Qi Jingy back and bent his knees subconsciously, his whole body shrinking back. The pillow sank even further, while those two arms remained firmly rooted to the sides.


    They werepletely shrouded in darkness. Themp was already turned off. Hey on the bed, and the hands of the person before him were pressed by the sides of his neck¡ªit was a situation where he had no way to escape.


    ¡°Shen Yan... ¡° Startled, he called that person¡¯s name hoarsely, not even daring to blink.


    The person above Qi Jing might have heard that, or not, either way he remained unmoving.


    ¡°Shen Yan...¡± Qi Jing finally lost his head realising that the other party might have taken his joke seriously, and said with a trembling voice, ¡°I was joking just now.¡±


    Rather than saying he was shy, it was more that he was scared.


    They were both adults, and grown men at that. It would be a lie if he said he never thought that there would be some development during their stay under the same roof.


    But considering his fractured hand, sleeping together on the first night with the possibility of some other ¡®actions¡¯ taking ce... It exceeded his expectations, and he was unable to ept that as a matter of course.


    Seeing theck of any movements from Shen Yan, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but take his hand out from beneath the quilt and push him lightly.


    His fingers pressed against Shen Yan¡¯s chest¡ªit was an obvious gesture of resistance. It might have been because he was too tense, but his fingers couldn¡¯t stop trembling.


    The person above him finally moved and Qi Jing held his breath in that moment¡ªhe could no longer hear his own breaths anymore.


    A momentter, the weight on his hand lightened and the thing he was pushing against suddenly disappeared, leaving his empty gesture of resistance in the midair¡ªit seemed like that chest had retreated.


    ¡°I know,¡± That low and husky voice could be heard in the darkness, seemingly carrying a hint of a forced smile, ¡°I know you were joking... Don¡¯t be afraid, don¡¯t fear me.¡±


    As Shen Yan said that, he moved his hand away from the pillow and turned one of them around to gently touch the hair on the side of Qi Jing¡¯s face. With the back of his hand to Qi Jing, he intertwined a few locks of hair in his fingers, stroking it,bing it,forting him carefully.


    Qi Jing finally took back his hand which froze in ce for a long time.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Seeing how he hid his hand back under the quilt, Shen Yan lowered his eyes slightly and said goodbye in a low voice, his smile somehow bleak.


    It was their first time to say ¡®goodnight¡¯ to each other without being separated by the inte¡ªit should have been aforting memory, but because of him, that memory was now blemished.


    Shen Yan moved both his hands away, allowing Qi Jing to lie down in peace while he took two steps back and stood, for a couple of seconds, at a distance where the other would feel safe. Later, he went around the bed, choosing a route that was as far as possible from it to go towards the door.


    Shen Yan went out of the bedroom, closing the door gently. After hearing it close with a ¡®ck¡¯, he took his hand away from the door and nkly brought it to his forehead.


    He hadn¡¯t really meant to force Qi Jing to do anything just now, much less actually join Qi Jing in bed like he proposed; after all, he promised that he would wait... until the day Qi Jing gave his approval.


    But regardless of that, when he heard Qi Jing¡¯s words of encouragement, they already caused a stir in his heart. And when Qi Jing teased him time and time again, the thought of giving that man a kiss suddenly appeared in his mind just as he was about to leave¡ªhe only wanted to kiss his forehead, nothing more.


    However, as reality has proven, breaking promises just wasn¡¯t it... He had almost made Qi Jing repulsed, didn¡¯t he?


    Thinking back, he felt lingering fear, and his fingers started to feel chilly.


    Shen Yan silently shook his head a few times to calm down. He turned off the light in the living room and returned to the study. Once in the room, he quietly sat on the chair for another fifteen minutes before finally going to sleep with his clothes on.


    The bed in the study was very cramped. There was no space to turn over so hey on his back, staring quietly at the empty ceiling.


    It was the time of the night where all was quiet and still, the distant street lights became the only source of light in the depth of night, sending a dim glow of light into the room despite the wall¡ªunfortunately, even that couldn¡¯t stop the white of the ceiling from being dyed grey by the dark of the night.


    Grey is a colour of dreams. It¡¯s because memories are ck and white, so when their fragments intertwine, they turn into grey.


    And most of the dreams areposed of memories.


    He didn¡¯t even know what time it was when he fell asleep and when that dream came.


    It was a dream he hadn¡¯t seen for a long time. In this dream, he was invisible. Just a single, simple camera len that framed all of the things before his eyes, including that rented apartment sealed away in the depths of his memory.


    The iron doors were covered in rust, tightly closed all day long.


    Those doors only opened at morning, noon, and evening, precisely at the times when the upant left and came back from work, as well as at lunch break.


    The upturned ¡®good fortune¡® character pasted on the door was conveniently bought at the street stallst year, and its craftsmanship was crude¡ªit had already started losing colour by the time the summer came. It looked worn out and old; the edges of an adhesive tape had already peeled off, curling up on the iron te.


    He was the one who put the tape on it. He was too young at that time, and didn¡¯t know how to make it pretty or symmetrical. He just sat on the floor, and stuck it left and right crookedly, but at least he got the tape on there. Yet the ¡®good fortune¡¯ character on the door wasn¡¯t stuck on by him, but by the woman in front of him who watched him fiddle with the tape. At the beginning, she was still smiling faintly, but the moment he crawled up to go out to stick on the character with her, that smile disappeared.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± The woman once again squatted down and ced a finger on her lips, making a shushing gesture, ¡°don¡¯t talk, don¡¯t say anything.¡±


    He looked at the woman¡¯s grave expression and nodded, sitting back silently and grabbing the leftover tape to y.


    The woman didn¡¯t move and continued, ¡°Go back to y in the room, otherwise someone will see you when the doors are open.¡±


    He nodded once again and tidied up the adhesive tape and small scissors obediently, putting them into a stic box. He took it into his arms and went back to the bedroom, not forgetting to slowly close the door behind him.


    The rented apartment made of one room and one living room was very simple and was barely decorated, but they could still get by while living a simple life.


    The woman didn¡¯t send him to kindergarten. Every day, she would get up and make breakfast in a hurry, and without enough time to make sure he finished eating, she would go out to work. At noon, she woulde back during lunch break for a half an hour to make lunch, rest for a bit, then in the afternoon, she would go out once again and return in the evening.


    In her absence, he would go to the cupboard himself to find his building blocks to build something, sticine to y with, or pick out and slowly read the children¡¯s book that woman bought for him. He might have not attended kindergarten, but in the evenings, she would teach him to read and write¡ªafter a long time, he learned to read those books by himself to get through those endless mornings and afternoons.


    The phone in that house rarely rang, but sometimes, it would ring incessantly. At those times, the woman would sit on its side and stare fixedly at that phone, yet refuse to take the call.


    Even if she took it, the woman would always warn him before picking up the receiver, ¡°Shen Yan, don¡¯t talk, don¡¯t say anything.¡±


    He nodded his head and went to the corner obediently to read his picture books.


    Don¡¯t talk, don¡¯t say anything.


    That was what the woman constantly indoctrinated in him. Once he finally got used to this psychological suggestion, he could only watch quietly, even if the woman was sitting alone on the chair, weeping after listening to the call.


    For he knew that if he spoke without permission, the woman would hit him hard on the palm of the hand with a ruler, and he was not allowed to cry even though it hurt.


    He had cried once before; it was probably too loud to be contained by the walls of the apartments and his crying identally travelled into the ears of the neighbours. Later, the married couple next door brought some handmade zongzi during the Dragon Boat Festival, nning to share them with neighbours. When it was their turn to be visited, the woman ordered him to hide in the room quickly and hid the children toys in the living room, and only then opened the door.


    He sat behind the room door all by himself, not daring to move a muscle. He listened to how the woman standing at the door exchanged polite greetings and chatted with the couple, trying his best to not make any sound.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, is there a child in your house?¡± Suddenly, that aunty asked curiously.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t, I¡¯m single.¡± The woman answered briefly, but an indistinct hint of fear could be heard in her voice.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you¡¯re still so young.¡± That auntyplimented out of politeness.


    ¡°Eh, but I remember hearing a child crying here before... Maybe it was in a different apartment, not yours?¡± Her husband continued the topic with a smile. But the tones of their voices were carefree, without showing any interest in pursuing the topic earnestly.


    ¡°Maybe you heard wrong.¡± The woman smiled stiffly.


    That mishap ended with him receiving the most hideous beating he could remember.


    The woman blocked his mouth with a towel to prevent him from crying and rming the neighbours, then he was beaten so hard with the pole of a chicken feather duster that his skin broke, and the blood trickled out incessantly.


    ¡°You mustn¡¯t cry, you mustn¡¯t make any noise! We were almost exposed by the neighbours today!¡± The woman scolded him angrily in a hushed voice.


    He bit the towel rigidly with no strength to struggle, only able to hold in his tears and nod mechanically.


    ¡°Will you still be like this in the future!¡± The woman hissed out the question.


    He shook his head feebly. From start to finish, he didn¡¯t utter a sound¡ªeven after taking the towel out from his mouth, he was just sobbing in a weak voice.


    The woman was probably tired from giving him a beating. She copsed on the side of the bed, looking at him with those grim eyes. With half her make-uping undone, she looked like a forlorn yet bitter ghost. He got up from the floor by himself, limping his way to her side through his pain and burying his head in the bedding to cry his fill, using the fabric to wipe away the tears which drenched his face. The woman threw the feather duster away and took him into her arms, then began choking with sobs.


    ¡°Shen Yan... You need to forgive mum.¡± The woman repeated like a broken record, ¡° If you were discovered, it wouldn¡¯t be good for anyone. Do you understand?¡±


    There was no expression on his face as hey unmoving and stiff as a board in her arms. .


    ¡°In a word, just remember, it will be good as long as you don¡¯t talk, don¡¯t let them hear you.¡± The woman¡¯s continuous mutters repeated in his ear like a curse.


    Everything is good as long as I don¡¯t talk, understood.


    Even if he wanted to talk, nobody would listen to him.


    T/N:


    Luci chokes with sobs: WHERE IS MY KNIFE QAQ (And, is it, perhaps, a good moment to say Happy Year of Ox? I hope all of you will have a good year ^^)


    whitere: [murmuring a mantra to calm down] Hurt people hurt people. BUT POOR BABY SHEN YAN.


    lilies: (???????????????????)

 Chapter 37

    <h4>Chapter 37</h4>


    Editor: Mashiro


    Warning ?? : This chapter contains attempted murder, imagery of abuse and the like. Please tread carefully or click off if this makes you ufortable.


    The dream continued, just like the grey path beneath his feet. That rental apartment began to disintegrate and fall apart, crashing and scattering all over the pavement, each piece epassing a fragment of his memory.


    Walking over the path was like walking through all those years that had passed.


    The woman before him appeared even more haggard while he had grown taller¡ªat the age of attending primary school.


    They had moved to a new ce, apletely unfamiliar city and equally unfamiliar neighbourhood; it was no longer an old rental t in a small town, but a tiny matchbox apartment in a high-rise building. Although it was also rented, the front door was a stainless-steel security gate¡ª all shiny and new¡ªmuch more durable than the iron gate they had before.


    Once he was of schooling age, the woman was finally willing to let him go to school. And for the first time, she brought him out of their residence and held his hands in broad daylight.


    The woman rarely said her mantra again, because he had already learned to be silent and didn¡¯t need to be reminded over and over again.


    The school was a rtively noisy ce: the busy traffic at the school gates, boisterous children of his age running and jumping about, teachers who maintained order. All these different sounds came at him from all directions like a tidal wave and drowned him in it. He was like a character that had just stepped out from a silent film; his ears were ringing from all the sounds and it felt as if invisible hands were clutching at his throat, suffocating him.


    All of this was strange, so strange and foreign that it frightened him, and cold sweat wouldn¡¯t stop breaking out from his hands.


    But it didn¡¯t matter.


    Just don¡¯t speak, don¡¯t make a sound, and all will be fine¡ªthat¡¯s what the woman had always taught him.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± an amiable form teacher bent down such that she was at eye-level with him and asked with a smile.


    He slowly looked up after a while, but the other party¡¯s curious gaze was so piercing, it forced him to lower his head just as quickly and take a step back towards the woman, hiding part of his body behind her long skirt.


    ¡°He¡¯s called Shen Yan,¡± the woman returned with a polite smile and replied in his stead.


    ¡°Shen Yan...¡± the form teacher repeated before turning to the woman and saying, ¡°Your child seems to be very shy.¡±


    He was not able to see the expression on the woman¡¯s face from his angle, but he felt her grip on his hand tightened for a moment¡ªit was so tight his blood cirction was virtually cut off and it hurt, yet he still didn¡¯t say a word and just quietly endured it.


    ¡°He¡¯s not my child, he¡¯s my nephew.¡± The woman¡¯s tone was hard and unfeeling; it didn¡¯t even have the normal undtions one would have when speaking. ¡°My brother and sister-inw are working out of town and don¡¯t have time to take care of the child, so they entrusted him with me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± The form teacher subconsciously looked over at him.


    This time, the woman also turned her head. Following the form teacher¡¯s line of sight, she lowered her eyes to stare at him fixedly. Then, with a flick of her wrist, his entire body was yanked forward and he had no choice but to stumble back in front of the form teacher.


    The woman opened her mouth and urged him expressionlessly, ¡°Well, speak; say that it¡¯s right.¡±


    <i>Speak.</i>


    That was the first time he had ever heard the woman give him that order and his eyes rounded and blinked in bewilderment.


    Nephew, brother, sister-inw, working out of town¡ªnone of these words described his situation. Ah, I see... so I can talk when I¡¯m ying as ¡°someone else¡±?


    ¡°Yes, mum and dad are both busy at work.¡± His voice was so low it was barely audible and though everything was uttered one word at a time, the words came out atst.


    ¡°I see.¡± Seeing him open his mouth to speak, the form teacher smiled and stroked his head as a gesture offort.


    The woman seemed extremely satisfied with his answer and allowed him to retreat quietly behind her skirt once more.


    And thus, he would y a stranger with the same name as him during the day, and when he returned home at night, he would go back to being the real Shen Yan, who did not speak.


    Aftering to the city, the woman developed a drinking problem. Sometimes, she would onlye back at 2 or 3 AM in the night. When the alcohol gets to her, she would barge into his room and shake him awake, crying and screaming, tearing up the homework on his desk, and hysterically asking him questions he did not know the answers to.


    For example: ¡°Why do you look so much like your father?¡±


    Or for example: ¡°If I hadn¡¯t given birth to you, would I have been able to go back in time and live like a normal person again?¡±


    However, the hardest of all was: ¡°Why can¡¯t you speak to your father? Let him hear you, so that he can get a divorce ande over right away to wee us into his family, the proper way.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how to speak such that the father, whom he had never met, would be able to hear him and do as the woman said. After all, he was the real ¡°Shen Yan¡±, and the real him was someone that no one would ever want to listen to.


    The woman did not want to listen to him either. And not only did she not want to listen, one time, she even got so drunk that she went crazy and firmly held a nket over his head.


    It was in the dead of the night where not even a glimmer of light could be seen.


    When he opened his eyes, all he could see was darkness. That woman had buried his entire head under the nket, and he found it incredibly difficult to breathe¡ªhis windpipe felt like it was being scratched by the harsh, violent intakes of air. He struggled instinctively, reaching out to push that weight off him, but all he could feel was an endless, invisible, unbudging wall.


    He was gradually reaching his limit and losing his strength.


    The darkness was like a mass of unscented cotton that was stuffed into his eyes, nose, ears, and throat, not letting go of any crevice it could enter. In this moment of extreme fear, contrary to what one might expect, his vocal cords were not able to produce a single sound, let alone shout a single word. When he opened his mouth, all he could hear was him stuttering out sounds that resembled ¡°Ugh¡±.


    ¡°Ugh... ugh...¡± was how he pleaded before losing consciousness from theck of oxygen.


    ¡°Shh, Shen Yan, don¡¯t talk; don¡¯t make a sound.¡± Only then did the woman bring out her old mantra: ¡°No one will hear you; no one wille.¡±


    <i>No.</i>


    <i>There is.</i>


    <i>There is someone who said that he wants to hear me speak, hear my voice; he wants... my voice to be heard by many others. And he has alreadye to me. He¡¯s right here, right within reach¡ª</i>


    ¡ªThen he woke up with a start.


    He saw that he had one hand reaching towards the ceiling, that was just as nk as ever, as if desperate to grasp something. The colour of the ceiling had transitioned from dark grey to light grey¡ªmorning hade.


    Shen Yan curled up his fingers in the air as though he was grabbing something before gently putting it down. Then, he let out a low gasp as he closed his eyes and lied back down, crushing the tiny beads of cold perspiration that had emerged on his back, soaking the clothes behind him.


    He had onlyin down for a few seconds when he suddenly shuddered, hurriedly jumping out of bed as if he thought of something. He opened the door to the study and ran to the entrance of the bedroom. He was just about to knock on the door, but luckily his rationality returned in time and he managed to contain his impulse, stopping his hand the moment before itnded on the door, so the person in the bedroom was not disturbed.


    Thankfully, the bedroom door was still closed. Qi Jing was still here. Not like in his dream, but actually, physically here, sleeping peacefully in a room bathed in the warm morning light, just behind the door.


    Shen Yan silently withdrew his hand and evened his breaths.


    He stood in front of the door for a long time, and after a while, he stretched out his hand again, touching the door panel very carefully, without exerting any force at all. As he slowly grazed the door, he felt a slight paining from where his fingers touched.


    Shen Yan was very grateful for this pain.


    The fact that it would hurt meant that this was not a part of his dream, but reality.


    He kept his hand on the door and maintained this position for about five minutes, but he was still a little worried, so he left the bedroom door and went to the shoe cab near the entrance of the apartment. He opened the cab and Qi Jing¡¯s shoes were still there. Then, he went to the vanity outside the bathroom and saw that the toothbrush, towel, razor, and other personal items were all there as well.


    Seeing all these items, he was finally certain that that person never left and heaved a sigh of relief. He went back to the bedroom door and sat down on the floor next to it with his back against the wall. Then, he quietly let himself space out for a bit.


    He nced at the old wall clock and saw that it was just past 6 AM in the morning.


    Although he didn¡¯t know what time he fell asleepst night, he was certain that it was after midnight; which was to say that he barely got six hours of sleep. Right now, his head was starting to ache a little and anyone could easily see the fatigue on his face, but his breathing had be much more stable.


    Then Shen Yan recalled that he still had to prepare breakfast.


    And so, he got up, went to the refrigerator to take out all the ingredients he nned on using one by one, and ced them all on the table. Since he didn¡¯t know what Qi Jing liked to eat, he took out a little of everything. When Qi Jing walked out of the room at 8 AM, the first thing that greeted him was a table full of ingredients and a Shen Yan that sat next to the table, rigid like a statue¡ªthe sight gave him a shock.


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re up so early.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyes widened in surprise and any sleepiness or grogginess from having just woken up disappeared in an instant. Generally speaking, wasn¡¯t Sunday mornings meant for sleeping in? What¡¯s more,st night, they didn¡¯t turn off the lights and go to bed until it was nearly 12 AM.


    Of course, if he found out that Shen Yan had already been sitting out here for two hours, what he would feel would probably be more than just a surprise.


    ¡°And you¡¯ve prepared so much too...¡± Qi Jing paused for a bit before eximing in a murmur, and by the end of his statement, a smile couldn¡¯t help but creep up his lips. All of this was obviously prepared for him and once he realised that, there was no hiding the smile on his face.


    Ever since Qi Jing walked out of the bedroom, Shen Yan had been staring nkly, his eyes glued onto the former. As that person stood by the doorway, his figure enveloped in ayer of light and his outline washed out by the faint white colour. He looked like an illusion, like a shadow puppet cut-out hiding behind a screen. Perhaps, he might copse with just one touch.


    Without warning, Shen Yan suddenly called out, ¡°Qi Jing.¡±


    It was a tentative call.


    Caution, apprehension, and more than anything, the confusion of not being sure if the person in front of him was real.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Qi Jing responded instinctively.


    After receiving the other party¡¯s response, some colour returned to Shen Yan¡¯splexion and his empty eyes, which looked as if they were in a trance, seemed to regain some light to them. It was as if he was greatlyforted by that and in that instant, he sighed, but it also appeared like a chuckle, or perhaps, it was a mix of both.


    He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, he had returned to his usual gentle and peaceful expression. ¡°It¡¯s nothing... I just wanted to ask, what kind of breakfast do you like?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡ª¡± fine with anything; I like it as long as it¡¯s made by you.


    Just as he was about to answer like so, Qi Jing suddenly noticed that Shen Yan¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and he could even see slight discolouration in the corners. That was definitely not the shine of the morning light ying tricks on his eyes, but a result ofck of sleep.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You look like you didn¡¯t sleep well, did you have trouble sleeping in the smaller bedst night?¡± Qi Jing asked anxiously with a frown on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the bed; it¡¯s my own issue,¡± Shen Yan smiled faintly as he replied, his right hand tightened around his left wrist which was resting on his knees. That was his unique way of calming himself down. Then, he took a deep breath before promising Qi Jing in a low voice, ¡°But I will ovee it slowly... for sure.¡±


    There¡¯s nothing that couldn¡¯t be ovee.


    He just needed the right time, the right environment, and the right person.


    Although there was a table full of food before him, Qi Jing only picked a few simple dishes; just go with the flow, only when he can take it freely and easily does it give the feeling of home.


    Shen Yan cooked up a pot of oatmeal and beat a few eggs to make an omelette, which was fried in a pan without oil, everything was as light on the stomach as it could be. At first, just this much was already sufficient for Qi Jing, but Shen Yan shook his head and went on to make a simple sd with bok choy, cucumbers, along with some chopped celery and asparagus, so that the fractured patient could replenish some essential vitamins. On top of that, he also prepared some warmed milk, fresh juice, and water.


    ¡°This is so much¡ªhow can we finish all of this?¡± Qi Jing smiled helplessly as he stared at the tes upon tes of food spread out in front of him.


    ¡°Take your time.¡± Shen Yan sat down next to Qi Jing like he did yesterday and not in front of him. In this way, it was easier for them to pass things around the table and to refill Qi Jing¡¯s ss at any time.


    Qi Jing responded gently and despite the various vours the breakfast served to his pte, there was only one in his heart¡ªsweetness.


    During the course of their meal, Shen Yan suddenly spoke up and apologised to him, ¡°Regardingst night... I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    At these words, Qi Jing¡¯s hand that was holding a spoon inadvertently froze.


    Originally, if Shen Yan didn¡¯t bring it up, he would just pretend that it never happened at all. However, since the other party took the initiative to bring up this conversation, he had no choice but to try tough it off to conceal the trace of awkwardness he felt.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I was just a little... surprised at that time. Actually, in retrospect, I¡¯m the one who said something strange, so it¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    His answer sounded rather forced.


    Shen Yan lowered his head and slowly stopped the movement of his wooden chopsticks.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s because you teased me, so I wanted to scare you a bit.¡± Shen Yan suddenly smiled as he went with what Qi Jing said. ¡°But I ended up really scaring you, so that¡¯s on me.¡±


    ¡°So, you did it on purpose?¡± Hearing his words, Qi Jing actually breathed a sigh of relief and he looked at Shen Yan with a raised brow.


    ¡°Mhm, but... I won¡¯t do that again, I promise.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s tone was extremely sincere, and it undoubtedly gave Qi Jing a peace of mind.


    Before they knew it, the temperature in the room that had gone down from the somewhat tense atmosphere rose back up again, going back to the most natural and stable of their interaction with one another¡ªthat¡¯s right, it¡¯s good like this.


    Stealing a peek at the person next to him from the corner of his eye, Shen Yan silently buried that internal sigh to the bottom of his heart.


    After breakfast, Qi Jing was about to help clear away the dishes when Shen Yan raised his hand slightly to gesture for him to return to his seat, looking as if he had something important to announce.


    Though confused, Qi Jing sat back down and as soon as he did that, Shen Yan said something he hadn¡¯t expected, ¡°Has the registration for the voice actingpetition that your friend mentioned yesterday closed?¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback.


    But that waster reced by the thunderous pounding of his heart; he seemed to have finally processed the meaning behind Shen Yan¡¯s words.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t closed, you can still sign up in the next two days.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but straighten his back and his eyes lit up as he stared at Shen Yan. ¡°You¡¯ve... changed your mind?¡±


    Perhaps it was because the excitement Qi Jing exuded was too strong, it caught Shen Yan off guard and he lowered his head hesitantly instead of answering Qi Jing.


    Qi Jing leaned over and grabbed one of Shen Yan¡¯s hands, as if to firmly grasp the only ray of light in the darkness, unwilling to let it fade away before his eyes. ¡°Shen Yan, you¡¯ve changed your mind.¡±


    When the question turned into a statement, it meant that one could no longer back out.


    Shen Yan let out a soft sigh and just as Qi Jing had expected, he really did not backtrack on his words. ¡°Mhm, I figured it¡¯s time for me to stop lingering on the same spot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great...¡± When he heard the person in question confirm it with his own mouth, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help feeling all the emotions well up at once¡ªat that moment, his usually inexhaustible vocabry was suddenly gone with the wind, and those two words were all he could muster, repeating them over and over again.


    Treating selective mutism was a long and arduous process; however, the possibility of recovery was not zero.


    Shen Yan did not regret using dubbing as a form of therapy, because if it weren¡¯t for voice acting, he wouldn¡¯t have met Qi Jing and subsequently get acquainted with, get closer with.


    Shen Yan silently watched the heartfelt joy ooze out from Qi Jing¡¯s eyes, and the more he watched, the more he felt that the nightmare was something incredibly far away from him. There woulde a day where these old wounds would healpletely.


    ¡°You will listen, won¡¯t you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Of course, I will.¡± Qi Jing smiled and sighed. Not only will I listen to it, but I also can¡¯t wait to record it all down and slowly appreciate it.


    ¡°I am willing to speak, as long as you are willing to listen,¡± Shen Yan whispered. Then, he turned his palm over and interlocked his fingers with Qi Jing¡¯s.


    Qi Jing raised his head and was greeted with the sight of a very soft smile on the other party¡¯s face, so soft that it was like two or three rays of morning sunlight shining through from behind the curtains. It was a far cry from being hot, but warm, nheless.


    A/N: This is no doubt a story about two characters healing each other, Shen Yan has a past and so does Qi Jing; the weight they have in each other¡¯s hearts may far exceed their expectations. Only a part of the story regarding Shen Yan¡¯s childhood has been revealed so far and slowly, more will be unveiled in the future.


    Lilies: I thought I¡¯d gift y¡¯all with some additional chaps since it¡¯sy and my birthday week but I found some ss shards in the goodies :¡±) also wow thatst line by Shen Yan


    Mashiro: That¡¯s a cruel thing that a mother could do to her child! Now that Shen Yan has Qi Jing, I hope that all of his wounds would heal!

 Chapter 38

    <h4>Chapter 38</h4>


    Editor: whitere


    One of the most widely believed and abided by ¡°rule¡± amongst those in the news media was to strike while the iron was hot. Once it was dyed and the heat had cooled, even the most worthwhile feature would be a pile of scrap paper to be discarded.


    Naturally, Qi Jing was not going to break that rule.


    The moment the dishes were cleared away, without wasting even a second, Qi Jing immediately dragged Shen Yan to hisptop and had thetter sit down in front of it. ¡°All you need for registration is your personal ID number and the event ID. You don¡¯t need to send in any recordings yet, so you can just register first. As for what role to choose and when to record, those can wait.¡±


    Shen Yanplied and sat in front of theputer, but Qi Jing still kept a hand ced on his shoulder as if afraid that he could suddenly get up and run away.


    Shen Yan was thoroughly amused by Qi Jing¡¯s actions.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous. Since I said I would participate, I naturally won¡¯t go back on my word.¡± He turned on theputer without being prompted and did as Qi Jing said.


    ¡°But I¡¯m nervous,¡± Qi Jing said with a wry smile as he shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m much more nervous than when I signed up myself.¡±


    When he was signing up, he did it with the mindset ofpeting with the Great God, <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>. Even if he had nerves, they were positive ones that came from excitement. But the nervousness he felt now was of the more traditional meaning, the negative kind that stemmed from anxiousness, worried that Shen Yan might change his mind at any time and give up on this opportunity.


    That¡¯s why, while the iron was still burning hot, he¡¯d better quickly hammer away at it.


    After logging on to the browser, Qi Jing pulled out the official website of¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·from his browser history, found the golden icon for the dubbing auditions, and clicked in for Shen Yan to register an ount for the event.


    Shen Yan did as he was told.


    After entering his ID number, came the part where he had to fill in his event username.


    Shen Yan had already typed in the words ¡°<i>Geese Fly North</i>¡± when Qi Jing suddenly sprung up and hurriedly stopped him. ¡°Wait, I think it¡¯s better if you use another ID for thispetition.¡±


    Qi Jing had some considerations of his own when making this suggestion.


    Firstly, Shen Yan was someone that kept a low-profile both in real life and in the online voice acting circle. If he were to use his usual ID for such a highly anticipated and publicised event like¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·, it might bring unnecessary troubles for ¡°<i>Geese Fly North</i>¡±.


    Secondly, based on his understanding of Shen Yan¡¯s ability, if he could ovee his psychological barriers, advancing should not be a problem... It¡¯s just that those producers who caught wind of Shen Yan would definitelye begging for him to voice in their dramas, act in main roles, and gossip about him to their heart¡¯s content. Qi Jing didn¡¯t want to make things difficult for Shen Yan again and again just because of his one selfish wish.


    After all, it was already not easy for Shen Yan to agree to participate in apetition like this where the number of online audience members easily went over 10,000.


    After thinking it through, Qi Jing became firmer about his initial idea. ¡°I think you should use another ID to sign up for the audition. It¡¯ll be easier for you that way and the psychological burden you face won¡¯t be as big.¡±


    Shen Yan calmly pressed the backspace button three times until the initial ID waspletely deleted. Only then did he turn to Qi Jing with a faint smile. ¡°Is it because the name ¡®Geese Fly North¡¯ sounds too cold? Unpleasant?¡±


    Everyone in the circle seemed to have an inherent impression of his ID.


    At first nce, the word ¡°North¡± would often be associated with imagery rted to winters such as wind, snow, ice, and frost. And since he was so quiet and not the most sociable, it further made people feel that he was cold.


    But Qi Jing simply blurted out instead, ¡°Eh? Doesn¡¯t ¡®Geese Fly North¡¯ mean the arrival of spring?¡±


    When winter arrives, the geese fly south.


    When spring arrives, the geese head north.


    Wild geese were migratory birds that migrate ording to the changing seasons. They flew north because the temperature of thend was rising, the east wind was thawing away the ice, and spring was in full bloom. It had nothing to do with the cold, and was, in fact, quite the opposite.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t know about this before. It was only by chance when the Science & Education Channel got him topile information on the symbolism of bird totems that he read about it from the numerous documents. Back then, the first thought that came to his mind was that this name perfectly matched the voice of its owner.


    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t the more intense warmth that came inte spring. Instead, it was a mellow warmth from the beginning of spring that gradually melted away the frost and snow which covered the earth. And as the snow turned to water, it seeped in, warming the heart from within.


    Spring beckons when the geese fly north.


    Rather surprised, Shen Yan raised his head to meet Qi Jing¡¯s eyes. There seemed to be a glimmer in his eyes which quietly shed across. Then, his eyebrows rxed to reveal a smile that very much fitted his name.


    It wasn¡¯t the first time Qi Jing had seen him smile. However, this one seemed somewhat different. It really gave Qi Jing the feeling like a thinyer of ice had been broken, allowing the waters of spring to overflow and well up in his heart.


    Moreover, Shen Yan didn¡¯t seem to have rested wellst night; under such circumstances where he appeared a little tired, a smile like this bes especially precious.


    Qi Jing could only stare at the other party nkly, forgetting how to even react.


    Seeing him stunned, Shen Yan lowered his head, still smiling, and sighed softly, ¡°You¡¯re the first person to say that.¡±


    He had thought that no one would realise; no one would understand. Never would he have ever imagined that it would be pointed out by the one person he longed to be near. He didn¡¯t need to use words as a medium. Without even needing to open his mouth, the other person was his ¡°voice¡±¡ªsaying the words he wanted to say, doing the things he wanted to do; these were things he never even dared to dream for.


    Now, there was no need to ask, no need to dream, there was already someone like that by his side.


    ¡°Then, how about youe up with another username to rece it?¡± Shen Yan asked for Qi Jing¡¯s help with a faint smile. It was a gesture that carried a tinge of childishness, acting cute even, though the person himself did not realise it.


    Qi Jing did not notice it either, his eyes werepletely focussed on the screen while he thought hard about what ID Shen Yan should use instead. Then, after staring at Shen Yan for a bit, he suddenly had an idea.


    ¡°Geese Fly North-sama, I¡¯ve thought of a wonderful username for you.¡± His eyes that curved when he smiled looked so sly.


    <i>Wonderful, too wonderful, I can¡¯t think of an ID more brilliant than this.</i>


    <i>Kitty ¤Î Papa</i>.


    To appear more trendy and also to confuse people, so as to hide Shen Yan¡¯s true identity, he specially added the ¡°¤Î¡±, popr amongst youngsters, instead of just using ¡°Kitty¡¯s Papa¡±. After all, no matter how one looked at someone as upright as <i>Geese Fly North</i>, there¡¯s no way he would have a username like that.


    Qi Jing tried to hold back hisughter as he typed the words in the field for ¡°event ID¡±. But once he keyed in thest word, he couldn¡¯t contain it anymore and virtually copsed onto the groundughing out loud.


    Shen Yan looked at this new name in silence for a while before shaking his head with a smile and calmly clicked on the ¡°Register¡± button.


    ¡°That¡¯s a really good name.¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡± Qi Jing, who had originally got up, fell back onto the ground into yet another bout ofughter at his words.


    ¡°But you¡¯re actually the one who¡¯s more suitable for this name.¡± Shen Yan got up from his seat and reminded Qi Jing while pulling him up from the ground.


    Although he had treated countless cats, he had never been an owner of one. Strictly speaking, Qi Jing was the one who could really be considered to be a cat dad since he had a cat. Also, it seemed to be time for the cat dad to go fulfil his parental duties.


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s go to the hospital to visit Little Return Date.¡± Qi Jing wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes that¡¯d formed fromughing so hard. He was in an incredibly great mood.


    It was bound to be sunny today.


    Sure enough, the weather was clear outside. The long-awaited sun shone down on the earth, warming the path.


    Big Return Date had a good night¡¯s sleep yesterday and Little Return Date was no slouch either, sleeping with its belly up and all four limbs in the air; clearly, it had a wonderful night as well.


    The moment Little Return Date saw its owner, it sprung up to its feet and started meowing excitedly, stretching a fluffy paw through the cage bars to tap Qi Jing¡¯s outstretched hand with all its might. It looked to be in good spirits, worlds apart from its pitiful appearance at the other clinic.


    The guilt Qi Jing felt finally subsided a little as he grabbed the little one¡¯s paw and yed with it.


    While they were having fun, Shen Yan put on a white coat and a pair of gloves and went to the incubator in theboratory to take out Little Return Date¡¯s bacterial culture sample. He carefully examined the sample under a microscope and, fortunately, he didn¡¯t find anything suspicious, so the possibility of a secondary infection could basically be ruled out.


    The injection given yesterday had also taken effect and Little Return Date¡¯s temperature had gone back to normal; it was no longer feverish.


    ¡°Littler Return Date should be able to be discharged from the hospital today.¡± Shen Yan did onest check on the little fe before turning to give Qi Jing his final verdict.


    ¡°Does... Does your ce allow pets?¡± A hint of hesitation shed across Qi Jing¡¯s eyes.


    Qi Jing had originally only intended to send it to the hospital for treatment, then bring it back to his apartment once it recovered; Shen Yan offering for him to move in was entirely outside of his ns. Right now, whether or not the lodging offer included a cat still depended on the owner of the house. After all, Little Return Date was not like Big Return Date, it wasn¡¯t trained and couldn¡¯t take care of its various needs like Qi Jing. Moreover, Shen Yan¡¯s ce was not already equipped with the necessary items for raising a cat, like cat food, cat litter, and a cat bed and nket set. It wouldn¡¯t be good to trouble him even more.


    Hearing his question, Shen Yan smiled gently and spoke as he removed his gloves with his eyes downcast, ¡°We wee both the big and little one.¡±


    <i>No wonder Little Return Date¡¯s fever went down so quickly... turns out it passed it all to me...</i>


    Qi Jing was carrying the kitten in his hand, so he couldn¡¯t check just how hot his ears had be. Meanwhile, the little guy in his arm was still cluelessly staring at its two dads with its big, round eyes, without a care in the world. Little Return Date pawed at the chest of one of its dads, as if really leaving a mark on his heart¡ªthe thumping was thunderous.


    Luckily for them, the veterinary hospital itself had a small shop which sold various pet food and supplies, which was convenient for owners who didn¡¯t have the time to grab anything with them when they came out.


    They picked out a small crate from the shop. The bottom of the crate was lined with thick foam cushions while the walls were nicely padded, providing Little Return Date all the space it needed to fool around and scratch to its heart¡¯s content. The top of the crate was a sliding wire cover, so they could just close the cover when they didn¡¯t want the little one running about, and let it out again when it was alright.


    Apart from that, Shen Yan also chose a few kinds of milk powder suitable for kittens and dry food for teething, as well as somemon medication, sanitary items, and so on.


    ¡°Dr. Shen, you¡¯re finally getting a cat too?¡± The cashier at the shop was clearly shocked. In all the years Shen Yan had been working in this hospital as a vet, this was the first time they had seen him purchase these items in person.


    ¡°I have two.¡± Shen Yan replied with a smile while nodding his head.


    When Qi Jing processed what he said, Shen Yan had already settled the bill while he was still stunned. When Shen Yan was done, he even gave Qi Jing a little nudge signalling that they should go. Qi Jing could only hide his awkwardness with a cough and follow behind the man with Little Return Date curled up in his arms.


    Little Return Date was quite curious about its new home, or perhaps, it was because the house was more well-furnished, so it was surrounded by things toy its sharp little ws on. The gleam in its eager eyes gave Qi Jing a headache.


    As expected, Shen Yan was the more experienced of the two, he mixed some milk powder with warm water, along with some nutritious crushed cat food, and mixed it into a paste. Then, he fed it to the cat. Being a two-month-old kitten, the energy Little Return Date had was still quite limited and once it had its fill, its eyes were slowly starting to close. Little Return Datezily stretched itself, ity on its side on Shen Yan¡¯sp and started catching some z¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help the little one trim its nails while it¡¯s sleeping, lest you keep getting scratched by it.¡± It seemed like Shen Yan had an ulterior motive for filling the little fe¡¯s belly.


    ¡°As expected of the kitty¡¯s papa.¡± Qi Jing eximed. That ID was perfect for him.


    A patient like him was unable to help in any way and could only watch from the side; however, he was very engrossed and mesmerised by the sight before him.


    Shen Yan brushed the little one¡¯s fur to help it fall asleep as soon as possible while looking up at Big Return Date. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What ID did you register with?¡±


    ¡°Well, just my original ID; I didn¡¯te up with another one.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s reason for participating in the audition was different from Shen Yan¡ªnot only would he not hide his identity, but he had to let everyone know who he was. Only then, would it make a meaningfulparison. ¡°I n to win back a round against Bronze Sparrow Terrace and wholly overturn his fans¡¯ impression of him.¡±


    These were all things he mentioned in his chat with Ninth Lady and the other girls that Shen Yan did not know about.


    Hearing him say that, Shen Yan¡¯s movements froze momentarily.


    ¡°Bronze Sparrow Terrace is...¡±


    ¡°Your grand ¡¯son<i>¡¯</i>.¡± Qi Jing suddenly recalled the rtionship between the character yed by <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> and Shen Yan and couldn¡¯t contain hisughter when he gave that answer. It would appear that <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> Grandpa voice gave him quite the advantage; when most CVs stood before him, they¡¯d be a ¡°grandson¡± whether they liked it or not.


    Shen Yan probably understood the hidden meaning of Qi Jing¡¯s words, but what could he do with Qi Jing other thanughing it off while shaking his head and waiting for thetter to finally calm down before following up with another question, ¡°What did you mean when you said you wanted to win back a round from him?¡±


    ¡°When I officially rehearsed the first episode of¡¶Trap¡·with him, both he and his fans put a lot of pressure on me. Although they didn¡¯t say anything too drastic to me, still... I wasn¡¯t able to perform normally to amodate him. And in the end, when the final product came out, I got a lot of k from the fans of the novel. That you know of, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I saw the post.¡± Shen Yan nodded.


    <i>But you probably didn¡¯t hear the recording of that run-through</i>¡ªQi Jing mumbled internally.


    Well, thankfully he didn¡¯t, otherwise, all his dark history would pour out like free-flowing ck ink for Shen Yan to see.


    ¡°He was born with a very good voice,¡± Shen Yan stated after pondering for a bit, recalling <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> performance in the first episode of¡¶Trap¡·that was released, ¡°but... it felt like he went a little off track.¡±


    That was the first time Qi Jing heard Shen Yanment on the Great God and he hurriedly prompted, ¡°When you say off track, do you mean that his understanding of the character was off?¡±


    Shen Yan sighed softly,¡± That¡¯s a part of it. The other is that his vocal presence is too strong in some parts; all your attention is drawn to his voice, so you end up forgetting about the plot when you listen to his lines. Moreover, the overall emotions don¡¯t change much; there isn¡¯t much change between emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness; they all sound simr.¡±


    Qi Jing subconsciously moved his fingers as if to grab a non-existent recorder out of thin air and record what Shen Yan had just said.


    Qi Jing sure did likements which were spot-on.


    ¡°Geese Fly North-sama,¡± Qi Jing deliberately addressed him as such and asked with a cheeky smile, ¡°Based on your deductions, if I were to choose the same roles as him, would my chances of winning be higher than him?¡±


    Apparently, Shen Yan did not expect this to be what Qi Jing meant when he said he wanted to get one back at <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>. ¡°You chose the same roles as him for thispetition?¡±


    Qi Jing shook his head. ¡°That was my n at first, but there¡¯s one character that my voice really can¡¯t manage, so I gave up on it; otherwise, all three would really be the same.¡±


    ¡°Qin Tuo¡± had a bright voice which he could try.


    ¡°Emperor Chang¡± was a role that required more skill in acting which he could give it his best shot.


    However, for a character like ¡°Marquess Shenyang¡± that asked for a deep voice and had a grand air to him, Qi Jing really did not want to force it.


    ¡°Can you briefly tell me about the voice requirements for the character you said you can¡¯t handle?¡± Shen Yan didn¡¯t look closely when Qi Jing was browsing through the character information since he had absolutely no idea that he would bepeting then.


    ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s probably a more rich and upright-sounding voice that carries a very strong aura.¡± It really was perfect for <i>Bronze Sparrow</i> Terrace who had a low bass.


    Shen Yan kept silent and contemted with his head lowered for a long time.


    Atst, he suddenly whispered, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I can help you get back at him with this role.¡±

 Chapter 39

    <h4>Chapter 39</h4>


    Editor: Mashiro


    Qi Jing tried his best to recall a film he had once seen.


    In most films, what kind of ending would unfold when the double and the real person both appear at the same time?


    However... regardless of the ending, there was only one protagonist for him. Even if the double would always remain as a double, unable to rece the actual person, but as an audience, he still had the right to decide whom he appreciated more.


    Now, the double who had always been behind the scenes, was actually going to step out of the shelter of the shadows and stand in front of the stage for him. So, he had to reach out his hand to shield the other person from the harsh lights of the stage.


    Qi Jing stared at Shen Yan for a long time before suddenly bursting into a chuckle. He shook his head despite the happy expression on his face, ¡°No, I don¡¯t need that. It already goes against the spirit ofpetition to participate with such a selfish intention. Even I find myself childish, let alone drag you down with me because of a reason like this.¡±


    This was the first officialpetition in Shen Yan¡¯s dubbing career. Qi Jing wanted him to freely choose the roles he wanted to voice without any interference from external factors, including himself¡ªthat¡¯s what made dubbing fun.


    ¡°I¡¯m already very happy that you¡¯re looking out for me like that. Thank you,¡± Qi Jing said with a smile.


    Shen Yan once said that he could only be frank when they weren¡¯t face-to-face. But now, he was slowly changing, little by little, such that voicing the words from his heart didn¡¯t make him so embarrassed anymore.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Shen Yan returned a smile. He had expected Qi Jing¡¯s answer because that was exactly how he was: independent, free, and even more so, self-motivated. Hence, out of respect for Qi Jing, Shen Yan would have to take a little more roundabout route. ¡°How about I have a look at the character information first before making a decision?¡±


    They had set theputer to sleep when they left just now, so the official webpage should still be there. Thus, Qi Jing woke up theputer and clicked on the page for information on male characters of¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·before passing it over to Shen Yan for him to choose from. Although Qi Jing had already made his stance very clear, out of curiosity, Shen Yan¡¯s eyes still automatically went to the role ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± first.


    Marquess Shunyang was a character that fell under important supporting characters. The age of the character was roughly ssified as a more mature young man and the official requirement stated was a deep and rich voice. As long as he lowered his voice a little, he could raise the age of his voice and make it sound more full-bodied.


    None of this was a problem for him; the problemid in that one line in the character background: ¡°On the surface, he is awarded the rank of a Marquess which can be passed on to his descendants for his military aplishments, but he is, in actuality, the illegitimate son of thete Emperor.¡±


    ¡ªIllegitimate son.


    The moment his eyesnded on those words, they were like steel needles hidden in a bed of cotton, stabbing him in the eyes without warning.


    His hand which was on the mouse shook heavily as if it had been struck by lightning. It jerked into the air as though the woman¡¯s ruler from his dreams travelled through the twenty years of time and space to hit his hand. He subconsciously felt a burning pain from his hand. The only difference was that what flowed out from his palm was not blood, but sweat¡ªthe kind of cold sweat that keepsing out when the body goes through a sharp decrease in temperature.


    ¡ªShen Yan, don¡¯t talk; don¡¯t make a sound.


    ¡ªNo one will hear you; no one wille.


    There seemed to be a ghastly voice casting a curse by his ears and he couldn¡¯t make it go away no matter what.


    ¡°Urgh...¡± He felt his throat tighten and couldn¡¯t help but release a broken sound, like a bownded on the wrong string causing a horrible screech, but what came next was an even more terrifying silence.


    <i>Crap.</i>


    <i>Crap, that feeling of my illness rpsing ising back.</i>


    It was probably because he had a nightmarest night that the memory was especially fresh in his mind, hence leading to a physiological reaction that was more intense than expected. Shen Yan hurriedly shut his eyes and pressed a hand on his vocal cords just in time. With a thumb against his Adam¡¯s apple, he repeatedly massaged along the contour of his throat. After going through with the motions a few times, the numbing feeling finally receded a bit.


    Then, he forced himself to start coughing, to prevent the symptoms from recurring.


    ¡°C-Cough&#k2026; cough, cough&#k2026;¡±


    ¡°Shen Yan?¡± Seeing him suddenly be like this gave Qi Jing a big shock. He thought Shen Yan might have choked on something and rushed forward to gently pat the man on his back.


    ¡°I¡ªalright... C-Cough...¡± Shen Yan¡¯s brows were tightly knitted together but he finally managed to get a word out. There were some things he couldn¡¯t tell Qi Jing, at least not now.


    Following Shen Yan¡¯s line of sight, Qi Jing¡¯s eyesnded on the screen with Marquess Shunyang¡¯s character information right in the centre¡ªclearly, that was what the former was viewing.


    He realised that Shen Yan was studying this character and sighed while helping him smooth his breath, ¡°You¡¯re still looking at ¡®Marquess Shunyang¡¯? Didn¡¯t I already say that you can freely choose whatever role you want to y without any considerations for me?¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s head was lowered all the while when he was trying to even out his breathing, but at this moment he suddenly froze, and after a long time, he replied in a deep voice, ¡°No, I... I want to choose this for myself.¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback. ¡°Why?¡±


    A rather pained smile appeared on Shen Yan¡¯s face. ¡°Because I want to ovee something¡ªI¡¯m not deliberately choosing this role to help you, but to help myself.¡±


    For selective mutism desensitisation therapy, the initial stage was to get the patient tomunicate with others, having them get used to freely expressing themselves to strangers through spoken and written forms ofmunication. Then, in the advanced stage, it would be targeted at the root cause of their symptoms, like sensitive words for example, gradually weakening its influence on the patient until itpletely disappears altogether.


    In the past, when he was dubbing, the roles he received were basically small roles like either an old grandpa or an uncle, so he had never encountered a character with a background simr to his own. When a character is so simr to the CV themself, they would either perform brilliantly or be overwhelmed by the psychological bacsh in one fell swoop.


    Shen Yan had never tried it before, the him of the past couldn¡¯t muster the courage to try.


    However, Qi Jing promised that he would always be here to listen to him, didn¡¯t he?


    Shen Yan lifted his head in a trance and looked at the person beside him who did not know anything, yet still looked at him with a worried expression on his face. Both his brows and the pained smile on his face slowly rxed, like a man asking for an amulet from the temple, he lightly rested his forehead against Qi Jing¡¯s arm and closed his eyes, reverently praying for a sense of peace for himself from the other man.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Being leaned on by Shen Yan like this, Qi Jing didn¡¯t dare move a muscle. Somehow, he had a feeling that any movement he made would ruin the peace and tranquility of the moment.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re here, I¡¯ll be able to calm down.¡± that man murmured.


    <i>Calm down.</i>


    What Shen Yan meant by ¡°calm down¡±, he didn¡¯t know. And it was precisely because he did not that he felt confused and a little worried.


    Qi Jing¡¯s intuition told him that something was off about Shen Yan today; however, what exactly, he couldn¡¯t put a finger on it. Shen Yan¡¯s words made him even more certain of that point, but he couldn¡¯t delve any deeper. He was starting to wonder if it was due to stress from thepetition, especially when Shen Yan said he wanted to go to the study alone and use theputer there to properly study the fifth part of the novel for¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·to figure out the characters behind closed doors.


    The reason Shen Yan gave: I will be able to better decide who to choose for the two remaining roles after reading the novel.


    However, Qi Jing felt that he was serious to a disturbing degree.


    The fifth part in the novel series of¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·was over half a million characters long, so it¡¯ll probably take Shen Yan a while to finish it. Meanwhile, in the living room, Little Return Date was happily dozing away innd as Qi Jing paced back and forth in front of the door to the study. Only on the thirtieth round did he stop this pointless action.


    He sat alone on the sofa in the living room for a while, flipping through some of the magazines under the coffee table, which were basically all formal weekly news magazines, lifestyle, health and wellness magazines, and even academic journals on veterinary medicine. Afterwards, Qi Jing got up again and walked over to the ck walnut cab with all kinds of items ced on it, admiring the collection inside, through the ss doors. Apart from some pottery and tea sets, there was a very ordinary photo frame ced in the middle of the cab. It was a photo of an elderly man with a head of white hair and a kind and amiable face, simr to Qi Jing¡¯s impression of Shen Yan¡¯s Grandpa voice¡ªworthy of being described as ¡°heavenly immortal¡±.


    This must be the one Shen Yan mentioned before, right? Grandpa¡¯s grandpa.


    Qi Jing had never heard Shen Yan talk about his family... He probably had some reasons which made it difficult for him to bring up.


    ¡°Family¡± huh¡ªwhen that word appeared in his mind, it sounded so unfamiliar. Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but scoff at himself. How could he expect others to bring up a topic that even he didn¡¯t want to mention himself?


    He shook the thought off and was about to take another look at Grandpa¡¯s grandpa when he suddenly noticed that the frame was sitting atop an album.


    ¡°Quick! Look,¡± was what curious Qi Jing said to him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look,¡± was what cautious Qi Jing said to him.


    Qi Jing hesitated whether to look or not. However, he was someone who was very good at striking a bnce between curiosity and caution, so he decided that he would just take a quick look and put it back afterwards. Mhm, that¡¯s what he¡¯ll do. He just couldn¡¯t resist the urge to see what Shen Yan looked like as a child¡ªthere¡¯s no way he could bring himself to voice out such an embarrassing wish.


    After making sure that there was no movementing from the study, he withdrew his gaze and carefully opened the cab. He reached out to move the photo frame aside on top of the album before taking it out. Then, he went back to the sofa on his tippy toes. He quietly whispered in his head, ¡°Just one look,¡± before taking a deep breath and opening to a random page.


    The entire page was filled with pictures of the same two people¡ªShen Yan, and that elder.


    Shen Yan was the Shen Yan from many years ago, he looked like he had just started junior high school, thinner and smaller than he was now. But that face was still the same, his appearance did not change much, just that his expression was more reticent and indifferent than now. He never smiled even when facing the camera, only standing quietly with his eyes downcast.


    The old grandpa did not look much different from the close-up in the photo frame, he had a friendly and intimate smile on his face.


    There were several photos of the two of them together with the old grandpa standing behind Shen Yan, his hands either gently ced on his grandson¡¯s shoulders or directly holding his grandson¡¯s hand. It was a sight that gave a very heartwarming feeling, if only Shen Yan smiled a little more.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help himself from continuing to flip through the pages.


    Although he promised to take ¡°just one look¡±, taking a nce at every page was also ¡°just one look¡±, right?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Grandpa.¡± His apology was addressed to both Grandpa and Grandpa¡¯s grandpa.


    However, the strange thing was that no matter how many pages he turned, he could not find an image of Shen Yan that was any younger. It was as if there was a huge gap in Shen Yan growth as a child. All the pictures he had seen so far were at least from secondary school and higher, there weren¡¯t any photos from earlier.


    Maybe... this wasn¡¯t the only photo album and there were several others?


    But it didn¡¯t matter anymore.


    Photos represented a person¡¯s past and what mattered most was the living, breathing person before him right now.


    Qi Jing silently traced a smile on Shen Yan¡¯s face in a photo with his fingertips and a smile unconsciously crept up on his face when he was done. Thankfully, the Shen Yan he met was the one he drew, the one who would smile tenderly at him.


    He closed the photo album and put it back in its ce.


    Seeing that the door to the study was still firmly closed, Qi Jing did not want to disturb the other party, so he decided to take this time alone to scroll through Weibo, reply to a fewments, and also check out the posts on the forum to update his little gossip bank.


    He didn¡¯t think the number of alerts on the top right corner of the screen would give him such a big shock upon opening Weibo.


    He had over 1000 mentions.


    A phenomenon where there was such an astonishing amount of mentions was either because he reposted some popr Weibo and that Weibo post just kept getting reposts, or he was mentioned by the production crew after the release of a much-anticipated popr drama. In the case of thetter, thisrge volume of alerts would be due to the audienceing in droves to repost it. Still stunned, he swept his gaze across his recent posts; none of them were trending. Then he thought about the recent audio dramas he had been involved in, other than¡¶Trap¡·which miraculously had over 6000 reposts, the rest were basically bottlenecked at 500.


    So, to have more than 1000... a disaster... a disaster must have happened.


    Qi Jing took a deep breath.


    After mentally preparing himself, he made a move to check out the details in the mentions.


    Frankly speaking, before opening his mentions, Qi Jing still held a sliver of hope that his words would not turn out to be true. However, reality was a cruel one, when he saw the author of the post that mentioned him which was then reposted over 1000 times, the word ¡°disaster¡± was already dangling in front of his eyes, unable to make it go away.


    And when he fully read the post, he felt like the word ¡°disaster¡± must have been imprinted in bold on his forehead.


    <i>CV ¨C Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>: I found a pretty nightclub near my ce. It has a great atmosphere, the cocktails are nice and the lights in the bar were rather dim, perfect for two people to meet in private. It really resembles the scene in¡¶Trap¡·doesn¡¯t it? I¡¯ll take you there the next time youe over. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like it. <i>@CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>


    And the post was apanied by a picture of the interior of the very nightclub he was talking about.


    The interior design of the club was very tasteful. The way the designer matched the lighting and the furniture was spot-on and the use of high-grade and luxurious materials could be seen everywhere¡ªthe entire bar exuded with the ss of white-cor workers. It was no doubt extravagant, but with one look, anyone could tell that this ce was not cheap; a small TV station reporter like Qi Jing might not be able to afford it.


    However, it was true that the ce was suitable for a couple.


    In addition, the photo also featured a man¡¯s hand holding a cocktail ss¡ªthe posture was very elegant, and the hand appeared quite masculine.


    ¡°Send... help...¡± It took Qi Jing five whole seconds to utter those two words, trailing off at the end while it continued to echo in his head.


    It¡¯s a disaster, a major disaster.


    An ambiguous photo with a hand reveal, a suggestive rtionship between two men, and openly mentioning the subject in question in the aforementioned suggestive rtionship¡ªthe three main elements that are sufficient to incite fans were all there. With the number of followers at over 30,000, getting over a 1000 reposts was not impossible... And not only has that situation already urred, the number of reposts was still increasing.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i> was well-known for being a god at ying dead.


    However, there¡¯s no way he could y dead under such circumstances. The consequences of pretending dead at a time like this were very severe.


    Qi Jing kept hisposure. Sitting in front of theputer screen, he tapped his finger on the table, as if the tapping would eventually summon a n from underneath the desk.


    A n did not fall out from the table, and it was instead one that Qi Jing painstakingly came up with. Borrowing the wisdom of the ancestors, within the thirty-six stratagems of Sun Tzu, ¡°swapping the role of the host and the guest¡±. Right now, he would have to take a step forward to disguise his intention to take two steps back¡ªhe would actively push the public opinion in a direction that had nothing to do with him.


    And so, he clicked on the ¡°repost¡± under <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> original post and painstakingly typed out the following words with a single outstretched finger before confirming and publishing.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: What do you think about this? <i>@CV ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles</i>


    Lilies: I almost just conked out without posting ahahaha _(:¢à¡¹¡Ï)__


    Mashiro: Ah, sly QJ

 Chapter 40

    <h4>Chapter 40</h4>


    Editor: whitere


    many many thanks to papyrus for the coffee


    ¡°Senior, you¡¯re so dumb.¡± Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s voice could faintly be hearding from the receiver.


    ¡°Junior, I¡¯m so dumb.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s current expression could virtually be used as a ssic example of someone having a toothache at a medical presentation.


    He was so dumb, really dumb.


    Qi Jing nned on repeating this phrase a hundred times in the tone of Xianglin¡¯s wife as a form of reflection¡ªfollowed by banging his head against the wall to repent for his sins. However, no matter what he did, he couldn¡¯t take back the Weibo post he sent out an hour ago.


    He couldn¡¯t even delete it, let alone retract it.


    Because <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> replied to him unexpectedly quickly in just ten minutes. Not only that, because of his action, the number of reposts on <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> original post instantly shot even higher, going past the 3000 mark. Naturally, Qi Jing got mentioned another 1,800 more times and the topic had already leapt to the top to be the headlines of today¡¯s gossip on the forum.


    Even Ning Xiaoxiao couldn¡¯t resist calling to find out the truth when she heard the news.


    But there wasn¡¯t any so-called truth.


    All there was was <i>Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯</i> reply¡ªsimple, clear, and high-ss.


    <i>CV ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles</i>: Rather than him, I like you more. //<i>@CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: What do you think about this? <i>@CV ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles</i>


    Oi oi...


    The one on the left, what happened to the explosion of jealousy?


    The one on the left, what happened to run crying to <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>, whining and demanding that the Great God is not allowed to have suggestive interactions with others?


    Well, alright, he supposed there was a tiny hint of jealousy, but it was obviously directed in the wrong direction. Wasn¡¯t the progression of things developing way too far beyond what could be exined with logic? The moment Qi Jing received that reply, he felt his eyes go ck and all the words of the screen seemed to condense into six words¡ª¡°it never rains but it pours¡±.


    And the most depressing thing is that this subsequent disaster was actually brought upon him by himself.


    Borrowing the words from a trending inte ng, he could cry at his own stupidity.


    ¡°Junior, I think I¡¯m in deep trouble.¡± Qi Jing silently lit a candle for himself.


    Not only did he fail at redirecting the disaster elsewhere, it even showed signs of crashing back onto him. Even if he told Ning Xiaoxiao about it, the best she could do was probably help him light another candle.


    ¡°Senior, I have no sympathy for you.¡± As expected, Ning Xiaoxiao took on the attitude that only he could clean up his own mess.


    Although <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> was not as famous as <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>, he could be considered a hot Shou voice actor that everyone wanted toy their hands on in the circle. The number of followers he had on Weibo had already reached five figures; being reposted by two CVs with five-figure followings at the same time helped wash a wave of curious little fans to Qi Jing, causing his follower count to shoot through the roof.


    Although seeing his numbers increase should be something worth celebrating, he just couldn¡¯t find it in himself to be happy about it.


    In the three years since Qi Jing joined the circle, his fans were all umted little by little; it wasn¡¯t a lot, just about two to three thousand people. Most of them were actual fans that followed him because they enjoyed his voice acting. But ever since the release of¡¶Trap¡·. Qi Jing experienced the so-called ¡°star effect¡± for the first time and the most notable change was his follower count doubling overnight. Many of them came from fans of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrac</i>e who just decided to follow him along the way. And this time, by reposting one Weibo post, his number of followers increased by another few hundred.


    Meanwhile, his old friends and fans gradually spoke less and less. He didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry at this situation.


    Qi Jing watched helplessly as the number of new followers on the top right hand corner of his screen continued to rise and sighed, ¡°I really don¡¯t get why he would make that kind of reply.¡±


    <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> was really good at rubbing salt into the wound¡ªwith the finest of salts which brought up the pain by a notch.


    Ning Xiaoxiao had a rather strange smile on her face while her radar for scanning any hints of romance was already in operation. ¡°Who knows, hmm? He actually said he likes you&#k2026; Did you coborate with him on some drama, then he ended up taking a liking on you?¡±


    ¡°We don¡ª¡± Just as Qi Jing was about to deny it, he suddenly remembered that producer, <i>Jade Butterfly</i>, whose life priority was skincare, and was slightly stunned. ¡°Ah, we have one, it¡¯s the one you introduced to me thest time; it¡¯s that bomb of a script that would make anyone¡¯s face ‡å. That producer told me that she was looking to invite <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> to y the lead Shou.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao was also stunned by his words, ¡°Sister Jade said that? She didn¡¯t mention that when she asked me to hook you up with her.¡±


    Qi Jing was very curious about the way she referred to <i>Jade Butterfly</i>. ¡°You call her Sister Jade... that sounds so impressive, is she very famous?¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao froze for a moment before yelling at him in pure shock, ¡°AaaAah, of course! She is a goddess amongst female CVs! I know that a lot of straight male CVs worship her like a goddess. Although she seldom appears in BL audio dramas, she¡¯s very popr in the romance genre. She¡¯s virtually always the female lead and she¡¯s even taken onmercial voice acting jobs.¡±


    Hearing her words, Qi Jing nodded his head like he had been enlightened.


    No wonder <i>Jade Butterfly</i> had that kind of attitude when she approached him; it all made sense now that he thought back about it.


    At this point, Ning Xiaoxiao suddenly lowered her voice and said all mysteriously, ¡°It seems like Sister Jade has recently started getting into BL and it looks like she intends to expand in this area. She has a lot of connections so the production team shouldn¡¯t be bad and I heard that she wants to promote you, so it¡¯s definitely not a loss for you to voice a drama produced by her.¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡± Augh couldn¡¯t help but escape Qi Jing¡¯s lips when he heard the word ¡°promote¡±. ¡°She didn¡¯t know about me before and it¡¯s not like I knew her either, so why would she want to promote me?¡±


    ¡°Oh oh, that I know; she took an interest in you because she saw that thread dedicated to your ship with Bronze Sparrow Terrace.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao solved the mystery.


    Qi Jing felt a shiver down his spine. ¡°Can you not... remind me of the existence of that thread?¡±


    ¡°With a colourful array of flowers before the bronze sparrow terrace, whyfor seek the return of spring¡±¡ªthe title of the thread was very poetic.


    As poetic as it was, it would always make him shudder whenever he chanced upon that thread when scrolling through the forum. He would just pretend he didn¡¯t see it and continue scrolling past it.


    Apparently, this thread was started by <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> fans, the main subject being the CP between <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> X <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>. The thread itself currently had quite a number of subthreads, but unfortunately due to the scarcity of their material to work with, they could only mostly use the more evocative portions from the production of¡¶Trap¡·to expand their fantasies upon. And bit by bit, the thread eventually managed to amass two pages worth of content. But after the blistering rounds of reposts from today, he dared not look at it anymore¡ªit¡¯s definitely going to at least hit the four-page mark, alright?


    ¡°Did you see thements under Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ ount after he reposted your Weibo?¡± Despite hearing the pain in her senior¡¯s voice, Ning Xiaoxiao still teased him evilly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t dare to look...¡± Qi Jing could only agonise over the fact that his only usable hand was now holding the phone, otherwise, he would be able to facepalm.


    Though he didn¡¯t dare look at thements nor read the contents of the 3000 mentions, as his model junior, Ning Xiaoxiao summarised it for him ever so thoughtfully.


    ¡°It seems that a portion of Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ fans found you super moe so they want to start a thread dedicated to your CP with him.¡± Ah, that¡¯s right, this was the perfect example of kicking someone when they¡¯re down; it was an extremely good kick that hit him precisely where it hurt the most.


    Qi Jing took a deep breath. Ladies, please wake up.


    ¡°They¡¯ve evene up with a ship name; it¡¯s called ¡®Time Limit¡¯. Sounds pretty good, ahaha!¡± She went it with yet another kick.


    Qi Jing took in another deep breath; he felt a chill in his heart. Uwu,dies, please let me live...


    To be honest, the online voice actingmunity could gossip about him to their heart¡¯s content and Qi Jing would usually justugh it as long as it didn¡¯t involve real life. However, he had Shen Yan now and Shen Yan was also a CV. He would asionally go on the forum and read the posts there, so Qi Jing could not remain as casual as he was regarding such things anymore, because he cared about what the other would think of him.


    ¡°Crash!¡±


    Just then, a loud crashing sound could be hearding from the study next door, as if something had been broken.


    Could it be that something had happened to Shen Yan? That thought made Qi Jing¡¯s hair curl as he quickly said into the microphone, ¡°Xiaoxiao, I¡¯m hanging up now; something seems to have happened on Little Helper-kun¡¯s side so I¡¯ve got to go have a look.¡±


    Before he hung up, Ning Xiaoxiao could be heard hurriedly shouting from the other end of the line, ¡°Wait! Wait! Senior, it¡¯s Sunday today, so if you and Little Helper-kun don¡¯t have any arrangements for the evening, let¡¯s meet for dinner. I really want to meet this boyfriend-under-probation!¡±


    Qi Jing was a little taken aback by her request. Although Ning Xiaoxiao was a really solid friend he had known for a long time from his 3D life, she was the textbook definition of a stranger to Shen Yan. Knowing that Shen Yan was not very good at interacting with new people, he wasn¡¯t sure whether he should ept this invitation or not.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him but we might not be able to set up a meeting today because he¡¯s quite busy even on his off days.¡± To give himself a way out in the event that they weren¡¯t able to meet, Qi Jing told a little white lie.


    ¡°Just ask him first, then text me when you¡¯re done.¡± Ning Xiaoxiao had been watching the nk page on his rtionship status like a hawk and now that a name finally managed to make its way onto that page, even if it was only under review, there was no way she was going to let this golden opportunity slip away.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m hanging up,¡±


    Qi Jing immediately strode over to the study after bidding her goodbye and throwing his phone to the side.


    The door to the study was closed, just as it had been about an hour ago. He knocked on the door a few times, but seeing no response from inside, he pushed the door open in a moment of haste and barged into the room, not caring about manners.


    ¡°Shen Yan?¡± Qi Jing called out, his brows furrowed.


    The curtains were drawn, blocking the natural light outside from entering, causing the room to appear rather gloomy. A cold white glow from theputer screen reflected on part of Shen Yan¡¯s face and also on the broken remains of a ceramic teacup. Spilled tea slowly flowed on the ground through the ceramic shards, as if to dissolve the light reflected on it.


    The cold light and the bitter tea¡ªthe twobined in the dead silence.


    At this same moment, Shen Yan remainedpletely still. He was still sitting on his seat; it was just that his body was bent, hunched over, like a man who received a massive blow and was unable to straighten up. With his elbows on his thighs, Shen Yan silently rested his forehead against his intertwined fingers¡ªit was the position one took when one was trying to regte their emotions in moments of pain.


    ¡°Shen Yan?¡± From the start, Qi Jing had always had the feeling that something was off with the other party and now his hunch had been proven to be right as he anxiously called out a second time.


    ¡°Don¡¯te over.¡± The person on the chair seemed to finally have some form of reaction to his voice. That man gave a curt response, but it was to stop Qi Jing froming any closer.


    The ten short seconds of waiting felt like a lifetime to Qi Jing.


    Just when he couldn¡¯t barely take it anymore and was about to bite the bullet and take a step forward no matter what, Shen Yan suddenly let out a sigh and opened his mouth slowly to exin, ¡°Qi Jing, don¡¯te over... there are broken shards on the floor. Let me clean it up first.¡±


    And with that, he slowly lowered his perched arms and stood up with a slight stagger with the help of the table.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Shen Yan once greeted him with this phrase and now the situation was reversed.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry.¡± Shen Yan seemed to have noticed that as well as he directed a smile at Qi Jing. His face resembled that of a man who had been rescued from the depths of the ocean: a little pale, but there was still light in his eyes; it seems like he was ultimately able to stabilise himself.


    Qi Jing agreed on the surface, but he was still internally very worried about Shen Yan. He found a broom and dustpan and let Shen Yan clean up all the broken remains of the cup and wipe up the spilled tea and tea leaves with a rag. In the meantime, while Shen Yan was busy, Qi Jing stood by the side and watched, trying to pick out the slightest changes in the former¡¯s expression.


    However, those changes were just too subtle and were even more so lost under the poor lighting.


    Surprisingly, it was Shen Yan who spoke up first in a soft voice, ¡°When I was reading the novel, I resonated with some parts and was ultimately unable to contain my emotions which was why it ended up like this. But I¡¯m fine now; I understand that this is all just a story; I just immersed myself too deeply into it.¡±


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but interject at this moment, ¡°You¡¯re too serious. I think you should go into thispetition with a calm heart¡ªnevermind the ranking or the score.¡±


    Hearing him talk about points, a smile formed on Shen Yan¡¯s lips. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t care about the score. I already have your 12 points.¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s response slightly dumbfounded Qi Jing and his ears subconsciously started burning. He red at the other party for a long time, but was utterly at a loss for words¡ªhow could that person drop a bomb on him so nonchntly when he¡¯s talking about serious matters... He was really too weak against Shen Yan.


    ¡°Marquess Shunyang,¡± Shen Yan suddenly uttered those two words.


    Qi Jing raised his eyes to look at him instinctively; that man¡¯s eyes seemed tond on something, yet appeared unfocussed at the same time, but there was a strong sense of determination behind them.


    ¡°Marquess Shunyang.¡± Shen Yan repeated that name again before continuing, ¡°Without fail, I will definitely voice this character.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ve already made up your mind then just go with it.¡± Qi Jing stered a smile on his face as he walked over to hold Shen Yan¡¯s hands. Just as he had expected, the other party¡¯s hands werepletely cold, quite different from the usual warmth they held.


    At times like this, he¡¯d have to be the one to share some of his warmth with Shen Yan such that thetter would be able to recover as soon as possible, so he firmly held Shen Yan¡¯s hands in his own.


    ¡°Besides that, I will also be voicing that Grandpa character which you said was tailor-made for me.¡± Shen Yan was referring to the Master of the first male lead, ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡±. ¡°I didn¡¯t choose it just because I¡¯m good at it, but rather... after reading the novel, I felt that he was a bit simr to my grandfather and I really respect such a person.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s nod this time came from the bottom of his heart.


    If he participated in thepetition with a Grandpa voice, then at least one of the three characters would be guaranteed to advance.


    However, the next name that came out of Shen Yan¡¯s mouth gave Qi Jing a surprise. ¡°Thest one is Bai Ke.¡±


    Bai Ke, a key antagonist. This person was both cowardly and ruthless, a lowlife who bit the hand that fed him¡ªsimply put, this character waspletely antithetical to Shen Yan himself.


    ¡°How did you arrive at this decision?¡± If he had read the novel then shouldn¡¯t he feel utter disdain for this character? Qi Jing was really taken aback by Shen Yan¡¯s decision and could not help butugh in his surprise. ¡°I doubt this character falls under the type you respect.¡±


    Shen Yan did not directly answer his question but instead responded with a question, ¡°Thest character you chose is ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯, right?¡±


    That was indeed the case.


    When Shen Yan mentioned that name, Qi Jing suddenly remembered the rtionship between Fang Yisheng and Bai Ke and in an instant, he seemed to understand something. ¡°Oh, I can more or less guess what you mean. Bai Ke is the one who would poison Fang Yisheng. Not only was he not grateful, he even betrayed Fang Yisheng... There should be quite a substantial amount of scenes between these two characters.¡±


    In other words... In that case, if both of them get to the finals, the chances of them being matched together as a group would be higher?


    Shen Yan gave a soft ¡°mhm¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯ve finished reading the novel; not only do these two people have a lot of scenes where they y against each other, they were mostly scenes that greatly tested one¡¯s acting but they¡¯re also the easiest to showcase your talents.¡± He nced at Qi Jing, as if the person standing before him was Fang Yisheng himself and not anyone else. ¡°More importantly... this character is actually depicted in more detail in the novel and is more fleshed out there. It made me feel that the character information provided did not fully show his personality and I want to express that in thepetition.¡±


    Bai Ke did not bite the hand that fed him from the start.


    Initially, he did feel gratitude towards Fang Yisheng; however, heter became more and more twisted due to personality disorders caused by his turbulent life. When the seed of suspicion and jealousy was nted after listening to the rumours, it eventually set him on a path of no return.


    If no one led him out many years ago, he would not have been able to walk out.


    If no one dragged him out of that dead silence and darkness, he might have be someone like Bai Ke.


    Then, even if he met Qi Jing, he would have always be doomed to lose him.


    But he didn¡¯t want to let go; he wanted to keep the other party by his side.


    As his words trailed off, Shen Yan gently moved the hand that was holding his and ced it over his heart, as if that action could directly touch that heavily beating thing inside.


    ¡°You are also my benefactor, perhaps you haven¡¯t realised it.¡± The smile on Shen Yan¡¯s face was very calm, yet very sincere. ¡°I chose to go with this role to warn myself never to be like him.¡±

 Chapter 41

    <h4>Chapter 41</h4>


    Thank you so much Papyrus for a coffee!


    TLC: Lilies


    Editor: Mashiro


    Ning Xiaoxiao and Qi Jing set the meeting for 7 PM, at the north part of the city.


    It was because in the text message, Qi Jing wrote that they have a kitten in their ce¡ªhe was afraid that if they went out for too long, something might happen to it, so they could only settle with some nearby ce.


    Ning Xiaoxiao readily agreed. In fact, when she received that text message from Qi Jing about an hour after she hung up the call, and got to know that the Little Assistant-kun agreed to go out for dinner, she was beside herself with joy. She was so happy that her half-dried mud face mask cracked from her smiling. She¡¯d be more than happy to pay for a taxi ride around the entire city, much less a short twenty minute bus ride.


    In addition to this, Qi Jing also made a strange requirement.


    ¡°I chose a rtively quiet restaurant, one with a seating arrangement that guarantees privacy. The only downside is, its prices are rather high. If you mind that then dinner can be on me.¡± That was what Qi Jing said.


    Ning Xiaoxiao mulled over this strange requirement while applying the eyeliner before the makeup mirror.


    Of course, if Senior was willing to treat her, she would be more than happy to take advantage of that.


    The north part of the city was an old town. As city nning was not as developed back then, barely in the early stages, the streets were rather narrow, and the architecturalyout wasn¡¯t as orderly as in the newer districts. After getting off the bus, it took Ning Xiaoxiao quite an effort to find the right ce.


    It was just past 6:45 PM.


    The days were short and the nights long inte autumn, the sun had already sunk below the horizon at this hour. The faintyer of gold around the outline of the city disappeared gradually as the cks started creeping out. The infrastructure of the old town was old, so the street lights seemed weak and feeble, barely able to illuminate the road. The neighbourhood was mainly upied by residential areas, so most of the businesses here were small shops selling daily necessities and offering small purchases at reasonable prices. There were no colourful, dazzling neons on the way.


    ¡°So Little Assistant-kun lives in a ce like that... It¡¯s really surprising.¡± With her incongruous ¡®fashionabledy from big city¡¯ style, Ning Xiaoxiao couldn¡¯t help but mutter under her breath as her high heels click-cked against the asphalt road while she walked.


    She originally thought that the man who would be able to take care of Qi Jing must live in an expensive apartment, have a car and be rich¡ªa true man of sess.


    Her imaginations would often be of Qi Jing meeting a real rich second generation young master. The young master would then see how heartbroken he was, he would pity him, and take an initiative to provide for him like in those TV dramas or something like that¡ªjust imagining that made her feel woozy.


    But looking at the present situation, it wasn¡¯t the case at all...


    What¡¯s more, up until now, whenever she met with Qi Jing, it was either near his ce or in the bustling city centre near the state TV station. She was too used to seeing skyscrapers and all kinds of fashionable modern details; now, with the sudden change of style, she felt somewhat ufortable.


    But Qi Jing clearly amodated her in that aspect, as the ce he chose wasn¡¯t that bad.


    On the surface, the shop before her was a restaurant specializing in healthy food, but in reality it also served all kinds of famous teas, so it was usually treated as a teahouse. Just from the exterior it appeared a grade higherpared to the ordinary family restaurants she saw along the way; it was located near the main road, not at some small street or alley, and the interior looked elegant enough. Albeit a little on the in side, the first impression it gave was still very good.


    ¡°Unexpectedly, this ce is not too bad... although it still can¡¯t reallypare to the healthy food restaurant near my house.¡± Ning Xiaoxiao swept her gaze around the surrounding decorations, her grading system turning on automatically.


    When she was on the way, Qi Jing messaged her, saying that he and Little Assistant-kun had already arrived at the ce in advance and chose a good seat. He told her to just turn left and go straight inside after getting on the first floor.


    She didn¡¯t intend to message the other party to inform him about her arrival, but simply went up by herself, following the directions Qi Jing gave her. After passing seven or eight tables, she finally saw him. It seemed that by ¡°rather private¡± seating arrangement, he meant that the neighbouring tables¡¯ seats wereid out back to back, separated by a ckcquered folding screen that could block the view of most of the people around.


    Part of Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s sight was also obstructed.


    Separated by a folding screen, she saw Qi Jing¡¯s face and most of his body. He didn¡¯t notice her at all, as his sight was focused on the seat beside him.


    Ning Xiaoxiao instinctively stopped in her tracks, standing silently in ce to watch from the side.


    From her angle, she couldn¡¯t see the person sitting by Qi Jing¡¯s side, so she didn¡¯t know what he looked like, how he was dressed, or his demeanor, but just the look on Qi Jing¡¯s face was already enough to surprise her.


    That was an entirely different expression than the one she saw during theirst meeting in the hospital.


    And it wasn¡¯t only his expression, even his mental state had thoroughly changed.


    Ning Xiaoxiao remembered Qi Jing¡¯s state at that time vividly&#k2014;his whole being seemed as if he became one with those ice cold, white hospital walls. He only gave a short response to every two sentences she said, as if his ability to speak had beenpletely drained, quiet to the point of being scary.


    That Qi Jing was haggard and depressed, with aplete mess of his neglected appearance¡ªdishevelled hair and unshaved stubble¡ªit was painful to look at.


    While this Qi Jing before her eyes at this very moment seemed to have gained a new lease of life. Decently dressed and well-groomed, he had returned to his usual, gentlemanly self. Even more so, he was brighter, livelier than usual, with his brows and eyes full of smiles. It was as if the stagnant pool of water from before had a rock dropped in it, ripples stirring on its surface, light reflecting on the waves like a reflection of stars in water.


    It was exceptionally dazzling.


    He seemed to be discussing something pleasant, listening attentively at one moment, andughing to his heart content in the next, his eyes narrowing into crescents. His expressions were dynamic and natural, radiating with brilliance. From start to finish, his eyes remained focussed at one ce, never looking away.


    She was a little too far to hear the content of their conversation, but she was sure that Qi Jing¡¯s voice sounded very happy.


    There was one moment where he keptughing until he eventually dropped his eyelids slightly and, to her surprise, smoothly leaned his head over. His face disappeared from her sight for a moment, so he presumably rested his head on the shoulder of the person beside him.


    Ning Xiaoxiao was dumbstruck as she stared nkly at the scene yed out before her.


    She had never seen this side of Qi Jing before.


    Or perhaps she should say, she had previously seen him make a simr expression in their university days, but it was always fleeting like a picture drawn on thin paper, easily torn with a simple touch. It couldn¡¯t evenpare to this clear, honest expression she was seeing now, solid like a carving etched in a stone.


    After a while, Qi Jing¡¯s face has once again appeared in her field of view.


    He was stillughing, and when he naturally raised his eyes, they were suddenly met with her dazed gaze. He froze, not knowing how long she had been watching them. With his face flushed, he couldn¡¯t help but clear his throat a little before saying: ¡°Xiaoxiao... why didn¡¯t you drop me a message if you¡¯ve already arrived?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s not that far from the bus stop, so I just came here straight.¡± She came over hurriedly.


    After moving a few steps closer, Ning Xiaoxiao finally saw the legendary Little Assistant-kun. He waspletely different from the Mr Perfect she had previously imagined¡ªalthough he was indeed quite tall, but his appearance and dressing was quite simple. There was nothing particrly eye-catching about his facial features, but when put together, one could look at it for half a day without getting bored of it. In fact, the more she looked at him, the more she felt the warmth he exuded silently warming her up inside.


    Hearing the cking of her heels as she walked over, that person lifted his head and happened to meet her gaze. He got up lightly, and though he spoke rather softly, he gave a very polite ¡°Hello.¡±


    Apart from that, he didn¡¯t say any of the usual phrases people often used to start small talk.


    Seems like this person isn¡¯t very good atmunicating with strangers, aplete opposite of Senior... Those two getting together is really interesting. Ning Xiaoxiao felt surprised in her heart. She responded with a ¡®hello¡¯, then continued to stare at him without hiding her gaze.


    Shen Yan was probably not used to being stared at like that, so he lowered his eyes slightly though he still stood there with his back straight.


    Qi Jing noticed how tense he was, and tapped on his arm with a smile, reminding him: ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, Xiaoxiao and I have known each other for years, she¡¯s an old friend. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s ok to just talk normally.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao immediately echoed: ¡°Right, right, it¡¯s ok to just talk normally.¡±


    Shen Yan responded with a nod, but still waited for Ning Xiaoxiao to sit down opposite to him and put down her handbag before sitting back on his ce.


    The second floor of this restaurant was specifically decorated to have hotpots; customers could choose the soup base and ingredients for their dishes.


    Now that everyone was present, Qi Jing gentlemanly abided to the dies first¡¯ principle, pushing the menu towards Ning Xiaoxiao to let her choose whatever she likes. Regardless of the price or the amount, the bill was on him.


    Ning Xiaoxiao beamed as she yed the role of a finedy for a few seconds. But her foodie self was exposed as soon as she opened the menu, and ordered a pile of food in a very udy-like manner.


    Qi Jing smiled as he watched her salivating while looking at the dish pictures, calmly overturning a teacup for her. Just when he was about to reach for the teapot, Shen Yan had already grabbed it on his behalf and began to pour the tea.


    Tsk tsk. Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s heart stirred.


    With the menu as her cover, her eyes peeked secretly from behind it to observe the two men¡¯s every move, like two camera lenses capturing every trace of intimacy. But to be honest, she never expected that Qi Jing would take fancy in this type of man.


    She thought that with how Qi Jing stayed in the world of media for so long, his taste would be more ¡®trendy¡¯.


    Once they were done ordering the ingredients for their hotpot, they chose a nutritious chicken mushroom broth for a soup base, and let the waiter light the fire and serve the pre-heated soup base.


    As the ingredients weren¡¯t served yet, Ning Xiaoxiao seized this moment and took an initiative to start the conversation, showing her usualdylike smile to introduce herself: ¡°My family name is Ning, and my name is Xiaoxiao, currently I¡¯m working in a magazine publisher as an editor. And how should I address you, Little Assistant-kun?¡±


    Shen Yan answered her seriously, ¡°My family name is Shen, my name is Yan, like ¡®yan¡¯ in ¡®wild goose¡¯. Right now I¡¯m working in a veterinary clinic as a vet.¡±


    Hearing him say so, Ning Xiaoxiao suddenly gasped with an ¡®ah¡¯, then blinked nkly towards Qi Jing: ¡°Can it possibly be the same clinic you visited for the interview thest time, Senior?¡±


    Qi Jing smiled, but didn¡¯t answer.


    Memories in Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s head rewinded for a while with a ¡®swooshing¡¯ of cassette tape, and suddenly stopped at the phone call Qi Jing gave her that day. This time she didn¡¯t even have time to blink her eyes, as she shouted and pointed at Qi Jing without any care for her image: ¡°Right! Right! You have asked me about a couple of adjectives before! Something something careful, dedicated, responsible and so on, you have said that it was for describing an interviewee, can it be that it was¡ª¡±


    Shen Yan was dumbfounded.


    Since he was just an ¡®interviewee¡¯ at that point, then it should be at the early stage of their interaction. So that was the impression he gave Qi Jing at that time?


    He instinctively turned his head to look at the author of those keywords. As expected, that person¡¯s ears reddened, and under the guise of propping his head on his hand, Qi Jing covered it to prevent Shen Yan from seeing it. Then, Qi Jing uttered through clenched teeth, ¡°To think you remember it so clearly,ss...¡±


    Fortunately he had a pot ced before him¡ªonce the milky white broth started boiling, the wafting cloud of steam could somewhat conceal his embarrassed expression.


    Shen Yan stared at him nkly for a while, then slowly withdrew his sight. But the warmth that welled up in his heart could not be withdrawn, filling the depths of his chest to the brim. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was soft or firm¡ªhe just felt full.


    ¡°It really was him?¡± Ning Xiaoxiao eximed in realisation and seemingly saw the reason why Shen Yan could be Mr. Boyfriend Under Probation..


    ¡°Yes, yes, let¡¯s start adding the ingredients already.¡± Just like with the broth, the waiter was quick to bring a few tes of meatballs and vegetable appetizers, giving Qi Jing a way out of this embarrassing situation. He took the lead to shove food towards his Junior, hoping that this would make her shut up and eat in peace.


    Ning Xiaoxiao reorganised her thoughts while putting the ingredients into the broth with her chopsticks. As she arranged the information in her head in a chronological order, she suddenly came to the conclusion that made her freeze on the spot¡ªsince they got to know each other because of that interview, then the mutual affections should have developed during the following month when Qi Jing was doing the follow-up.


    If that¡¯s the case, then why didn¡¯t this person visit Senior when he was hospitalised after the ident?


    Was Senior in such a ghastly state because this person didn¡¯t show up? If that¡¯s the case, wasn¡¯t Shen Yan kinda... scummy?


    Her heart fell, and she couldn¡¯t help but secretly start to worry.


    Actually, as a voice-con, she really liked Shen Yan¡¯s voice, even though he barely said thirty words.


    After that, Shen Yan still didn¡¯t take any initiative to talk with her. The current atmosphere was already quite weird to begin with. Wouldn¡¯t the one normally be more proactive towards their boyfriend-to-be¡¯s best friends¡ªtrying to get some extra support to earn some point? Or was it that he wasn¡¯t actually that into her Senior?


    As someone who¡¯s always been concerned about Qi Jing¡¯s rtionship status, who he gave his heart to¡ªshe couldn¡¯t help but take it upon herself to join the vetting team and seek the answers she needed.


    And so she deliberately gave Shen Yan a meaningful chuckle before bringing up the topic very naturally: ¡°By the way, you said you got to know each other during the interview, while I got to know Senior because we did our undergraduate studies at the same college. The courses we majored in were rtively simr, and as we also were from the same province, we grew close with how often we saw each other.¡±


    Whenever she was talking, Shen Yan would stop moving his chopsticks and listen quietly and intently till she was done.


    Ning Xiaoxiao thought Shen Yan would say something in response, but he only listened without any sign of wanting to continue the conversation¡ªafter she stopped talking, he just nodded once. When all was said and done, she still didn¡¯t know if he didn¡¯t know how to continue the conversation, or was it because he wasn¡¯t really interested and didn¡¯t want to continue it.


    She paused for three seconds¡ªshe had no other option but to stay calm, and keep the gentle smile while proceeding with guiding the topic towards him: ¡°So, where did you do your undergraduate studies, Dr. Shen?¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing also lifted his head.


    They hadn¡¯t discussed this topic between them before, so he was also curious for the answer.


    Shen Yan¡¯s expression changed slightly.


    From two different directions, two pairs of eyes looked at him through the steam, stering their gazes on his face. At the same time, the broth in the pot bursted with the sound of intense bubbling sound, boiling fiercely as if it was spurred by those two fervent gazes.


    Shen Yan¡¯s breathing also seemed to have been spurred by them, bing slightly hurried.


    He involuntarily lowered his eyes, his lips parting slightly, but not saying anything for quite a while. The steam gushed from the pot, hitting him in the face which only caused him to feel the chill in his body even more.


    Qi Jing was the first to realise that it might have been not a good question to ask.


    So far, Shen Yan had answered every question he was asked¡ªif he didn¡¯t say anything for such a long time, then it meant that he didn¡¯t want to answer it. Qi Jing was immediately rmed, and was about to hurriedly change the topic, when Shen Yan finally opened his mouth.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t... study as an undergraduate.¡± Both his voice and eyes were equally lowered. Each word stung like a needle when passing through his throat; because of the pain they caused, sentences became incoherent, ¡°I studied for three years at a vocational school and went out to work immediately after.¡±


    ¡°Eh...¡± Ning Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t anticipate such an answer at all, and went dumbfounded on the spot. Fortunately, she quickly got herself back together and said somewhat hesitatingly, ¡°Is, is that so...¡±


    The university she and Qi Jing studied in could be counted as one of the top universities in China, although it wasn¡¯t as good as Tsinghua or Peking University, but it was still quite famous.


    And the man before her only had a mere professional training diploma.


    Women were naturally more sensitive and suspicious of things, especially if the other party was still ¡®under probation¡¯. She already had some doubts concerning Shen Yan, but now, those doubts were like the sand in an hourss, piling up with every passing second.


    Ning Xiaoxiao coughed once, and navigated the topic into a different direction: ¡°Then, is Dr Shen a local? Is your family also living here?¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxiao,¡± When Qi Jing heard the words, ¡®your family¡¯, his face grew grim, and he interrupted her in a stern voice, ¡°that¡¯s enough.¡±


    After seeing that photo album, he had an inkling that Shen Yan¡¯s family situation might be unusual, so a question like that shouldn¡¯t be asked directly.


    Ning Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t know what was wrong, as this question seemed rtively normal for her,pletely devoid of anyndmines. Qi Jing¡¯s attitude confused her.


    At that moment, Shen Yan who was silent for a long time suddenly replied in a faint voice: ¡°I¡¯m not a local, I was born in a vige, and only moved hereter. About my family... My grandpa passed away already, so I¡¯m alone now.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao was someone whose mouth moved faster than her brain; the instant a thought popped up in her mind, she would blurt it right out, unable to contain herself. ¡°If your grandpa passed away, then what about your parents?¡±


    More often than not, one¡¯s family situation greatly impacted how they treated their partner. The magazine publisher she worked for would often take on real-life rted topics, discussing internal disputes of a family, emotional problems of married couples, disagreements of mothers and daughters-inw. It was a force of habit from her profession which she couldn¡¯t get rid of¡ªshe was always particrly concerned over this aspect of things.


    Even more so when the other party was the person Qi Jing liked.


    Without thoroughly investigating his circumstances, she wouldn¡¯t be able to tell if this person would treat Qi Jing well in the future, or would he have a change of heart.


    ¡°Xiaoxiao!¡± Qi Jing immediately grew anxious, and his right hand firmly gripped on Shen Yan¡¯s hand under the table, shaking it a little.


    He wanted to convey to Shen Yan¡ªif you don¡¯t want to say it, then don¡¯t say it. But when he grasped a hold of that hand, his heart skipped a beat out of scare. The back of that person¡¯s hand was ice-cold, his fingers curled into fists, trembling in the shadow.


    ¡°My parents... aren¡¯t locals,¡± Shen Yan had much more control over his voice than his hands, the tremble in his voice could barely be heard unless one paid close attention, ¡°We haven¡¯t been in touch for a long time.¡±


    T/N


    Luci: I know that this Ning Xiaoxiao is simply wishing the best for QJ, but gal, where is your seasoned fujoshi¡¯s sixth sense?? This specimen (points at the fluffy goose) might not look remarkable, but I swear, he¡¯s a top tier husband material!


    Mashiro: Totally right luci!!! 100% agreeing with you. (pst, I have chloroform, shall we silence her up secretly when QJ is not looking?)

 Chapter 42

    <h4>Chapter 42</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editor: Whitere


    They¡¯re not locals and he didn¡¯t contact them for a long time.


    Broken family? That was Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s first thought.


    She had heard that children from broken families were likely to be influenced by their parents and were prone to grow up to be distrustful or easily agitated towards their partners... Some of them could even develop a tendency to domestic violence; no matter how she looked at this matter, it didn¡¯t seem too optimistic.


    Just when she was caught up in her worries, Shen Yan startled her by suddenly getting up from his seat. She identally dropped her chopsticks which hit against the side of the bowl with a clink before rolling towards Shen Yan¡¯s side of the table.


    The atmosphere instantly froze.


    Shen Yan saw her shrinking back. Even though at the time like this she should reach out to pick up her chopsticks, her hand unexpectedly shrunk back, as if she was afraid of him flying into a fit of rage. He couldn¡¯t help but stare nkly for a moment as he stood there awkwardly.


    ¡°You dropped your chopsticks.¡± After a long time, he mustered the most gentle smile he could and picked up that pair of chopsticks with the lightest of movements. He didn¡¯t return them to her directly, just slowly cing them at the side of a saucer for her. Throughout the whole process, he kept an appropriate distance, so as not to make her feel any pressure.


    ¡°Ah, thank you...¡± The furious look she imagined didn¡¯t appear on his face; Ning Xiaoxiao came back to her senses and quickly thanked with an apologetic smile on her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll go to the toilet for a moment.¡± Shen Yan kept his smile, his manners still as gentle. But with that look appearing on his ashen face, it was obvious to everyone looking that he was forcing himself, including Qi Jing.


    ¡°Shen Yan.¡± Qi Jing was seated by the walkway, so if Shen Yan wanted to go out, Qi Jing would have to first stand up and make a way for him. Yet he not only didn¡¯t make Shen Yan a way, but also grabbed Shen Yan¡¯s hand with his brows deeply furrowed.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t careful when I was putting the ingredients in before, some broth sshed at my hand. I¡¯m just going to wash it.¡± Shen Yan used a very reasonable excuse.


    Qi Jing hesitated for a while and finally released his hand slowly, moving aside without saying a word to open up a path for him. Shen Yan smiled at him faintly, looking remorseful yet grateful, then left the table after nodding politely towards Ning Xiaoxiao, disappearing behind the corner of the corridor.


    ¡°Seems I asked something I shouldn¡¯t have asked.¡± Ning Xiao waited till he was far away before throwing a nce towards Qi Jing sitting on the other side of the table.


    Qi Jing looked at her with a stern expression on his face, not saying a single word.


    ¡°Senior, don¡¯t you think this person is rather strange?¡± Ning Xiaoxiao asked in a hushed voice.


    ¡°Xiaoxiao,¡± Qi Jing interrupted her, his right hand firmy curled into a fist on the table. A rare cold and strict tone could be heard in his voice, ¡°Say anything more and I will get angry.¡±


    She had no idea¡ªin fact, he was sure that Shen Yan wouldn¡¯t possibly agree to go out together for this meeting.


    He obviously wasn¡¯t adept in dealing with strangers, but because Ning Xiaoxiao was a close friend of his, Shen Yan ultimately still chose to ept the invitation despite some hesitation. ¡°It would be good to see your friends and even better if I could integrate with your social circle.¡± He said at that time, an optimistic look on his face.


    Mrs. Pang¡ªthe head nurse from the clinic¡ªhad once said that people who didn¡¯t understand Shen Yan would usually regard him as cold and detached. At first, Qi Jing didn¡¯t regard him as cold and just thought him taciturn.


    However, as the puzzle pieces he had in his hands umted, the warmer the colours of them became, bing one step closer to the image of spring with each piece. Qi Jing was eager to show it to other people, to prove it to them¡ªbut it seems that he had underestimated the adversities of reality.


    ¡°He is a boyfriend that¡¯s still under probation, shouldn¡¯t I help you find out more about him?¡± Ning Xiaoxiao felt terribly wronged.


    When Shen Yan was answering those questions, even though Qi Jing didn¡¯t dere his position, the surprise in his eyes didn¡¯t escape her attention¡ªshe knew at first nce that he had heard about that for the first time. After some inference based on the information she had been presented, she was almost convinced that Qi Jing had been fooled.


    ¡°He¡ª¡± has already passed the probation.


    Qi Jing opened his lips half-ways before closing them back again; he decided not to tell her lest itplicated things even further.


    ¡°Surely you didn¡¯t know about his qualifications before this, did you?¡± She pressed him further.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t, because I never asked.¡± And never cared. Qi Jing furrowed his brows, swallowing back his words.


    ¡°You probably didn¡¯t know about his family situation either, did you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask about that in detail either.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s face was full of worry, and she inevitably lowered her voice as she advised: ¡°Senior, you didn¡¯t ask anything and you don¡¯t know anything; in the end, how much do you understand this person? Even though you have used so many good words to describe him, weren¡¯t you just being too subjective for a moment? Wasn¡¯t it just a momentary infatuation that messed with your mind? I think that... he might not be very reliable.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s gaze was ice-cold as he fixed his eyes at her, ¡°Tell me then, how is he not reliable?¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s mouth twitched, ¡°He couldn¡¯t even get on the undergraduate course, it¡¯s clear to see that his education level isn¡¯t high. Meanwhile, you¡¯re a graduate from a prestigious university. Can the two of you really speak on the same page normally?¡±


    Not to mention the fact that this person wasn¡¯t even much of a talker to begin with.


    At that moment, Qi Jing suddenly scoffed, ¡°A famous university? What can some famous university prove? If we need to talk about education, then that person was my ssmate¡ªand what was the result?¡±


    Results? There had never been any, only a bitter end awaited him. His will which he thought was as strong as steel had warped under the pressure of reality, nearly breaking&#k2014;only a fortunate and timely retreat had kept him from aplete breakdown.


    And only when he finally couldn¡¯t hold on anymore did he realise that the other party had already made a break for it even earlier, even faster than him.


    Naturally, there was no way he could possibly bear such a heavy burden.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you were actually serious about it.¡±


    Undoubtedly, it hurt the most when after he walked each step by step conscientiously, the other party had suddenly drawn a stop sign on the road, tossing a phrase like that, then pushing him back to the starting line. It was like having a bucket of ice-cold water poured over his head in the middle of winter. He was obviously frostbitten, yet he could only feign nonchnce, putting a smile on his face as he went his way.


    In all these years since then, he could never get himself to once again try and take the first step, not until Shen Yan had pulled him across that white starting line.


    Ning Xiaoxiao remembered it all.


    The night when Qi Jing came out of the closet to her and told her about that unpleasant rtionship he couldn¡¯t bear to look back at, both of them drank the whole night, drowning their sorrows. That night she cried ten tissue packets worth of tears and virtually threw up half her soul in her dorm room the next day.


    And that was precisely the reason why now when she found out that Qi Jing had fallen in love with someone again after all those years, she couldn¡¯t help but be especially cautious and look out for him everywhere.


    At the present, traces of pain were faintly visible on Qi Jing¡¯s face; he was clearly remembering something.


    Ning Xiaoxiao regretted her slip of tongue, and hurried to console him, ¡°Senior, that guy was an exception. To be honest, you and that guy were really a good match in all aspects, it¡¯s just... You were too young at that time and couldn¡¯t bear the social pressure. With how open-minded the current society has be, maybe, maybe now he would...¡±


    ¡°Now, he already has a wife and a son.¡± Qi Jing interrupted her in a low voice, each and every word decisive, ¡°It¡¯s enough, I don¡¯t want to talk about that person, much less have thoughts about getting back together with him. Don¡¯t mention him anymore.¡±


    The conversation got stuck in a deadlock. All that could be heard was the bubbling of the broth in the pot as billows of vapor rose, repeatedly causing a choking sensation to spread, making breathing difficult.


    Ning Xiaoxiao hung her head, scrunching the hem of her skirt, her lips pressed into a thin line.


    Qi Jing calmed down a little. Seeing how wronged she felt, his heart also softened. He knew that his Junior¡¯s intentions were good, so he sighed lightly, ¡°I understand your opinion. You only worry about those things because you care about me. But no matter Shen Yan¡¯s educational background, he at least truly loves and respects his work¡ªthat¡¯s not something I thought arbitrarily on my own, it¡¯s a truth that was proven to me by reality.¡±


    No matter whether it was the process of cat rescue before or the matter with Little Return Date, Shen Yan¡¯s medical ethics were always wless, winning Qi Jing over easily. As someone who worked in news media, ugly matters of all kinds could be found everywhere, so he¡¯d seen too much of it already.


    That¡¯s why he was very clear how rare people like Shen Yan were.


    ¡°Be it his co-workers or the volunteers from the animal rescue, all of them can attest to that.¡± Other than having a point to argue for, he needed the evidence to support it as well and Qi Jing¡¯s grounds weren¡¯t just personal.


    ¡°Okay then, but even if there¡¯s no problem with his education or career, his family background still looks concerning.¡± Ning Xiaoxiao was afraid of aggravating him, so she hesitated for a long time before persisting in voicing her opinion.


    After all, Qi Jing had already suffered once before, so she hoped he would be more cautious about that, ¡°I¡¯m not just spouting nonsense here; it¡¯s a truth proven by a lot of real-life examples. For children with parents that have strained rtionships, they can be withdrawn, develop abusive tendencies, and so on... You must have heard of these cases with how you reporters are always out and about conducting interviews, right? Senior, I can see that you really like him, but it would be better if you investigated this matter thoroughly and thought about it deeply.¡±


    Seems like Shen Yan himself had also said something like that before¡ª¡±Think it over carefully before giving me a reply.¡±


    Shen Yan had also said that he would wait patiently. He would be always waiting.


    Wait until he says he¡¯s willing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s the matter with his parents, nor do I know how much it affected him.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s fist clenched on the table rxed slowly. He ced his hand on the seat Shen Yan was sitting on just a while ago, his palm spread on its surface as if he wanted to preserve that warmth had yet to dissipate, ¡°But what I do know... is that all this time until now, he had been taking care of me, sharing with me the burden of daily life trifles. And not once has he ever forced himself on me.¡±


    His voice was hoarse, trembling slightly, as he did his utmost to keep his whirlwind of emotions in check.


    Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s face was pale, and she mumbled in a low voice, ¡°Senior...¡±


    Qi Jing took a deep breath. He shook his head, probably realising he had he lost hisposure. After all, his Junior was a girl, he should at least leave her a way out of this situation; him speaking too harshly would only put her in a difficult position, so he readjusted his tone back to normal again, ¡°I know that you¡¯re saying this for my own good, thank you.¡±


    Only then did Ning Xiaoxiao summon the courage to lift her head and look him in the eye, even though her fiddling with the hem of her skirt had yet to stop.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Qi Jing smiled at her faintly, ¡°I have already experienced a very long period of struggle before making this new start, but I don¡¯t regret making this decision. I believe in him.¡±


    Finally, Ning Xiaoxiao put her hands down and pouted, ¡°Fine. As long as you¡¯re happy, Senior.¡±


    There was one thing she had to admit¡ªQi Jing¡¯s current state was still way better than during the time after the ident. Even though she firmly believed that Qi Jing had better options to choose from and could live a better life, the feelings of the person involved were the most important. It was of no use for outsiders to say anything.


    ¡°Then be good and eat the hotpot, don¡¯t ask such invasive questions like you¡¯re checking their ounts anymore.¡± Qi Jing said while making a gesture of picking up the chopsticks and tapping at the side of the pot while raising his eyebrow. Ning Xiaoxiao nodded quickly like a chicken pecking on rice.


    After talking over it with his Junior, Qi Jing threw a nce towards toilets. He still didn¡¯t see Shen Yaning back. He thought for a while before quietly fishing out his phone. He replicated the message Shen Yan had wrote to him before, texting him in a simr manner: ¡¾Come back when you¡¯re ready; I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡¿


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t see the message, as he couldn¡¯t even hear the notification beep from his phone. The faucet before him was turned to the fullest and the sshing of the water was flooding his hearing rapidly. His ears were echoing with buzzing, not allowing any other sounds in.


    He closed his eyes and¡ªwithout even knowing how many times had he already done that¡ªscooped water in his hands and sshed it on his face a few times.


    The water seeping into his eyes resulted in a stinging pain. He couldn¡¯t open his eyes, only able to feel the water traces dripping down on his face continuously, falling down from his nose briskly whenever he lowered his head. He had to wash away the negative thoughts from his face with water, let them disappear in the drain pipe, let them sink deep, deep underground.


    Only this way, he would be able to leave a good impression.


    Only this way, he would be able to go back to his seat and proceed with those topics.


    But those voices from his memories refused to stop, refusing to let him off¡ªeven when he turned the water on to the loudest, with the stream of water so rapid it made the water pipes quiver, those voices still were impossible to resist, drilling into his ears obstinately, cruelly.


    That was probably the first time he heard his father¡¯s voice.


    He was separated from it by the door; among the heartrending cries of the woman outside, it echoed furiously, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have given birth to him in the first ce!¡±


    The woman¡¯s cries gradually turned intoughter, both mournful and miserable, ¡°Yes! I regret it, I really regret giving birth to him!¡±


    At that time, he was sitting alone in a room, clenching a pen and writing his homework in silence. No matter what sounds came through the door, whether it was cursing, crying, or the sound of things falling and breaking, he kept his head low. He wanted to earnestly finish writing his homework arranged by the teacher, then hide under the covers, cover his ears, and go to sleep peacefully. As long as he could make it till the next morning, he would be able to go to school and leave those voices far behind him.


    He wouldn¡¯t have to be anyone¡¯s ¡°shouldn¡¯t have¡± or anyone¡¯s ¡°regret¡±.


    But no matter how he tried, he just couldn¡¯t finish writing his exercises.


    It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t know how, but because every time he answered the question, something would always wet the words written in pencil. One drop after another, it wetted them into a mess, making them unreadable. He could only start all over, time and time again.


    Later, the woman burst through the door and came in, dragging him up from the chair, repeating in a shrill voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Up until that instant, he was still hellbent on continuing with his work, but he used too much strength and the tip of the pencil broke through the paper while his person was violently yanked backwards. Following the sudden movement, the pencil ripped through his workbook and rolled onto the ground along with his rubber and ruler.


    In the end, he never did manage to hand in that homework.


    He didn¡¯t hand in the homework, he didn¡¯t even attend that school anymore and wandered back with that woman to that small town he was born in.


    In that town were his maternal family which he should be calling his grandparents and there were also some rtives he had never seen before. The look those people gave him was identical to the look the woman was giving him back when they were living in the rented apartment. He knew what that look meant¡ªshut your mouth, don¡¯t make any noise, sit silently in the corner by yourself.


    Houses in the town were built one next to another and usually, the backyards of neighbouring families were only separated by a low wall or a fence. During the time when he was temporarily living in his grandparents¡¯ house, he would move a stool to read alone beside the wall and sometimes he would meet the neighbour¡¯s cat.


    It was a senior cat. It was so old and decrepit, its belly hanging low heavily, and it had long lost the lustre of its fur. It would asionally walk on the wall or even jump over to his side of the wall andzily sunbathe on the ground. Every time it happened, he would sit and watch motionlessly, fearing that any move of his could scare the cat away.


    But that cat didn¡¯t run away, and after some time, it would take an initiative toe over and rub against his leg.


    ¡°Meow meow meow...¡±


    It would even talk to him like that and he would also respond. Neither of them knew what the other was talking about, but they still could maintain their conversation. And contrary to the people from that house, he could get along with it naturally.


    ¡°My name is Shen Yan.¡± He said in a very small voice.


    ¡°Meow.¡±


    ¡°My mum is about to get married.¡± He told it about his grandparent¡¯s conversation he heard through the wall. It was three months after he arrived here. The woman got fortunate with an arranged date under the status of a divorcee¡ªthe other party didn¡¯t mind she had an ex-husband. It¡¯s just he didn¡¯t want that ex-husband¡¯s child.


    ¡°Meow.¡± The old cat couldn¡¯t understand his words and only minded its business as it lifted its head, happily scratching an itch with its paws.


    ¡°They said, they¡¯re going to send me to my dad¡¯s ce... As for whether or not he was willing to take me in, that would be his problem.¡± He repeated the words he heard slowly, and only then smiled at the old cat, ¡°I might not be able to see you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Meow.¡± the old caty down, nestling on the floor. Shen Yan seized an opportunity to caress the fur on its back lightly.


    The day the woman got married, the house was empty. All of the people went out to attend the wedding ceremony and only he was left behind in the backyard, spending the whole day with the cat as his onlypany as usual.


    Whenever he felt hungry, he would go by himself to search the leftover food in a freezer to warm it up in a microwave and take it under the wall, to eat it there slowly. He would even share some with the cat.


    ¡°Your mum has married.¡±


    ¡°We will send you to your dad¡¯s ce.¡±


    It was after the wedding ceremony when his grandparents said that to him. Even though he already knew that.


    They packed what little belongings he had into a duffel bag and sent him on a bus that headed back to the city. They told the driver that there would be somebody who would receive him at the bus stop. Then, they turned around and left without sparing him even a single nce.


    He spent a couple of hours on that bus without saying a word, returning to the city he left a couple of months ago. The bus arrived at thest stop and passengers had already gotten off one after another; only when the bus waspletely empty did he slowly get off himself. He dragged out that bag from the luggage box with effort and stared dazedly at the busy bus stop at the streams of people that came and went.


    He didn¡¯t know where he was going.


    All around him were unfamiliar faces, unfamiliar scenery. Chaotic words and sentences buzzed around, spiraling by his ears, leaving him with vertigo. Maybe it was because he didn¡¯t eat anything on the road and it made him dizzy.


    But he didn¡¯t have much money on him, he didn¡¯t know how long he would be able to sustain himself after spending it. He was determined to save money and didn¡¯t dare to buy food at the station. He could only hold his bag despite the dizzy spells and sit alone in the waiting room for two hours.


    Then, he realised¡ªperhaps even if he waited another three hours, four hours, five hours or even longer, there wouldn¡¯t be anybodying for him.


    Because... he was Shen Yan.


    ¡°Shen Yan.¡±


    Just when he thought so, someone called out this name.


    It wasn¡¯t the person he was supposed to call father, but an elderly person.


    That elderly man slowly walked out from the crowd of grey and the whole surrounding seemed to gain some colours that started dancing around before Shen Yan¡¯s eyes. He trembled and straightened his back subconsciously, but the elderly person still smiled amiably, ¡°You are Shen Yan, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re so simr to your dad when he was young.¡±


    Shen Yan clutched at the bag¡¯s shoulder strap. He didn¡¯t say anything after a long while, only nodding his head.


    The elderly person heaved a long sigh, ¡°Your dad couldn¡¯te.¡±


    He still nodded his head. It was to be expected, that man had said before that he shouldn¡¯t have been born, so of course he also shouldn¡¯t be epted by that man either.


    The elderly person bent down in front of him and rubbed his head, a hint of sympathy in his smile: ¡°But you cane with me¡ªShen Yan, I¡¯m your grandpa.¡±


    Only at that moment did the voices in his head suddenly calm down, gradually overtaken by the strong sound of the running water, returning him back to the present.


    ¡°Huu...¡± Shen Yan breathed deeply in a low voice. He knitted his eyebrows and used both his hands to wipe away the water droplets on his face, finally gaining a moment of relief. He turned off the faucet and the sound of the running water stopped abruptly. All of the sounds in the toilet turned back to silence.


    ¡°Thank you, grandpa.¡± He said in a hoarse voice.


    Thank you, grandpa, for pulling me back from the past to present.


    Because life can only go forwards and can¡¯t go in reverse. Whatid ahead were the people he was destined to meet, the feelings he was destined to give.


    Shen Yan lifted his head. His face in the mirror looked pale, but his eyes had already regained theirposure. He wiped his face dry¡ªafter a quick tidy-up, he was ready to go out. He got some paper towels to clean away the water stter while taking out his phone to check the time when he finally discovered that Qi Jing had sent him a message before. He opened and read it without dy.


    ¡ªCome back when you¡¯re ready, I¡¯ll be waiting for you.


    Seeing thest four words, Shen Yan felt warmth in his heart and the corners of his mouth involuntarily curved into a smile.


    He couldn¡¯t make Qi Jing wait for too long.


    Shen Yan wiped his face clean in a hurry, straightened up his attire, and left the toilet. When he came back to the table, Ning Xiao saw him before Qi Jing and she appeared a little stunned; but she wasn¡¯t as wary as before he left and was able to greet him in a rtively natural way.


    It seems that Qi Jing had said something to her during the time he was away.


    ¡°So slow, I ate your share already.¡± Qi Jing turned his head slightly in his direction and looked him in the eye. The attitude he put on was no different from normal as he casually glossed over the matter of Shen Yan leaving in the middle of the meal with a single line.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for keeping you waiting.¡± Shen Yan put his hand on Qi Jing¡¯s shoulder and apologized in a low voice.


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyes stayed on his face for quite a long while, as if he was seeking confirmation for something. Shen Yan¡¯s gaze locked with Qi Jing¡¯s in silence, without a sign of avoiding his eyes. When he finished checking, Qi Jing suddenlyughed cheekily, and reached out to pat Shen Yan¡¯s hand as if to console him, ¡°I¡¯m just fooling with you. Hurry up and eat.¡±


    Shen Yan also responded naturally, ¡°Mhm.¡±


    The hand on Qi Jing¡¯s shoulder remained there, unwilling to move away. And after Qi Jing patted the back of Shen Yan¡¯s hand, he decided to keep it there, holding it firmly.


    A/N:


    That¡¯s why I was saying that it¡¯s a healing novel at its core


    T/N:


    Luci: (finishes tranting, hides to sob under the quilt) QAQ I cried myself silly when I was tranting smol Shen Yan¡¯s part of story...


    Whitere: Poor, poor SY. Grandpa really was the light of his young life.

 Chapter 43

    <h4>Chapter 43</h4>


    Thank you to Tinsunny for the donation


    Editor: Mashiro


    The rest of their dinner went smoothly.


    Qi Jing and Ning Xiaoxiao were the one¡¯s mainly driving the conversation and they both werepletely on the same page when it came to not letting the previous topic continue. They directed the conversation towards other unrted matters such as work, Little Return Date, and Qi Jing¡¯s recovery status.


    Shen Yan would asionally chime in once or twice during that time. Probably feeling apologetic towards him, Ning Xiaoxiao would hurriedly echo his sentiments and prompt him to continue. As such, the two of them could also have a decent chat without Qi Jing. Qi Jing just focussed on listening to them, a soft smile on his face as he fished out some food from the hotpot for Shen Yan. He would leave it in his bowl to cool down before giving it to Shen Yan.


    There was still something Qi Jing was keeping from Ning Xiaoxiao, namely the fact that Shen Yan was actually <i>Geese Fly North</i>.


    Qi Jing only told her that Shen Yan knew he did voice acting, but didn¡¯t reveal that Shen Yan was also a CV himself. As for Shen Yan participating in thepetition under another username, naturally, that was an even more closely guarded secret. He knew that his junior would definitely be present there as an audience member and he didn¡¯t want to let anything leak out before thepetition even began proper.


    Qi Jing was also keeping something from Shen Yan.


    When they were done with their meal, Ning Xiaoxiao leaned in to whisper a question in Qi Jing¡¯s ear just before they parted, ¡°Senior, there¡¯s actually something I¡¯m very, very concerned about... Have the two of you... done that?¡±


    <i>That.</i>


    Of course, Qi Jing knew what that was referring to. Luckily she kept her voice low and those words didn¡¯t travel to Shen Yan¡¯s ears.


    Before she even finished saying herst word, Qi Jing¡¯s hand was already pinching the meat on her cheek, causing her to whine in pain. When he finally let her go, he took out the receipt he got after paying for the bill and waved it in front of her, narrowing his eyes threateningly as he said, ¡°What are you talking about,ss? If you are going to keep on talking nonsense, I¡¯m not treating you anymore. You either be a good girl and keep quiet or you transfer the money over ording to the figure on the receipt and I¡¯ll let you off.¡±


    Naturally, Ning Xiaoxiao chose to shut up. She even made a zipping motion on her lips to show her sincerity.


    Satisfied by her actions, Qi Jing put the receipt away.


    Although her mouth had settled down, her eyes hadn¡¯t and she couldn¡¯t stop herself from subtly sizing up her senior. Qi Jing¡¯s arm was still in a cast so it¡¯ll probably be quite hard to do that... but it¡¯s not absolutely impossible if they really wanted to. Then her gaze drifted to Shen Yan who was following far behind them¡ªhe was the key.


    Shen Yan¡¯s performance after the little incident had been quite stable.


    He wasn¡¯t picky and ate everything that Qi Jing gave him. From time to time, he would even remind Qi Jing on what not to eat and what was not suitable for recuperating from his injuries. And when they headed downstairs to settle the bill, he gently supported Qi Jing down the stairs every step of the way for fear that thetter might miss one and fall down.


    Witnessing such a scene for herself, Ning Xiaoxiao could finally understand why her senior had used the words ¡°careful and considerate¡± to describe Shen Yan.


    ¡°What a pity, Dr. Shen is obviously not the beastly type, otherwise...¡± The words identally slipped out.


    Qi Jing¡¯s expression and the receipt that had already been kept away in his back pocket made its grand reappearance with a swish. The sight of that elicited a scream out of Ning Xiaoxiao as she begged for mercy while running away for the bus stop like a frightened little bunny.


    <i>It¡¯s okay, all¡¯s well, we can slowly settle this score when thatss asks me for a recording in the future.</i>


    With that settled, Qi Jing broke into a cheeky smile with a brow raised.


    ¡°Why did she leave so quickly?¡± Shen Yan asked, a little surprised as he walked up from behind.


    As they were about to say their goodbyes, he thought this pair of friends would have some secrets to share in private which was why he let them go out before him and even kept a distance between them. He deliberately chose not to catch up to them so that Ning Xiaoxiao wouldn¡¯t feel ufortable and hold herself back because of his presence. But to think he would find Qi Jing waving at him from the distance, all alone while she fled; gone with the wind.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much.¡± Qi Jing coughed lightly, cutting this topic short just in time, not wanting to let Shen Yan know the reason.


    The cold autumn wind blew through the alleyway; the rustling of leaves could be heard wherever they passed. The low temperatures could be felt all around them, reminding everyone that it was October; that they had already entered into thete autumn season.


    Seeing that Qi Jing kept his head down all the way and even started coughing, Shen Yan thought that he was freezing so he took off his coat without saying a word and wrapped the former snugly in it.


    The two of them were standing close, face to face, and Qi Lian could not help but look up at his face.


    Shen Yan was fully focussed on tucking Qi Jing securely in his clothes so his eyes were not on him. This gave Qi Jing the opportunity to take a good look at him. To be honest, he had seen this face so many times he had long lost count, but he was not tired of it. Every time he looked at it he would reminisce that fluttering feeling he felt when he quietly watched this man as he took his nap.


    After all, he didn¡¯t have that many chances to see this man from such a close distance. Usually, he couldn¡¯t find a suitable excuse to get close but at times like this when the window presented itself, he would take advantage of it to look at Shen Yan a little longer.


    ¡°You look much betterpared to when you left your seat,¡± Qi Jing mumbled, subconsciously reaching a hand out to touch the other party¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you worry,¡± Shen Yan replied in a low voice.


    Four of Qi Jing¡¯s fingers were ced against the side of Shen Yan¡¯s face while his thumbnded just by his lips. He could feel the corner of Shen Yan¡¯s lips quirk up slightly¡ªalthough small, it was a smile through and through.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault. Getting you to meet a close friend like Xiaoxiao was probably still a little hard for you at this point.¡± Perhaps he should have had a bit more patience; put himself in Shen Yan¡¯s shoes and take things step by step.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I can see that she genuinely wishes you well.¡± Shen Yan understood the intent of Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s question.


    ¡°But...¡± Qi Jing was about to say some more but Shen Yan simply stopped him there with a smile as he shook his head.


    ¡°Look.¡± He suddenly turned to the side, his gaze directed far into the distance of the long alley. He raised his hand and pointed at the winding alleyway that disappeared into the night and got Qi Jing to follow his gaze. ¡°Many years ago, this was the street I had to walk through every time I returned home from school.¡±


    That was when he first moved here and the elderly man had found a school nearby for him to attend. He would always have to pass by this street every time he returned home from evening sses.


    ¡°That¡¯s already something from more than a decade ago.¡±


    The dim lights from the corner of the street reflected in Shen Yan¡¯s eyes. There was this instant where the light flickered brightly as if to give a hint that time itself had rewound.


    He lowered his voice and told Qi Jing about the past hidden beneath theyers of time that had passed. ¡°Back then, there weren¡¯t this many buildings in the area yet and those newer-looking buildings hadn¡¯t been built yet, even the streetlights were few and far between. The streets were dark at night and sometimes when the lights went out, it would be a whole stretch of pitch-ckness. There was nothing else apart from the faint lighting from some of the homes of surrounding residents. I used to... be so afraid that I couldn¡¯t walk through that street and I couldn¡¯t get home.


    Fear, helplessness, and uncertainty.


    He dare not go forward or venture into the darkness by himself.


    So he crouched down by a wall and decided to quietly wait until a bright white light filled the eastern horizon and the sun rose from the darkness but the old man found him first. The elderly man held an old-fashioned torch in his hand. The light from the torch was not strong, only managing to illuminate a small area of the shadows but the glow from that light was very warm. As he looked towards the light source, he was greeted with a giant smile on that elderly man¡¯s face, one that came from the relief of finding the person they were looking for.


    ¡°After that, my grandfather woulde to pick me up every day, holding my hand as we walked through that street together. With the knowledge that I had someone by my side, I didn¡¯t find it as scary anymore.¡± A faint smile hung on Shen Yan¡¯s lips, the taste of nostalgia permeated through his voice¡ªa bittersweet taste. ¡°Andter after that, I hadpletely gotten used to this darkness and was able to walk on my own.¡±


    As he said that, his eyes drooped a little and he sighed painfully.


    ¡°I rarely walked on this road since my grandfather passed. Although there are streetlights and more houses around now; although it has be much livelier than before and I will never feel fear for this street anymore, I still can¡¯t walk through it by myself.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Qi Jing¡¯s voice was light as he asked that question, unwilling to interrupt the tapes of memory ying in the other party¡¯s mind.


    He chose to be the voiceover narration, letting the protagonist in the shback say the answer himself.


    Hearing his question, Shen Yan smiled again, ¡°Because I would be reminded of my grandfather, of the past, of... the sense of loss that overwhelmed me when I was all alone.¡±


    While saying this, he took a step towards the depths of the alley and then stopped.


    ¡°Maybe it was a bit early for me to face that darkness alone, but it didn¡¯t matter because I had my grandfather.¡±


    The topic came back full circle and returned to the starting point.


    At that moment, Qi Jing seemed to suddenly understand the meaning behind Shen Yan¡¯s words and he stared intently at thetter.


    The other person turned around and returned that gaze. ¡°That¡¯s why, you don¡¯t have to worry about pushing me too hard¡ªbe it thepetition, or meeting with your friends... it¡¯s alright because I know that I¡¯m not alone anymore.¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s current voice was one that Qi Jing liked the most.


    It was like a peaceful ocean, deep but not gloomy, every word he said was like the waves crashing onto the beach before returning back to the ocean. Even the harshest grains of sands would be gently smoothed out.


    He extended a hand towards Qi Jing and asked softly, ¡°Qi Jing, can you walk with me on this road just once?¡±


    Qi Jing smiled faintly and very naturally ced his hand in his. ¡°As many times as you¡¯d like.¡±


    Beyond theyer of chilly autumn breeze that enveloped them, Shen Yan¡¯s hand was dry yet warm. When he held it, he could clearly feel the strength of the hand that curved to hold his. It was neither too light, nor too heavy, just enough to keep a hold on Qi Jing¡¯s hand and his heart inside. As it turned out, there really was nothing to be afraid of when two people walked together, because their heart was already filled with one another¡ªno one else and no other thing could shake them.


    However, while Big Return Date returned home in a happy mood, the little one was not so happy.


    Although the ce they had their dinner wasn¡¯t too far away from home, they did still take quite some time. Especially when he was walking side by side with Shen Yan, there were hardly any lights along the way so neither of them had thought to check their watches for the time. They chatted as they walked and slowly strolled all the way back to their ce.


    Although they had left Little Return Date with a full belly, the little kitten couldn¡¯t bear the loneliness of not having anyone y with it for a few hours. It meowed loudly, rolling around, flipping it¡¯s crate upside down, finding every single way to gain attention. By the time Big Return Date reappeared, it was already starting to scratch the walls of the crate indignantly.


    Qi Jing watched helplessly at the little guy that raised its paw in protest.


    This was all so hard to believe¡ªto think there would be a day where a man called <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i> would keep a cat and be subjected to itsints after being away for only four to five hours... He had to say, if this was his normal work schedule, Little Return Date would¡¯ve either starved to death or died from loneliness in that apartment.


    ¡°It¡¯s my bad. Here, you can take it out on me.¡± Qi Jing carried the little one out of the box. He let it nestle in his arms and pound on his chest with its little paws to release its anger.


    ¡°Meow meow.¡± A moment ago, Little Return Date still looked like a little Grudge but once it was in its owner¡¯s arms, it didn¡¯t kick up a fuss, instead, all it wanted was to pounce on Qi Jing and be thoroughly pampered by him. Qi Jing was utterly amused by its reaction and gently stroked the fluffy fur on the back of Little Return Date¡¯s neck. A smile on his face as he watched the little fe get sofortable, its eyes narrowed into two lines, its tail lightly resting on his arm in apletely rxed state.


    Actually, there was a reason why he was trying so hard to please Little Return Date. It was because the little one was going toe in handyter and that was very, very important to him. That¡¯s why, if he served the little guy well now, it could certainly do him no harm and ultimately help him in the end.


    ¡°Qi Jing, do you want to take a shower now?¡± Shen Yan looked at the time and it was past 10 PM; it was getting kindate.


    ¡°You can go ahead first. Little Return Date was bored out of its mind, I want to keep itpany and relieve its boredom.¡± Qi Jing slightly untangled himself from the clutches of the little guys¡¯ paws as he lifted his head to answer Shen Yan.


    ¡°Alright.¡± It was Sunday today so starting tomorrow, it would be back to their normal work week. Qi Jing had slightly more freedom with his time but Shen Yan didn¡¯t say no to the former¡¯s suggestion. ¡°After I¡¯m done washing you can watch the time and jump into the shower yourself. Call me if you need anything. I¡¯ll be recording in the study but it doesn¡¯t matter even if I¡¯m interrupted so just knock on my door.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s head immediately jerked up when he heard those words.


    Although he had watched Shen Yan register for thepetition and also witnessed the entire process of thetter deciding on his characters, he still couldn¡¯t help but get excited from the intense realness of hearing the man himself say that he was going to start recording.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the entries for the preliminary selection of thepetition, aren¡¯t you?¡± He couldn¡¯t stop himself from confirming once more; no one would mind experiencing the feelings of joy all over again.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Shen Yan was slightly amused by the gleam in Qi Jing¡¯s eyes and the corners of his lips couldn¡¯t help but curl upwards.


    ¡°All the best! I¡¯ll await your good news!¡± Qi Jing said hurriedly. But somehow it still felt a littlecking so he lifted one of the Little Return Date¡¯s paws to cheer Shen Yan on with its chubby paw pads. He was actually nning to record his entries tonight as well but more than himself, he was concerned whether Shen Yan would sessfully make the cut.


    ¡°You too.¡± Shen Yan said with a smile. For him, the best news was both of them being selected.


    The days they spent waiting for the good news were busy yet fulfilling.


    After the deadline for submitting their recordings, there were three whole days dedicated for an official review of the submission. So they could take their time waiting for the results toe out.


    Shen Yan spent his weekdays working at the hospital while Qi Jing also had work from the station to finish so he didn¡¯t bother the other party. He took the time to first write up a proposal to be handed to the director of the News Channel. He wanted to take this chance while he was staying in the area to do some interviews in the city and do a feature on pet hospitals and clinics.


    The director gave him a response on the same day.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read through your detailed proposal and it¡¯s well-conceived.¡± That was a very good start.


    The director was a typical man of the news media industry and was often direct with his words¡ªif it¡¯s good, it¡¯s good; if it¡¯s bad, it¡¯s bad¡ªbecause the phrase ¡°time is money¡± was especially the case for the News Channel. Since he said that the proposal was not bad, Qi Jing more or less knew that his idea would definitely be approved this time.


    However, what he didn¡¯t expect was for the director to not only approve his proposal, but also suggest that he should make it bigger and grander.


    ¡°Oh Xiao Qi, I was thinking... instead ofpressing this content into a five to ten minute news segment and hastily squeezing it into a news broadcast like you proposed, why not talk to the people working on the segment, ¡®A look into society¡¯. See if you can make it into one of their releases; make it a big one.¡± The director¡¯s voice could be heard loud and clear over the phone, he seemed to have quite an interest in this proposal. ¡°You know about ¡®A look into society¡¯, right? The hour-long show that airs every Saturday night. Putting aside the time taken formentary by the guests, about forty minutes is avable just for the main content.¡±


    Of course, Qi Jing knew about that segment.


    It was one of the more highly rated news programmes on TV. It was broadcasted every Saturday during prime time which was just after dinner and before the start of the popr drama series. It was very well-received as the content was closely rted to the phenomena observed in society.


    ¡°Director, could you ask them in my stead?¡± If he could really grab hold of this opportunity, it would no doubt be a great affirmation of his career as a journalist.


    As Qi Jing asked that question, he couldn¡¯t help but lower his head. He was even beginning to suspect that Little Return Date had climbed onto him and started scratching on his chest again¡ªthere was this tingle in his heart and his entire person was already itching to get to action.


    Instead of answering his question, the channel director asked instead, ¡°Xiao Qi, let me ask you, haven¡¯t you always wanted to be a TV show host?¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback, he didn¡¯t expect the director to suddenly bring up this question.


    He had indeed told the director about his future goal when he first joined the News Channel many years ago, that he hoped that he could one day appear as a show host and not just a reporter. Hard skills wise, he had long obtained an A grade at Level I of the Putonghua Proficiency Test, what hecked was the experience and promotion opportunities.


    ¡°¡®A look into society¡¯ is recently considering getting a revamp. There won¡¯t be any changes to the original host but they might be thinking of adding a second host to act as amentator. Someone who can join in the discussion between the host and guests, as well as visit the scene of the event, which would then be simr to a reporter.¡± The director chuckled. ¡°I know your qualifications are quite good and that you have a pretty good rtionship with several of the departments there. If you want this job, I think you can give it your best shot.¡±


    If he could really transfer over, the likelihood of frequently travelling out into the field would be greatly reduced and he would spend most of his time in town.


    Maybe, he could really keep a cat now.


    Maybe, he could stop being the god of ying dead.


    Maybe... he could really stay by Shen Yan¡¯s side and not have to constantly be out and about anymore.


    ¡°Director,¡± Qi Jing jolted back to his senses. Beads of sweat oozed out from the palm of his hand that held the phone in a death grip as he said earnestly, ¡°please let me give it a shot¡ª¡±


    Mashiro: Go on, QJ!! You can do it!!


    Fingers crossed so that both of them would be selected for thepetition. I wonder what QJ is up to with little return date.

 Chapter 44

    <h4>Chapter 44</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: Whitere


    Compared to how nervous Big Return Date was when facing the camera lenses for the first time, Little Return Date was like a natural born celebrity. It didn¡¯t get scared when the big ck thing before it started to get closer and closer, even daring to extend its paw to w that object gleaming with reflected light.


    ¡°You can¡¯t scratch that.¡± Qi Jing held it up just in time to stop it from damaging the camera lenses.


    ¡°Your cat really is so funny; it looks so clever too.¡± The cameraman praised while holding the equipment on his shoulder, carefully scrutinizing Little Return Date¡¯s appearance through the camera lenses.


    Qi Jing temporarily put Little Return Date back in a small box, freeing up his hand to check through the action n for today onest time while chatting with his colleagues: ¡°This little fe is living afortable life when at home and has been spoiled silly. Its three big daily missions are to eat, sleep, and fool around; right now, it¡¯s a perfect chance to take it out for some ¡®training¡¯, otherwise it really would be a pile ofzy cat bones.¡±


    Little Return Date lifted its head and watched its owner and a few strangers bustle about from its crate, an innocent and naive look on its face. Little did it know that today was its grand day, as it was about to step onto the path of devoting itself to the acting.


    Qi Jing hid a mini microphone in the inconspicuous ce behind his cor and covered it with a coat while the camera assistant helped him with cing a micro-camera inside his bag. Once everything was secured in ce, Qi Jing briefly tested out the camera angles; everything was ready, so he held Little Return Date, and got out of the car.


    Those days he made a full disy of his perception skills as a news reporter when studying the little guy¡¯s daily routine. Just as Shen Yan had said before, this little guy would be sluggish and sleepy after eating, looking rather apathetic¡ªit was quite simr to its look when ill. That¡¯s why Qi Jing made it eat its fill in advance.


    As expected, the kittenying in the crook of his arm started to show some signs of sleepiness, its eyes drowsy and sluggish. It didn¡¯t even feel like stretching out its paws. Qi Jing smiled lightly and walked towards the nearby vet clinic inrge strides.


    Aftering in through therge doors, he first looked around the lobby. He didn¡¯t see any business permit orpliance certificate of animal disease prevention hung on the wall, the equipment also looked rather crude. But there were still clients waiting there, sitting separately. He concluded his observation and let the camera in his bag shoot everything before going to the front desk.


    The receptionistdy smiled wholeheartedly and said in a pleasant voice, ¡°Wee, how can I help you?¡±


    Her attitude wasn¡¯t that bad.


    And so his acting skills tempered for three years of voice acting were set in motion. ¡°It seems like my cat got ill, can I ask the doctor to examine him? It¡¯s the first time for me to keep a cat, so Ick experience. Those two days I was so anxious I thought I was about to go crazy.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s brows creased in a deep furrow as he lifted the hand carrying the cat, pleading piteously.


    With the intense anxiety in his voice, it sounded as if the little guy in his arms was an apple of his eye, one he couldn¡¯t bear making suffer any grievances.


    The phrasing ¡®it seems¡¯ was for the sake of creating an effect of ambiguousness.


    Saying ¡®It¡¯s the first time for me to keep a cat¡¯ was for the sake of highlighting hisck of knowledge.


    The receptionistdy gasped slightly, looking genuinely concerned. She turned her head and called a medical assistant who looked an intern, ¡°You take a look at this kitten first and examine its symptoms.¡±


    Qi Jing secretly pinched Little Return Date¡¯s paw. Little Return Date opened its eyes halfways, thinking its owner was ying with it¡ªbut Qi Jing stubbornly refused to either pay attention to it or pet it for a long time, so it started meowinginingly. For a bystander, it could very well be a whine caused by an ailment.


    The intern assistant came over absent-mindedly and took over Little Return Date, lifting the little guy by its armpits. He put on an act of looking at it closely a couple of times before putting it down without examining anything.


    At that moment, the receptionistdy skillfully fished out a price list from beneath the counter and put it before Qi Jing, showing him all kinds of examinations offered at their ce, ¡°Please first check out our prices. Generally speaking, for the people that keep a pet for the first time, we rmend aplete set of examinations including theb tests for faeces, blood, and bacteria. But the most important are feline distemper and feline infectious peritonitis.¡±


    All that time, Qi Jing had been looking quietly at that intern¡¯s movements and only at that moment he withdrew his eyes. His expression was still as flustered and at loss when asked dumbly, ¡°Feline distemper? What is this feline distemper, what is that feline perito-something?¡±


    In reality, he was perfectly aware of what those two were. Every evening, Shen Yan would sit by his bedside and read him the treatment diary, every now and then chatting with Qi Jing about the matters rted to those small animals.


    Qi Jing listened to him devotedly¡ªevery time they came across some medical jargon he didn¡¯t understand, he would let Shen Yan pause for a moment and exin it to him. Shen Yan¡¯s exnations were always very detailed, going through everything from the illness¡¯ condition, causes and symptoms, until Qi Jingpletely understood it.


    After having a few of these exchanges, he gradually familiarised himself with themon feline diseases and could more or less recite the symptoms from his memory.


    As expected, Kitty¡¯s Papa is always so reliable.


    The receptionistdy asked that intern to briefly exin the feline distemper and FIP to him. The intern exined it to him roughly&#k2014;a lot of things were mentioned off-handedly and he put a great stress on the effects and consequences, purposely making the situation sound terribly severe.


    Qi Jing nodded his head in confusion, as if he was hearing this for the first time, even gasping anxiously from time to time.


    ¡°I think I understand now.¡± Those five words made both the receptionist and the intern smile in unison, yet his next words made those smiles disappear in a blink of an eye, ¡°But I don¡¯t have so much money, can it just have the faeces examination?¡±


    It was the cheapest examination from the list, with a price of mere 30 yuan.


    The corners of the receptionistdy¡¯s lips sank as she sized him up for a bit, then she quirked them back up again, ¡°Mister, it¡¯s your first time having a cat, so it¡¯s better to be cautious. In our clinic, you can get a discount if you purchase a full set of examinations. This is your first time here, right? We can give you a 25% discount, so it would be only 300 yuan for an entire set. How about that?¡±


    Qi Jing made an expression as if he was thinking hard and paced a few steps in front of the counter, yet still shook his head in the end, ¡°I underwent surgery a couple of days ago and used all of my money on hospital fees, so my financial situation is pretty bad at the moment... Let¡¯s just make it a faeces examination.¡± While saying that, he pointed at his left arm covered in a cast, as if to prove he was telling the truth.


    Upon seeing this, the intern assistant shrugged and took Little Return Date to collect the faeces sample as told. The receptionistdy¡¯s smile didn¡¯t look as amiable anymore as, she just did her job and printed him a receipt, then tore it off with a single flick of hand, tossing it before him so he could pay.


    Qi Jing paid for theb test without acting fussy and kept the receipt¡ªit would naturally get submitted to the unit so he could get a reimbursement.


    Holding Little Return Date in the lobby, he didn¡¯t even wait for ten minutes before the intern-looking person came back to tell him that his cat has feline distemper and requires hospitalization.


    ¡°Doctor, are you sure my cat has feline distemper?¡± Qi Jing was sure this wasn¡¯t a doctor, but he still used the most estimable way of calling him.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, just look at those red lines on the indicator paper.¡± That assistant raised a white indicator paper with an almost indiscernible red line-shaped thing on it. Shen Yan had once exined it to him, saying that an indicator paper examination was very imprecise. The standard way of diagnosing the feline distemper was to check the amount of leukocytes in blood or to examine faeces for the virus. Still, the whole procedure of thetter would certainly not take mere ten minutes.


    ¡°Then I have no other way,¡± Unexpectedly, Qi Jing made a grieved expression and lifted the half-asleep Little Return Date up while saying in a pained tone, ¡°I don¡¯t have money to take this little guy to a doctor. I can only send it back to home so it can spend the rest of its days in peace.¡±


    The assistant stared at him, dumbstruck. ¡°If... If feline distemper doesn¡¯t get treated in time, it would really... really die.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s sudden change in attitude andck of care about the kitten¡¯s life or death shocked him so deeply he began to stutter while speaking.


    ¡°I know, but that¡¯s the only option.¡± Qi Jing put on a rather solemn and tragic expression.


    In reality, there was not a single trace of feline distemper on the little fe. It had just had its blood test done a few days ago, its leukocyte count was regr and the virus examination results didn¡¯t show anything unusual¡ªjust an evening before, it was rolling happily on Shen Yan¡¯sp. It was just Qi Jing knew just the right time to give some treats to the little guy as a reward in advance as they prepared on their way here.


    After that, Qi Jing used the same method to carry out an investigation in a couple of other veterinarian institutions.


    A certain doctor from one of the clinics had told him in a very certain tone that Little Return Date had FIP. He also told him that the rumours about it being one hundred percent deadly disease weren¡¯t reliable¡ªhis clinic had managed to rescue a couple of cases before, but a specific imported vine was needed for that. Each vination cost 200 yuan and it was only effective if the vination continued daily for a week. Of course, Qi Jing found some excuse to decline the advice given.


    Later there were also the cases of marketing cat products, indiscriminately charging outpatient services fees, an examination involving a misused canine distemper indicator paper...Basically, a thousand and one reasons to trick people into paying.


    Fortunately, there was one rtively normal clinic among them. After finishing the routine examination, the nurse had told him that the cat didn¡¯t show anything out of usual, but if he wanted, they could ask the doctor toe and examine it once again. Qi Jing thanked her with a smile. He said he would observe it for another couple of days before leaving.


    Of course, the whole process of investigating had been recorded by the microcamera.


    The provincial TV station and SAIC were in long-term cooperation; there was a fixed team of staff that they liaised with, so he reported the names of the institutions he visited that day to them, asking to investigate whether those businesses had operational permits.


    As for the exterior of those vet hospitals and clinics, his colleagues waiting outside had already finished recording them; all that was left was post-production editing.


    ¡°ording to the n, there are still four other ces we¡¯ll be checking in the afternoon. It¡¯s Saturday, so we can wrap up the work earlier.¡± Said the equipment assistant responsible for driving the car. In a blink of an eye, it was already noon and they stopped the car near a residential area to take a short break.


    ¡°Mhm, let¡¯s wrap this up quick and go home early.¡± Qi Jing smiled. It was the first time he felt an urge to rush back home everyday since he started working.


    After finishing feeding Little Return Date, he closed his eyes to rx for a while. Suddenly, the phone in his pocket buzzed.


    He got a message.


    In fact he knew who that was before he even took out the phone, but as soon as he saw that single ¡°Yan¡± in the sender¡¯s information, all the fatigue umted during the day had vanished into the thin air and he smiled unconsciously. Probably because Shen Yan didn¡¯t want to hinder his work, the content of the message was very short, but still very heartwarming.


    ¡¾You worked hard during the interview. Remember to find time to eat lunch at noon. Don¡¯t walk around hungry.¡¿


    Qi Jing lowered his head in silence, looking at the text for a long time. He repeatedly stroked the words on the screen with his thumb, over and over, his smile only bing bigger.


    ¡°I¡¯m going out to make a call.¡± He stood up and informed his colleagues before getting out of the car to find a secluded corner. He leaned on the wall and called the other¡¯s number.


    ¡°Hello?¡± The call came through really quickly. Qi Jingughed lightly and greeted, ¡°You worked hard, Dr Shen. Is it already the time for a break in the clinic?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, there was an operation in the morning, so it¡¯s a littleter than usual. But there¡¯s nothing important going on at the moment.¡± Shen Yan had to work on Saturdays, that time when he came to visit Qi Jing he made an exception and took a leave. Of course, Qi Jing only got to know about thatter when he was chatting with the head nurse at the clinic.


    ¡°So you must be tired. Make use of your break and go to the lounge to rest for a while, we¡¯ll talk againter when I¡¯m back in the evening.¡±


    Qi Jing had seen Shen Yan working by the operating table¡ªthe burden of this work was heavy, so heavy that simply hearing the word ¡®operation¡¯ made him frown and urge Shen Yan to take a nap.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Maybe because he kept the phone too close to his ear, but he could hear Shen Yan¡¯s breathing very clearly, making him feel as if Shen Yan was murmuring by his ear, ¡°But back to you, have you eaten yet? Even if you don¡¯t have any spare time, you should still sneak a bite or two to fill your stomach. I left some snack bars in your bag so you can eat those when you¡¯re busy.¡±


    ¡°So it was you who had put it there? And here I thought it was a snail girl.¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    He didn¡¯t realise that first when he was going out¡ªonly when he opened his bag to take out a document did he realise that there was an extra bag full of snacks inside, all of them tasty, light and healthy. He thought to himself that there was no other person that would put it there, but since the other party had admitted to have done that, he might as well tease him a little.


    Shen Yan was indeed amused by his teasing; Qi Jing could hear the smile in his voice, ¡°Those are only for the sake of aying your hunger, you still need to remember to eat a regr meal. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a takeaway or not, either way, I¡¯ll cook something when you¡¯re back in the evening.¡±


    The plum in Qi Jing¡¯s heart seemed to be so ripe it turned into a wine, leaving him somewhat woozy.


    Even thoughtely the temperature in the city had continued to drop and he already had to wear a thick jacket, he still didn¡¯t feel even the slightest chill. It was no wonder though¡ªduring his stay in Shen Yan¡¯s apartment the food was hot and steaming, the quilt was cozy, and even during his break when he was working outside, he could still call Shen Yan to listen to this warm concern.


    This year¡¯s autumn... really didn¡¯t seem as unbearable.


    ¡°I know,¡± he said in a low voice, ¡°I wille back as soon as I finish my work, don¡¯t worry too much about me, just wait for me.¡±


    When he was saying those words, a single leaf drifted down from the tree above him. Its golden colour ovepped with the ray of light seeping through the clouds on the horizon, the view luminous and dazzling. The falling leaf was swept away by wind, so his eyes chased after it, looking as it twirled in the wind, his voice brisk from joy.


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯m waiting for you.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s voice on the other hand soundedpletely different, steady like the Mother Earth herself, calm and unfaltering.


    Falling leaves go back to their roots, returning to the earth.


    He also wished he could, just like that leaf, return to that person¡¯s side quickly.


    When Qi Jing proposed to go out and buy boxed meals, his colleagues revealed the same stunned expression and uniformly looked at him nkly.


    In the eyes of everyone in the news department, Qi Jing was a model workaholic. The interview crew members who had worked with him before all knew that during the work time, he usually never ate anything and the lunchtime situated in the middle of the work hours was especially easily omitted. He always liked to wolf down food quickly at the end of the work or simply replenish his energy with some midnight snacks.


    Now, when he suddenly started eating lunch like a normal person, it was only natural that his littlerades were all shocked.


    ¡°Why are you all looking at me like this, don¡¯t you usually eat boxed meals, too?¡± Qi Jing discovered that all of the people in the car were looking at him as if they were sizing up an exotic beast and couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    ¡°It¡¯s not strange to eat boxed meals, it¡¯s strange that it was you who mentioned eating it.¡± The cameraman¡¯s wide open mouth still didn¡¯t closepletely before quickly he quipped in.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s because I¡¯ve eaten some snacks, before so I¡¯m not as hungry. That¡¯s why I¡¯d rather buy a boxed meal than eat in the restaurant.¡± He didn¡¯t want to waste even a single bit of the food Shen Yan prepared for him. He¡¯d eat a couple of snacks, finish dealing with the follow-up and only eat something normally at home, at the time the meal is normally eaten.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not about that,¡± The lightning technician on the side shook his head like a rattle-drum, ¡°it¡¯s the fact that you would eat on time that¡¯s so strange.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bone fracture patient, I need to recuperate.¡± Qi Jing narrowed his eyes while smiling slyly.


    ¡°That¡¯s also true...¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s like that...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all too na?ve, that guy is hiding something from us, I¡¯m sure of that!¡± In the whole group, only the equipment assistant didn¡¯t give up. He had an experience with doing odd works at the entertainment department before, so his skill with fishing for gossip was above ordinary and he wouldn¡¯t be fooled by Qi Jing¡¯s tricks. Saying that, he suddenly pped his hands, his eyes shining, ¡°I understand! Qi Jing, I¡¯m almost certain that you¡¯ve found yourself a girlfriend!¡±


    When that sentence dropped, all of the eyes in the car swooshed in Qi Jing¡¯s direction.


    Qi Jing denied, smiling without any pressure, ¡°Not, at, all.¡±


    Disbelief was written all over the equipment assistant¡¯s face. He pointed his finger at Qi Jing, dead set on getting to the truth of the matter, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to lie, if you do, you¡¯ll get your pay deducted and your year-end bonus will be gone.¡±


    But Qi Jing would keep both his pay and his bonus. Because it wasn¡¯t a girlfriend, but a boyfriend¡ªeven though nominally, that title still had the ¡°under probation¡± tag attached to it.


    So Qi Jing stayedposed and said candidly with a smile, ¡°I really don¡¯t have a girlfriend. Since the car ident, I¡¯ve been living with someone temporarily; they have a strict eating routine and with how I can¡¯t use my hand, it¡¯s them who are responsible for making meals, so it¡¯s only normal that I eat it whenever the food is done. Eating like that for a long time, I got used to it and now I get hungry whenever it¡¯s a mealtime.¡±


    It was probably because the tone of his voice sounded so calm that all of his colleagues believed his excuse. Even the equipment assistant admitted defeat and had to give up on prying into Qi Jing¡¯s private matters.


    The group of guys stopped the car in front of a fast food shop and got out one after another to order some food. Qi Jing chose a rtively light option and returned to the car with his colleagues to eat. Originally, he was able to finish eating everything, even the meals from the hospital cafeteria. But even though the boxed meal he was eating now was way better in quality then the hospital one, he thought it tasted in when he nibbled on it and didn¡¯t show as much of an appetite as other people in the car.


    ¡°Crap...¡± Qi Jing stopped his chopsticks and smiled while mumbling to himself, his head lowered.


    Seems like his taste has changed, he became more picky.


    And he even knew who was responsible for that. Besides the times he worked outside, he was eating three meals made by Shen Yan a day nearly every day. They were fresh and neat; they smelled, looked, and tasted great. How could an ordinary boxed meal bought on the streetspare anymore?


    ¡°Seems like I need to hurry back home.¡± He continued eating with a smile. Only with enough energy would his efficiency be high and only like that he would be able to finish his work quicker.


    Besides, it was the day of the official announcement of the contestants who qualified for the ¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·.

 Chapter 45

    <h4>Chapter 45</h4>


    TLC: lilies


    Editor: mashiro


    The moment the fracture in his arm began to ache, Qi Jing knew the weather was about to change.


    As expected, even though it was just cloudy at noon, the sky becamepletely overcast and was covered by the murky clouds by five in the afternoon. It seemed like the continuous decrease in the temperature these days couldn¡¯t go without thepany of the autumn rain.


    Fortunately he had departed with the crew in thepany car, so he didn¡¯t need to worry, even if it really started to rain. Once they finish thest round of undercover investigation for today this part of their job would be done, so his co-workers would no doubt send him home.


    On their way back Little Return Date, who had been enacting a sickly cat for a whole day, was now lying on Qi Jing¡¯spnguidly. Its cat instinct made it react to the change of weather, so it was nowpletely dozy¡ªno matter how Qi Jing tried, no cat food could attract its attention. It only wanted to drill inside its owner¡¯s jacket, treating it as an improvised bedding and hiding its head inside it to catch up on its sleep.


    ¡°Your friend lives in an old town¡ªit¡¯s kinda far away from thepany. If you were to return to your usual work, wouldn¡¯t it be very time-consuming to go back and forth?¡± The equipment assistant, who also doubled as a driver, drove the car to the address Qi Jing gave him and remarked with a sigh as he looked at the multitude of old residential buildings. This ce was peaceful, sure, but it was far from the city centre, making it inconvenient.


    Qi Jing first froze, then his voice sank to a whisper as he replied, ¡°Yeah... I would have to take both the metro and bus, so it would probably take me around an hour to get there.¡°


    ¡°I guess you¡¯d have to move back by then?¡± The equipment assistant remembered the address of Qi Jing¡¯s apartment¡ªit was only half an hour of a bus ride from the TV station.


    It was just a mindlessment by the speaker but it struck a chord in the listener¡¯s mind.


    Qi Jing did his best to avoid this question, unwilling to face it¡ªjust as he was unwilling to remind himself that his current state of life is only temporary, that there was a time limit to him and Shen Yan¡¯s living under the same roof. ording to what the doctor had said at the beginning, after a few days, he would have to go to the hospital to take an x-ray photo to confirm the condition of the bone after operation. As for when his cast would be taken off, it was all dependent on his recovery speed.


    It¡¯s so contradictory... Shen Yan did his best to take care of him, paying attention to making every meal nourishing and consolidated, making sure that Qi Jing had sufficient sleep¡ªall of it for the sake of letting him recover as quickly as possible.


    Yet the day he fully recovers would be the day he has to go back and return to his old life.


    At the moment, he was unable to imagine the days without Shen Yan. Their ancestors were truly full of wisdom: ¡°It¡¯s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but the reverse is hard¡±¡ªthose words couldn¡¯t be any more true. For him, Shen Yan was his biggest luxury.


    ¡°Sigh... ¡° His sigh was almost inaudible.


    Qi Jing¡¯s brows seemed to be weighted down by the heavy rain clouds outside the car window as he furrowed, staying silent for a long time while leaning against the back of the seat. The scenery along their way fleeted by, looking as if ayer of colour had been washed off from it, losing its vibrancy, its gloominess making one unable to continue admiring it.


    Once he realised that the time to face the reality was closing in, an inevitable sense of worry sprouted in his heart. Those feelings apanied him until the car pulled over. Only then did hee back from his stupor, realising that the entrance to the district he had slowly grown used totely had appeared before them already.


    ¡°Qi Jing, we¡¯re here.¡± Not hearing any movement from him for quite a while, the equipment assistant turned his head and called him.


    ¡°Thank you so much for the ride.¡± Qi Jing pulled up the corner of his mouth, putting on a smiling expression. Not caring whether he managed to do it, he silently reached out his hand to lift Little Return Date and put it in the box before packing his things. He said goodbye to his colleague and got out of the car while hugging the box with his hand.


    Sending off thepany car with his gaze, Qi Jing kept standing in the ce for a while. He stared helplessly at Little Return Date before heaving a sigh.


    ¡°And there¡¯s also you, little fe¡ªif I were to move back, what would happen to you?¡±


    ¡°Meow meow?¡±


    Little Return Date¡¯s eyes were hazy from sleepiness and once again didn¡¯t understand his mumbled soliloquy. It twisted its head to look at its owner¡¯s face, pawed at him with its fleshy paw, then turned away to continue sleeping. For a moment, Qi Jing felt envious of itsck of worries.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡± At that moment, he heard an unexpected voice at an unexpected ce.


    Startled, he turned his head all of a sudden, only to see the man who was just in his mind walking towards him. A sudden sense of reality instantly washed all over him,pletely engulfing his previous worries. Everything became bright and all at once, he was finally able to form a genuine smile, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I saw that the weather looked bad and it might start raining soon, so I went out beforehand to wait for you at the intersection.¡± When Shen Yan stopped before him, Qi Jing finally noticed that he was holding a foldable umbre in his hand.


    From the entrance of the district to the front of the apartment building, it was a journey no longer than five hundred metres and a walk, even at the slowest pace, wouldn¡¯tst more than fifteen minutes.


    But Shen Yan didn¡¯t want him to brave the rain, even for this five hundred metres long walk.


    ¡°Does your current behaviour count as being overprotective?¡± The corners of Qi Jing¡¯s eyes crinkled into a smile as he looked at Shen Yan¡ªthere was no reproach in his voice, only a hint of a tease.


    Hearing that, Shen Yan lifted his head, meeting Qi Jing¡¯s eyes. His gaze was earnest, not at all discouraged by Qi Jing¡¯s words. Maybe the heavens above also heard those words, because at that exact moment a couple of raindrops fell suddenly,nding on the cat¡¯s box with a patter, the sound crisp and clear. The little guy inside stuck up its ears, seemingly woken up by the rain.


    It really did start raining... Qi Jing looked up towards the sky, speechless.


    Shen Yan smiled faintly as he opened the umbre, covering two men and a cat with it. ¡°See, didn¡¯t thise in handy? So it should be called ¡®appropriate protection¡¯¡±.


    To be honest, that rain wasn¡¯t heavy and there was no need for using an umbre. But Qi Jing decided to seize this opportunity to enjoy his share of this ¡®appropriate protection¡¯.


    When they returned back home, dinner was surprisingly ready to serve. The delicious aroma of freshly prepared food filled the room, it looked so appetising his stomach almost rumbled. Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but stop and suck in a mouthful of air, quietly appreciating this fulfilling feel of being weed home.


    As for now, he didn¡¯t want to mull over the things toe. The future matters are to be thought of in the future, now, he would rather treasure what was before him.


    The warm light from the hangingmp contrasted against the gloomy darkness outside the window. Wind and rain both grew more and more intense and the window pane was already thickly covered with the raindrops¡ªit seems they had returned quite timely and didn¡¯t meet the strong rain. Still, the sound of the rain water drumming while flowing off the eaves interweaved with the sound of bowls and chopsticks shing,plementing their happiness. It made the warmth of spending the days together more vivid.


    Two people sat side by side as usual, chatting about that day¡¯s progress in their respective works while eating the meal. Little Return Date, on the other hand, had already eaten its fill, drank to its fullest, and was now licking its ws happily.


    When he was eating alone before, Qi Jing would turn on the TV during his meals and follow the evening news broadcast at 6PM. Now he changed even this habit¡ªhe would either watch the news at 10PM or catch on it the next day on the inte when he arrives at thepany. There was no other reason for it than his wish to chat with Shen Yan a little more during meals.


    ¡°Today,¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·team will officially announce the list of contestants qualified for the finals.¡± This was Qi Jing¡¯s main focus for today.


    ¡°Mhm, I remember.¡± Shen Yan seemed plenty calm and unperturbed.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you nervous?¡± Qi Jing asked as he nudged at Shen Yan¡¯s arm with the back of his hand.


    Shen Yan turned his head to look at him, his smile indecipherable. He moved his hand over, touching the back of Qi Jing¡¯s hand with his in a simr manner, nudging him with a finger and questioned, ¡°If I didn¡¯t qualify to get through the preliminary stage, would you look down on me?¡±


    ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m not nervous.¡± Shen Yan smiled as he took back his hand and continued adding vegetables to Qi Jing¡¯s bowl. Qi Jing didn¡¯t react for a while, then he started giggling¡ªit seemed like he was worrying for nothing.


    Both of them maintained a calm frame of mind, talking andughing as they finished the meal. They cleaned the table and went to theputer together.


    The official website for¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·voice actingpetition had already issued an eye-catching advertising banner. The list of contestants who passed the first round of selection had been already announced and the detailed list of qualified contestants could be opened by clicking on the role name. The order of performing for the preliminary contest had been already arranged randomly and was disyed as a number before the contestant¡¯s ID.


    Even though Shen Yan himself had said he wasn¡¯t nervous, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but hold his breath. The mouse didn¡¯t move for a long while, as he was hesitating which role they should check first.


    ¡°Just check whichever you want, no need to worry so much.¡± Shen Yan stood by his side, easing Qi Jing¡¯s misgivings with his smile.


    ¡°I¡¯d better check the roles I chose first.¡± Thus, Qi Jing decided to start with himself to pre-empt any possible disappointments.


    He first opened the ¡°Emperor Chang¡± role. Because of the age difference, this was the role he was the least sure about during recording. If an average CV pinched their throat to make their voice sound older, the performance would get more or less affected and wouldn¡¯t sound as natural. Qi Jing had specially asked the ¡°Forever a Grandpa¡± Shen Yan to teach him about the know-hows in that regard.


    But some things still do require a certain level of talent. When Shen Yan was teaching him, he just used a voice of a thirty, forty years old uncle. It was still far cry from being a grandpa voice, but Qi Jing still felt as if his voice sounded fake and strained when he tried to imitate Shen Yan. He couldn¡¯t imagine how Shen Yan managed to produce such a natural-sounding grandpa voice. Basically it was very impressive and mysterious.


    Thirty people qualified from the preliminary contest to the finals. His eyes searched through their IDs one after another and after not seeing his ID among the first fifteen people, he didn¡¯t dare to continue scrolling downwards anymore.


    ¡°I think I probably didn¡¯t get this one...¡± Just as Qi Jing¡¯s hand on the top of the mouse showed a sign of letting go, Shen Yan suddenly grasped it; their hands joined one on top of the other, calmly keeping Qi Jing¡¯s hand on the mouse.


    ¡°You definitely passed.¡± The voice by Qi Jing¡¯s ear was low and deep, enough to appease his anxious heart.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Qi Jingposed himself, subconsciously leaning back towards the source of the warmth from behind him, his hair pressing against the Shen Yan¡¯s chest. This posture finally gave him the strength to move his finger, so the scroll wheel started rolling once again.


    No.16: Don¡¯t ask for my return date.


    When he finally saw his ID, Qi Jing¡¯s whole person heaved a long sigh of relief. It was as if the thoroughly exhausted alpinist chose not to return, but to persist on going just a little further, finally managing to cross the peak and see the first rays of the rising sun with his own eyes.


    ¡°Congrattions.¡± Shen Yanughed lightly, his cheek touching Qi Jing¡¯s hair as he congratted him.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Qi Jing felt the other¡¯s undting breath on the side of his face¡ªit was so warm his face began to feel hot.


    Going further down the list, Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Terrace also appeared on the name list, but he got the number far behind Qi Jing¡ªhe was 25th in the line up.


    In reality, the performance order also had a kind of influence on the grading during thepetition. Having to perform early could easily result in a harsh evaluation, with the score ending up on the lower side. Performing too close towards the end could lead to beingpared with the previouspetitors; the score in that case could end up either high or low, it depended on the situation. His line up for the ¡°Emperor Chang¡± role right now wasn¡¯t half bad.


    He then clicked on the MC 1 role ¡°Qin Tuo¡±: No. 10 Bronze Sparrow Terrace, and No. 12 Don¡¯t ask for my return date.


    ¡°My line up with that role is so close to the great god, it¡¯s basically back-to-back.¡± With such a close line up, it was one hundred percent sure that they would bepared with the other when the timees. But with the results for ¡°Emperor Chang¡± as the baseline, he wasn¡¯t as nervous when checking the results for ¡°Qin Tuo¡±. He was rxed enough toment on it lightly.


    ¡°It will be fine as long as you give it your best shot.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s hand was still ced on Qi Jing¡¯s. At that time, he bent his thumb a little, rubbing against Qi Jing¡¯s knuckles for a while. Both his voice and his moves were full offorting, making Qi Jing feel happy from the bottom of his heart.


    ¡°I will try my best,¡± He promised with augh. He would make sure to give it a good show without holding back.


    Thest role Qi Jing decided on trying was ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±. It was the one he chose purely because it suited his voice type the most and it was also the one that Ninth Lady with the rest of the girls looked forward to the most.


    It couldn¡¯t be said he felt particrly strongly about this role, as he started off with the idea ofpeting with the great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace and this one didn¡¯t ovep with the roles the great god chose. But after he got to know that Shen Yan chose ¡°Bai Ke¡±, his enthusiasm spiked up immediately.


    He could get into the finals with this role almost without any suspense. The only thing he didn¡¯t expect was that among hispetitors there was an ID that was pretty high-key these days, and its position was quite closely snuggled against him.


    No.7: Don¡¯t ask for my return date.


    No.8: Crossing the bridge noodles.


    Do you really want to be closer to me than to your family¡¯s great god, Crossing the bridge noodles-kun? Qi Jingined internally.


    He could imagine how after this name list came out, the three of them managed to provide a lot of material for the online shippingmunity. There would certainly be some discussions in the CP towers.


    ¡°Crossing the bridge noodles... I¡¯ve seen this ID before.¡± Even Shen Yan showed some reaction towards this person.


    Could it be because of the post he had forwardedst time...?


    All of sudden Qi Jing¡¯s heart skipped a beat and he didn¡¯t dare to follow this sensitive topic. After all, Crossing the bridge noodles had¡ªin front of the great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace and thousands of their mutual fans¡ªimed to like him.


    ¡°His fans had said some unpleasant things about you in the post thread for¡¶Trap¡·before.¡± Shen Yan slowly opened his mouth to speak. He didn¡¯t use words like ¡°insult¡± or ¡°mocking¡±, seemingly to avoid deepening the sense of conflict between the other party and Qi Jing.


    So he actually meant the matter of antis from the audio drama thread who requested giving my role to Crossing the bridge noodles. Qi Jing smiled, relieved, ¡°It¡¯s because a lot of fans worship his and Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s CP, so it¡¯s only natural they¡¯re unsatisfied with a transparent nobody like me forming a CP with their great god. It doesn¡¯t matter, they can say whatever they want.¡±


    Shen Yan looked sideways to check his expression. It didn¡¯t look forced, so he nodded his head without saying a word.


    ¡°I passed with all of my three roles, so let¡¯s see yours now.¡± Qi Jing copied Shen Yan as he curled his thumb, stroking the side of the other¡¯s finger while reminding him in a light voice.


    Shen Yan gave a soft hum in response and started with clicking on ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡± calmly.


    Qi Jing was also very calm. It was because he waspletely confident in Geese Fly North¡¯s grandpa voice, and had no doubts concerning it at all. Just as expected, on the list of the contestants qualified for thepetition, a string of letters appeared¡ªNo.28: Kitty ¤Î Papa.


    Only one thing left Qi Jing worried: ¡°Your position is so near the end, will you be influenced by other people?¡±


    Shen Yan smiled as he shook his head lightly. There was this faint sense of tenacity behind his obsidian eyes, ¡°I won¡¯t. After reading the source material, I made my grandpa a reference point for this role. With this kind of deep impression in my mind, no matter how the other people perform, they won¡¯t be able to influence my performance.¡±


    Qi Jing had heard Shen Yan mentioning this elder quite a lot of times and he could see how deep Shen Yan¡¯s feelings towards that person were. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to sway him.


    Thus, he also felt somewhat reassured.


    Next was ¡°Bai Ke¡±, the viin role who had a lot of scenes with ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±. To be honest, this role was too different from Shen Yan¡¯s temperament, it was hard for him to get a grasp of it. Coupled with it being youthful voice, the type of voice with the least shortages in the online voice acting circle, his rivals were most probably too many to count.


    Qi Jing somehow didn¡¯t dare to look. When the icon was opened with a clicking sound of the mouse, he closed his eyes subconsciously.


    At that time, Shen Yan¡¯s calm voice could be heard: ¡°No.30.¡±


    Hearing that, Qi Jing opened his eyes quickly, once again towards the screen. The Kitty ¤Î Daddy ID could only be seen at the end of the long list.


    ¡°Phew... So you got this one too.¡± He felt as if he was relieved from a burden¡ªatst the other stone weighing on his heart was gone, ¡°But why is your position always so far to the end?¡±


    Previously it was the third position from the end, now it straight up became thest. Qi Jing even suspected that the officials thought an ID like ¡°Kitty ¤Î Daddy¡± was not trustworthy and ced it at the end on purpose¡ªif that was the case, then wouldn¡¯t it make Qi Jing an unredeemable sinner?


    Shen Yan seemed to be aware of his worries. He smiled and said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s not important what number I get. Either way I will y the way I want to y.¡±


    ¡°Okay then.¡± Qi Jing was also influenced by his optimism. He tilted his head to the back, resting it on Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder as he said with a smile, ¡°Regardless of that, congrattions on smooth qualifying into the finals.¡±


    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s still one role for which we don¡¯t know the results yet.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s voice faltered suddenly¡ªit was lower than just a moment ago, his thoughts even harder to fathom.


    Qi Jing even felt Shen Yan¡¯s body move¡ªhis back straightened stiffly and the strength with which he held Qi Jing¡¯s hand increased slightly. In the next moment, Qi Jing heard Shen Yan take a deep breath¡ªit sounded simr to a suppressed gasp. He had said he wasn¡¯t nervous, yet he unexpectedly showed some signs of nervousness.


    Even though he had been so calm up till a moment ago.


    Qi Jing was confused, he didn¡¯t know what was the source of the pressure for Shen Yan this time. Thest one left to check was ¡°Marquess Shunyan¡±, the role Qi Jing had believed he didn¡¯t need to choose. But he didn¡¯t know why, it became the first role Shen Yan chose on his own ord.


    The reporter¡¯s instinct was telling him that Shen Yan wasn¡¯t just doing this topete with the great god, but also for something else.


    ¡ªI want to ovee something. Qi Jing recalled the words Shen Yan said back then. He didn¡¯t understand the hidden meaning behind those words and Shen Yan didn¡¯t exin himself. But his instinct kept warning him to not dig into it rashly. He always felt as if, if he started digging, he would excavate a dark and bottomless abyss¡ªnot only he would fall into it, but he would also drag Shen Yan, who had painstakingly crawled out of it, back inside again.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s have a look,¡± Qi Jing said suddenly. There was no need to dig into it, he could still detour that abyss and continue moving forwards, ¡°Since you had already signed up, it doesn¡¯t matter what the oue would be. Looking won¡¯t change anything.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± After keeping silent for a while, Shen Yan seeminglyughed faintly and his breathing slowed down by a lot.


    Both of them moved their fingers almost at the same time, clicking at the role icon.


    No.14: Bronze Sparrow Terrace.


    No.22: Kitty ¤Î Papa.


    It was still a close to the end position and with the great god performing before him, theparability would be strong¡ªthe amount of unfavourable factors wasn¡¯t something ordinary. But no matter what, he had already been officially qualified for the contest.


    ¡°Then, can I officially congratte you now?¡± Qi Jing lifted his eyebrow as he said.


    Shen Yan looked at the name list on screen in silence for a while, his eyes full of mixed feelings. When his eyes finally lowered down, the corners of his lips on the other hand rose up, forming a seamless smile.


    It was his first step moving forward. Even though he didn¡¯t know what journey awaited him, he was already prepared to press on and find joy despite the hardships he might face.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± He said while lowering his body to bury his head slowly by Qi Jing¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Maybe let¡¯s... celebrate a little?¡± Qi Jing¡¯s heart was stirred by this behaviour of Shen Yan¡¯s. He asked in a low voice, warmth spilling in his heart from the cuddle, ¡°Both of us had qualified for all three roles, doesn¡¯t that deserve a celebration?¡¯


    ¡°Okay.¡± Because of how Shen Yan had his head buried in Qi Jing¡¯s clothes, his voice was hoarse but gentle.


    ¡°How do you want to celebrate it?¡±


    ¡°Anything goes, you decide.¡± For Shen Yan, besides getting cozy in each other¡¯s arms, he didn¡¯t seem to have any extravagant wishes.


    So Qi Jing chose the mostmon way of celebration. ¡°Right, can you drink?¡± He proposed with a smile, ¡°We can drink a couple of sses to celebrate.¡±


    A/N:


    The correct answer is: Dr Shen can¡¯t drink.


    T/N:


    Mashiro :......the author shouldn¡¯t have said that. Now I am really looking forward to seeing the drunk Shen Yan £¨¡££¾¦Ø£¼£©¡£

 Chapter 46

    <h4>Chapter 46</h4>


    Thank you so much Tinsunny for a coffee! (¨R?¨Q)?


    TLC: Lilies


    Editor: Whitere


    Shen Yan couldn¡¯t drink.


    Even during events where drinking was expected, Shen Yan would only drink a little; he was very restrained in that aspect, so naturally, he didn¡¯t have a habit of keeping alcohol at home.


    He was about to answer truthfully when he lifted his eyes and met the excited glint in Qi Jing¡¯s. Shen Yan stared nkly for a while; at that moment, he didn¡¯t know whether or not he should throw that wet nket on him.


    He didn¡¯t know how many opportunities like that they would get¡ªcelebrating the same things together, sharing the joy of two people together. After a month... even seeing each other would probably be difficult. Qi Jing¡¯s job was rather unusual¡ªhe often had to be on the move all year long and even when he was back in the province, he would need some time to rest first.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Suddenly, Shen Yan nodded in response, ¡°But I don¡¯t have any alcohol at home, so I¡¯ll go out to buy it in a minute.¡±


    Hearing that Shen Yan would have to go out during the rain, Qi Jing froze for a while, then immediately started dissuading him, ¡°Ah, then forget about that. After all, it¡¯s still raining outside...¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, that shop is nearby, it¡¯s only a five minutes walk.¡± Shen Yan, however, was insistent. He smiled faintly as he pulled away from Qi Jing¡¯s shoulder, checking out the intensity of the rain outside the window as he asked, ¡°What do you want to drink? You can tell me if there¡¯s a brand you like in particr.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s father was alcoholic, so he was fairly heedful of keeping himself in check when it came to drinking. Apart from the asions when the leaders were present atpany events and he had to force himself to drink baijiu, he would usually only drink beer or red wine. Thetter was weaker inparison, so he was less likely to get drunk. Since reporters were always on the move, it was important for them to maintain a sober mind. As for the brand of the alcohol, it didn¡¯t matter to him at all.


    But since it was about two people celebrating at home, red wine still seemed like a more fitting choice to match the atmosphere.


    Although it was not advisable for fracture patients to drink alcohol during the recuperation period, red wine wasn¡¯t a strong alcohol, so drinking a couple of sses wouldn¡¯t pose a problem. Moreover, it was getting coldtely, so beer wouldn¡¯t be suitable as it was a refreshing summer drink. Drinking red wine not only could warm up the body, but could also help regte sleep.


    ¡°Buy red wine. It doesn¡¯t matter what brand you choose, I¡¯m not picky.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± It seemed like this evening, Shen Yan had changed his usual habit of paying extra care to everything Qi Jing ate¡ªthis time, whatever he said went.


    Qi Jing thought to himself, maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯s in a good mood? He smiled subconsciously as that thought shed by in his mind; after all, he was also a part of that ¡®happy asion¡¯. There was nothing better than having someone to celebrate with.


    ¡°Then you take a shower first, I¡¯ll go out to buy the alcohol in the meantime.¡± Turning off theputer, Shen Yan reminded Qi Jing to take care of that before drinking. His reasoning was simple¡ªQi Jing was injured, so if he went to the bathroom after getting drunk it would be quite possible for him to slip if he got dizzy.


    But that problem didn¡¯t exist for Shen Yan. Since his job involved dealing with arge number of animals, he developed a habit of washing himself every time he got back from work to get rid of the animals¡¯ odour, so he didn¡¯t need to take the second shower.


    Something shed in Qi Jing¡¯s eyes as he heard him. He lowered his head and cleared his throat, ¡°Alright. Then... Can I trouble you with helping me as usual?¡±


    After so many days of living under the same roof, Qi Jing treasured those thirty seconds before getting into the shower the most¡ªit was a secret he had never told Shen Yan.


    Thirty seconds was a very short time. Shen Yan was already quite proficient with his movements as he had been repeating them everyday and Qi Jing had also learned how to move his arm to cooperate with him. He would start counting in his mind the moment Shen Yan¡¯s hands touched the first button of his shirt¡ªundoing them one after another and taking the shirt off, until all of the clothes on his upper body were gone. All of it took exactly half a minute.


    Usually, Shen Yan¡¯s expression would be all prim and proper during the whole process. It was as if besides looking at the button, his sight would never wander anywhere else, not revealing any sign of improper thoughts.


    Qi Jing sighed inwardly. Seeing how focussed the man before him was, he also had to do his best and make himself look calm as he stood there motionlessly.


    It seemed that Shen Yan treated him no different from how he took care of little cats and dogs on his operating table; his attitude really was exactly the same as during his work hours. So he, who could feel his heart race at the time like that... he really was hopeless.


    Qi Jing felt helpless about that hopelessness of his. He thought he could maintain some professional ethics just like Shen Yan, behaving like a professional patient should¡ªcalmly epting the care and the hands that undressed him.


    But he could neither control his racing heartbeat nor stop all kinds of thoughts from flooding his mind. Usually, he could only endure those thirty seconds before entering the bathroom as if nothing happened. Only after closing the doors would he dare to pinch his scalding hot ear before hurriedly washing away every thought he just had with the hot water.


    Perhaps it was because he heard Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s words that day that he started having these thoughts.


    Or perhaps it was because of thosementable male instincts.


    Whatever the reason, he couldn¡¯t let Shen Yan know what he was thinking about. Shen Yan was such an upright man, he probably wouldn¡¯t even imagine that Qi Jing could entertain little thoughts like that. If Qi Jing idently let him know that, wouldn¡¯t he make himself look sleazy in Shen Yan¡¯s eyes?


    So at least on the surface, he had to be as calm as the other.


    But carefully thinking, there were still some benefits there. At least during those few short minutes when Shen Yan focused on unbuttoning his clothes, he could make use of that to enjoy the feeling of that man¡¯s fingers brushing against his skin every now and then.


    But it was truly a pity that after these many days of practice, Shen Yan could already more or less take off Qi Jing¡¯s clothes without touching him. Only at the beginning would his throat would be lightly brushed and when his shirt was being removed, Shen Yan¡¯s hands would move around his body, brushing against his skin briefly.


    But those opportunities started getting fewer and fewer with each passing day. As a result, those thirty seconds also seemed to grow shorter and slowly it became easier for him to space out.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay now.¡± As Qi Jing spaced out, Shen Yan was even done wrapping his cast with a waterproof stic film. He lifted his head only to suddenly realise that Qi Jing was staring straight at him and he froze subconsciously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go take a shower.¡± Qi Jing gathered back his thoughts and evaded his gaze sheepishly. He turned around and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go out and buy the alcohol?¡± Shen Yan called lightly through the door.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± The voice of the person from the other side of the door sounded no different than usual, as if everything was as it should be.


    After hearing such a response, Shen Yan lowered his eyes a little, sighing with relief¡ªseems like he didn¡¯t expose himself this time. When Qi Jing kept staring at him just a while ago, he thought his selfish motives had been seen through. Fortunately, the subsequent exchange between them could still count as natural, as long as he ignored the small detail of Qi Jing averting his eyes.


    He knew that his hand stopped involuntarily for a moment as he touched Qi Jing¡¯s throat, just like it did when removing his shirt.


    Not only did it stop, he even wished to caress it gently.


    He inhaled sharply.


    If it continued, Qi Jing would really realise. Shen Yan took a deep breath with great restraint. He flung his head back with his eyes closed, trying to throw off the uncontroble thoughts seeping into his mind. He paced back and forth a few steps in his original ce before going back before the door.


    Although he had said he was about to go out, he still kept dawdling without leaving that ce. In reality, every day after seeing Qi Jing going in, he would stay for a while in that smallpartment between the bathroom and the living room.


    With how it was inconvenient for Qi Jing to use his left hand, his moves were slow, so he needed to stay at least twenty to thirty minutes inside. And for the first fifteen minutes, Shen Yan would silently keep watch before the doors, just like now¡ªthe sound of turning on the shower echoed in the bathroom and the whooshing noise of falling water arose. It fell onto the ground one drop after another, just like that swarm of hurried beats drumming in Shen Yan¡¯s chest, loud to the point of bing painful even.


    Shen Yan slowly put one of his hands on the surface of the door; he tilted his head, leaning it against the door surface as he stopped moving. In his ears, besides the noise of the running water, there was just more noise of the running water¡ªthere was no other sound. It sounded monotonous and dull, but he nevertheless closed his eyes and kept silent, listening. He also had no way to confess to Qi Jing about that behaviour, he didn¡¯t even know how to confess that.


    At first, it stemmed from the worry about Qi Jing¡¯s safety¡ªhe was afraid Qi Jing would slip inside, so he would sit in the living room and listen.


    But now.


    Now even he wouldn¡¯t believe in this sort of excuse¡ª


    When Qi Jing finished showering, Shen Yan didn¡¯t seem to be back yet as the living room was empty. Thus, he clumsily put on a clean shirt like a child learning to dress himself for the first time, fastening the buttons at a snail¡¯s pace. He found a hairdryer and blew his hair dry by himself for a while.


    Just as his hair was almost dry, the clinking of keys and the click of the door being unlocked could be heard from the main door¡ªsure enough, Shen Yan was back.


    ¡°Was the rain too heavy that it held you up on your way back?¡± Qi Jing put the hairdryer aside quickly, his brows furrowing as he went over to wee Shen Yan back and check if he got drenched in the rain. ording to Shen Yan¡¯s words, the shop was only five minutes away and it would only take him ten minutes to be back, but Qi Jing spent at least twice this amount of time in the shower.


    Shen Yan closed the umbre, lowering his eyes as he shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s just the shop I was talking about had closed ahead of time today, so I went to another one. It was a little further away, but at least the selection of red wine was better.¡±


    So it was like that.


    Qi Jing checked all over him, making sure he didn¡¯t get wet in the rain. Only then did he feel assured and say with a smile, ¡°It just so happens that it¡¯s cold outside, drinking alcohol will help us warm up. Sit down, I will look for some sses.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know why, but Shen Yan kept his eyes down, only nodding at him in response as he put the red wine he bought on the table.


    The rain outside the window made the night look even darker, even colder than usual. The traces left by rain droplets on the window pane were illuminated by themp light, contrasting with the murky appearance of the old town behind that looked so grey, it seemed to be covered with ayer of frost. All of those imageries would make one instinctively feel cold.


    ¡°I guess the temperature will continue dropping tomorrow.¡± This time, Qi Jing didn¡¯t doubt the weather forecast. Just perfect, the weather like this even added on to his craving for some alcohol.


    In the past, he would sometimes drink alone at home. There were also days like this, when he could, free of any worries, open a bottle and start drinking without any care about the mood; that was the bachelor¡¯s way of drinking. It waspletely different with two people.


    Red wine itself was an alcohol that needed an appropriate mood. They thought of this idea on short notice, so the house wasn¡¯t decorated in any way, and there were no ornaments prepared, no flowers or candle holders. Thus, Qi Jing made do with what he had in hand and thought of an idea¡ªby simply turning on the white hangingmp on the ck walnut table and extinguishing the rest of the lights in the room, the surrounding were immersed in a faint radiance. It spread from depths to shallows, recing the traditional western style candlelights, creating a kind of unique atmosphere.


    ¡°How about that? Doesn¡¯t look half bad, right?¡± Qi Jing took a step back and looked around the room, smiling as he spoke.


    ¡°Mhm, looks very good.¡± Shen Yan said withplete sincerity. Even though themp light couldn¡¯tpare with candlelight in setting the mood, with both of them sitting near the light source, their whole bodies bathed in faint whiteness, it was as if the whole warmth of the world had concentrated there, staying still with them.


    From the outside, came the pattering of the rain. Inside, a cork had been pulled out of the wine bottle with a pop by Shen Yan and deep red alcohol gurgled while being poured into the wine sses. This kind of sound was deeper than the rain, with a more murky feel¡ªit even made Qi Jing think of the distinction in their voices.


    ¡°Actually, your voice kind of resembles red wine.¡± The two of them were sitting face to face. Qi Jingughed suddenly and tossed such a phrase.


    ¡°How so?¡± Shen Yan stopped pouring the alcohol and looked straight at him.


    ¡°It needs to be savoured slowly.¡± Qi Jing cocked his brow at Shen Yan, confident like a seasoned wine connoisseur.


    That¡¯s right, only by savouring it slowly can one experience the true taste of red wine.


    And once the one trying it remembered its taste, it was easy to get addicted... Just like him.


    Hearing him say so, the corners of Shen Yan¡¯s mouth quirked up silently, but he still said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then my voice isn¡¯t in fact suited forpetitions.¡±


    Taking part in apetition was simr to producing advertisements¡ªone needed to leave as deep of an impression as possible in the limited amount of time of one to two minutes. For unfamiliar judges and audience, the first impression formed when thepetitor started talking was crucial, so people whose voices had to be savoured slowly would lose that opportunity. Qi Jing and Bronze Sparrow Terrace both had voices that immediately caught attention, the type that made everything seem brighter upon hearing it¡ªthey obviously held an advantage.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t deny that, but he still had something to add, ¡°Indeed, your voice might not leave as deep of an impression when heard for the first time, but yourprehension of the speaking manners and emotions of a character is really urate; it¡¯s virtually perfect. The official jurors are people with a professional voice acting background¡ªI believe that they wouldn¡¯t be as shallow as to only care about voice, without any care about the performance.¡±


    Shen Yan stared into his eyes silently this entire time, only now suddenly asking, ¡°Then what do you care most about?¡±


    Qi Jing froze. ¡°I...¡± only care about you.


    Those were the words that came from his heart.


    But Shen Yan was sitting less than a mere metre away from him.


    With their eyes locked, Qi Jing felt his throat be dry and his Adam¡¯s apple bobbed a little. It was as if there was fire buried within it, burning up the words he wanted to say, ¡°I just care about... you, whether you¡¯ll be having a good time during thepetition.¡±


    Hearing that, Shen Yan¡¯s furrowed brows smoothed, like ice melting to water, slowly flowing outwards. He smiled a little, then said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m having a good time right now, thank you.¡±


    Seeing his still somewhat indifferent expression warm up under themp light, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but quirk up the corners of his mouth as well. Thus, they smiled lightly as they held up their wine sses, swirling up the silky and lustrous red wine inside, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then let me officially congratte you on qualifying for all three of your roles!¡±


    Shen Yan alsoughed lightly as he responded, ¡°Same to you. Congrattions.¡±


    They raised their ss and toasted.


    Under the light, the two sses came together with a clink. The ce where the sses joined refracted the light from themp, casting a beautiful shimmer all over the room.


    Qi Jing took back his hand and raised his head, taking a sip naturally. Shen Yan¡¯s eyes followed his movements all that time. Finally, he also rose his wine ss and mimicked him, slowly drinking his wine. He wasn¡¯t really used to the taste of alcohol and the one he chose was red dry wine, with quite a pronounced acidity. He furrowed his brow, but he tried his best to not make Qi Jing see that.


    The two people kept drinking while chatting under the duskymp light. The autumn rain reced the music in providing apaniment and turned out to be plenty satisfying, providing a hard toe by sense of tranquility.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, let¡¯s talk about yet another pleasant matter.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s face was no different from his tone, precisely embodying the content of his words, ¡°Today, the head of the news channel called today to tell me that the report from investigations on vet clinics has been approved. It can be a sixty minutes long episode for the ¡®social investigation¡¯ series¡ªthat¡¯s the longest news piece I¡¯ve worked on so far.¡±


    Shen Yan knew Qi Jing kept thinking about it all the time, he would mention it every day when they talked about their jobs. Now, with how it was finally finalized, Shen Yan, too, felt happy for him, ¡°So it turns out you have two happy events at the same time¡ªin that case, we really need to celebrate.¡±


    Saying that, he took the initiative to toast him and both of them took a few more sips. Qi Jing put down the wine ss. He drummed his fingers against the ss,ughing as he said, ¡°Still... the matter of bing the second presenter is still uncertain. It¡¯s a big thing, so the department leaders still need to discuss that for a while.¡±


    ¡°You have the ideas, you have the skills, I think it¡¯s just a matter of time.¡± Shen Yan smiled faintly.


    He had personally witnessed Qi Jing¡¯s attitude towards work; he didn¡¯t say that to tter him, nor did he exaggerate anything.


    He didn¡¯t know if it was because of the alcohol, but after the second ss, Qi Jing felt his excitement surging more and more with every moment. Hearing Shen Yan assuring him like that made his smile bigger and the shine in his eyes glow brighter, ¡°Haha, since Dr. Shen says so, I can only thank you for your kind words. Come, let¡¯s drink some more.¡±


    Qi Jingughed as he reached out to grab the wine bottle. He was about to replenish the alcohol in their wine sses, when suddenly, Shen Yan who kept silent all that time asked, ¡°If that decision is made, would you return to the station to prepare for that ahead of time?¡±


    Qi Jing froze, unable to answer.


    This question was too abrupt for him and he didn¡¯t know how to properly answer it. For Shen Yan though, that question wasn¡¯t abrupt at all, as he had kept that question buried deep inside him for way too long. Now, when their conversation finally got to this topic, it was the best timing to ask about it.


    Seeing Qi Jing did not answer for a long time, Shen Yan heaved a sigh and took on the responsibility of carrying on with the conversation. Both his voice and his eyes lowered at the same time, falling so deep they plunged into that ss full of astringent wine before him, ¡°If you lived here while having to get to the city centre every day tomute to work... wouldn¡¯t that be inconvenient for you?¡±


    In fact, both of them were very clear that the answer was definitely yes. He used an inquiring tone not because he didn¡¯t understand that, but because of this contradictory mindset he was stuck in of being unable to change reality, yet being unwilling to point it out.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t have the cast off, so they won¡¯t have me go back in the near future... After all, my leader even gave me a month worth of leave.¡± Qi Jing didn¡¯t know if saying it like that counted as a proper constion, since even words ¡®one month¡¯ sounded so grating.


    At that moment, Shen Yan lifted his wine ss without a word and emptied half a ss worth of wine in one swig.


    ¡°Shen Yan.¡± Qi Jing instantly came back to his senses and called him at once.


    Red wine shouldn¡¯t be gulped down like this, but at that very moment, it wasn¡¯t a time to discuss propriety. It was Shen Yan¡¯s state of mind that worried him the most.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± Qi Jing called him for the second time. He reached his right hand over the table and held his hand, wanting to test him out. There was still a faint astringent taste of dry red wine, even his words were tinted in that vour. ¡°If my recovery doesn¡¯t go well and I can¡¯t get my cast taken off even after a month... I can still extend my sick leave.¡±


    Shen Yan gave him a faint, wry smile, ¡°¡±How could I hope for your recovery to go bad?¡±


    As a matter of fact, more than anyone else, he wished for Qi Jing to recuperate well the most. He wanted him to get well soon, even if he knew it meant that their current life together probably wouldn¡¯t be possible anymore.


    ¡°I know.¡± Qi Jing replied in a low voice. Of course he knew.


    ¡°In the near future, you¡¯ll have to go to the hospital for another check-up.¡± Only after the doctor examined Qi Jing would they know when his cast could be taken off.


    ¡°Mhm. Next Wednesday, I have to go take an X-ray to check how the bone is recovering.¡±


    ¡°Next Wednesday...¡± When Shen Yan repeated those two words, he closed his eyes, his brows slightly knit as he tried his best to remember his work schedule for the next week. He wanted to say that next Wednesday, he could take a leave for half a day to apany Qi Jing to a hospital for a check up, but the schedule he never had trouble remembering was now so unusually blurred in his mind. It was as if all of the words on the calendar scattered over each and every one square, rendering him unable to see the content clearly.


    Strange.


    Shen Yan reached out his hand to support his head, his fingers grasping around in the air, as if he wanted to catch those indistinct words from his mind and put them before his eyes to look through them one more time.


    ¡°Ugh...¡± He issued a single sound with difficulty, repeating as if to himself, ¡°Next Wednesday...¡±


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± Seeing this, Qi Jing gasped a little and asked him gently, as if in fear of rming him, ¡°Shen Yan, are you drunk?¡±


    T/N


    Luci: Qi Jing, you might not be a wine connoisseur (The wine brand doesn¡¯t matter??? You are no man of culture to me anymore! *growls*), but I have to give that to you¡ªyou really do have a good eye, scoring a bullseye and finding the fluffiest goose of all the geese out there ¨®v¨®


    Whitere: Ahhh, the mutual hidden thirst is amazing!! *rolls around in the fluff*

 Chapter 47

    <h4>Chapter 47</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: Mashiro


    Shen Yan looked at Qi Jing in a daze before slowly blinking his eyes.


    ¡°Drunk.¡± He repeated this word softly, as though it was an unfamiliar word he was hearing for the first time.


    He brought his fingers near his forehead once more as if to scratch his head in confusion. Instead, he propped his head up but it felt so heavy like it was filled with lead and he couldn¡¯t keep it straight. Because of that, Shen Yan could only lower his head and rack his brain arduously. After a long while, he finally figured out the meaning of this word and shook his head lightly, ¡°No, not drunk.¡±


    Seeing this, Qi Jing had already received a clear answer.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± He had taken care of his drunk colleagues before, so he was fairly experienced in that aspect. He knew that in such a situation, one shouldn¡¯t refute the other party, only guiding them step by step, ¡°That¡¯s okay, we had already celebrated what needed to be celebrated, so we¡¯re done for tonight. I¡¯ll take you to rest, okay?¡±


    He used the best of his ¡®reading children a bedtime story¡¯ voice and gently, softly coaxed Shen Yan. Drunk people can be very child-like at times, so one needs to be patient with them.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Shen Yan replied in a low voice¡ªit seemed that he preserved some rity of mind. Qi Jing sized up his closely knit eyebrows¡ªShen Yan kept his eyes closed, as if he was enduring some kind of torment. Upon seeing this, Qi Jing felt distressed and quickly stood up, walking around the table to stroke Shen Yan gently on his back.


    Feeling the othering near, Shen Yan opened his eyes wide, his gaze unfocused. He moved his hand away from his throbbing temples and instinctively reached out to seek Qi Jing.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t dodge.


    Shen Yan¡¯s fingers touched the fabric of Qi Jing¡¯s shirt around his waist, pausing for a moment, before he eventually slowly spread his fingers,ying it t on Qi Jing¡¯s waist, feeling about as if he was making sure that the person before him was real. That silhouette, that feeling¡ªthat¡¯s right, it was indeed Qi Jing. Shen Yan breathed out slowly, relieved.


    He didn¡¯t know why he would suddenly feel anxious like that. Even though it was something he could usually figure out easily, he couldn¡¯t quite put it aside now. He had to carefully think it over, seek confirmation.


    Qi Jing looked down and could not help but let out augh when he saw him making such a silly gesture with such a serious expression.


    But he didn¡¯t expect Shen Yan to suddenly draw his arms and hug his waist tightly, burying his head deep into Qi Jing¡¯s abdomen, locking his arms behind him as if afraid he would disappear. That hug was firm beyondpare.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡± His voice was muffled as the words he spoke came from being buried in Qi Jing¡¯s clothes, ¡°Don¡¯t go.¡± He spoke of the present, but also of the future.


    He didn¡¯t know what being drunk meant, but he felt as if his heart had been emptied out and what was kept inside had moved into his head, pounding vigorously against it, causing his ears to ring. His arms yearned to hold onto something to provide him with sce.


    This feeling made him ufortable, but it was definitely short-lived. However, the possibility of a reality where Qi Jing leaves him would be a longsting one.


    But at that very moment, he could¡ªwith the help of the torment caused by the alcohol¡ªforce himself to speak, to say some of the things his reason wouldn¡¯t otherwise let him speak of when sober. At that moment, no matter whether it was his willfulness or his selfishness, he could express them all frankly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go...¡± The more he spoke, the hoarser his voice became. Towards the end, the space between his words disappeared as they merged into one, no longer distinguishable.


    Hearing Shen Yan¡¯s continuous pleas, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but feel a stinging pain in his chest. He stood still, letting Shen Yan hold him, leaning against each other. He even held Shen Yan¡¯s head in his hand,bing through his hair whileforting in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m here. Don¡¯t be afraid, I won¡¯t go.¡±


    Perhaps hisforting came of use, as Shen Yan¡¯s breathing calmed down gradually and he didn¡¯t hug him as tightly anymore. He entered a rtively calm state. Thus, Qi Jing softly asked to sound him out, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the room to rest. I¡¯ll help you up, okay?¡±


    Shen Yan rubbed his head against Qi Jing¡¯s shirt, unwilling to let go for a long time¡ªonly after quite a while did he respond with a single, muffled ¡°Mhm¡±. Then, Qi Jing tried to press his hands on Shen Yan¡¯s shoulders to push him back carefully and distance himself a little. Shen Yan¡¯s arms finally loosened their grip, slowly dropping from the middle of his waist, but he still insisted on grasping the hem of Qi Jing¡¯s shirt firmly, not letting him go.


    ¡°Your forehead is burning, does your head hurt?¡± Of course, Qi Jing wouldn¡¯t leave him¡ªinstead, he lifted his hand to push aside Shen Yan¡¯s fringe to check his temperature by cing his hand against thetter¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if water got into his eyes and wouldn¡¯te out no matter how much he blinked.


    ¡°Can you stand up by yourself?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± His responses were all uniform, full of confusion.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t tell if he really understood what he was saying or not; he could only reach under Shen Yan¡¯s armpit and sp his hands behind the other party¡¯s back&#k2014;against his shoulder des. He then gently helped Shen Yan up with an upward pulling motion, signalling for thetter to stand up following his movement. As expected, Shen Yan moved his knee, lowering his head dizzily&#k2014;he looked down, looking for his centre of gravity before propping himself against the table and slowly carrying his body upwards. When he was around half ways up, he stopped to rest for a moment. Qi Jing realised that he might be weak at his legs, so he leaned over to let Shen Yan rest some of his weight on him.


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± It seemed like Shen Yan was a little more clear-headed at that moment as there was a distinct remorse in his eyes, ¡°... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, let me take care of you once in a while.¡± Qi Jing onlyughed it off.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯tugh. After furrowing his brows for quite a while, he slowly steadied himself on his legs with Qi Jing¡¯s patient support, but his head still felt terribly heavy. His whole person was like a hot-water bottle filled to the brim¡ªincredibly hot; with every step forward he took, he would be hit with an invisible stream of water wanting to push him down on the floor.


    After standing up the white light of the hangingmp split into two images in his eyes, one unreal, one true, the light incredibly potent and their brightness so stabbing that he couldn¡¯t open his eyes.


    Shen Yan groaned, annoyed, lowering his head and temporarily putting it on Qi Jing¡¯s shoulder, looking so much like a small, nocturnal animal. Qi Jing had never seen Shen Yan behave like that before and felt this hard toe by sense of novelty, to the point a thought like ¡®that¡¯s so adorable¡¯ sprouted in his mind. When he recovered from his stupor, he was unexpectedly amused by his own thoughts.


    ¡°So you can¡¯t drink, huh.¡± He cleared his throat, suppressing back those words he didn¡¯t dare to say while changing the topic.


    Hearing him say so, Shen Yan suddenly lifted his head, staring into his eyes from a close distance. That pair of deep ck eyes blinked with difficulty, once, then again as he spoke, his tone weak, ¡°I can¡¯t really drink, but... I will learn.¡±


    Saying that, he silently drew his brows together, like a child who knew he had made a mistake.


    Qi Jing was thus stupefied¡ªonly now he realised that Shen Yan had misunderstood that he was turned off by his poor drinking capacity. The corners of his mouth twitched and he finally couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud with a ¡°pfft¡±. It really was... he couldn¡¯t call it anything else but adorable.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t drink then don¡¯t drink, I don¡¯t mind that, what do you need to raise your drinking tolerance for?¡± Qi Jing smiled with his eyes. He put his arm across Shen Yan¡¯s back, patting him there lightly, ¡°Come, I¡¯ll help you up.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t help... You¡¯re still injured.¡± Shen Yan shook his head repeatedly. He wanted to reach his hand out and support himself on the chair, but couldn¡¯t find what he was looking for.


    Qi Jing wanted tough, but noughter escaped his mouth. He persuaded Shen Yan, speaking in a low voice by his ear, ¡°Okay then, I won¡¯t help you. But I will pull you, okay? Hm?¡±


    Shen Yan looked at him in confusion, opening his lips but not speaking anything. Finally, he nodded his head.


    Qi Jingughed as he pulled his arm from under Shen Yan¡¯s armpit. After making sure he could stand steadily, he held his hand, guiding him forward step by step. His gaze never moved away from Shen Yan, as he slowly led him, moving backwards, towards the entrance of the room. From the beginning to the end, Shen Yan adapted to Qi Jing¡¯s pace, leaving all of the control solely in the other¡¯s hand.


    This guy was drunk, so I can at least let him have afortable sleep. Qi Jing thought it over and over and finally didn¡¯t lead Shen Yan to the study, going for the bedroom instead. After all, that wide bed in the bedroom was a little more spacious andfy inparison.


    ¡°Come here, slow down, slow down a little, there¡¯s no hurry.¡±


    In fact, Qi Jing really enjoyed leading Shen Yan like that, taking care of him. It was because he had received too much care from Shen Yan, so now, he felt satisfied being able to repay that kindness, his heart filled with a cozy warmth.


    It was deep into the darkness of the night already. They had turned off all of the lights besides the one from the hangingmp, so the only light source remained in the living room. The closer they were to the bedroom, the darker it got around them, making them unable to see the path before them. That faintyer of light engulfing their bodies was close to disappearing, thin like a sheet of paper that could be torn off at any moment.


    But Qi Jing wasn¡¯t worried¡ªhis eyes stayed on Shen Yan this whole time. He already had that appearance carved in his heart, and as long as he was given a few outlines, he would be able to fill in that man¡¯s everything. So even if it was dark, it didn¡¯t matter.


    But it seemed that Shen Yan minded that a lot, ¡°I¡¯m about to lose sight of you.¡±


    Qi Jing could feel Shen Yan clenching his hand tightly, like a lost child scared of losing its beacon. Drunk people were likely to feel negative emotions, not to mention that Shen Yan had been mumbling and pleading with him not to go.


    ¡°Wait for a bit while I go to turn on the lights in the bedroom.¡± Qi Jing could only use his right hand, so he slowly released his hand after warning Shen Yan, turning to grope around the wall in search of the light switch.


    The light switch was on the other side of the wall. From Qi Jing¡¯s position, he had to move his hand behind the door frame and bend it to be able to touch it. He couldn¡¯t find it for quite a while in that pitch-ck darkness and had to take it slow.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back, just wait for a while.¡±


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡± It was as if Shen Yan didn¡¯t hear his previous words, continuing to call him persistently.


    These few seconds of waiting seemed to be like an eternity to Shen Yan. His voice started trembling faintly and he kept calling Qi Jing¡¯s name. Qi Jing¡¯s heart was about to melt from his calling¡ªhe was about tofort him, yet out of nowhere, his body couldn¡¯t move.


    Because Shen Yan suddenly rendered him still with a hug.


    ¡°Hu¡ª¡± Qi Jing was so startled he sucked in a mouthful of cold air, his whole body straightening.


    His back was stered closely against that person¡¯s chest, the heat burning through the twoyers of fabric between them, prating right into his bones. Even the hardest of bones will be melted by it, leaving him soft like jelly, without an ounce of strength in his body.


    The hand that reached out to switch on the light was frozen still in the midair.


    One of Shen Yan¡¯s arms circled around his waist, pausing for a bit on his elbow, before feeling bit by bit along his forearm, eventually reaching his wrist¡ªatst, he firmly grasped Qi Jing¡¯s hand. The centre of his palm was hot, so hot that it was covered with ayer of sweat. It didn¡¯t matter if it belonged to the one holding, or the one being held.


    When that hand had slowly pulled back and pressed against Qi Jing¡¯s abdomen, the embrace was finallypleted.


    An old wall clock ticked continuously, recording that moment of silence between the two people. Meanwhile, pattering of the rain came from outside the window, filling the space in between.


    All was calm around them but the sound of low breathsing from the person behind him¡ªthe coldness of the night rain, as well as that ball of fire embracing him. Both of the sides were contradictory, yet still interweaved to the point where Qi Jing couldn¡¯t even think about the location of the light switch anymore. His mind was nk, only able to discern his own name.


    Only because Shen Yan kept repeating those two words, his voice hoarse and resolute, ¡°Qi Jing. Qi Jing...¡±


    Qi Jing knew Shen Yan wasn¡¯tpletely drunk. He remembered to avoid touching his injury and hugged him at a lower point, so there was at least a part of his mind that was sober¡ªit was his own will that was in the move.


    More important, however, was the fact that Qi Jing himself didn¡¯t want to struggle at all.


    ¡°You have to... hug me a little harder.¡± Qi Jing said suddenly, his low voice struck like a tender de from between the continuous and vague sounds of rain, stabbing towards him but not hurting, ¡°Otherwise I will go away.¡±


    The man behind him seemed to have trembled violently, both his arms strengthening their hold all at once, leaving no gap between them. Even if he was drunk, it was still an adult man¡¯s strength. Under the influence of Qi Jing¡¯s words, this strength grew, growing even bolder, with a desperate sense of seeking salvation within.


    But it also contained restraint and tenderness, avoiding hurting him.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t feel any pressureing from Shen Yan. In that embrace, there was only yearning, no forcing. The only source of oppression he could feel came from the pit of his stomach¡ªhis heart thrashed there violently, beating wildly against his chest, the noise it made so loud, it seemed as if it was about to jump out of it. Blood rushed rapidly through his whole body, making him dizzy for a moment, his knees going weak. He couldn¡¯t stop trembling, but it wasn¡¯t out of fear.


    That was what he wanted.


    All of it.


    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t only Shen Yan who was drunk, but also him¡ªalcohol makes people honest and loyal to their hearts.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡± Shen Yan burrowed his head in the crook of Qi Jing¡¯s neck, once again calling his name in a hoarse voice.


    This time, thest bit of his voice came out fuzzy, as his lips were touching that neck gently, nting an utmostly restrained kiss. But no matter how much he controlled his emotions, that low, deep gasp for breath stillnded there with burning.


    Qi Jing seemed to tremble, his shoulders shaking a little, but he didn¡¯t struggle.


    He didn¡¯t struggle at all.


    Shen Yan moved further, entranced. He burrowed his nose in that still notpletely dry hair of Qi Jing¡¯s, thoroughly iming that sweet scent left after bathing. At the same time, his lips and Qi Jing¡¯s skin parted for a short while. In the next moment, the second kissnded slightly higher, close behind the back of his ear, issuing a faint, moist sound. ¡°Qi Jing.¡±


    Between the second and the third kiss, he called that name yet again.


    Its owner was held securely in his embrace. The double effect of bothck of light and alcohol at work made him unable to see, so he relied on his hearing, sense of smell and touch. It was hard to tell whose body was so hot, as their heat had already be one. That heat made the smell on Qi Jing¡¯s body intensify¡ªit was even more intoxicating than the wine.


    So the third onended on Qi Jing¡¯s ear.


    Starting from the auricle, the kisses came over, faltering, clumsy and full of thirst. During the course of it, he only felt it was shockingly hot, the sounds in his ear were crisp yet soft; only the earlobe felt a little cold. So he couldn¡¯t help but open his mouth, and silently hold it between his lips.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Qi Jing felt his knees really were about to give up, he couldn¡¯t stand still and gasped in a low voice.


    Even though he couldn¡¯t see Shen Yan¡¯s eyes, he still remembered them being so simr to that ckness of the ocean. At that very moment, he seemed to have already sunk¡ªno matter if it was the feeling of being unable to catch a breath, or of his legs being unable to muster any strength in the water, all of it felt so real.


    He chose to jump into that ocean himself.


    So all of it, he did not regret.


    ¡°Qi Jing, don¡¯t go.¡± From the beginning to the end, Shen Yan couldn¡¯t forget his words¡ªeven at that moment, he kept calling in a low voice by his ear.


    He moved back to the side of Qi Jing¡¯s neck, kissing there lightly, his head rubbing against Qi Jing intimately, the rushed pulsing of blood in the aorta undting under his lips time and time again.


    In a moment of passion, his fingers instinctively searched for Qi Jing¡¯s buttons¡ªhe undid two of the buttons, his hand trembling slightly, then reached to slip under the shirt.


    Qi Jing gasped yet again. This gasp was even more urgent than the previous one, more repressed.


    He still didn¡¯t harbour any intent of resisting.


    Shen Yan¡¯s hands were dry and warm, he was well aware of that before¡ªhe would experience them every time before the shower, during those thirty seconds he treasured so dearly.


    And now, it was the first time for his body to be touched by Shen Yan¡¯s hand this straightforwardly, this openly.


    Even if he was clear on the fact that Shen Yan wasn¡¯t thinking straight right now, it also wasn¡¯t an ident¡ªit gave him a huge psychological impact. He was rendered numb for a while, and he subconsciously called, ¡°Shen Yan¡ª¡±


    A/N:


    Just like before, this chapter is all about details... But you understand.


    T/N:


    Luci: Hohoho, you bet I do. All the little details are nearly as hot as the actual stuff (? ???¦Ø??? ?)


    Mashiro: (? ???¦Ø??? ?)? £¨£¾¦Ø£¼¡££©( ?¦Ø¡Ñ?) £¨ ¡î?¡î £©( ?¨‘? ? ?? ???? ? ?¨‘)


    ¡°And today¡¯s question is ¡° Who got to eat the TOFU?¡±


    ¡°And the right answer isssssss, dun dun dun dun. Yes it¡¯s our Sweet Sweet Goose¡±

 Chapter 48

    <h4>Chapter 48</h4>


    Editor: whitere


    <i>Shen Yan.</i>


    It was as if thest of his strength had also been exhausted on those two words, even if there was barely any strength left in him to begin with.


    The voice that called out that name was also very light, so light it sounded like no more than a whisper.


    Then, Qi Jing felt Shen Yan¡¯s movements stop for a moment. He merely stopped but did not let go.


    A moment of silence that fell between them allowing the dense pitter-patter of the rain to slip into the room. Between Shen Yan¡¯s hands and Qi Jing¡¯s body, just like the raindrops clinging onto the windowpane¡ªeven though all was still¡ªnevertheless, there was that feeling of them being in a pocket where time had stopped, allowing them to revel in thepany of one another.


    Qi Jing somehow managed toe back to his senses a little despite the trance-like state he was in, but just as he regained any titbit of strength, he used it all on the same two words again.


    ¡°Shen Yan...¡±


    Shen Yan maintained that pose, not moving a muscle.


    He was like a guilty individual awaiting his sentencing. Trembling slightly with his face buried into the curve of Qi Jing¡¯s neck, he didn¡¯t say anything nor defend himself in any way, he just subconsciously tightened his arms, again encasing that man in a tight embrace.


    No matter what punishment Qi Jing was going to sentence him with, he wanted to treasure this warmth.


    However, the words that came out of the other party¡¯s mouth were not that of a refusal. Or rather than a refusal, it was more of a permission.


    ¡°Not here.¡± Qi Jing gently wrapped his fingers around Shen Yan¡¯s. It was as if the subtle sound of friction between their fingers could be transferred, Shen Yan felt Qi Jing¡¯s voice was so husky that it could drill a hole into his heart. ¡°Let¡¯s go... to the room.¡±


    The rain seemed to have gotten heavier and the tapping of the rain against the ss grew louder. The raindrops were no longer stuck to the surface of the window, instead, as if being bewitched by the light from the streemps, it disappeared with a sh, leaving behind long dazzling trails in its wake.


    Shen Yan¡¯s hands started to shake.


    He stayed silent, seemingly repressing something. It was only after a long time did Qi Jing feel Shen Yan¡¯s hair slowly rubbed against his neck, tickling him, causing him to subconsciously lift his head. Due to that action, the cor of his shirt opened even wider and Shen Yan abruptly buried his head into that area, gently nting a kiss on the skin under the cor.


    The emotions contained in this kiss were moreplex than any one from before.


    There were feelings of injustice, relief, and an even stronger, more urgent desire¡ªthe desire for time to stop right there and then...


    Qi Jing closed his eyes instinctively. At this very moment, it felt like each breath he took was fanning the mes; the mes that had taken root when Shen Yan¡¯s hand probed under his clothes and now it was spreading everywhere. And his disappointment of a pair of legs had already turned to jelly so he had no choice but to lean back, sinking even deeper into that man¡¯s embrace.


    When Shen Yan was about to continue, Qi Jing gasped sharply and called out for him to stop.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± he whispered, ¡°can you let go of me first?¡±


    If they continued dawdling like that they really wouldn¡¯t be able to make it back to the room.


    As he said that, Qi Jing grabbed Shen Yan by the area between his thumb and index finger and gently pulled it outwards in an attempt to give himself some space¡ªor at least enough space for him to move.


    But Shen Yan refused to let go.


    ¡°No.¡± That was the first time he used a term of refusal. The effects of the alcohol obviously hadn¡¯t passed yet, so his mood was still on the pessimistic end as he continued with his voice lowered, ¡°I¡¯m not letting go... I won¡¯t let go. If I let go... you¡¯ll leave, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Although there were a lot of pauses between his words, his intent of not letting go was made known loud and clear yet his hands weren¡¯t holding Qi Jing as tightly as before.


    At the end of the day, he still couldn¡¯t bear to force Qi Jing.


    Qi Jing knew that if he were to struggle¡ªeven just a bit¡ªthat man would not continue to make things difficult for him. Because that was just how gentle of a person Shen Yan was. Even when he¡¯s not sober, he never lost his forbearing nature. The only time he was assertive came briefly in the words he used but even then, his tone was soft.


    That was how ¡°bad¡± that man was even when he was out of it.


    Qi Jing felt like sighing andughing at the same time.


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving,¡± He coaxed in a soft voice, ¡°I won¡¯t leave even if you let go.¡±


    ¡°You said you¡¯d leave if I don¡¯t hold on tightly.¡± Shen Yan repeated what he had said in a husky voice.


    To think that he would be unexpectedly petty about these little details like a child.


    Qi Jing could not help but chuckle.


    For some reason, this childish exchange between them made his heart feel full, though he couldn¡¯t tell if it was sweet or sour. All he knew that the strongest of his walls had melted away, allowing that person toe it¡ªand only that person.


    ¡°You can hold my hand if you¡¯re scared of me leaving.¡±


    He tapped on the back of Shen Yan¡¯s hand with a finger and calmly surrendered the freedom of his right hand.


    That was his only viable hand, once he had that taken away from him, he had no more chance nor ability to escape. Shen Yan was still drunk and groggy so he couldn¡¯t process anything tooplicated, but because what Qi Jing pointed out was so simple and easy to understand he seemed to be able to grasp it and finally let go, doing as Qi Jing said.


    Now, they were back to square one, only difference was that Qi Jing didn¡¯t need to find the light switch again because he no longer needed the light.


    He slowly led Shen Yan into the room and closed the door behind him. He admitted that the moment the door clicked shut, his heart was pounding so loudly he could even feel his ears ringing. He could only keep these emotions hidden from Shen Yan under such situations where there was no light.


    He could remember theyout of the bedroom very well and he made his way towards the bed one step at a time. Taking care of Shen Yan whose head was still rather muddled, his steps were very slow as he led the way.


    The room wasn¡¯tpletely dark.


    A hint of light peeked into the room from the windows, but whether it was a streetmp or something else, Qi Jing did not want to delve into it. The colour from that light had been washed away by the rain, only leaving behind a grey hue that one couldn¡¯t help but link to the presence ofte autumn. And it¡¯s precisely that which made the warmth of this man beside him all the more precious.


    ¡°Come here,¡± he said as he stood still, his feet had already reached the end of the bed.


    Shen Yan stood in ce for a moment before silently making his way towards Qi Jing.


    During their entire journey to the bed, his steps weren¡¯t particrly steady, staggering every so often and Qi Jing would call out to him every time, backtracking to walk with him again, but thisst step... he had to walk it himself.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Qi Jing asked in a soft voice after quietly staring at the other for a while.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s voice was very deep.


    That voice would only appear under two situations: when he was very calm inside or when it was theplete opposite.


    Putting himself in the other¡¯s shoes, Qi Jing knew that it couldn¡¯t be the former right now. But more than this, he was more concerned about Shen Yan¡¯s current physical condition for that face appeared rather tired under the faint light. Although the furrow between that man¡¯s brows was not very obvious, Qi Jing could more or less guess that Shen Yan doesn¡¯t really drink much normally so his head was starting to ache from the sudden intake of alcohol today.


    He reached out his hand to gently cup Shen Yan¡¯s slightly pale face. ¡°Do you feel very ufortable... Do you want to rest?¡±


    Shen Yan wordlessly shook his head.


    Qi Jing lowered his eyes, a small smile seemed to have graced his lips, one that held a hint of a sigh. He didn¡¯t ask any more, only turning sideways to stand one of the pillows against the headboard. Then, the quilt was pulled inwards, opening up a spot on the bed.


    ¡°Lie down.¡±


    He patted the pillow with his hand and suddenly made this request to Shen Yan.


    <i>Was this... him telling me to rest?</i>


    Shen Yan blinked strenuously, staring nkly at the face before him a long time without moving. However, no matter how long he stared, he could not figure out the meaning behind Qi Jing¡¯s smile. His head was still aching, as if there were two thorns stabbed into either temple¡ªhe felt pain with every passing thought, preventing him from thinking any deeper.


    He didn¡¯t know what to do for a moment. He uneasily and hurriedly reached out his hands to pull the other party into his arms and hugging him tightly.


    Qi Jing was not surprised by his reaction and chuckled under his breath. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    The person was in his own embrace, not resisting in any way,pletely resting against his shoulder and was even stroking his back as if tofort him. It felt very warm.


    Thanks to that, Shen Yan¡¯s heart calmed down a little. He closed his eyes and didn¡¯t say a word, just wholeheartedly maintaining this hug.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t rush him either.


    The two of them leaned on each other against the backdrop of the rustling and pitter-patter of a cold rainy night, keeping each other warm.


    The ticking of the old clock was now reced by raindrops, keeping track of the seconds drop by drop, recording this quiet moment on the windows. As the tracks left behind by the rain joined together, their figures behind the ss seemed to merge as well. The window frame seemed to have be a picture frame, freezing this moment in a snapshot of time.


    Qi Jing knew that he would still be able to retrieve this image from his memory many yearster¡ªa proof of the many wonderful memories they once shared.


    The memories between him and Shen Yan would gradually umte into a thick album of photos.


    However, there would always be that very first image.


    ¡°Do you still remember... the night when we first met?¡±


    Qi Jing murmured a question while quietly leaning against Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder.


    Shen Yan froze for a bit, seeming to have fallen into the thick pile of photos that formed his memory with Qi Jing and began to search for the very first one. And he quickly found it without much effort. ¡°I remember; that was the first time we did a run-through together.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s soft chuckled got buried under that man¡¯s cor before he continued to ask, ¡°Then do you remember what was your first line from that time?¡±


    Shen Yan did not know why Qi Jing was bringing this up but it didn¡¯t matter, what mattered most was the fact that Qi Jing was willing to stay by side, stay in this space enclosed by his arms. He closed his eyes and tried to recall. Due to the alcohol in his system, his recollection took quite a while but it did not stop him from reciting his line, ¡°I knew from the very beginning... that everything you did was a scheme against me.¡±


    <i>Ah, how nostalgic</i>¡ªQi Jing eximed internally.


    He had long lost count of the number of times he had listened in private to the recording that started with this line. And now, the owner of that voice in the recording was right here with him, whispering those words, those lines into his ear with that deep and proper voice over and over again.


    All the feelings from their first meeting came back to him all at once, and before he knew it, they had tranted into a smile that naturally formed on his lips.


    ¡°Despite knowing it¡¯s a trap, you still jumped right into it¡ªdoesn¡¯t that mean... that you¡¯re interested in me?¡±


    The tone of his voice had also changed as he softly responded to Shen Yan with his lines.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡ª¡± Shen Yan was just about to continue when Qi Jing lifted his head from the former¡¯s shoulder. They locked eyes¡ªQi Jing¡¯s eyes were seemingly signalling for the other to stop as he shook his head with a faint smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Shen Yan stared at him nkly, confusion evident in his eyes.


    ¡°The scene is not right.¡± Qi Jing chuckled before suddenly closing in, gently grazing his face against Shen Yan¡¯s as he whispered in his ear, ¡°You should be saying the next lines lying down.¡±


    Something shed across Shen Yan¡¯s eyes, seemingly in understanding.


    Meanwhile, Qi Jingughed softly in Shen Yan¡¯s ear, he ced his palm on the other¡¯s chest and gave him a gentle push. Shen Yan did not resist that force in any way, following that push, he took a step back and bumped into the side of the bed.


    ¡°Lie down,¡± Qi Jing repeated himself a second time.


    To be honest, Shen Yan had been forcing himself to stand all this while. His head was still a little dizzy, so he should indeed lie down. And thus, he did not say anything this time, but lowered his eyes slightly and sat down on the edge of the bed as he was told. He took off his shoes and silentlyid down on his back on the pillow that Qi had ced beforehand. The pillow had been set upright by Qi Jing so Shen Yan¡¯s current posture was such that he was half-lying down, allowing him to rest a little and to continue talking to Qi Jing face to face.


    However, Qi Jing abruptly pressed a hand against his cor; it was neither too light nor too heavy, just the right amount of strength to make sure he was lying down and prevent him from getting up.


    Shen Yan couldn¡¯t react in time; in his daze, he left himself to Qi Jing¡¯s mercy.


    Qi Jing removed his hand from Shen Yan¡¯s cor but in the next moment, it was ced on thetter¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple. He traced the outline of Shen Yan¡¯s throat with his thumb, feeling the bump bob up and down because of him, eliciting a short, involuntary groan from Shen Yan while the rest of his fingers grasped the side of that man¡¯s neck.


    That was where the artery was; he could feel a rapid pulse beating against his fingertips.


    The hunter and his prey.


    He suddenly felt that those words could not be more apt.


    As if incited by something for a moment, Qi Jing pursed his lips and gently leaned down, cing his legs on either side of Shen Yan¡ªhe was basically straddling the other man.


    Even their positions... were virtually the same as the description in the script from that time.


    All of this happened in mere seconds.


    Some raindrops were falling from the eaves but the sound it made was far too short, too soft; it was not enough to distract Shen Yan. He no longer had any more attention to spare the rain beyond the window, all of it had been given to Qi Jing.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t say a word in the darkness but his expression seemed a little different from the one before. The smile on his face was very faint while his ck eyes were so dark, no light reflected on it¡ªit appeared deeper than ever, so deep Shen Yan couldn¡¯t see the bottom. When Shen Yan stared into those eyes dazedly, he felt as if any form of thought had been sucked out of his system and his mind was nk.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying...¡± That was Qi Jing¡¯s next line, but in their current situation, it felt like Qi Jing was the one saying those words instead of a character, and the person listening to it was himself, Shen Yan. ¡°You¡¯ve actually been thinking about me all along¡ªevery second, every minute, your eyes only sought for me.¡±


    Shen Yan remembered the lines that followed.


    His answer that came next should be one of denial which he would say stubbornly in ast-ditch effort to conceal his true thought¡ª<i>No, you¡¯re imagining things. </i>


    However, under Qi Jing¡¯s watchful gaze, and the hand that still held his throat, he felt his mouth go dry and the words that came out were: ¡°Yeah, you weren¡¯t imagining it.¡±


    Qi Jing suddenly burst into a deep, throatyugh,ughing to the point he got a little breathless.


    ¡°Whates after that?¡± These were words outside the script, it was Qi Jing who was asking that question.


    But Qi Jing knew.


    He gradually put away the smile on his face, his expression bing solemn. He released the fingers on Shen Yan¡¯s throat and brought them towards that face, slowly caressing every inch, little by little, as if he were examining the most precious treasure of his life. In the end, he buried his fingers into Shen Yan¡¯s hair, carefully fiddling with everyst strand.


    ¡°After that...¡± he said, ¡°close your eyes, Shen Yan.¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t know if Shen Yan understood what he said or not because at this moment, that man was still just staring at him without making a move.


    He finally blinked after a long time, the faint light captured in his eyes was like a star that had fallen onto the deep dark ocean.


    When the tiny glimpses of lightpletely sank to the bottom of the ocean, that pair of eyes finally closed slowly.


    Qi Jing took a deep breath which held a slight tremble as he leaned down ¡°frame¡± by ¡°frame¡± like he was in slow motion, silently nting a kiss on that person¡¯s lips.


    Dry¡ªthat was the first feeling he got.


    There was a little tingle on his lips, a little tickle, it was as if this friction between them would ignite a me.


    Under this slight haziness and illusion of thirst created by the dryness, he couldn¡¯t help himself from moving to quench it. Tipping the other¡¯s chin with his fingers, he leaned in, lightly biting down, gently sucking on the other man¡¯s lips while the tip of his tongue grazed over it, moistening it.


    ¡°Mmph...¡±


    The man in front of him seemed to be in pain, breathing hard, panting raggedly forck of oxygen.


    His mouth was opened, as if he wanted to say something but couldn¡¯t say anything in time nor could he.


    Or perhaps, right from the beginning, it was just an excuse for the other party to go in deeper. Under this excuse, the two of them exchanged breaths like two inexperienced youngsters¡ªgasping for air, tasting each other¡ªdesperately searching for the taste that belonged only to the other and losing themselves to it. In this prolonged kiss they shared, there was the taste of red wine, that same sweetness and acidity from the drink they had, but when tasted from the other¡¯s mouth it is so much more special and more addictive than the wine itself.


    From his chest to his neck, it felt like it was going to explode any time; there was something blocking his airways yet his heart continued to pound against that very spot relentlessly.


    <i>How strange.</i>


    Up until the moment Shen Yan closed his eyes, Qi Jing hadn¡¯t heard a single sound from his heart, as if it had stopped. But right now, that ce was going thump, thump, thump, roaring back to life and even beating even stronger.


    Was it the same for Shen Yan? He wondered in his daze as his lips slightly parted from the other¡¯s while his right hand groped blindly for the other man¡¯s cor. When he found it, Qi Jing grabbed it tight and clumsily ripped open the buttons with trembling fingers¡ªthe chest hidden underneath the fabric was as warm as he had imagined. Following the rise and fall of that man¡¯s chest, he could feel that something was beating just as hard.


    It was the same as him.


    He was just as immersed in this feeling, unable to to contain his emotions.


    ¡°Ke...¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help butugh. He was about to continue when Shen Yan grabbed him by the shoulders.


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± Shen Yan called out in a low husky voice, his hands shaking, his consciousness still lost in that kiss¡ªhis entire body felt like it was on fire.


    His hands first started by probing around Qi Jing¡¯s body before slowly moving upwards along his shoulders and burying it into his hair, pulling him back into his embrace. Meanwhile, Qi Jing was like a sand dune, with a light pull and he copsed, every single grain falling into the other party¡¯s hands.


    The kiss they shared just now was very raw.


    At this moment, neither of them have recovered from it yet and could only use this pause to even their breathing with their foreheads leaning against each other.


    ¡°Qi Jing...¡± Shen Yan called out his name, looking a little lost as he opened his eyes slightly.


    They were very close to one another; their lips would easily brush against each other when they said anything. Qi Jing jumped a little, his breaths quickened a little as he immediately opened his eyes. Under the dim grey light, he saw sweat oozing from Shen Yan¡¯s forehead and instinctively used his hand to brush aside that sweat-soaked hair, gently offering thetter somefort.


    ¡°Are you tired?¡± He asked; he hadn¡¯t forgotten that Shen Yan was not in the best state now.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± Shen Yan said with a frown, not denying Qi Jing¡¯s words.


    Qi Jing could hear a sense of guilt from the tone of his voice and smiled quietly. He tilted his head to the side and nted a kiss on Shen Yan¡¯s cheek. When Shen Yan felt it, he slowly gripped tighter with his hands.


    ¡°Close your eyes,¡± Qi Jing coaxed in a low voice ¡°Don¡¯t think about anything.¡±


    The second time wasn¡¯t as hasty or messy as the first, just a lingering touch that joined them.


    Their tongues entangled, unable to tell who was with whom, sharing this sweetness between them.


    Qi Jing pulled the covers over them, wrapping the two of them in a little space that only belonged to them.


    The feeling of that man¡¯s lips against his was as light and soft as cotton and held a warmth that made him want to indulge in. That dryness he felt at first was gone, as if it had been smoothed out by their touch. asionally, tititing wet sounds could be heard scattered in the air, apanying their low pants.


    Shen Yany quietly on the pillow, leaving everything to the other party¡¯s lead while he only focussed on responding.


    When the pattering of the rain outside the window and their breaths reached the same frequency, it was as if his heart had also settled down, steadily falling asleep to that gentle kiss.


    Lilies: first of the locked chapters ahahah it¡¯s not even NSFW. these two innocent beans


    Luci: *looks at the amount of thirst in previous chapters* Are those guys really this innocent? ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ


    Whitere: ahhhh my favorite description was of the sand dune copsing. They¡¯re so sweet QAQ

 Chapter 49

    <h4>Chapter 49</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: Mashiro


    It was rare for him to be woken up in his house by the cat¡¯s calling; it felt quite novel.


    Little fe¡¯s cries were long and high-pitched, like hairy ws scratching on his ears. It¡¯s probably hungry, he thought.


    The moment that thought sprouted in his mind, he realised that he seemed to be able to think normally again. Even though his head still felt kind of heavy and his reactions were rather slow, at least the pain had already subsided and didn¡¯t hinder his thinking anymore.


    He furrowed his brows and tried lifting his eyelids with difficulty. He didn¡¯t seed on the first try¡ªhis eyes opened a peep and soft rays of the white, morning light seeped in but this onlysted a short moment before getting shut outside.


    Thus hey there quietly for a moment, only opening his eyes once again after a long while. This time, he saw the ceiling of the room without any problems.


    But the ceiling before his eyes didn¡¯t look like the one he grew used to seeing those few days; in his daze, he tried to recall where it was from, finally realising that it was his bedroom, not the study.


    Bedroom?


    Shen Yan trembled, his mind now fully awake. He moved his body instinctively, only to suddenly realise that his arm had been captured in a certain someone¡¯s embrace, taken for a body pillow. That person¡¯s head was pillowed on it, locks of ck hair scattered freely on his sleeve.


    It was the first time for him to sleep alongside another person in his bed.


    The ces where their bodies touched were stuck snugly to one another, leaving no space between them. A warmth sensation¡ªhard toe by in this season¡ªwas slowly spreading from the friction of fabric rubbing against each other. Time seemed to have fast forwarded by six months, reaching spring ahead of schedule under this quilt that held two. All of his unspoken feelings, all of the throbs of his heart were like the blossoms in spring, slowly blooming in the depths of his heart.


    His gaze shifted to that person¡¯s face who was still sleeping peacefully. Perhaps he was feeling a little warm, the areas from his cheeks to his ears were slightly flushed. His features were serene and the corners of his eyes were curved upwards a little as if he was seeing a beautiful dream.


    But for Shen Yan, the beauty of his dream had continued even in reality, not at all disturbed by his waking.


    Qi Jing.


    When he silently said that name, he instinctively moved his other hand, touching his own lips. He stroked them slowly, somewhat dazed.


    He wanted to get closer... Even closer than now¡ªhe wanted to re-awaken those fragmented memories fromst night, when they were the closest.


    Shen Yan shifted over on the pillow, the tip of his nose grazing against Qi Jing¡¯s hair. With each little move of his, he could smell the scent of the shampoo at home¡ªit gave him the assurance of a feeling that they were spending their days together, sharing the necessities of life. Slowly, day after day, this person would be a part of his home. How nice.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but call him.


    He didn¡¯t know if it was because he heard his voice, or because of the cat¡¯s meowing outside the door, but the breath of the person sleeping on his arm slowed for a moment¡ªafter a while, he let out a sleepy murmur, seemingly intending to raise his head. Shen Yan reckoned that it was the sign that the other was on the verge of waking up and shifted away a bit.


    As expected, Qi Jing¡¯s brows twitched slightly and he opened his eyes in a daze, blinking twice. The moment he blinked for the third time, he suddenly locked his eyes with Shen Yan causing thetter to freeze momentarily.


    Maybe it was because he realised how Shen Yan was touching his lips, but Qi Jing chuckled lightly, his eyes curving up in a smile, ¡°Good morning.¡±


    Still in a daze, Shen Yan replied without thinking, ¡°Good morning...¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s gaze was still covered by a fog of sleepiness, and so was his smile¡ªhe probably wasn¡¯t fully awake yet. At that moment he buried his head back into Shen Yan¡¯s sleeve, breathing in its smell, like a child that had just tasted the sweetness and was reluctant to let go of the candy jar, greedily demanding for more.


    Shen Yan attentively watched every little movement of Qi Jing¡¯s, his gaze not leaving the other even for a moment. The longer he watched him, the more he felt a dream-like sense of surreality fade away as the bliss of having his happiness validated gradually welled up in his heart.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be too shy to look up if you continue staring at me like that.¡± Just when he thought Qi Jing fell back asleep, those words were heard from the face pressed against his arm. His voice was throaty, with an indistinct hint ofughter in his tone.


    As if jolted awake, Shen Yan came back to his senses. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He mumbled under his breath, but his eyes didn¡¯t move away from the other, not even for a moment.


    Seemingly already aware that Shen Yan wouldn¡¯t look away, Qi Jing lifted his head slowly, his eyes so clear one could virtually see their bottom as he stared fixedly into Shen Yan¡¯s eyes from a close distance. At that moment, Shen Yan finally put down his hand, gently, cautiously stretching it towards Qi Jing. His fingers brushed from Qi Jing¡¯s temples to the back of his head, the palm of his hand covering and rubbing that faintly red ear,bing his hair with the utmost tenderness.


    Qi Jing kept looking at him, smiling gently.


    He caressed him for a while, his hand unconsciously moving downwards, his thumb slowly brushing against Qi Jing¡¯s lips. His touch seemed to have evoked a trace of a dimple on the side of those lips.


    ¡°Clearly there¡¯s a better way of checking, yet you still use your hands.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s hoarse voice travelled from one pillow to the other, making Shen Yan¡¯s cheek pressed on his pillow go somewhat hot. He took his hand back, setting it on the side of where Qi Jingy. Under the watchful eyes of the other man, he slowly got up, hovering his body over the other before leaning in and silently kissing the ce he had just stroked with his fingers.


    Qi Jing was right¡ªthere was no better way of verifying than this. There was no feeling stronger and more direct than their lips rubbing against each other¡ªin that instant he seemed to be able to hear the pattering ofst night¡¯s rain, smell the rich scent of two bodies, their clothes half-undone, taste the sweet and acerbic taste of the red wine.


    It fully awakened all ofst night¡¯s memories.


    At that time, their minds were on fire, set aze by the alcohol. Those intertwines of lips and tongues rendered them lightheaded, both their bodies weak from head to toes; all they knew was to respond to the other¡¯s kiss out of pure instinct.


    And now, both of them were absolutely clear-minded, aware of what they and the other was doing. And because of that, their heartbeats grew even more rapid.


    This time Shen Yan didn¡¯t go any deeper, only rubbing against Qi Jing¡¯s lips ticklishly¡ªhowever he lingered there for a long time, as if greeting him tenderly in the morning.


    Qi Jing closed his eyes. During the kiss, he kept a light grasp on Shen Yan¡¯s open cor pulling him down as much as possible to maintain a distance where their body heat could be easily transmitted between them. Even after the kiss ended with their low pants, Qi Jing still didn¡¯t let go&#k2014;with his nose against Shen Yan¡¯s, he adjusted his breath, face to face with the other.


    ¡°So?¡± After a long while, Qi Jing suddenly asked him.


    ¡°So?¡± Shen Yan didn¡¯t understand at first and was slightly confused.


    This man who gave Qi Jing the exclusive rights to him was right here, just a breath away, so close that Qi Jing could see his own reflection in the other¡¯s eyes¡ªthe feeling of being ced in the centre of someone¡¯s world brought and indescribable bliss to him. But he was greedy, he wanted to add another spoonful of sugar into that joy, to add even more to its sweetness, ¡°You even kissed me already, yet you still refuse to officially be my boyfriend?¡±


    He didn¡¯t even know how many times he had thought of the moment when he would finally remove the words ¡°under probation¡± from Shen Yan¡¯s title.


    Shen Yan was a man with a strong sense of responsibility, so this titr change couldn¡¯t be any more fitting, no matter if it was for him, or for Shen Yan.


    Shen Yan looked at him in daze for a long time. Qi Jing also looked back at him, observing his own reflexion flickering slightly in Shen Yan¡¯s eyes. Atst, Shen Yan blinked, the image in his eyes now covered in a moist gloss, asting gleam that continued to shine in the moment of silence that fell between them.


    ¡°Okay.¡± It was a short, but the most sincere response possible.


    Qi Jing listened to him silently, keeping still without any movement. One often doesn¡¯t dare to respond when hearing the long-awaited answer, fearing it¡¯s a dream that can be ended with a single word spoken.


    Yet in reality, the one ended wasn¡¯t a dream, but these negative emotions, the anxiety that came from the fear of things slipping out of his grasp when he barely held on to it. The rain had already stopped, no matter if it was for the outside, or the inside of the apartment; it wasn¡¯t just the sky that had cleared up.


    He finally smiled silently, raised his head, and once again touched Shen Yan¡¯s lips with his.


    Just as they wanted to enjoy this intimacy under the Sunday morning light, the cat¡¯s callsing from behind the door grew more and more aggrieved, ¡°Meow! Meow! Meow!¡±


    If catnguage could be tranted, then the literal trantion would certainly be ¡°I¡¯m very hungry.¡±


    Little Return Date was especially particr about the status of its stomach¡ªwith how miserable its cries sounded, it should already be at the point of scratching the walls from hunger. As its official daddy, Qi Jing had to temporarily let go of its other daddy,ughing as he shook his head. No wonder his colleagues kept talking about how children are the ultimate third wheels of a married couple, as now this fact had been proven right to him¡ªbeing a qualified kitty¡¯s papa really wasn¡¯t an easy task.


    Little Return Date gnawed on the cat food with satisfaction, gulping down the concoction made of powdered milk and supplements. Big Return Date watched his son eat while eating his share of breakfast, all in smiles. That little fe probably didn¡¯t know why it would happen to receive an extra portion that day, its meal that day bigger than usual by a third; but Qi Jing was well aware of the reason in his heart, as the food before him was also more sumptuous than usual.


    The reason Shen Yan, the one who prepared all of it, gave was as follows: Sunday was his rest day, so he had plenty of time to take his time cooking breakfast for two people and a cat.


    But Qi Jing saw through his true thoughts, only chuckling softly at the situation without exposing him.


    Fortunately Shen Yan didn¡¯t have a hangover. Even though he was still a little light-headed after getting out of the bed, it didn¡¯tst long and he felt much better after washing his face with cold water. Just to be safe, Shen Yan took out the leftover sour fish and bamboo shoots soup from the day before and reheated it in a pot. Drinking it hot dissipated the residual effects of the alcohol, so that nauseous feeling finally started to slowly disappear.


    Qi Jing was very concerned if he would recover well, not only because he was worried about his body, but also because it was the evening when the first round of thepetition was to take ce. He was afraid that if Shen Yan was in a bad shape, it would influence his performance. If his first appearance ended up poorly, it could cast a shadow over the next stages of thepetition.


    ¡°ording to the schedule arrangement for the preliminary contest, you only have ¡®Old Man Xiao Shan¡¯ for today.¡± When the two of them sat down together to eat the meal, Qi Jing only hesitated a moment before deciding to get right to the point.


    The order in which the semi-finals of¡¶Order to End The Heavens¡·were executed started with casting for NPCs, then the supporting roles and ended with choosing the best candidates for the main characters.


    Currently, the officially announced schedule for the male characters casting preliminary stage looked as follows:


    Sunday evening: 6:00-8:00PM¡ª¡±Liu Suyu¡±, 8:30-10:30PM¡ª¡±Old Man Xiao Shan¡±;


    Monday evening: 6:00-8:00PM¡ª¡±Shopkeeper of an Inn¡±, 8:30-10:30PM¡ª¡±Lu Wei¡±;


    Wednesday evening: 6:00-8:00PM¡ª¡±Yan Buliu¡±, 8:30-10:30PM¡ª¡±Bai Ke¡±;


    Saturday evening: 6:00-8:00PM¡ª¡±Emperor Chang¡±, 8:30-10:30PM¡ª¡±Marquess Shunyang¡±;


    Thursday evening: 6:00-8:00PM¡ª¡±Qin Tuo¡±, 8:30-10:30PM¡ª¡±Fang Yisheng¡±;


    Shen Yan signed in for one NPC and two supporting roles while Qi Jing signed for one supporting role and two main roles, so two of Shen Yan¡¯s performances took ce before Qi Jing¡¯s.


    ¡°Just keep calm and take things in stride.¡± Even now, Shen Yan¡¯s attitude didn¡¯t change at all.


    ¡°Still, today is the first round of the preliminaries and it even happened to be during the weekend. I think that the amount of online listeners won¡¯t be small, a conservative estimations say it wouldn¡¯t be any less than seven, eight thousands.¡± Qi Jing had seen the numbers before when he was looking through the forum post and the amount of online listeners during two previouspetitions almost broke through ten thousand¡ªwhat he called a ¡°conservative estimation¡± was already overly conservative.


    When the points were being counted, the audience vote held a certain weightage¡ªthe smaller the gap between the participants, the more it mattered. Even though it didn¡¯t have much influence score-wise, the atmosphere of the multitude of people present also was a trial for contestants¡¯ mental capabilities.


    It¡¯s true that it would be fine as long as Shen Yan ¡°kept calm¡± as he said, but Qi Jing still didn¡¯t feelpletelyposed.


    ¡°When the timees, who knows, I may be even more nervous than you.¡± Heughed and sighed. He could already see his sorry figure sitting with earphones this evening and listening to Shen Yan¡¯s performance, his hands all sweaty.


    ¡°Then, would you want to go out with me during the wait time to ask for a peace of mind?¡± Shen Yan looked at him suddenly, smiling faintly. That night¡¯spetition started at 8:00PM, so they had plenty of time to spend together before that.


    Qi Jing stared nkly for a while. He didn¡¯t know how and from whom this peace of mind Shen Yan was talking about would be sought.


    ¡°Where would we go?¡± He asked.


    ¡°We¡¯d go to see the one I modelled Old Man Xiao Shan in my heart after.¡± Shen Yan slightly lifted the veil of the mystery, a gentle smile in his eyes, both his expression and voice unwavering.


    In autumn, the weather gets colder with every rain, the temperature falling around five or six whole degrees, so even breathing outside would make white mist appear.


    Taking advantage of the fact that Little Return Date had just eaten its fill and was in the middle of a nap, the two of them changed to in clothes suited for paying respects to the dead before going out together.


    After the rain, heavy clouds upying the sky over the city had ayer peeled off like a quilt teared open, the white cotton from inside spilling out, scattering all over. Those cotton lumps had sucked away all the rainwater, but couldn¡¯t take away the grey colour palette that painted the sky, so they didn¡¯t put an end to the gloomy first impression.


    Shen Yan bought white chrysanthemums at the flower store before getting on a bus with Qi Jing and arriving at a cemetery in the northern district of the city.


    The cemetery was built a long time ago and its entrance was far from being brand new¡ªthe surface of the sign on the front gate had already been painted multiple times, yet its corners still looked worn. But with mountains surrounding from three sides, a river from another and a forestation in progress, it could be considered a good ce to rest in peace. A forty minutes long travel already left the bustle of the city behind them and after a rain that had washed away all the dust, the fresh and clean air assaulted their senses, letting them slowly set their heart at peace


    Qi Jing observed the surroundings during their walk as Shen Yan led him downhill. After going around a grove of cypresses and pines, a view of neat lines of tombstones facing the water opened before their eyes, extending over along the river banks.


    ¡°My grandpa¡¯s ashes are buried here.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s voice was light, but his tone was heavy.


    Because of the rain, there was no one else sweeping graves anywhere near them¡ªonly twobourers were sweeping fallen leaves and branches after the rain; thus Qi Jing extended his hand and tugged on Shen Yan¡¯sfortingly, having him lead the way, ¡°Take me to see him.¡±


    Shen Yan slowly returned the grip, ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s grandpa¡¯s tombstone was no different from the other tombstones around. White stone for a base with a ck marble tablet for an inscription, the characters carved out and filled with ayer of silver paint¡ªit looked solemn and dignified with a ck background for the white characters. In the middle of the tombstone, there was also a ck and white photograph¡ªthe elderly man in the photograph seemed a little younger than at the time of death, so it was probably taken when he was still middle-aged. His gaze was warm and he smiled gently, it was easy to imagine he was a gentle person when alive.


    The tombstone was surely erected by the family members, as there were also names of the elderly man¡¯s children and grandchildren inscribed on the tablet.


    Qi Jing read it thoroughly. A lot of people on it were surnamed Shen, only the name ¡°Shen Yan¡± wasn¡¯t inscribed there. His heart trembled the moment he realised that, but he didn¡¯t say anything, moving his eyes away hastily so as to not let Shen Yan notice anything.


    Shen Yan indeed didn¡¯t notice his unusual behaviour; he was absorbed in removing the wet leaves from the tomb and brushing away the rain droplets on the monument, only thenying the bouquet of white chrysanthemums there.


    ¡°Grandpa, I came to see you.¡± Shen Yan bent his knees in a half-kneel, but because of the wet soil, he didn¡¯t touch his knees to the ground.


    Qi Jing followed his example and knelt down, his expression proper as he introduced himself politely, ¡°Nice to meet you grandpa. My name is Qi Jing, I came today to meet you for the first time.¡±


    At that moment, Shen Yan looked sideways at Qi Jing, the gentleness in his eyes seeping through to his smile. After a while, he looked back at the photography on the tombstone and said, ¡°Qi Jing, he... he¡¯s my boyfriend.¡± Thest word wasn¡¯t easy to say, but once he finally said it, he didn¡¯t regret it.


    Qi Jing was dumbfounded¡ªhe only processed what Shen Yan had said after a long time, his face growing somewhat hot, in that moment he was too shy to raise his head in front of the gravestone. With such a solemn asion and before such a respectable person, those words of Shen Yan¡¯s were tantamount to an official introduction.


    He knew that Shen Yan was a man who treated rtionships seriously, but he still couldn¡¯t hold back the joy he felt when Shen Yan admitted their rtionship in front of others.


    The elderly man¡¯s smile that was captured from an instance, frozen for a long time like the warmest, the most timely of the blessings.


    ¡°Grandpa,¡± Shen Yan stayed quiet for a while before slowly continuing his words, ¡°when you were approaching your end, you kept worrying about how there was no one to stay by my side, no one to listen to my words¡ªbut now it doesn¡¯t matter. Qi Jing is a good person, with him by my side... I will slowly recover from my illness for sure, so please, you don¡¯t have to worry from the other side. Me and him, we will live a good life properly, treasuring all of the present.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing felt his nose growing stuffy for some unknown reason. He did his best to control himself and not fail at holding back his tears in such a moment.


    Another spell of silence.


    Shen Yan closed his eyes and stopped speaking for three odd minutes before finally continuing, ¡°This evening, I¡¯m about to take the first step. For him, and for myself.¡± Shen Yan took a deep breath, holding Qi Jing¡¯s hand tightly. He opened his eyes again, determination in his eyes, ¡°I will y a role simr to you personality-wise. I hope you can bless me and help me ovee my mental barriers and... through my voice and my acting, let me show the care you showed me before, convey it to all of the listeners. Thank you.¡± After saying that, he gave a deep bow.


    Qi Jing also held his hand tightly, following his suit in giving a bow as he said inwardly¡ªThank you grandpa... for taking care of him.


    The two of them stayed in front of the grave in silence for a while. They didn¡¯t say anything unnecessary, as there was no need for words. Silence was also a form ofmunication inherent to Shen Yan.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± After a long time, Shen Yan stood up, helping the man beside him up.


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    The two of them ced the flowers there and left the elderly man¡¯s grave, going back the same road without saying a word. It was already around noon, so bit by bit people started showing up, taking advantage of the Sunday holiday to pay respect and clean the graves. Qi Jing thought for a while then pulled Shen Yan¡¯s hand into the side pocket of his overcoat together with his, holding it secretly. The two of them were walking closely side by side, so unless some passerby looked really closely, no one would see them holding hands.


    The atmosphere before the grave just now was a bit mncholic. Qi Jing took notice of how Shen Yan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good as if his state of mind didn¡¯t recover yet, so he half seriously, half jokingly said, ¡°I thought that after... your ownership got transferred to me, the first time we would go somewhere you would take me on a date¡ªI didn¡¯t expect you to be so bold, immediately taking me to ¡°meet the parents¡±.¡±


    Sure enough, his words had an instant effect. Shen Yan nked for a while before suddenly turning his head towards Qi Jing and asked hesitantly, ¡°... Was I too thoughtless?¡±


    To tell the truth, not everyone is fond of going to ces like a cemetery.


    Qi Jing saw his apprehensive expression and couldn¡¯t help but startughing, ¡°I was joking. To be honest, I¡¯m very happy that you took me to such an important ce.¡±


    Shen Yan breathed with relief upon hearing that. He lowered his head, awkwardly looking away as he hesitated to speak.


    ¡°Next time, we¡¯ll go somewhere else on a¡ª¡± date. Shen Yan didn¡¯t say thest words, but Qi Jing knew what he wanted to say. The corners of his mouth curved up as he chuckled quietly and nodded in response.


    There was only one bus stopping by the cemetery and the waiting time for it was quite long. The two of them waited at the bust stop while chatting about the matters rted to the contest. At that time, Qi Jing suddenly heard his phone ringing, signaling a received message.


    ¡°Crap... It can¡¯t possibly be that something¡¯s happening at thepany?¡± Overtime work at weekend wasn¡¯t an umon thing in the news channel and before the ident, Qi Jing belonged to the type who easily got caught in those. Thanks to the director¡¯s favour he could idle away the past half a month, but if there really was a shortage of people to help, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to escape it.


    Qi Jing had to temporarily release Shen Yan¡¯s hand to fish out his phone, unlock it, and check his inbox.


    Fortunately it was a message sent by Ning Xiaoxiao. He breathed out with relief, but the moment he opened the message, he sucked that breath back again, the chilling air filling his lungs.


    ¡¾Senior!! Have you even gone on Weibo!! Hurry up and check it!!¡¿


    The text above was the exact content of Junior¡¯s message. This tone, this array of exmation marks after each sentence... It was no doubt a prelude of havoc toe. It was no surprise for such a prelude to show before every contest.


    Qi Jing lifted his phone, hesitant to open his social media for a long time. Shen Yan stood very close to him, so he must have seen the content of the message too, thus Qi Jing gave him an troubled nce.


    ¡°Check it, it will be fine as long as nothing happens.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s words were of no use¡ªwith how urgently Ning Xiaoxiao urged him to go end check it, it was already certain that something had definitely happened.


    Qi Jing could only resign to his fate and open his social media.


    Not bad, not bad. Compared with his miserable experience of his reply getting forwarded more than three thousand times, this time he didn¡¯t get as much of a jumpscare.


    Junior ah, Junior, you really love to scare people. The forward count has just hit five hundred yet you¡¯re already messaging me to hurry up. Qi Jing took on the Ah-Q mentality tofort himself,menting disdainfully in silence. But the moment he saw the content of the post, Ning Xiaoxiao in his mind immediately became incredibly lofty and wise.


    Not only the post itself was frightening, but also the person who posted it.


    And the crucial point was, it wasn¡¯t <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> he expected, but¡ª


    CV-Crossing the bridge noodles: For the voice actingpetition¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·happening tonight, I¡¯ll bepeting for ¡°Liu Suyu¡±. The event starts at 6 PM, can youe to cheer me on? You¡¯re the only one who can make me feel a little better at the moment. Thanks in advance. @CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date


    It was always Qi Jing¡¯s n to watch the first round. But he wasn¡¯t at all aware that <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> was on the list of candidates for Liu Suyu before now. He only wanted to listen to the course of the contest in advance¡ªwhat the jury took into consideration when scoring a contestant and so on¡ªso he could remind Shen Yan to take note of it when performing.


    In the end... <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> so openly asked him to cheer on him? In theory, shouldn¡¯t those things be done with his CP?


    What does this make of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>!


    What does this make of Moss stans!


    This situation was just straight-up spiralling into one where the ¡°main wife¡± got together with the rumoured scandalous ¡°mistress¡±¡ªthe drama meter was simply shooting through the roof. Qi Jing believed that this post would be a strong contender for the year-end online voice acting circle¡¯s gossip award.


    Just why on earth did <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> call him out like that? What¡¯s he hung up about?


    Looking at the tone of his post, there was no trace of him acting coquettish, cute, or pretentiously asking for support at all, he also didn¡¯t deliberately speak sarcastically to make a fool out of Qi Jing. It was straightforward, clear-cut and didn¡¯t seem like a joke.


    If Crossing the bridge noodles got CP-ed with an old transparent with an amount of fans one digit less than his, it would be far less effective at attracting fans than being together with a great god¡ªnot only would it fail to even make an interesting topic to help him raise his poprity, it could also offend the great god, resulting in such an onught of antis he wouldn¡¯t be able to recover from it. For him, getting together with Qi Jing had no actual value in the current atmosphere of the fans supporting his CP and supporting the great god.


    ¡°I really can¡¯t make any sense of it...¡± Qi Jing shook his head, bewildered.


    Thest time, when Crossing the bridge noodles dealt him the final blow with his post, he had already felt that this person doesn¡¯t y ording tomon sense. Now his actions made him even more confused.


    All of sudden, he felt a strong desire to have a good talk about life with <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>-kun.


    ¡°Crossing the bridge noodles?¡± Shen Yan kept staring at the screen silently and only now read that ID in a low voice. The light in his pupils flickered and it seemed like some thought appeared in his eyes.


    Shen Yan had witnessed the hubbub made by <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>¡¯ fans in the post thread for the first episode of¡¶Trap¡·with all of the demands to change him. That¡¯s why the current development was without doubt very strange, moreover... Shen Yan was now standing by his side as his official ¡°boyfriend¡±.


    ¡°I have nothing to do with that person in private, really.¡° Qi Jing blurted out before suddenly realising how nervous he sounded; he feared that the more he tried to clean himself from suspicion, the more suspicious he would seem.


    Shen Yan seemed surprised. He looked at him acting so eager to exin himself and couldn¡¯t help a low chuckle, ¡°I believe you,¡± those three words were like a shot in an arm, while the rest of his words were just a simple supplement, ¡°I will support you, no matter what you decide to do. That¡¯s why, feel free to handle it as you see fit.¡±


    A/N:


    After looking at thements I realised that apparently it¡¯s really important who tops and who bottoms in this novel?? Sure enough, my silly style of leaving the differentiation between top and bottom ambiguous continues till today... In all honesty, Shen Yan is a top, even though Qi Jing seems to get more and more ¡®top¡¯ with the course of time, but I still think that in terms of the strength of his spirit, he¡¯s still a little bit behind Shen Yan.


    In fact, I wanted to write out a scene simr in feel to the cover in the previous chapter, although it seems that it didn¡¯t turn out as simr... As for therades disappointed at theck of smut, I¡¯m really sorry, but I feel that that kind of development was more suited to their characters and the circumstances they were in, I guess that¡¯s my own way of thinking about it. I think that if they were genuinely moved by the feelings of the characters, they would be happy for them no matter what opponent y they acted out.


    T/N:


    Luci: *just sits in the background as a switch fan* Also. The ck haired one on the cover is Shen Yan??? SHOOK! I always thought it was Qi Jing...


    I recently checked the average character count for the chapters in EROVA and it seems like it has the highest average character count out of every novel I ever read. That¡¯s quite a way to start your journey with tranting (©b¨Œ©b)


    Mashiro: Ah, poor QJ trying to prove his innocence in front of his BOYFRIEND (*>ÆH<)hahahaa

 Chapter 50

    <h4>Chapter 50</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: Whitere


    Qi Jing decided to amodate <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> this time.


    Although he said he would amodate the other party, Qi Jing didn¡¯t actually have any intention of interacting with him in private¡ªit was best to keep a safe distance before seeing through the other¡¯s intentions. Since<i> Crossing the bridge noodles</i> was so eager and sincere when inviting him to listen, he could as well do him this favor and show himself from a good side while helping Shen Yan test how deep the waters of thatpetition were and how strict the judging panel would be with the scoring.


    After they got back to the apartment and had their lunch, Shen Yan took out the shirts they had taken off earlier that morning to iron. Shirts really wrinkle too easily. Usually they¡¯d change out of it into pyjamas, but the night before was an exception. By the time the two of them got up from the bed, their shirts were already all wrinkled¡ªthere was no way one could go out in them without a good ironing.


    The leftover mess on the shirts made Qi Jing remember the scene of their bodies entanglingst night and he couldn¡¯t help but cough out of embarrassment.


    Shen Yanughed with his head lowered. He didn¡¯t say bring up anything, only spreading the clothes t on the ironing board. After the iron started releasing puffs of white steam and crackling, he slowly ironed out those marks, starting from the cor.


    It really feels like we¡¯re newlyweds...


    Qi Jing started coughing yet again to cover that foolish thought of his and went out of the room under the pretense of going to y with Little Return Date.


    Qi Jing made use of the fact that Shen Yan was busy ironing clothes at that moment and went back to the bedroom, turning on hisputer.


    Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ message was sent the previous night; Qi Jing couldn¡¯t think of a good reply when he checked it on his phone. Right now, he logged into his ount on theputer. Boy, the post was at over five hundred reposts in the morning and after just two to three hours it¡¯s already shot up to a thousand...


    Oddly enough, <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> didn¡¯t forward that post. A portion of the five hundred-odd reposts that cameter were contributed by his fans. Their reactions could more or less be categorised into: shock, confusion and dissatisfaction. But <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> himself had yet to say anything, so the whole affair hadn¡¯t reached its boiling point yet.


    Under those circumstances, the more sinct he was with his reply the better, in order to avoid saying something wrong. Thus Qi Jing casually replied to Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ invitation with just one word: okay.


    To handle it as inconspicuously as possible, he avoided forwarding the post and only went to Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ original ount to leave a reply through ament.


    He didn¡¯t expect that, after three short minutes, his reply would get discovered and immediately dragged out for everyone to see by the fans, even getting closely investigated paparazzi-style.


    ¡¾1st reply¡¿¦²(¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ Huuuh? Don¡¯t ask for my return date really agreed!! As expected, everyone loves our Little Noodles!


    ¡¾2nd reply¡¿... What kind of development is this... The more I look, the less I understand. This life core of mine,e out quickly! Although there¡¯s no problem with having multiple rednterns raised high, you absolutely can¡¯t let these two rednterns of yours go yuri!


    ¡¾3rd reply¡¿I can smell adultery, hehehehe. Is this the legendary ¡°rivals in love to lovers¡±?


    ¡¾4th reply¡¿¨r(¨s_¨t)¨q Is it for hyping things up before contest? Truly boring, both of you have nothing better to do. Those are but the words of truth, please refrain from throwing hate.


    ¡¾5th reply¡¿Hey, hey, a certain one above, could you not talk about hype whenever you p your lips. If Return Date was a clout chaser, he would have be popr since long ago. Silently waiting to listen to thepetition. Go for it Noodles, go for it Return Date, as for those nutjobs with princess syndrome and think they¡¯re all that, go home and take your medicine!


    ¡¾6th reply¡¿Little Noodles, you... What about you and Bronze Sparrow?? I really love your CP, you suit each other so much ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    &#k3010;7th reply&#k3011;What I want to ask is, did the two of you meet IRL and hook up?


    &#k3010;8th reply&#k3011;o(&#k2267;v&#k2266;)o Aiyayaya, just as I said, Don¡¯t ask for my return date has to be a gong! I love his ssy gong voice the most!


    This development only got weirder with the course of time. Who was <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>¡¯s fan, who was <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>¡¯ fan, who was his fan, even who among the onlookers was a fan, anti-fan, or a mere passerby, all of it was inly visible.


    There was one thing Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but admire and that was the insatiable desire for gossip of the girls from the online voice acting circle. If the entertainment channel was ever short on reporters, he would be more than willing to serve as a talent scout, rmending a whole batch of talents excavated for the greater cause of the national tabloid industry.


    Qi Jing was also a man of great curiosity as a worker in the news industry; especially since there were people so tantly sticking themselves in his face, that terrible instinct that could kill the cat began to stir all the more.


    <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> would be his opponentpeting for the ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± role in thepetition a few dayster.


    Know yourself and your enemy, be unscathed through a hundred battles, right?


    With that mindset, he opened <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>¡¯ weibo page for the first time to look through it all the way from the beginning and study this person¡¯s usual behaviour.


    <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> had always been described as a ¡°refreshing youth like cool water¡± in the online voice acting circle. Some of his fans often likened him to a soft and cute white rabbit, eagerly using girlish phrases such as ¡°so adorable¡±, or ¡°so innocent¡± to refer him¡ªof course, those were the characteristics inferred from his voice.


    That¡¯s precisely why, when Qi Jing realised there was nothing on his weibo that had anything inmon with the word ¡®cute¡¯, he couldn¡¯t help but lift his eyebrows in astonishment, a soft ¡°oh¡± escaping his lips.


    First of all, Crossing the bridge noodles had no more than ten posts that went over twenty words. Qi Jing was ¡°honoured¡± that the invitation the other party sent him was one of them.


    Next,<i> Crossing the bridge noodles</i> was a criminal thriller movie enthusiast and especially liked the American dramas about criminal psychology.


    Finally,<i> Crossing the bridge noodles</i> would at times forward a popr topic and every post hemented on as nonsense waster all debunked with no exceptions¡ªtruly a miraculous urrence.


    Just looking at thatst point, it could be said that they had something inmon. The only difference was that Qi Jing wouldn¡¯t scold or roast but rather preferred to hit the ¡®report¡¯ button below the post, registering aint about spread of misinformation.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± After reading through two or three pages of posts and summarizing those three regrities, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. Who knows, maybe they really could discuss life together?


    But before discussing life, Qi Jing still had to check something¡ªthe online voice acting forum.


    There was one thing that differentiated the forum from weibo¡ªthe freedom of choosing an ID.


    On weibo, if any person posted any opinion, even with an alternate ID, the main page address appearing upon clicking that ID would stay the same; moreover, there was the function of tracking the previously used IDs. Because of that, people had to be mindful of quite a lot of things and would avoid stating any extreme opinions, only daring to do so on smurf ounts or if one was really uncaring of the bacsh.


    But it waspletely different on the forum¡ªthere was no registering requirement and the ID could be altered at any time. Under the posts with sensitive content, most of the people would choose to take themonly used ¡°= =¡± as a disguise when stating their opinions, there was no way to tell them apart as long as no one from the backend checked their IP address.


    At this ce, one would often see what it really meant to ¡°act recklessly without fear for any consequences¡± and what ¡°three men make a tiger¡± looks like.


    And now one of those ¡°tigers¡± emerged right before his eyes¡ªa tiger titled¡¶Bronze Sparrow Terrace is actually just a stepping stone and the one Don¡¯t ask for my return date is pursuing is Crossing the bridge noodles¡·.


    What a fierce tiger it was! With only one line and it was able to bring up three names, even doing so in the big, prime time dog blood drama style. If it weren¡¯t for his ID appearing in the title, Qi Jing would probably spam the upvote button in silence¡ªsuch a catchy title, it would really be a waste of talent if the original poster didn¡¯t go work in the news.


    He clicked into the posts as he praised it internally¡ªno matter the poster¡¯s identity, even if they didn¡¯t want to work themself to the bone working in the news, they still would have boundless prospects as a scriptwriter for soap operas¡ªthe story they wrote was even more dramatic than an actual drama.


    The story went as follows:


    At first, Bronze Sparrow Terrace and Crossing the bridge noodles were a match made in heaven, a pair of billing and cooing love birds, their CP among the most popr ones in the online voice acting circle.


    He, Don¡¯t as for my return date, had always secretly loved Little Noodles, yet couldn¡¯t have him, so he slowly climbed his way up in the online voice acting circle and schemed an opportunity to work with the Great God, that was, the current¡¶Trap¡·that they¡¯re in now. He flirted with the Great God in private behind the staff members¡¯ back, sowing discord and creating misunderstandings to sabotage their love... He was seducing the Great God to make a move on him at one hand and pretending to be a good friend to console the heartbroken Little Noodles on the other.


    It continued day after day until finally, Little Noodle¡¯s feelings finally had a shift¡ªthat¡¯s how that previous confession, ¡°Rather than him, I like you more¡±, came to be.


    ¡°Hahahaha...¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing; he let go of the mouse, pping the table like a lunatic.


    The god-tier screenwriting¡ªI like it.


    The god-tier development¡ªI like it.


    ¡°What happened?¡± He was probably making too much noise, even Shen Yan heard him from outside. Qi Jing wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, leaving theputer for the time being to go to Shen Yan¡¯s side with a smile.


    Shen Yan was right in the middle of ironing shirts when Qi Jing pressed against him from behind and locked his waist in a secure hug. He was surprised at first, then smiled and put down the iron to hold the hand ced on his abdomen, ¡°What made you so happy?¡±


    Qi Jing hid his face in Shen Yan¡¯s wide back, chucklingzily, ¡°I¡¯m not happy, I was just amused by something.¡±


    No matter how rich, how colourful was the imagination of folks from 2D, nothing couldpare to the beauty of a single normal 3D hug. However, that was something they couldn¡¯tprehend.


    Even if he didn¡¯t write a post, didn¡¯t go and make any big exnation livestreams on YY, Shen Yan was always there. He was his real boyfriend, one he could touch, hug...


    ¡°I kinda want to make a post as well, it would be titled¡¶The untold story of me and Geese Fly North that I have to tell to the world¡·or something like that.¡± Qi Jing had his full ofughing and now mumbled to himself, feeling content as he leaned against Shen Yan¡¯s back.


    Listening to him, Shen Yan seemed to have guessed what he had just read and asked in a low voice, ¡°The matter of you and Crossing the bridge noodles got spread?¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t admit or deny it, ¡°They¡¯re just creating news from nothing. Those girls will disappear after making noise for a while. My junior... I¡¯m talking about Xiaoxiao you metst time, she told me that Crossing the bridge noodles lives in Beijing, so he¡¯s pretty far away from us. People who know the inside information will understand it¡¯s fake news at first nce, so I don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±


    It¡¯s a pity though that there was no report button on the forum. Contacting forum moderators and administrators to delete the post was a chore, so it was better to just take it as a joke while watching from the side.


    At that moment, he suddenly remembered that magical ability of <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>. If that guy could write a single ¡°nonsense¡± in thement section under the post, it would probably seal away that post for good.


    He didn¡¯t expect that<i> Crossing the bridge noodles</i> would reallyment on it. His ID appeared after the post thread finally flipped the page among the heated discussion of that dog blood plot as he simply tossed that one word¡ª¡±nonsense¡±.


    It instantly and ruthlessly put out the me of onlookers¡¯ wild fantasies.


    Qi Jing was about to apud but he remembered that he couldn¡¯t use his left hand, so he could only give a symbolic thumb up, ¡°I owe you a favour, Crossing the bridge noodles-kun.¡±


    Tonight he only nned to watch his performance as a tactic, but after a show like that, he actually really wanted to cheer for him.


    Later on, the ¡°Noodles effect¡± started working. That post¡¯s days were numbered¡ªQi Jing continued to press F5 happily when all of a sudden, he couldn¡¯t refresh the page anymore. He lowered his head to take a look; it seemed like the forum administrator received a report and locked the post. A pity, a pity is what it is¡ªhe still wanted to watch more of everyone¡¯s lively discussions.


    But Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans were plenty gratified, as what they believed to be the official couple seemed to have been preserved. Before the post got locked, they proceeded to carry out all the headpats, fur strokes, and other cating gestures for the ¡°pitiful Little Noodles¡±, once again assuring him that great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace was loyal to him, that he, Don¡¯t ask my return date, was but a passerby.


    Delightful to hear, delightful to see.


    ¡°So you will be watching thatpetition at six this evening?¡± Shen Yan folded both of their shirts and put them in a wardrobe beforeing to his side to sit by his side and quietly watch him browsing the inte for a while.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t feel secure, we can always listen to it over the loudspeaker, I will sit and listen with you.¡± Qi Jing winked at him.


    Shen Yan chuckled, ¡°I don¡¯t feel insecure, I was just worried if you¡¯ll make it in time, and wanted to ask you beforehand when I should have the dinner ready.¡±


    His words suddenly made Qi Jing realise that he seemed to have spent three hours on weibo and the forum and that dusk was about to fall upon the world; it was, indeed, high time to start cooking.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was so into checking the posts that I forgot about time, I made you work all by yourself today.¡± He felt somewhat guilty; because of his immobile left hand, Shen Yan undertook most of the housework those days and even if he tried to help, he wasn¡¯t of much use and only helped with some small chores most of the time.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± He didn¡¯t expect Shen Yan¡¯s next words, ¡°having something to do helps me take my mind off it.¡±


    ¡®You¡¯re talking about... the contest?¡± Qi Jing was surprised. So even he would get nervous as the contest was about to start?


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about... something rted to you.¡± Shen Yan didn¡¯t immediately start talking when he opened his mouth; he kept it open for a moment and stopped like that. It was as if he searched for the right wording to not make himself look so troubled. He lowered his head and slowly finished saying those seven words, but his voice grew smaller the bigger Qi Jing¡¯s eyes got.


    ¡°What you want to say is, you still have that tiny little bit of you that minds, am I right?¡± The corners of Qi Jing¡¯s mouth curled up unbeknownst to him as he deliberately stressed that ¡°tiny little bit¡±.


    Actually, ording to Shen Yan¡¯s personality, it couldn¡¯t be just a tiny little bit if he vocalised those words.


    But teasing him was also fun¡ª


    Shan Yan was stared on by him for quite a while before he finally sighed, ¡°You certainly think that I¡¯m going back on my words. I¡¯ve clearly said that I¡¯d let you handle it your way, yet I didn¡¯t let go of the matter and let my thoughts go wild.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyes were full of smiles and he deliberately continued to question him, ¡°Geese Fly North-sama, let me hear, how did you let your thoughts go wild?¡±


    Shen Yan opened his mouth, but hesitated before saying, ¡°I thought¡ªif by any chance that person has taken interest in you... what would I do about it.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°I thought¡ªif by any chance he didn¡¯t live in Beijing but here, again, what would I do about it.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    Perhaps already realising that Qi Jing was teasing him, Shen Yan suddenly lifted his head and copied his previous manner of speaking as he said, ¡°And I also thought about making a post, it would be titled¡¶The untold story of me and Don¡¯t ask for my return date that I have to tell to the world¡·.¡±


    ¡°Pffft¡ª¡± Qi Jing teased him twice, only for the favour to be returned to him, causing him to break out of character and into a fit ofughter.


    What he once regarded as a jigsaw puzzle representing Shen Yan was alreadyplete enough, but there were still some pieces slowly falling into a ce¡ªpiecing together with his to unveil a scene of beauty he couldn¡¯t possibly imagine before.


    ¡°If, by chance, the exclusive rights to Don¡¯t ask for my return date is given to Geese Fly North alone, what would you do?¡± Shen Yan could copy his manner of speaking, then he could also immediately apply what he had learnt just the same; so he borrowed the other¡¯s words and asked with a smile.


    There were no words in Shen Yan¡¯s answer, only a warm embrace. Qi Jing felt the force of his arms circling around him, their strength just right¡ªit was a textbook example of epting his everything.


    So him gently returning Shen Yan¡¯s hug was only the natural course of things.


    In fact, Qi Jing could also add one bit of an exnation.


    You don¡¯t need to return those exclusive rights.


    T/L:


    Whitere: Wow, Noodles-sama, you¡¯re so powerful! And QJ and SY hugs <3!


    Luci: *creeps out from whatever she¡¯s behind to see the readers¡¯ reaction to this version of Noodles*


    It was interesting to see how the previous online descriptions influenced everyone¡¯s perception of him xD We were basically thinking along the same lines as many of thoseizens, and it¡¯s as funny as it is scary.

 Chapter 51

    <h4>Chapter 51</h4>


    Editor: Mashiro


    Even for Qi Jing, it was the first time he had seen a YY channel with more than five digits of people online, much less Shen Yan.


    This was the official site for the¡¶Order to End the Heavens 5¡·dubbingpetition semi-finals.


    There was still fifteen minutes to 6 PM but the number of people online had already soared to twelve thousand. The channel was currently in admin mode and the staff for thepetition were making the final adjustments for thepetition. People in the channel could hear the sounds of microphones being tuned, the discussions, and sound tests in the background from time to time¡ªthis was all to ensure that the flow of thepetition would not be affected by technical issues. After all, there were thirty contestants who had made it through into this round, with not much time allocated to each of them. If something goes wrong, it will also affect the rest of the contestants.


    This time, the organisers prepared an MC, production coordinator, and three guest judges.


    The schedule for this evening¡¯spetition has already been ced on the bulletin board.


    Firstly, the MC will give the opening speech when thepetition officially begins at 6 PM. They will briefly introduce thepetition judges and then announce the three scenes selected by the organisers¡ªthe contestants will go through a total of nine lines. These are all kept hush-hush before thepetition to test the contestant¡¯s ability to perform on the spot.


    Next, the MC will take control of the microphone and bring the participants onto the ¡°stage¡± ording to the order given in the preliminary selection. After confirming that there are no problems with the equipment, they will hand over the mic to the contestant for 120 seconds. The contestant has to finish all their lines within the stipted time. If they are unable toplete these requirements, they will be disqualified; if they finish early, they are free to improvise as they like for the rest of the time until the 120 seconds are up.


    Lastly, after each contestant has finished their performance, 30 seconds will be reserved for the audience to vote on the spot, during which the judges will be scoring behind the ¡°stage¡±, and the MC will announce the final scores after they have been tallied.


    Thepetition will take roughly three minutes per contestant.


    After everyone has finished, the judges will send a representative to go on the microphone and give theirments, which is expected to take at least 20 to 30 minutes. At this point, the backstage staff will list the top ten finalists ording to their scores and announce them on the bulletin board.


    The list of finalists will not normally change once it has been confirmed, except in one case: if the contestant signed up for three roles and qualified for all three, then the roles with the lowest ranking will be removed. At this point, the next contestant outside the top ten will fill in that spot.


    Qi Jing chose to put it on speaker mode; he turned on the speakers, grabbed two chairs, and dragged Shen Yan over to listen together with him.


    The lines for ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡± have not been released yet so there was no possibility of them practicing before thepetition. Since they¡¯ll be waiting around anyway, they might as well listen while waiting.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be stressed over this,¡± Qi Jing reminded beforehand.


    Sometimes, it¡¯s less stressful to just go right at it without listening to anything else. Qi Jing was a little worried that getting Shen Yan to listen would backfire on him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not nervous. To improve one¡¯s dubbing, they must be able to take on some negative criticism,¡± Shen Yan said with a smile.


    Just counting the MC and the three judges and ignoring all the others that he can¡¯t see, Shen Yan could just take it that there were only four people listening to him. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t have a part in this round so I can listen to the judges critique others and take note of it if I have the same faults.¡±


    Sometimes, the requirements formercial dubbing is not quite the same as that of online dubbing; they¡¯re not so insistent on the voice but are more stringent on the performance. Moreover,¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·has many fans, most of whom have never been exposed to the online voice acting scene so they don¡¯t care who¡¯s a great god and who¡¯s a transparent nobody¡ªhere, individual strength speaks louder than anything.


    ¡°It¡¯s starting soon.¡± Qi Jing nced at the bottom right corner of the screen; it was already 5.59 PM.


    The public chat was already going wild and wherever one looked there were fans of CVs doing fan chants, sending red flowers, making sure their idol is known to everyone. Besides <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>, there were also other CVs from the online voice acting circle who sessfully made it into the semi-finals and more or less had their fans over to support them.


    Right now, the MC, with their orange username, had already gone up to take the mic.


    ¡°Good evening, dear contestants and listeners! I am your MC for thispetition, Yang Chunqu. Right now, it is 6 PM on the dot, Beijing time, and the dubbingpetition for¡¶Order to End the Heavens 5¡·has officially begun! Wee everyone!¡± The MC, Yang Chunqu sounded just as her name suggests, a youngdy with this big sister type quality to her voice. Her voice was simr to that of those formal hosts on TV, dignified yet not losing that youthful brightness.


    The public chat was suddenly in a hubbub with rows of red flowers pouring out one after another.


    ¡°First, can I please get all contestants to change your username in the format of your number, dash, followed by yourpetition ID. If you¡¯re unclear, please refer to the announcement on the top right hand corner. If you¡¯ve forgotten your number, it can also be found on the announcement. This is an extremely important step because the coordinator will search ording to your number and ID and arrange the order ordingly when the timees.¡±


    While people were editing their usernames, Yang Chunqu took the time to briefly recount the history of the game¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·as well as how the previous two dubbingpetitions went. Then, she weed the three judges.


    ¡°Now, allow us to invite the first judge, Teacher Longbow to the mic.¡± Yang Chunqu cheerily put this person with a red username on the mic.


    ¡°Hello everyone, I¡¯m Longbow,¡± <i>Longbow</i> greeted everyone politely; his voice sounded very affable.


    Qi Jing had heard of this person.


    He was rather famous in the professional voice acting field. For his early works, he mainly delved into animation dubbing and had also voiced for charity campaign videos with the ID ¡°Longbow¡± on the inte. He slowly gained more poprity and waster more involved in dubbing for movies and TV shows. His real name is often seen in popr TV series these days, but he still prefers to use his inte ID online.


    ¡°For our next judge, we have Teacher Pu Yuzhi who hails from the University of Mass Communication, teaching students from the course of Broadcasting and Hosting. Wee!¡±


    ¡°Good evening to all students.¡± True to her academic background, she ultimately couldn¡¯t get away from the tone of a professor whenever she opened her mouth. She seemed to have realised her slip of tongue, chuckling slightly before saying even more shocking words, ¡°Please rest assured, everyone, I will be judging these contestants as I would my own students¡ªstrictly, but without a doubt, fairly.¡±


    As soon as she said those words, the public chat was filled with people sending the phrase ¡°Teacher Pu is so cool¡±. Pu Yuzhi may not be very famous herself, but many of her students went on to be celebrities of the professional voice acting world, so it¡¯s no lie that a strict teacher makes a good pupil.


    Yang Chunqu continued with the introductions. ¡°You may have already recognised from his ID; that¡¯s right, for our third judge, we have one of the winners from ourstpetition, Northwest Road. Wee!¡±


    <i>Northwest Road</i> was your typical example of a CV who started out in the online voice acting circle and shot to fame through thepetition, eventually breaking into the professional voice acting circle. However, the club he was previously associated with was one averse to BL, so his name isn¡¯t that known in the BL area and Qi Jing was naturally not familiar with him as well.


    ¡°Good evening everyone! Northwest Road is back again!¡±


    From his voice alone, he sounded very bubbly and friendly¡ªas expected of a previous winner. His voice was rich with maism; when he spoke, it was short and powerful, like a bullet shot out of a gun. There seemed to be many fans of his in the audience, in an instant, the chat was filled with cheers: ¡°Wee back Northwest-sama ¨R¨Œ¨Q¡±


    Qi Jing opened the browser while listening, searching up the judges¡¯ information one by one, browsing through their personal history. These three judges would be judging for all of the male characters... In other words, they will be the ones scoring the two of them, for Shen Yan¡¯s when his turn came, as well as for Qi Jing for his own roundter on.


    <i>Longbow</i> gave a pretty good first impression. Qi Jing just didn¡¯t know if he would changepletely when ites to scoring contestants.


    Pu Yuzhi was an older and more old school professor who has already dered that she will be strict, so she will probably be very picky when the timees.


    <i>Northwest Road</i> is a former contestant in this event himself so he¡¯ll likely be more lenient?


    ¡°There are so many unknowns...¡± He muttered to himself.


    Now that they were done introducing the judges, the coordinator has already picked out the thirty contestants andpetition was about to begin proper.


    ¡°Alright, next a total of nine lines, for the three scenes will be announced. These are the lines we have chosen for the current character ¡®Liu Suyu¡¯.¡± The mic went back to Yang Chunqu and she asked the coordinator to put up the new announcement content.


    When Qi Jing heard that, he suddenly eximed and gently nudged Shen Yan.


    ¡°Actually, if that¡¯s the way it is then it¡¯s not bad for your number to be further back on the list; at least you¡¯ll get more time to slowly work out your lines.¡±


    ¡°Not really; sometimes when you have to hear the same lines over and over again some people will eventually get tired of it ultimately affecting them from judging objectively.¡± Shen Yan said with a small smile.


    Qi Jing froze slightly¡ªthere was some sense to what Shen Yan said.


    In any case, the person who¡¯s first to go up was definitely unlucky.


    Never would he have expected that <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> would be that extremely unlucky number one.


    At the beginning, he didn¡¯t really pay much attention to the contestant numbers and the coordinator removed the list of contestants after posting the lines. It was only when Yang Chunqu called out loudly, ¡°Contestant number one, Crossing the bridge noodles, please get ready toe on the mic.¡± did Qi Jing whip his head over to look at the window showing people with the permission to turn on their mics and his eyes rounded in shock.


    It really was <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>.


    It¡¯s really... Wow, this person is really too ¡°lucky¡±...


    Luckily for him, <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> had quite an impressive number of fans. The moment the MC announced his ID, the public chat was filled with a flurry of excitement withrge groups of people spamming the chat with cheers for him.


    <i>Audience 1</i>: (¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å All the best, Little noodles!! We¡¯ll be here to support you, mua~


    <i>Audience 2</i>: (¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re the first one to go up! You¡¯re the best! Have faith in yourself!


    <i>Audience 3</i>: (¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å Stay in formation! All the best, Little noodles!


    <i>Audience 4</i>: (¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å Go, go go!


    <i>Audience 5</i>: (¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å Sending Little noodles kisses. Don¡¯t be sad even if Bronze Sparrow can¡¯te tonight, we¡¯ll record for him to listen~


    <i>Audience 6</i>: (¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å Little noodles, let¡¯s quickly conquer the judges with your pure voice!


    ......


    His fans were loyal, yes, but they seemed to be on the younger side. The entire screen was covered in adorable emoticons as well as well wishes tinted with a hint of infatuation. Given how loud and spectacr of a scene they made, there was no way MC could¡¯ve failed to notice it.


    ¡°Our number one contestant, Crossing the bridge noodles, seems to have a lot of little fans cheering him on. Looks like everyone is very enthusiastic tonight,¡± Yang Chunqu said with a chuckle, ¡°Well then, Contestant Crossing the bridge noodles, I¡¯ve already put you on the mic, please say a few words to test the equipment.¡±


    The light in front of <i>Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯</i> ID flickered a little and a voice that sounded like it floated to the surface from the depths of deep waters could be heard.


    ¡°Sorry, I have a bit of a cold so I sound quite nasally... The microphone is fine, mhm.¡± Unlike his usual clear, youthful voice, he sounded like his throat was quite ufortable. His speech sounded pretty muffled and the rity of his voice was severely affected.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but feel pity for him. Not only was he first to start¡ªhe just had to bite the bullet and do it¡ªhe also happened to be sick.


    <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> probably didn¡¯t mention that he was unwell anywhere because his fans were in an utter state of shock, every one of them asking about his condition on the chat.


    Probably realising that it¡¯s not good for his fans to repeatedly spam the chat, he told his fans, ¡°This isn¡¯t our own channel. I¡¯m fine. Everyone please quieten down.¡±


    His fans immediately stopped obediently at his word.


    ¡°Oho...¡± Qi Jing raised an eyebrow with some surprise. Just from this point alone, he was way better at handling the situationpared to his <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>.


    Even though Qi Jing said it in front of his ownputer it was as if <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> could hear him. In front of the MC, the three judges, and over ten thousand listeners, he suddenly popped this question out of the blue, ¡°Are you there, Don¡¯t ask for my return date?¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t expect for him to straight up call out to him in such a formal setting; he was startled.


    Shen Yan, on the other hand, turned over to look at him and when he saw that Qi Jing was utterly stunned, unable toe back to his senses, he even asked all seriously, ¡°Do you need me to help type a reply for you?¡±


    Only then did Qi Jing finally gather back all his thoughts. After some slight hesitation, he ultimately nodded his head. Since he had entered the channel using his ount this time, and the ID was <i>Don¡¯t ask me for my return date</i>, he could just send the message directly.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I¡¯m here. All the best to you.


    <i>Audience 1</i>: Yes, yes!! I see it!! He¡¯s the one right above me!!


    <i>Audience 2</i>: I see it too! Ladies, let¡¯s help convey this to Little noodles, otherwise I¡¯m afraid he might miss it~


    <i>Audience 3</i>: Noodles, noodles, have you seen it?? Don¡¯t ask for my return date is here!! He even wished you all the best!!


    <i>Audience 4</i>: (¨R¦Ø¨Q) Little noodles, Don¡¯t ask my for my return date is here!


    <i>Audience 5</i>: (¨R¦Ø¨Q) Look here, look here, Little noodles! The person you¡¯re looking for is here in the audience listening to thepetition and even wish you all the best.


    <i>Audience 6</i>: (¨R¦Ø¨Q) Do your best voice acting, Little noodles! Go and have a good rest after this, we¡¯ll support you no matter the result!


    ...


    ¡°Ah, I saw it, thank you.¡± <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> coughed a little, cleared his throat and told that MC that he was ready to start.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t know if thatst ¡°thank you¡± was directed at the fans or him; somehow, it made him feel embarrassed for being given credit when he didn¡¯t do anything.


    ¡°I suddenly feel like this person probably... really needs encouragement at the moment.¡± He felt a little regretful that he didn¡¯t get Shen Yan to type a few more words.


    ¡°Do you want to write a few more words of encouragement?¡± Shen Yan seemed to know what Qi Jing was struggling with; his fingers were already back on the keyboard. Qi Jing was a very sympathetic person with a soft heart even when facing a person who was once the cause of countless antis sending hate his way. This was something Shen Yan understood better than anyone.


    However, Qi Jing shook his head. It was toote to say anything now and it would even affect thepetition, so forget it.


    ¡°It¡¯s good enough that we got the point through,¡± he said. Next, it would be up to <i>Crossing to bridge noodles</i> to perform.


    Once everything was in ce, the host, Yang Chunqu, turned off her mic and the 120-second countdown began. Even the messages in the public chat stopped as if everyone was holding their breaths.


    Liu Suyu was a well-mannered, young schr, a friend of the protagonist, Qin Tuo, ording to the character background given by the organiser.


    The first voiceover scene is set when the character is worriedly looking for his name on board after the provincial exam. The scene cues and tone cues are written very minimally, almost a little too simple in Qi Jing¡¯s opinion. One should know that usually when CVs voice their characters, apart from the script itself, much focus is also ced on the tone cues. Otherwise, the CVs may easily be misled if the cues are not well-marked.


    ording to the timer, only three seconds had passed, but it felt way more than that.


    As expected, the atmosphere on the site of thepetition was very stressful even though it wasn¡¯t his or Shen Yan¡¯s turn topete yet. Qi Jing felt like he had overestimated his own mental strength. It turned out that being in the situation itself waspletely different from what he had expected¡ªhe would freeze up from nerves.


    Just as he was sighing internally at himself, <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> spoke up.


    ¡°Should I... go over to have a look or not? What if... What if I failed to make it, how am I ever going to face my parents?¡±


    His voice was much lowerpared to the teenage voice from some of his dramas. It was the voice of a youth¡ªsomeone who had barely ventured into the world, all he knew was studying and more studying despite the hardships of his circumstances; a gentle and cultured young man. Although his voice did sound a little nasally from his cold, it was perfect for this context. The slight hesitation in his tone coupled with this voice, it was as if Qi Jing could really see a slender schr who¡¯s naturally pessimistic and dejected right in front of him.


    Qi Jing subconsciously nodded his head at his screen, acknowledging <i>Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯</i> control of his tone.


    The line that came next had the exact requirement as the previous one, they were both ¡°uneasiness¡±, but there was a slight change in <i>Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯</i> tone. ¡°Um, this gentleman in front of me, will... will you be so kind to help me check if the board has the name ¡®Liu Suyu¡¯ on it?¡±


    It was still pessimistic, but it held a trace of hope hidden at the bottom of his heart. <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> added this positive sense of urgency in his voice, and naturally, his speech also hastened.


    It was then quickly followed by thest line of the scene for this character.


    The tone of his voice suddenly jumped as he eximed ecstatically, aplete 180 from the one from before which wasden with mncholy, ¡°Yes! I got it! I really got in! Oh ancestors of the Liu family, Father, Mother, I, Liu Suyu, finally made it to the final Imperial Exam! I¡ª¡±


    His words were suddenly cut short and he murmured to himself with a trembling voice, ¡°...Me? The final Imperial Exam? ...Good lord, this isn¡¯t a dream, right? I can¡¯t be dreaming right now, can I?¡±


    Listening up till this point, Qi Jing¡¯s hand that was originally resting on his lips unconsciously rxed and slipped down; for a moment there, he couldn¡¯t utter a word.


    Right at that moment, Shen Yan suddenly spoke up and concluded softly, ¡°His change in tone is pretty good.¡±


    After a slight pause, he turned his gaze onto Qi Jing and spoke in a solemn and cautious tone, ¡°This person is quite skilled, you should take extra care when youpete in the next few days.¡±


    Yeah, he thought so too.


    Being able to differentiate between the lines through slight changes in details when the cues in the script were exactly the same was a true show of his prowess as a voice actor. And the twist in thest sentence¡ªQi Jing simply wanted to give him a big round of apuse. Unsurprisingly, the public chat was filled with rave reviews, and deservedly so.


    For the following two scenes, Crossing the bridge noodles continued his good and steady performance.


    Although his voice was slightly affected by the cold, his tone was good. But overall, due to the selection of the lines, the first scene was the one that gave him the most room to y with and it was also his best scene.


    ¡°Interesting, interesting, this guy is so much better than his Bronze Sparrow Terrace. Looks like I¡¯ll have to step up my game for ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s brows had been slightly furrowed after listening to all of <i>Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯</i> lines, but in the end, as if he suddenly saw the light, he let out augh and the frown on his face disappeared.


    Seeing his face change from one of gloom to a bright expression, Shen Yan smiled along with him and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of losing?¡±


    Qi Jing did not answer his question immediately but instead leaned overzily, using Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder as a cushion for the umpteenth time.


    Having just eaten dinner, both of them were still nice and warm so when they leaned against one another, it felt extra cosy. He rxed himself and said with a smile, ¡°I will do my best. If I give my best and still lose, then I¡¯ll ept the loss and slowly ept more shows in the future to continue honing my acting skills.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Shen Yan smiled in turn, lowering his head to nt a light peck on Qi Jing¡¯s hair. To Qi Jing, that was more encouragement than any word could give him.


    A voting window pops up on the screen in front of them. <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> was already done with his performance and it was now time for the audience to vote.


    ¡°How is it? Do you want to vote for him?¡± Shen Yan asked him with a smile.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Qi Jing replied without a hint of hesitation and happily clicked on the button. This vote was not only his appreciation of the other party, but also a warning for himself.


    Actually, <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> wasn¡¯t the only one he had to look out for¡ª<i>Always remember: Just as there¡¯s no limit to the universe; there will always be someone better than you.</i>


    Mashiro: Well, I suppose the noodles guy is not as bad as I thought.

 Chapter 52

    <h4>Chapter 52</h4>


    Tinsunny and Belegdae, thank you guys so much for the coffees! ¨R¨Œ¨Q/


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: Whitere


    Apetition without suspense was not enough to appeal to the audience and having no unexpected identscked thrills¡ªCrossing the bridge noodle¡¯s final score was a surprise for a number of people, including Qi Jing.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but find himself stunned when he saw the score in the window.


    The scores were organized in the same sequence as the judges: first, <i>Longbow</i>¡®s; second, Pu Yuzhi¡¯s; and third, <i>Northwest Road</i>¡®s. The exact score of <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> looked as followed:


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿: 3.5, 3.0, 3.0, average score 3.17


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿: 4.0, 3.0, 3.5, average score 3.5


    ¡¾Foundation points¡¿: 4.0, 3.5, 3.5, average score 3.67


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿: 3.5, 3.0, 3.0, average score 3.17


    Judging panel¡¯s evaluation: 3.17+3.5+3.67+3.17 = 13.51 points


    Additional audience vote points: 85.6% voting ratio = 0.856 points


    Overall score: 13.51+0.856 = 14.366 points


    The MC Yang Chunqu didn¡¯t read out all of the scores in detail, only announcing the final score. That oue momentarily caused quite a stir in a considerable part of the audience, Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ fans seemed to have received a huge blow, leaving them quite at a loss. Theoretically speaking, Crossing the bridge noodles was the first contestant to perform, so there was no telling if that achievement counted as good or not, but the score he received seemed to be lower than what the majority of the audience expected.


    ¡°I feel like the score he received... isn¡¯t too normal.¡± Qi Jing instinctively voiced his thoughts, his eyes shifting towards Shen Yan.


    Shen Yan said nothing, but Qi Jing took note of his brows furrowing a bit as if he also felt confused.


    To be fair, with a five-point scoring system, Qi Jing thought that with Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ skill in acting he deserved to get at least over four points on average in each category. That¡¯s why it really went beyond his expectations when he saw the score disy full of threes.


    Sure enough, among the three judges, Pu Yuzhi was the most strict with scoring, but he didn¡¯t expect Northwest Road to give a score this low as well. Longbow was the only one to give four points.


    Qi Jing felt that if he was a judge, his score would probably be about the same as Longbow¡¯s¡ªor even higher.


    It was clear that Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ little fans didn¡¯t buy it¡ªobjections started showing up on the screen, rapidly snowballing in number. As they heard the MC announce their idol¡¯s score, a lot of them started spamming the chat, calling it into question.


    Audience 1: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õAm I seeing it wrong? I feel like Little Noodle¡¯s score is a bit low...


    Audience 2: Replying to the one above, you¡¯re not alone in that! I also think that his score was deliberately lowered. Clearly during his performance, the public chat¡¯s reaction was pretty good? Especially the charisma category, a mere 3.17 as an average score just doesn¡¯t make sense!


    Audience 3: &#k252B;&#k252R;&#kUR4U;&#k252B;&#k252R; Begging for exnation! Begging for rification!


    Audience 4: &#k252B;&#k252R;&#kUR4U;&#k252B;&#k252R; Begging for exnation! Begging for rification! +10086


    Audience 5: &#k252B;&#k252R;&#kUR4U;&#k252B;&#k252R; Humpf! I don¡¯t care! Either way Little Noodles is the best! In my heart, he gets straight fives!


    Audience 6: Ladies!! Ladies, please stop spamming!! Noodles has just said in the group to not spam the chat, let¡¯s let the other people finish their auditions before talking~ Ladies, be good~ The ¡°Rice Noodles Fans¡± are good children, right?? o(¨R0¨Q)o


    It seemed like Crossing the bridge noodles had spoken up in his QQ fangroup chat, asking fans to stay calm. Since the person involved said so himself, the fans followed suit andplied without making a hubbub. The scene of protest in the public chat slowly started to die down.


    However, as the host of thepetition, the MC Yang Chuqu couldn¡¯t possibly turn a blind eye to those remarks, so she proceeded to exin politely and affably, ¡°I can see that everyone seems to have different opinions in regards to the number one contestant¡¯s score. Everyone, please rest assured&#k2014;after the individual auditions are all finished, we¡¯ll ask Teacher Longbow to act as judges¡¯ representative to exin their reasons behind each score. So when the timees, everyone will be given a logical exnation. Thank you for your understanding.¡±


    ording to Qi Jing¡¯s knowledge, both of the two previous¡¶Order to End the Heavenspetitions had incidents of dissatisfaction with controversial scorings¡ªin the most severe case, the contestant publicly denounced the judging system as unfair, even issuing aint to thepany responsible for the game, causing a huge scene. As apany making amercialised game franchise, the developers probably didn¡¯t wish to get involved in another controversy like that.


    Likewise, if the fans continued to make a noise even under these circumstances, it would make the CV in question look bad¡ªthus, everyone could only wait patiently.


    At that moment, Shen Yan, who had been studying the content of the score window, suddenly got up and grabbed a notebook, one he usually used to make notes of work-rted information.


    Qi Jing observed him curiously as he returned to his seat, flipped through the notebook in search of a nk page, and started by using his pen to write down a single ¡°1¡± before he lowered his head to note something. Qi Jing leaned over to take a look, only to see some key phrases rted to the performance like ¡°fluent transition¡±, ¡°need to refine understanding of background information¡±, ¡°a bit overboard with emotions¡±, and so on.


    ¡°What is that for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m writing down my thoughts topare them with the judges¡¯ opinion when the timees, so I can see which ones ovep and which ones turn out different.¡± Shen Yan concentrated on taking notes, his head down. It seemed like he intended to do that for each of the thirty contestants, including Crossing the bridge noodles.


    Qi Jing was surprised at Shen Yan being this conscientious and, after his initial surprise, sighed with a smile, ¡°Geese Fly North-sama, there might not be many CVs like you anymore.¡±


    The pen in Shen Yan¡¯s hand stopped momentarily, nib staying still for the length of his pause, ¡°Is my behaviour... very strange?¡±


    Qi Jing replied, chuckling, ¡°If it¡¯s you doing so, then I don¡¯t think it¡¯s strange.¡±


    If it was Shen Yan, no matter whether it was for 2D or 3D world, he would always be uniformly conscientious, just like his approach towards life.


    ¡°Not only is it not strange, I even like it a lot.¡± Qi Jing stuck out his pinky finger, curling it around Shen Yan¡¯s left pinky finger¡ªthat same left hand was still holding the notebook; the gesture was just as flirtatious as his words.


    They were sitting shoulder to shoulder¡ªfrom such a distance, even the slightest of the expressions could be caught. Under the softmplight, Qi Jing saw Shen Yan blinking twice, his lips pursing a little as his eyes moved away a little. Somehow... it looked like he was actually feeling a little embarrassed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a practice I developed a long time ago.¡± Shen Yan cleared his throat and said in a low voice, ¡°I was at college at that time and had just gotten in touch with voice acting. A few people would often practise acting together online; whenever I listened from the sides, I would use pen and paper to take notes while listening and take it out after going offline to study¡ªwith the course of time, it developed into a habit .¡±


    That habit sounded very reasonable and couldn¡¯t be any more normal. However, being able to keep at it for year after year wasn¡¯t as easy as it sounded.


    The smile on Qi Jing¡¯s face overflowed¡ªthe corners of his lips were about to reach his ears while his gaze was filled only with tenderness. ¡°That¡¯s why I said people like you are hard toe by. Some of the CVs these days, when they¡¯re dubbing for a drama, don¡¯t even mention trying to figure out and understand the character by themselves, they wouldn¡¯t even read the retake notes the director painstakingly wrote.¡±


    Shen Yan sighed, ¡°In fact... I was away for two, three years, so I¡¯m not used to themunity now, nor do I know how to deal with the current production crews. I¡¯m afraid people would regard this habit of mine as weird... or regard me as weird.¡±


    In that case, it was no surprise that in everyone¡¯s minds, the CV Geese Fly North would never say a word outside of handing in the recordings or retakes.


    ¡°And also...¡± Saying up to that point, Shen Yan hesitated.


    ¡°And also?¡±


    ¡°That night, when a crewmember from¡¶Trap¡·asked me to temporarily stand in for the main character and act with you, it was my first time acting with another person since I came back after being away from the voice acting scene for so long.¡± His gaze seemed to wander far away as his words slowed and faltered, like the fine sand in an hourss, falling down alongside the memories, ¡°To be honest, that time... I wavered for a long time in my decision.¡±


    Qi Jing stiffened, his throat somewhat hot as heughed in a hoarse voice, ¡°Can I say¡ªhow fortunate that you ultimately agreed?¡±


    How fortunate that they met each other andter got to know each other.


    No matter if it was in the identity of Don¡¯t ask for my return date and Geese Fly North or as Qi Jing and Shen Yan¡ªhe had never regretted it.


    Thepetition went on.


    Only after continuing to listen did Qi Jing realise that Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ score was already among the highest. Quite a few of the following contestants scored around 3.0 per average in each category, especially with Pu Yuzhi¡ªfrom the beginning to the end, she had never given a score higher than 3.5 asionally, and she even gave rock-bottom scores such as 1.0 or 1.5.


    Of course, there weren¡¯t many among them that could outperform Crossing the bridge noodles.


    Pu Yuzhi might have been strict, but she was no doubt impartial, while the scoring criteria of the other two judges also seemed to differ a bit; Longbow¡¯s style was gentle¡ªunless the contestant really screwed up while acting, his scores wouldn¡¯t vary too much, most of the time fluctuating between 3.0 and 4.0. Northwest Road would at times give a score as high as 4.5 and as low as 2.0 at others, making one unable to fathom his thoughts.


    All kinds of things would happen during thepetition; one contestant was too tense and didn¡¯t take note of the procedure, reading the lines straight away¡ªout of fairness to ensure that everyone got the same amount of time, the MC had no choice but to interrupt and ask him for a retake. Another contestant¡¯s voice was distinctly trembling and he kept making mistakes; there was also one whose inte connection was simply too tragic¡ªhe kept connecting and disconnecting, and atst, he could only forfeit.


    After listening to thepetition for half an hour, Qi Jing managed to gain quite a bit of insight.


    Yang Chingu¡¯s capabilities as a MC in charge of managing the field were truly praiseworthy. Despite the everchanging andplicated conditions, she was still able to conclude the scoring for thest contestant smoothly and ording to the schedule, so there would be more time for the contestants to listen to the judges¡¯ feedback.


    After all, that was the true climax of thepetition.


    ¡°Everyone, the first round of the preliminary voice auditions for the¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·character, Liu Suyu, has nowe to an end! During this half an hour, our contestants all gave us splendid performances. I believe everyone also enjoyed listening to it, but I implore you to not leave us yet. Next, we¡¯ll invite the judges¡¯ representative, Teacher Longbow, to provide us withmentary for each of tonight¡¯s performances! Everyone, wee Teacher Longbow!¡± Yang Chunqu let her voice rise, once again bringing the crowd into a state of excitement.


    Sure enough, Longbows¡¯s red ID appeared at the top of the voice channel.


    As a seasoned voice actor, one who spent a lot of time in themercial voice acting circle even, each and every action of Longbow¡¯s was poised and urbane. He wouldn¡¯t forget to first say a couple of rather conventional greetings, expressing very diplomatic thanks to the performing contestants and reiterating that the ce they achieved wasn¡¯t important¡ªit was theirpetitive spirit that mattered.


    The actualmentary only startedter, ¡°First of all, let¡¯s start with contestant number one.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing straightened his back slightly, his attention wholly focused at listening. Shen Yan flipped through his notes calmly and opened it on the first page, putting them on his knees in preparation forparison.


    ¡°The sense of age in contestant number one¡¯s voice was on spot, but it didn¡¯t sound particrly mild. It might be because his voice got affected by the cold just as he said, so I found it hard to judge and gave it 3.5 points¡ªit¡¯s a score I believe to be a middle ground between good and very good. Though the two other judges should have their own reasons, the judgement I¡¯m stating now only represents my own personal thoughts.¡±


    Longbow¡¯s words made Qi Jing a bit disappointed¡ªhe felt that it was the two other judges that were responsible for suppressing the scores, but it was truly too unrealistic to make each judge give amentary. Besides, Longbow¡¯s exnation sounded pretty rational.


    ¡°As for number one¡¯s enunciation, I think it was very good. He had a pretty solid grasp of the pace, while pronunciation, just as I¡¯ve just said, was affected by the strong nasality, making individual words sound rather unclear. But it wasn¡¯t too much of a problem.¡± That¡¯s why Longbow gave him a high score of 4.0¡ªit wasn¡¯t unintentional.


    Crossing the bridge noodle¡¯s fans sent a bunch of TATs on the public chat, all feeling regretful that he participated in thepetition while he was unwell, making him unable to fully disy his abilities.


    But Longbow proceeded to point out more of Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ shorings apart from his voice.


    ¡°As everyone knows, the evaluation for foundation points and charisma both depend on acting, but there is a slight difference between the two. The foundation points can be thought of as simr to readingprehension skills¡ªit¡¯s based on the contestant¡¯s ability to follow the script¡¯s prompts and act out the emotions and it¡¯s important whether the shift between different emotions sounds natural or not. Meanwhile, the charisma goes even deeper and shows whether the candidate took the background of the character to heart, acting on it when considering the slight subtleties when portraying the character¡¯s speech.


    ¡°I truly admire number one¡¯s skills in changing the tones, especially the shift between the first and the second line from the first scene. The same goes for the mood transition from thest line; the handling of it really was well thought out and coupled with pretty good acting.


    ¡°But the family circumstances of Liu Suyu were actually pretty good¡ªupon checking the detailed background information, everyone should realise he was no poor schr, but a young master of a merchant family. Since ancient times, the merchants were looked down upon, only able to bring honour to their family by bing an official¡ªthat¡¯s why he was so hung on passing the Imperial Exams and achieving a schrly honour. In number one¡¯s voice, one could hear the restlessness of waiting for the results before the scoreboard, that feeling of wanting to see but not daring to look¡ªthat part was very well done... but it was performed in a way that strayed a bit from the ¡°pampered son of a wealthy family¡± setting and kind of reminded of a small schr¡ªtheprehension of the character was a little superficial.


    ¡°This particr point was especially clear when heter started shouting ¡°I got in, I got in!¡± repeatedly. It can be said that the acting there was a little bit too ostentatious. Considering the upbringing the character received since a young age, he wouldn¡¯t in fact shout loudly even when overjoyed¡ªit should be expressed by the contradictory instinct of wanting to shout loudly, but suppressing his voice subconsciously. ¡°


    Hearing Longbow¡¯s words, Qi Jing felt as if he finally understood and nodded unconsciously. Then he suddenly remembered something and hurriedly turned his head to look at the content of Shen Yan¡¯s notes¡ªall of sudden, those few phrases, ¡°need to refine understanding of background information¡±, ¡°a bit overboard with emotions¡± became clear.


    ¡°So you really did notice that before.¡± Qi Jing opened his eyes wide¡ªhe didn¡¯t think that Shen Yan¡¯s train of thought would be so simr to Longbow¡¯s.


    ¡°It was just an inkling. Only after hearing Teacher Longbow¡¯s exnation did I realise where it came from.¡± Shen Yan smiled at him mildly, then quickly restrained his smile. He continued saying with his eyebrows furrowed, ¡°But even with things like that, the scores the two other judges gave... personally, I still think they were a bit too low.¡±


    The following contestants couldn¡¯tpare with Crossing the bridge noodles in terms ofprehension of details, but there wasn¡¯t as much of a disparity between the scores. It was unknown whether the judges became too benevolent during thetter part or if their scoring of the first person to perform was too strict... Either way, this time Crossing the bridge noodles could only be said to have had terrible luck.


    The wholementary segment went on for thirty five minutes. Longbow¡¯s exnation was very detailed and practical and Qi Jing benefited from it a lot.


    ¡°Thank you Teacher Longbow for working hard to provide us with such feedback.¡± Yang Chuqu announced some unexpected news once she regained control over the mic after Longbow left the voice channel, ¡°Everyone, if you wish to listen to the next audition for the ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡± role, you need to remember that thepetition starts at 8:30PM. When the timeses, we¡¯ll be changing the judge responsible for thementary to Teacher Pu Yuzhi, please stay tuned¡ª¡±


    Qi Jing sucked in a mouthful of cold air.


    Pu Yuzhi? ording to her ruthless scoring style, when it came time to givementary, wouldn¡¯t her feedback also be incredibly cutting, cutting to the point of absolutely devastating a person?


    Shen Yan had yet to fully recover from his illness. What if when the time came, she picked out a whole bunch of issues¡ªwouldn¡¯t it make things even worse?


    His heart suddenly fell into disarray.


    ¡°Shen Yan...¡± He looked over uneasily, but the gaze of the person beside him was calm, a far cry from the flustered look he had imagined.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± It was Shen Yan who actuallyforted him instead, saying in a soft voice, ¡°Actually, I would rather listen to Teacher Pu¡¯s evaluation to hear the reason for her giving such a low score.¡±


    ¡°But...¡± I¡¯m still worried.


    ¡°It¡¯s justmentary¡ªno matter what she says, she won¡¯t be able to alter the already published score or change the ranking.¡± Shen Yanughed gently. Qi Jing sighed inwardly¡ªalthough that was true, what he was worried about was how that negativity during the next performance might influence his performances after that.


    If... if even the Old Man Xiao Shan, the role he felt the most confident about, received heavy criticism, then it would be even more so with the more rebellious and harder to grasp Bai Ke. There was also that Marquess Shun, the one Shen Yan always said he wanted to use to ¡°ovee something¡±.


    The future didn¡¯t look too optimistic. All of sudden, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t muster any enthusiasm for thepetition which would start in half an hour.


    A/N:


    It¡¯s the first time I had to use a calctor when writing a chapter, haha.


    We bullied Little Noodles this round... It¡¯s Dr Shen¡¯s turn next (eh?)


    T.N:


    Luci: ¦²(¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ Prot the goose!!!!


    Whitere: SY¡¯s so earnest! Fighting!!

 Chapter 53

    <h4>Chapter 53</h4>


    Thank you to Anon for the donation! I love EROVA too uwuuu


    Editor: Mashiro


    Despite his bad luck, <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> ended up in fourth ce overall, safely securing himself a ce in the next round. Out of pity and indebtedness, Qi Jing heaved a sigh of relief at this result.


    The segment for ¡°Liu Suyu¡± ended at 8 PM. With a half an hour intermission to the next segment, most decided to just stay in the channel and not go offline. Many were excitedly discussing thepetition, while the event staff locked the microphone, allowing the MC and judges to take a break.


    For Shen Yan, in addition to a break, this half an hour was also time for him to set up and adjust his equipment in advance. In order to hear the effect of his microphone directly from YY, Qi Jing got Shen Yan to go back to the study so that he could log into his ount on hisputer while he stayed in the bedroom. He temporarily left thepetition channel and went to another channel that not many people usually visit to try out the sound. Back when Qi Jing wasn¡¯t as famous as he was now, this channel was set up by a kind individual for little transparent CVs to practice with one another to find their feel for acting. It¡¯s as good as gone now but Qi Jing still misses the atmosphere back then, so he still uses it asionally as a ce for impromptu rehearsals.


    The number of people online today is about the same as usual, only in the single digits.


    And based on Qi Jing¡¯s experience, many people were just hanging around here to increase their points.


    ¡°Ah, right, remember to change your ID to ¡®Kitty ¤Î Papa¡¯, otherwise you¡¯ll be exposed.¡± Qi Jing noticed that the other¡¯s ID was still ¡°Geese Fly North¡± after entering into the temporary YY channel and hurriedly turned on his mic by pressing F2 on hisputer to remind Shen Yan.


    Shen Yan edited his ID as he was told and only then did Qi Jing pull him into a small encrypted room. This was also a private room that he previously requested from the channel creator and the other party very graciously gave him the permissions to manage the sub-channel, allowing him to set a password for the room so that no one else could disturb them.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t seem to be that familiar with the settings of YY so Qi Jing guided him step-by-step. Qi Jing first made him open up the sound mixer and then guided him into the advanced settings so that he could make him adjust it to the point where he felt the system best reproduced Shen Yan¡¯s voice without any sound of staticing through when he spoke and until the background noise was basically inaudible.


    ¡°Is this alright?¡± Shen Yan asked after the final adjustment.


    That low and proper-sounding voice was one Qi Jing had heard countless times in real life, but at this moment, that voice was mixed with a slight reverb from the microphone, giving it a little rustling sound. That sound evoked his memories... of the days when they chatted, with their headphones on and the inte between them.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Qi Jing whispered an answer before abruptly breaking out in a chuckle after a slight pause, ¡°Hehe... How strange... We haven¡¯t chatted like this in a long time.¡±


    Every day, they would be standing within touching distance of each other, their eyes meeting, and speaking directly to each other, face to face.


    That was a life he had grown used to.


    And that¡¯s why, for some reason, he kind of missed the way they firstmunicated with each other.


    Shen Yan appeared to have frozen momentarily.


    Then, a softughter could be heard in Qi Jing¡¯s headphones¡ªthe microphone was so finely tuned he could even hear the gentle breaths that apanied Shen Yan¡¯sugh. ¡°Then let¡¯s continue talking like this? Since you¡¯ll be staying here to listen by yourself when it¡¯s time for mypetitionter anyway.¡±


    How could Qi Jing say no to that? He replied with a smile, ¡°Sure.¡±


    It was a fresh, new feeling he had never felt before. Even though they only had a wall between them¡ªthe two people living under the same roof, each sitting in front of aputer screen in different rooms, talking through the inte.


    On the table in front of Qi Jing, he still had the cup of hot milk Shen Yan had brought him before he left, steam slowly spiralling out from the cup. His palm was tightly pressed against the cup; it was hot, to the point of scalding, but it felt like Shen Yan¡¯s body heat still remained in his hand. He couldn¡¯t help butugh at his own silly thoughts.


    Their conversation didn¡¯t revolve around any specific topic. They just said whatever came to mind, keeping themselves warm with the other party¡¯s voice.


    ¡°The first time we talked... was also on YY, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Qi Jing recalled Shen Yan bringing up their first run-through and smoothly transitioned into this topic.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Back then, Shen Yan¡¯s ount had 0 points and was at the lowest level and Qi Jing always thought¡ªjust like the rest of the crew had guessed¡ªthat the former had no experience in doing run-throughs. In fact, Shen Yan was indeed new in a way too. ¡°I¡¯ve actually never used YY before.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Qi Jing¡¯s brows raised in surprise. ¡°But you said you used to act with others a lot.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but back then, everyone used Skype which few people probably use now.¡± Skype was the go-to tform in the online voice actingmunity many years back; now, it¡¯s gradually been reced by YY.


    Qi Jing had a sudden sense of realisation at those words¡ª<i>Ninth Lady</i> once told him that those who were used to using Skype were basically people of senior level.


    ¡°Then would you find it rather inconvenient to use YY now? You can always talk to the crew if needed; there are people who still have their Skype ounts.¡± <i>Ninth Lady</i> and the girls had organised such calls before, so Qi Jing could adapt to both tforms.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s quite alright like this,¡± Shen Yan said gently, ¡°You can¡¯t record the sessions on Skype but you can do it on YY, so in a way, that can be considered a pro.¡±


    It was a casual remark without any deeper meanings from the speaker, but the listener read his own meaning into it.


    Qi Jing¡¯s face suddenly started to burn a little; thank goodness the other party wasn¡¯t with him right now, so he couldn¡¯t see his embarrassment.


    ¡°I...¡± <i>took the liberty of recording our first run-through; I¡¯m sorry.</i>


    That short sentence jumped against the back of his throat to the rhythm of his pulse, but he couldn¡¯t get them out. And even after a long pause, he ultimately didn¡¯t have the courage to admit this scandalous incident. After all, he had lied at the time, saying that he hadn¡¯t recorded it, but then went on to listen to the recording more times than he could keep track of.


    It was basically a criminal offence.


    Qi Jing nced sheepishly at the bottom right of the screen. It was 8.20 PM, there was still ten minutes till the start of the nextpetition.


    ¡°Ahem, I&#k2026; will record your performance during thepetition to keep as a memento.¡± He couldn¡¯t say it&#k2014;what Shen Yan needed at such a critical moment was calm, not a sudden bomb, hence, Qi Jing changed his words as they were about toe out of his mouth. ¡°You should focus on thepetition first. Don¡¯t make notes on a piece of paper like just now, just listen carefully.¡±


    Shen Yan definitely couldn¡¯t afford to be distracted when it was his turn so he would have to settle for an audio recording instead; he could still listen to it after if he wanted.


    ¡°Mhm, thank you.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s voice has been very calm thus far¡ªhe was in a pretty good state before thepetition.


    Qi Jing told him a bit more about YY under Mic Sequence Mode and the other functions. After making sure that Shen Yan wouldn¡¯t make any mistakes when his turn came because he¡¯s unfamiliar with the software, Qi Jing gave a few brief words of encouragement. After saying their goodbyes, Qi Jing took a deep breath and followed the other party out of the channel they were in and went back to thepetition channel.


    The next round ofpetition of the¡¶Order to End the Heavens 5¡·voice acting semifinals for ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡± was about to start,


    For many fans of the game and the voice acting, this character was less appealing than Liu Suyu¡± from the previous round, mainly because the role required an old grandfather voice rather than the youthful voice that everyone likes to hear.


    However, since it happened to be a Sunday, there were still many listeners who stayed behind from the previous round and the number of people who were online still went over ten thousand.


    ¡°Dear listeners, wee to the second round of semi-finals for this instalment of the¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·voice actingpetition! It is now 8.30 PM in Beijing Time; I¡¯m your MC, Yang Chunqu and I hereby announce the official start of thepetition!¡± As not everyone would listen to the segment for every character, Yang Chunqu had to repeat her opening remarks as well as the introduction of the rules.


    Qi Jing waspletely unfamiliar with CVs that voice grandpas. Besides <i>Geese Fly North</i>, he didn¡¯t know any other grandpa voice actor.


    However, the public chat gave him a small introduction to one.


    If someone¡¯s ID was repeatedly spammed in an area about the size of a palm, it would leave an impression on anyone.


    While the MC was still talking, there was already a spectacr sight to behold in the public chat that made people couldn¡¯t help but want to stop and have a look, especially people with strong curiosity like Qi Jing.


    Audience 1: Aiyayaya, when our Uncle Bang makes his appearance, the first ce is bound to be his¡«¨R¨Œ¨Q


    Audience 2: (¡«o£þ¨Œ£þ)¡«o Victory! Our mighty Uncle Bang!!! Our Uncle Bang is second to none!!!


    Audience 3: Awooooh! There¡¯s no need forpetition in this one to know that Uncle Bang is going to win. Uncle Bang is a professional, after all¡«


    Audience 4: Uncle Bang, Uncle Bang, I love you!¡¾Aiya, I¡¯m so shy, making confessions like that.¡¿


    Audience 5: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q Uncle Bang had to settle for second in the previous instalment because of a certain unscrupulous judge. This time you have to prove your strength to everyone, Uncle Bang! We will always support you!


    Audience 6: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q Let¡¯s not bring up the mess from the past any more, Uncle Bang¡¯s strength is there for all to see. Just you wait.


    ...


    After that, even more fans started spamming the chat with the catchline: ¡°Uncle Bang unifies the Jianghu and dominates the Wulin¡±.


    It seemed that where there are CVs, there are bound to be fans. The only difference is whether or not they¡¯re brain-dead fans.


    Qi Jing silently rested his forehead on his hand. Somehow, the name ¡°Uncle Bang¡± put the image of a scruffy, heavily-built tough guy. And also all that stuff about unifying the Jianghu and what not; this wasn¡¯t a Wulin leader selection contest¡ªthere were just too many points to take a jab at.


    At this point, it was clear that some of the listeners in the audience had be disgruntled, and they started retorting back with derision.


    Audience 7: Fans, please restrain yourselves, there are other contestants besides your Uncle Bang... ¨r(¨s_¨t)¨q


    Audience 8: Replying to the one on top, this here is that famous mister ¡°Big Bang King¡±, he even dered that he will be the champion on his weibo a few days back! (Picks at nose)


    Audience 9: Oh my my, this is that Uncle Bang who always makes the producer share their photo when they invite him and only epts if they¡¯re cute, right? Bang as in only looking to bang, right? ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    ...


    Although the fans¡¯ words were very arrogant, the retorts were bing harder and harder to listen to. Qi Jing was even starting to break into a sweat for Yang Chunqu who had to maintain the atmosphere.


    Back during the registration period, <i>Ninth Lady</i> and the girls had already ¡°vinated¡± him against this situation, telling him that thepetition scene could get chaotic. Sure, it was bound to get messy but he didn¡¯t expect different situations to arise in every round.


    Just who on earth was this Uncle Bang?


    Qi Jing first checked the contestant numbers on the announcement and only after searching for a while did he find the one with the word ¡°bang¡± in it. So his full ID was ¡°Went off with a bang¡±, huh. It sure was very cocky sounding. He drew 19th ce; he¡¯s in front of Shen Yan.


    After seeing some of thements in the chat, a rather mean thought suddenly popped up in Qi Jing¡¯s mind¡ªhe wanted to add a ¡°4¡± in front of ¡°19¡± which would give four (for) one (one) nine (night).


    However, he was a civilised and moral young man, so such thoughts could only be kept in his head.


    While the host was still introducing the process, he opened the browser and put his professional skills to use, searching in detail everything that was rted to this person.


    <i>Went off with a bang</i>, nicknamed Uncle Bang, is one of the backbones of a well-known voice acting society and specialised in uncle and grandfather voices.


    This person once swore that he would never voice BL but apparentlyter made an exception for a beautiful producer and voiced a few roles. However, his mainstay was still in straight games and animated works.


    However, he¡¯s not best known for his work but for the situation where he got pushed up to second ce purely based on votes in the previous instalment of the¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·voice actingpetition.


    If it weren¡¯t for the poor ratings from the judges, he probably would¡¯ve won the champion title based on votes alone.


    So of course, his fans have always held a grudge about that incident, believing that the previous jury had poor judgement which caused their beloved Uncle Bang to fall short of winning the title. And thus, he is back with a vengeance with the goal of winning the crown for ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡±.


    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk.¡± After reading thus far, Qi Jing summed up his thoughts with these three clicks of the tongue.


    Just as Qi Jing was about to go back to continue watching the next waves of fights between the fans and the antis, Yang Chunqu was finally going to announce the selected lines for ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡±. Probably because it was a critical moment, the audience calmed down a little as they all focussed their attention on the announcement.


    The coordinator pasted the selected lines on the board. It was the same as before¡ªthree scenes, nine lines, with a time limit of 120 seconds.


    As the Master of the main character, Qin Tuo, it was not surprising that all of Old Man Xiao Shan¡¯s lines were conversations between him and his disciples.


    The first scene that was chosen was a conversation between him and Qin Tuo and the next was him and another disciple, Bai Ke. The third scene was set near the finale where Qin Tuo returns safely but Bai Ke returned only as a pile of ashes. It was a moment of sadness and happiness so contestants¡¯ performance of the elderly character¡¯s emotions was crucial.


    ¡°Well then, let us invite the first contestant on the mic! Contestant number 1, can you say a few words? Please check your equipment...¡± Yang Chunqu continued talking without a pause but her patient and big sister voice that held a natural poise was pleasant to the ears and one wouldn¡¯t get tired of hearing her speak. Despite this, when she started calling contestants up to the mic, Qi Jing still couldn¡¯t help but feel a wave of inexplicable nervousness wash over him.


    Just as he had expected, his hand was shaking and his palms were covered in sweat even though it wasn¡¯t even his turn.


    His eyes would subconsciously drift towards the list of contestants, looking for the ID ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡±.


    That ID remained greyed, unlit¡ªof course it was, after all it will take some time before Shen Yan¡¯s turn. But Qi Jing couldn¡¯t stop the thoughts that this was because of some issues with the microphone, or the inte was down, or some other reasons, from appearing in his mind.


    There was still a long way to go before number twenty-eight and every second that passed was a torture.


    However, that was still definitely not a reason for him to impulsively run to the study and bang on the door. Such actions were a sign ofck of confidence in Shen Yan and such negative emotions of anxiety were contagious; he had to put on a confident facade.


    Qi Jing thought to himself that if the level of this whatever Uncle Bang was a little lower, perhaps he would be more at ease. Unfortunately, this Uncle Bang really did have some skills.


    ¡°I am ¡®Went off with a bang¡¯. All the handsome men and prettydies present, please give me your support! Vote for me! I have the confidence to take down this role!¡±


    Just this opening statement from him was already very impressive¡ªjust this wide-range bass voice already added a lot of points for him.


    All the contestants before him had the same problem¡ªtheir voice didn¡¯t sound old enough.


    This was expected by everyone before thepetition. To begin with, it was easy for youthful sounding voices trying to imitate an older voice to slip up. It would be unnatural and jarring, and if one wasn¡¯t careful, they would identally end up sounding like a eunuch. Old Man Xiao Shan¡¯s age was set at around sixty to seventy and the people who could make their voice fit that range were few and far between.


    As such, the ¡°voice quality¡±ponent hasn¡¯t been going great so far with the marks given by the jury hovering around 2.0 to 3.0.


    Qi Jing thought that this Uncle Bang was all talk who could only rely on his fans to get votes; never would he have expected to find himself utterly shocked the moment this man performed the first line. ¡°Who¡¯s that at the door? Is it Qin Tuo? Oh you... you¡¯re finally willing toe back huh?¡±


    It was a textbook example of a grandfather voice.


    The sense of age was a lot more urate than all the contestants before him, and one could imagine an old man in his sixties or seventies.


    ¡°Crap...¡± Qi Jing instinctively muttered. After the initial shock, he realised he was acknowledging the other party¡¯s performance and immediately closed his mouth gently for fear of being heard by Shen Yan who was in the room next door.


    No matter how much his fans may have tried to spam votes, this Uncle Bang did ultimately get second ce so he definitely had some skill.


    <i>I thought about it too simply...</i>


    Clenching his fist tightly, Qi Jing pressed it against the table and patiently listened on.


    Uncle Bang quicklypleted the first selected scene and arrived at the next part which was the conversation with Bai Ke. ording to the prompts on the script, this scene was about Old Man Xiao Shan exining to Bai Ke about his mission down the mountain. The cue stated for tone was ¡°worried¡±.


    It was a very simple, very straightforward cue.


    And so, Uncle Bang paused slightly to mull over the tone for a moment. He adjusted his emotions to a state of anxiousness as if he wasn¡¯t quite confident in his pupil¡¯s ability toplete the task, his tone was full of doubts. ¡°Bai Ke, when you go on this trip down the mountain, please always remember to be careful and not to be rash. Your junior, he...¡±


    At this point, he paused before continuing.


    ¡°Your Junior is sometimes too spontaneous and often gets into trouble, but he¡¯s also good at getting out of it. Your Master is more worried about you...¡±


    Just by reading the lines and listening to the tone of his voice alone, it was very much implied that Bai Ke is not as capable as Qin Tuo and he should have some self-awareness about his abilities.


    The rhythm, tone, and emotions of his delivery were all very professional. Qi Jing shuddered at this performance and the fans¡¯ excited chanting on the public chat even more so made his palms break out in cold sweat.


    Yet despite his state, Uncle Bang smoothly went into the final act, which was also the most difficult andplicated one.


    ¡°Really... Bai Ke, he...¡± This was a conversation between Old Man Xiao Shan and Qin Tuo who was holding an urn. ¡°Well, I guess this is fine; it¡¯s okay! Let¡¯s take it that we were rid of a wicked disciple. From now on, that man is no longer rted to the Xiao Shan Sect and this old man... won¡¯t ever have to see him or worry about him again.¡±


    The entire performance presented an air of sadness and an awe-inspiring righteousness of vanquishing evil regardless of familial ties. It was an extremely grand and impactful performance.


    Even Qi Jing was slightly dazed by it.


    The live voting window popped up while still he was dumbfounded and the public chat went into a momentary state of frenzy; even the antis had no choice but to acknowledge Uncle Bang¡¯s ability.


    After a moment¡¯s struggle, Qi Jing eventually casted his vote for <i>Went off with a bang</i> with mixed feelings.


    The reason he came to this decision was not because he waspletely enamoured by Uncle Bang¡¯s interpretations, but because when he objectivelypared the performance of the previous contestants, especially whenpared to the two or three he had voted for, Uncle Bang really did have the upper hand when it came to his voice and acting skills. For the sake of fairness, he had to convince himself to press that voting button.


    Besides... if Shen Yan was with him right now, he would most likely agree with this decision too.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay, this is just the semis, he just needs to get into the top ten to advance to the next round.¡± Qi Jing gently patted his chest. Take a step back for peace.


    After the audience voted, the scores by the three judges were also released.


    The result this time gave Qi Jing an even bigger surprise than the surprise he felt for Crossing the bridge noodles¡ª


    Final score for Number 19 ¡°Went off with a bang¡±:


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿: 4.0, 3.5, 5.0, average score 4.17


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿: 4.0, 3.5, 4.5, average score 4.0


    ¡¾Foundation points¡¿: 3.0, 2.5, 4.5, average score 3.33


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿: 2.5, 1.0, 4.0, average score 2.5


    Judging panel¡¯s evaluation: 4.17 + 4.0 + 3.33 + 2.5 = 14.0 points


    Additional audience vote points: 76.1% voting ratio = 0.761 points


    Overall score: 14.0 + 0.761 = 14.761 points


    Throughout thepetition thus far this was the only time where a super high score of 5.0 and a super low score of 1.0 appeared on the score window at the same time.


    Qi Jing was stunned.


    What was going on? This huge difference in the scores given... Was there such a great disparity within the panel of judges?


    A/N: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ How annoying. When ites topetition, there¡¯ll definitely be other contestants to serve as foil or dangerous (?)petitors. Just let me write about Uncle Yan alreadyyyy... (screams into a cave)


    Also, I actually want to say that I want tough every time I write Uncle Bang¡¯s name. As expected, our Uncle Yan is more normal (snuggle)


    Mashiro: I really hoped that Uncle Bang¡¯s inte had also ¡®Went off with a bang¡¯, but s, not all wishese true

 Chapter 54

    <h4>Chapter 54</h4>


    TLC: Lilies & Jie


    Editing: Whitere


    Despite the stark divergence in scores given by each of the three judges, Went off with a bang currently still had the highest score out of every contestant so far¡ªif it weren¡¯t for the shocking rock-bottom score of 1.0 from Pu Yuzhi that dragged his score down, his results should¡¯ve been even much better than that.


    What Qi Jing cared more about was the mere score of 2.5 points <i>Longbow</i> gave him in the ¡°charisma¡± category. During the previous round, <i>Longbow</i>¡¯smentary gave Qi Jing some insight into his professionalism and meticulousness, his way of scoring made one think him reliable. Now, looking at the low score he gave, it was more or less obvious that he had a simr opinion to Pu Yuzhi¡ªthat wasn¡¯t something <i>Uncle Bang</i>¡¯s diehard fans could ept.


    Audience 1: I can¡¯t take it, I¡¯m about to burst out cursing!! What the hell is wrong with the second judge!! £¨¦á¦ä¦á£©=͹


    Audience 2: This bullshit professor, could you please not impose your overly academic opinions here?? This is online voice acting, not your university! He did so well while voice acting, yet you only gave him 1.0 point for the charisma, there¡¯s something wrong with your head!!


    Audience 3: I just don¡¯t understand¡ªwhat sin did our <i>Uncle Bang</i>mit to get smeared by the judges in eachpetition... But I guess that¡¯s fine, I just went through the scores of the previous contestants¡ªeven with his score being marked down, the first ce is still as good as his, am I right?? ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    It was apetition after all, so it was natural for the voices of protest to emerge; opposing opinions would appear just as quickly. It was even more the case with part of the audience disapproving of that mboyant style of Uncle Bang¡¯s, who, one after another, started gloating over his misfortune.


    Audience 4: Oh dear, the banging fans actually got shamed into a rage, huh~ Are you really starting to throw out personal attacks at the judge just like during thestpetition?


    Audience 5: Smashing the like button for Teacher Pu! To be honest, I felt like his voice acting was odd, although I can¡¯t put my finger on it as I didn¡¯t read the original novel. But my friend is a fan of the original work and she told me that this Master waspletely off.


    Audience 6: ¨t(£þ¨Œ£þ)¨rAnswering the previousmenter, I need to shake hands with your friend. As a fan of the original novel, I¡¯ll just say¡ªit was aplete OOC.


    ......


    ......


    The continuous fierce exchanges seriously affected the normal course of thepetition. The MC Yang Chunqu could only step up and mediate, ¡°Dear listeners, please, there¡¯s no need to get too excited, we will ask the judges¡¯ representative to exin the issue with the contestants¡¯ scores when the timees. Next, let¡¯s invite the next contestant, number twenty...¡±


    The reality proved that the fans of Went off with a bang did, indeed, have the right to brag. It was because each of the following contestants, no matter whether it was for their voice or their acting, was still worse than <i>Uncle Bang</i>, so his score steadily stayed on the top of the ranking. Qi Jing¡¯s brows stayed locked together as he listened. He reached out to hold the cup of milk before him in his hand, though it was a pity that its warmth was already gone¡ªhe could only feel the minnes of the cold sweat on the palms of his hand.


    Every time a contestant read out the lines, he would subconsciously rap his fingers on the cup as he waited anxiously. By the time the tips of his fingers went numb from tapping, contestant number twenty seven finally finished his acting and it was time to tally his scores.


    Finally, only a minute left. Qi Jing breathed in a mouthful of air as he said in his heart, Don¡¯t be nervous, don¡¯t worry, everything will be okay.


    ¡°Dear listeners, the current round of thepetition is nearing its end, but we still have three contestants who haven¡¯t performed yet. After those three contestants have finished their auditions, everyone, please remember not to leave us yet¡ªwe willter ask Teacher Pu Yuzhi to give us feedback.¡± Yang Chunqu diligently reminded everyone of the uingmentary segment, it would be worth listening for anyone with doubts concerning the scores.


    ¡°Alright then, next up, we have...¡± She was about to invite the next contestant from the list when her voice faltered. During that moment, only a soft stifled chuckle came from the mic, as if she couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°Eh... We will ask contestant number twenty eight, Kitty no Papa¡ªhehe, that¡¯s right, let¡¯s wee Kitty¡¯s Papa now!¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s face was already stiff from nervousness, but at that moment he also couldn¡¯t help but giggle, his expression easing a bit.


    A lot of contestants taking part in thepetition had brought their fans with them, so when the MC called their names, the fans would cheer and toss flowers to their idol¡ªbut this<i> Kitty ¤Î Papa</i> clearly wasn¡¯t met with such a treatment. It was because besides Qi Jing, no one knew of him, and even Qi Jing, with his logged in ID of <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>, couldn¡¯t publicly cheer for him.


    Nevertheless, this ID still caused some of the more curious listeners to actively start a discussion.


    Audience 1: Huhu, this ID, Kitty ¤Î Papa really does sound adorable! (/¨R¨Œ¨Q/)


    Audience 2: I¡¯ve never heard of this contestant, is he a cute type? Hahahaha. Seems like he didn¡¯t bring any fans with him, is he a little nobody? Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry, this sister will cheer for you~


    Audience 3: ¦²(¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ I feel like this ID ispletely different from the ones before... Pfft, but it doesn¡¯t matter what his ID is like, as long as he doesn¡¯t have the small cute shou type of voice, it should be good.


    Audience 4: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q Such a name really doesn¡¯t give off any traces of alpha vibes. Forget it, the earlier it¡¯s finished, the earlier our Uncle Bang will grab the first ce of the preliminaries.


    Audience 5: ... Thementer above, can¡¯t you calm down for a moment? Are names other contestants choose so hard on your esteemed eyes?


    Audience 6: Hurh, some people... Don¡¯t get too full of yourselves now! Ignore them Kitty ¤Î Papa, all the best, all the best! We have a cat at our home, so it felt really homey to see that ID of yours haha~ ¨R3¨Q


    ......


    ......


    The MC Yang Chunqu seemed to have caught sight of the conversation in the public chat¡ªshe was amused herself, an unfading smile could be heard in her voice. ¡°Then, contestant Kitty no Papa, can I ask you to check your equipment? If you have anything to say to the audience, you can test it now.¡±


    The moment of truth finally came. Qi Jing held his breath and stared as the ID he was most concerned about moved to the top of the mic listing.


    He didn¡¯t dare to blink¡ªhe even felt as if he could crush the ceramic cup in his hand into pieces at any time. He couldn¡¯t help it, after all... he really felt a need to hold onto something firmly, so as to lessen the stress he felt.


    Everything was silent.


    Even though the activity status only stayed grey for a couple of short seconds, it still made Qi Jing ill at ease. Just as he was seriously considering whether he should charge into the neighbouring room to see if there was any sort of problem with Shen Yan¡¯s equipment, he suddenly heard a faint static noise in his headphones. Through the static, a barely discernible sound of a person breathing could be heard.


    Then came that person¡¯s words, spoken in a low voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready, we can start now.¡±


    ¡°Phew... ¡° It seemed like there wasn¡¯t a problem with the equipment. Qi Jing slowly fell back from getting up and sat down limply on his seat, sighing with relief.


    Meanwhile, the public chat blew up instantly.


    Audience 1: What the heck!! His real voice gave me a jumpscare!! With an ID like Kitty¡¯s Papa I was sure he¡¯d have an uncle voice &#k2211;(&#k3063; &#kK0;&#k414; &#kK0;;)&#k3063;


    Audience 2: What the heck!! This one¡¯s real voice is so good, mad props!! This kind of voice is absolutely my cup of tea!! Although I can¡¯t imagine it for the old grandpa role (kneels) &#k2026;Still, I really think he should try giving one of the main characters a go~


    Audience 3: Kitty¡¯s Papa, do you do audio dramas?? Please do!! Some director, quickly, rope him in!! (holding my heart)


    Audience 4: I just want to say... Isn¡¯t this voicepletely out of ce here... It clearly should be used for voicing a righteous and youthful gong or something! (holding my heart as well)


    Audience 5: I didn¡¯t expect to hear such a pleasant-sounding youth voice during this audition for an old grandpa! ¡Æ(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã;)¤Ã


    Audience 6: pleasant-sounding youth voice +10086! But it seems like his sense of age would be kind ofcking for this role...


    ......


    ......


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Qi Jing snickered lightly before the screen.


    Exactly the same¡ªthe reaction of the audience was exactly the same as his when he first heard Shen Yan¡¯s original voice. To be fair, his voice wasn¡¯t the type that would particrly stand out, but Qi Jing had a strong preconceived impression of him having ¡°the immortal grandpa voice through and through¡± voice at the time. Thus, the moment he heard Shen Yan¡¯s real voice for the first time, the discrepancy from his expectations was so big it caught him unawares, leaving him unable to forget it.


    And the current situation wasn¡¯t quite the same.


    First, the audience took note of the seemingly very adorable and healing ID. Then, they heard such a strong and righteous voice, only to finally think of how this youthful voice was about to y an old grandpa. Those three qualities seemed entirely incongruous, which was exactly what would make them so astonished.


    Even Yang Chunqu seemed unable to react for a moment¡ªit took her a while to remember that she¡¯s still in the middle of the live broadcast and she immediately coughed a couple of times, ¡°Cough cough¡ª, before the start of the audition, contestant number twenty eight, is there anything else you would like to say?¡±


    The activity status kept indicating that his mic was inactive. After Yang Chunqu¡¯s question, it lit up once again, only for everyone to hear the person behind the mic barely open his mouth, ¡°The reason why I chose this role... It was because I wanted tomemorate my grandpa, thank you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t add anything else after that.


    Most of the contestants would use this opportunity to make their pre-game derations, asking everyone for support, striving to win over as many votes as possible, and currying favour with the judges or something. Such short words that seemingly did nothing to help him in thepetition were way out of everyone¡¯s expectations¡ªexcept for Qi Jing¡¯s.


    He knew why Shen Yan would say so¡ªall the anxiety in his heart was unknowingly soothed by those words, his emotions mixed.


    Out of sudden he felt as if this ranking, this whole passing to the next stage were all irrelevant.


    As long as Shen Yan arrived at this much-anticipated stage, even if it was too foreign for him, the light too blinding¡ªas long as he was able to say the words he wanted to say, express the feelings he wanted to express... Then, there would be no moment more precious than that.


    The reaction of the audience to these words wasn¡¯t small, with most of the reactions being positive. Even the mocking and ridiculingments of the hater minority were mocked back.


    Audience 1: ... I suddenly feel... so warm... I really cry way too easily *sobs* ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Audience 2: Number 28 really gives an unusual feeling, his words are also unusual, but I still want to say that his voice, speaking manner, role, all the way to his ID seem so out of ce when put together, haha. Oh, but it doesn¡¯t matter, I personally really like it!! ¨R¦Ø¨Q


    Audience 3: Number 28 makes me feel like he¡¯s kind of mismatched for thepetition¡ûthis is a good connotation.


    Audience 4: Deliberately ying the sympathy card to gain some points?? Who can¡¯t make up a reason likememorating a grandpa or something? ¨r(¨s_¨t)¨q


    Audience 5: Some people should learn to speak properly! Don¡¯t you have a grandpa as well! Kitty¡¯s Papa, don¡¯t mind those people and do your best!


    Audience 6: This kind of voice is just my cup of tea!! Even if you don¡¯t pass this stage, Kitty¡¯s Papa, I beg of you, you need to leave your contact information!! I¡¯m an audio drama producer, I want to rope you in!! /(¨Òo¨Ò)/~~


    ......


    ......


    It seemed like he made a good choice toe up with a temporary ID for Shen Yan, otherwise <i>Geese Fly North</i>¡¯s QQ ount would probably get poked into mush by the producers.


    Qi Jing looked intently at the discussion in the public chat. Suddenly, he felt a sense of superiority appearing in his heart.


    A very selfish sense of superiority, one he couldn¡¯t share with anyone else.


    He really wanted to say that in fact, he could fall into a sound sleep while listening to that voice any day, even more¡ªhe could snuggle for warmth in the embrace of the owner of that voice... It was a pity that he still couldn¡¯t talk about that bliss aloud.


    His eyes curved up slightly as he smiled craftily¡ªhe really wanted to see more of the audience just itching to recruit Shen Yan.


    Still, there were more important things at hand.


    ¡°Well then, now I¡¯ll turn off my mic. Contestant number twenty eight, please start after the beginning of the countdown.¡± Yang Chunqu turned off her mic, and the timer started counting down 120 seconds.


    ¡°Good luck, boyfriend.¡± Qi Jing murmured, his whole attention focused on listening to every sounding through his headphones.


    The thing pounding in his chest was like those seconds counted down on the timer disy, its strong impact hitting him with every second passing.


    At the beginning, there was no sound.


    ¡±Who¡¯s that at the door?¡±


    Just as everyone started thinking that this silence would carry on, it was cut short by a deep, low, and upright grandpa voice. This voice was formidable, both steady and imposing, mighty but not irascible. Up to this moment, it still had that grandeur of Xiao Shan Sect master.


    At this point, there was a moment of silence for the unspoken line.


    The public chat also seemed to have plunged into a moment of silence, with no one daring to utter a word.


    Then, that grandeur of a sect leader has disappeared. The voice from deep within his headphones gasped, seeminglying to a sudden realisation and the joy rushed forth, recing the astonishment¡ªit was a joy of weing a dear person, now devoid of the mannerism of the sect leader, ¡°Is it... Qin Tuo?¡±


    There was a slight pause in the middle of his words that made the momentary hesitancy obvious. It was easy to imagine the Old Man judging who the person outside the door was, somewhat not daring to confirm, then the astonishment, the joy, and the fear of it being but a mistake¡ªall of those contradictory feelings.


    The next line came after the old manpletely recognised the identity of the visitor.


    ¡°Oh you,¡± There was a helplessness and regret in his tone, but he stillughed dotingly, ¡°You¡¯re finally willing toe back, huh?¡±


    Hearing this line, Qi jing suddenly realised he had already forgotten to breathe for a long time and gasped twice as if he was about to drown.


    It really was Geese Fly North.


    It really was Geese Fly North with his gentle grandpa voice he didn¡¯t hear for so long. It didn¡¯t feel even a bit odd, both natural and steady. Not only did it make one think of a benevolent elderly man¡¯s face¡ª more importantly, one could even imagine his expression.


    Clearly, he wasn¡¯t the only one to feel this, but also the whole audience present.


    A moment ago, the public chat was shocked into a period of silence, but now it was shaken into frenzy by the spammingments.


    Audience 1: ... What the fuck!! Number 28, you¡¯re some great god using a smurf, aren¡¯t you!! Grandpa is so doting and benevolent!! TAT


    Audience 2: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õThe moment he started, I waspletely dumbfounded... Is he really the same person? I was so shocked, really... To have worried that his sense of age would becking before, I really am so stupid...


    Audience 3: The heck!! Quick, give us the voting window, now!! I can¡¯t take it anymore, I need to vote, NOW!!


    Audience 4: So... It feels so real... I suddenly got an urge to cry ¡°grandpa, pat my head!¡± _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Audience 5: I want to spam the like button!! It¡¯s honestly so in character, he has a feeling of the genuine sect master, a very majestic old grandpa, but at the same time, he loves his disciples dearly. Thest line made me remember my own grandpa... *sobs* /(¨Òo¨Ò)/~~


    Audience 6: Crap crap crap!! It¡¯s simply a living example of the Old Man Xiao Shan!! Please!! Sect Leader, take me as a disciple!!¡¾I really am too much¡¿


    ......


    ......


    The reaction was way better than what he had expected.


    Qi Jing¡¯s heart was still pounding¡ªhe kept feeling as if he didn¡¯t cover it with his hand, that heart would jump out of his chest.


    With all kinds of feelings welling up inside him, he looked at the screen, at the positivements that kepting in on the public chat. His throat was parched, but he couldn¡¯t keep the corner of his mouth from curling up.


    The first scene finished quickly.


    The second scene began.


    It was the conversation between Old Man Xiao Shan and Bai Ke. Qi Jing looked forward to this scene the most since he saw the announcement of the lines; it was because Shen Yan¡¯s next audition was for no other than ¡°Bai Ke¡±, so he would presumably have an outstandingprehension of how he should perform.


    As a fellow CV, Qi Jing really wanted to hear how his approach would lookpared to <i>Uncle Bang</i>¡¯s, and learn from it.


    ¡°Bai Ke, when you go on this trip down the mountain, please always remember to be careful and not to be rash.¡±


    The first line of the second scene rendered Qi Jing stupefied. It was probably because he still didn¡¯t recover from the feelings of the previous scene, he was still immersed in the peaceful and serene atmosphere between the student and the master. But at that moment, the tone of Shen Yan¡¯s voice suddenly changed drastically¡ªit was so cold his whole body shivered, his nerves like a bow stretched taut.


    Turns out, the tone of solemnity in his voice came out...


    He sounded very serious and very concerned, as if he wanted to make Bai Ke carve each of his words into his very own being.


    ¡°Your junior, he...¡± Just like Uncle Bang, Shen Yan acted as if he wanted to say something, but hesitated. But he softened his voice during thetter part, as if he realised he was about topare his two disciples and thought it inappropriate, even though still had to say it, ¡°Your Junior is sometimes too spontaneous and often gets into trouble... But he¡¯s also good at getting out of it.¡°


    When he talked about Qin Tuo, a bit of helplessness appeared in his voice, together with a sigh. He trusted his abilities, but he never could bring himself to approve of Qin Tuo¡¯s way of doing things. And when the topic came back to Bai Ke, he talked more from the stance of doting his disciples.


    ¡°Your Master is more worried about you...¡± It was genuine worry, with not a speck of falsehood.


    If it could be said that during the previous scene, his acting was more or less simr to <i>Uncle Bang</i>¡¯s in terms of the speaking manner, then now, it has already diverged into apletely different direction.


    What¡¯s more, it didn¡¯t resemble most of the previous contestant¡¯s acting.


    Despite how Qi Jing thought this attitude of his was very convincing, he was still a bit worried whether the judges would ept his interpretation. Would they give him a disappointing score?


    The time kept passing quickly without leaving Qi Jing the leisure to think too much, so he could only continue listening. The next, third scene was even harder to pull off than the two of the previous scenes. There was no prompt for the tone of the voice in the published lines, it required the contestants to act on their own ord, following the content of the lines and using the tone they themselves thought was the most suitable.


    There was only forty seconds left on the timer, but this time, Shen Yan¡¯s silencested for the longest. It was so long that the audience started to feel anxious for him, continuously spamming the public chat with ¡°did he get disconnected¡± and other simr questions.


    At that moment, a suppressed gasp could be heard in his headphones. His breath was nothing like in the previous two scenes¡ªthere was no more grandeur of a sect leader or an earnest guidance of a master; rather it was tinted with mncholy. At the end of the gasp, this breath slowly started to tremble, as if that person had to exert a great effort to be finally able to speak.


    ¡°Really... Bai Ke, he...¡±


    Yet another pause.


    But he didn¡¯t sigh towards the Heavens like <i>Uncle Bang</i>, nor did he cry poignantly. He simply managed a dryugh that actually even contained some hints of misery in his voice as he mumbled to himself, ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s fine... It¡¯s okay... Let¡¯s take it that we were rid of a wicked disciple. From now on, that man is no longer rted to the Xiao Shan Sect and this old man won¡¯t ever have to see him, or... worry about him again.¡±


    As he finished those words, his voice and breath became somewhat muffled, like a candle-end in a strong gale, gradually dying out. It was as if upon hearing, one could see a me fading away, not daring to even let a breath out, fearful that a careless breath could extinguish the me.


    But at that exact moment, a suddenly aged voice gave a heavyugh¡ªit was a continuation of the previous, bitterugh, yet now it was filled with despair. After a moment, the end of thatugh was suddenly choked with sobs¡ªthe pain of losing a student and the pain of a child dying before his parent had both torn open at that exact moment. One after another, they reverberated intermittently, stifled in the silence.


    Qi Jing blinked his eyes. Without him realising, a drop of something rolled down his cheeks, scaring him silly; he promptly lifted his hand to rub it off.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but as during the first part he just sighed, feeling a tinge of sympathy, the moment he heard the second part, he remembered that memorial photo on the grave, as if he could see that elder¡¯s sorrowful expression. When fiction and reality blended together, he felt like he could actually see the image of an elder sending Shen Yan off. His heart couldn¡¯t take that association and it left him with a lump in his throat.


    At that exact moment, the 120 second count had hit the limit; the sobbing voice disappeared at once¡ªevery contestant would be automatically ejected from the mic when the time finished.


    The already silent for a long time chat had reached its boiling point yet again.


    Audience 1: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Waah, I¡¯m so hurt, so hurt, so hurt, so hurt, so hurt!! Even though Bai Ke clearly is a bastard who didn¡¯t deserve pity even upon death!


    Audience 2: ¨“¨Œ¨“ So hurt +MAX!! I feel so sorry for the Master!! Thest part really made me cry *sobs*... What was that about him being a cute type!! He clearly angsted me into crying *sobs*...


    Audience 3: ......Suddenly I don¡¯t know what to say, I can only make /(¨Òo¨Ò)/~~ face.......


    Audience 4: I feel like there¡¯s only one thing I canin about No. 28... And, that, is, his, ID!!¡¾And also, I won¡¯t admit that I cried while listening¡¿


    Audience 5: A fan of the original novel here, rolling around before theputer screen while crying! I¡¯m not saying that the previous contestants weren¡¯t good, in fact, their standards were not bad, but they were still quite different from the original image in the novel. Yet this, this is just his perfect reconstruction!


    Audience 6: I didn¡¯t feel anything just by looking at the lines, but listening to thest bit really got me... No. 28 is so awesome! Really, so amazing! Mad props!


    ......


    ......


    Upon seeing this, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but crack into a smile through his tears.


    How wonderful... It seemed like the audience approved of Shen Yan, approved of Kitty ¤Î Papa. Atst, he finally, smoothly,pleted his first time voice acting with a live audience of over ten thousand people.


    He lowered his head to take a deep breath. After thoroughly calming down his emotions, he reached his hand out with a smile and decisively clicked ¡°vote¡± on the voting window¡ªconfirm and send.


    His heart was surging with emotions during the thirty second wait for the judges¡¯ score.


    It wasn¡¯t because he was itching to see the results of thepetition, he didn¡¯t think stuff like results was in any way important, what mattered was the process¡ªeven if every judge would issue a score of zero points, he wouldn¡¯t feel in any way dispirited, because he had already seen everyone¡¯s evident reaction to Shen Yan¡¯s voice, to his emotions. As long as he got to know that... then his objective for thepetition had already been aplished.


    With a ¡°ding¡±, the score window finally opened.


    Qi Jing leaned on the back of the chair, closing his eyes for a while. Heposed himself, then slowly opened his eyes to take a look.


    It waspletely out of his expectations.


    However, it was out of expectations in a positive way¡ª


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.17


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.17


    ¡¾Foundation points¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, 3.5, average score 4.0


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, 3.0, average score 3.83


    Judging panel¡¯s evaluation: 16.17+0.922 = 17.092 points


    Additional audience vote points: 92.2% voting ratio = 0.922 points


    Overall score: 16.17+0.922 = 17.092 points


    The first surprise was the final score that overthrew Went off with a bang, pushing him to second ce by as many as two points.


    The second surprise was that Pu Yuzhi actually gave him four points in each category. From the beginning of thepetition, none of the scores she had ever given was higher than 3.5 points and she was thus called the ¡°Four Points yer¡± by the audience trembling in fear¡ªyet this ¡°Four Points yer¡± had now made an exception.


    The third surprise was those two very incongruous numbers starting with a three on the score window, pushing the average score in thest category below four points. Moreover, upon close looking, it was evident that the same judge gave him a score lower than Went off with a bang in each category, clearly showing a sign of bias.


    But it didn¡¯t matter.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t care less about the following development of thepetition. He decisively took off the headphones, stood up, and didn¡¯t take another look at the public chat buzzing with cheers, sighs of admiration, and even voices of contention.


    The voice he wanted to hear was next door.


    He went to hear it with his own ears and heart¡ªthe genuine one, not passed through a mic or headphones¡ªShen Yan¡¯s voice.


    T/N:


    Whitere: 92% Audience voting! SY¡¯s AMAZING

 Chapter 55.1

    <h4>Chapter 55.1</h4>


    Thanks for reading, Tinsunny~~


    Editor: Mashiro


    The door to the study was closed but not locked from inside because Qi Jing could easily press down on the door handle when he tried to turn it.


    It waspletely silent inside.


    ¡°...Shen Yan?¡± His question was as cautious and patient as his two gentle knocks on the door.


    ¡°...Mhm.¡± And what he got in response was an answer even fainter than the question he asked.


    Qi Jing immediately opened the door with extra care. The lights in the room had been turned off at some point, leaving only the austere white light from theputer to illuminate the walls. Even though that was the only light source left in the room, Shen Yan still buried his head in his palms as if he feared the light; he sat there frozen, like a rock statue, and he was actually seated with his back to the screen.


    Something seemed to click in Qi Jing¡¯s mind and he hurriedly rushed over to him, holding his shoulders while asking in a low voice, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Only now did he hear the slight hoarseness in Shen Yan¡¯s voice due to their close proximity¡ªhe probably hasn¡¯t fully recovered from the choking back of tears in his performance from just now. But at least, right now, they were able to carry on a normal conversation with each other. ¡°I still haven¡¯t... fully recovered from the emotions yet. I¡¯m sorry, give me a little time.¡±


    So it was really as he had thought? Qi Jing frowned for a moment.


    The fact was that he had also previously guessed that Shen Yan would get too deep into the character and would need some time to get himself back together. But since the person himself said that he could get out of character, it proved that he was conscious and was currently in the middle of sorting out his emotions. This instead filled Qi Jing with a sense of relief.


    ¡°Take your time. I¡¯ve helped you set up the recording for thepetition; it¡¯s currently being recorded so you can listen to it at another time if you want to.¡±


    As apologetic as he was to thest two contestants, right now, he didn¡¯t have any space of mind to focus on anything other than being by Shen Yan¡¯s side.


    ¡°Here, give me your hand.¡±


    Qi Jing first helped Shen Yan move the headphones aside, then he gently touched that pair of hands that were holding Shen Yan¡¯s head and tried to peel them off. Shen Yan jolted slightly at the touch and gradually straightened his back. He raised his head and did not show any signs of resistance, putting his hands down following Qi Jing¡¯s movements. Qi Jing didn¡¯t urge him in any way, waiting patiently until Shen Yan¡¯s hands werepletely separated from his face, only then did he slowly reach out to hold the other party¡¯s hand.


    Shen Yan¡¯s palms were a little wet.


    Of course, Qi Jing knew why, but he didn¡¯t ask, nor did he wipe it off for the other man. He did not say a word but simply leaned in and pulled the other party forward¡ªhis hand holding the back of Shen Yan¡¯s head¡ªsecurely bringing the man before him into his embrace.


    Shen Yan was silent and unresponsive at first, leaning somewhat weakly against his chest. After a long while, his arms slowly found their way round Qi Jing¡¯s waist and wordlessly hugged thetter


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but smile at this. He gently patted Shen Yan on the back as if he was coaxing a child, offering the other somefort through his actions and his words.


    ¡°You did great; everyone was moved by your performance.¡±


    ¡°Is that so...¡± Shen Yan mumbled under his breath, seeminglypletely unaware of the enthusiastic reactions from the listeners on the chat.


    Qi Jing froze a little, then a chuckle couldn¡¯t help but escape him. ¡°Hmm? Did you turn your back to the screen and not look at it once you were done?¡±


    What he got in response was a shocking answer: ¡°I didn¡¯t look at the screen right from the very beginning. I had my back to theputer throughout the whole process and only followed the host¡¯s step-by-step instructions.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that you didn¡¯t look at the screen right from the very beginning?¡± Qi Jing asked again as if in utter disbelief.


    ¡°Mhm&#k2026;¡±


    ¡°Then what about the lines?¡± The official lines of the characters for the semi-finals are only announced and posted on the bulletin board at that point in time.


    ¡°I took a look at them when they first came out, then with the yers before me repeating the lines over and over again, they naturally stuck into my mind.¡± Still in Qi Jing¡¯s embrace, Shen Yan took a deep breath before letting go of thetter¡¯s waist. He sat up straight and rubbed his face with a frown; he seemed to have calmed down.


    Qi Jing lowered his gaze to observe hisplexion¡ªfortunately, he didn¡¯t look particrly pale, just very tired.


    ¡°Are you... still unable to dub in the presence of an audience?¡± Well, it¡¯s no wonder, with over ten thousand people watching on in the audience, most people would freeze up, much less Shen Yan. Unless you are experiencing the situation yourself, there¡¯s no way one would be able to understand the tremendous psychological pressure it gave.


    ¡°All that matters is that it¡¯s done,¡± Shen Yan said in a low voice, but he still didn¡¯t show any intention of looking at the screen.


    When Qi Jing heard those words, he suddenly felt the urge to say something but didn¡¯t have the words for it. He could only stare at Shen Yan in the silence without making a sound until the changes on the screen drew his attention back.


    At this time, thest contestant seemed to have finished his turn and the organising staff were doing a final tally of the total scores and rankings.


    Next, it would probably be Pu Yuzhi¡¯s turn to take the mic andment on the performance of the contestants one by one. As soon as Qi Jing thought of that, he abruptly gave a few light taps on Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder and before thetter could make any reactions, he made a move to unplug the headphones, setting the audio to speaker mode.


    Yang Chunqu¡¯s bright and elegant voice that was pleasant on the ears could be heard once more.


    ¡°Dear listeners and contestants, after an hour-long of excitingpetition for the second character, ¡®Old Man Xiao Shan¡¯, in the semi-finals of the voice actingpetition for¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·tonight, we¡¯ve finallye to the final stage! I believe this is a moment that everyone¡¯s been waiting for¡ªthat¡¯s right, next, we¡¯ll invite our representative from the jury, Teacher Pu Yuzhi, to give herments on thepetition just now! Wee!¡±


    In an instant, the public chat was full of cheers, spamming Pu Yuzhi¡¯s name to hype up the atmosphere.


    When Pu Yuzhi¡¯s red-coloured ID was ced on the mic sequence, she first started by clearing her throat and started off habitually with, ¡°Good evening, students,¡± eliciting a bout ofughter and giggles from the audience.


    Unlike the polite and diplomatic style of <i>Longbow</i>, she didn¡¯t go into the pleasantries and went straight to the point¡ªvery reminiscent of a professor who speaks eloquently the moment ss starts. ¡°I know that there are many who disagree with the scores I have given and want to know just why I gave some people low scores and the others higher scores. Let¡¯s start by discussing the character itself first. Can we have the MC put up the character settings of ¡®Old Man Xiao Shan¡¯ again?¡±


    Sure enough, when Yang Chunqu heard her words, the information on the announcements was updated, adding in the character settings which had been previously announced on the official site.


    ¡°Alright, as everyone can see, ¡®Old Man Xiao Shan¡¯ is a character that¡¯s an elder around the age of 60-70 years old and he is the head of the Xiao Shan Sect who ¡®treats and loves his disciples as his own¡¯¡ªthese are the exact words of the official character setting,¡± Pu Yuzhi read out the statements as it was.


    As a lecturer from the course of Broadcasting and Hosting, her usual way of speaking was also sonorous and powerful, one couldn¡¯t help but perk up their ears to listen. ¡°Generally, if we follow how it¡¯s like formercial voice acting, voice actors are expected to have an understanding of the original work; if there¡¯s a novel, you¡¯d read it, and if there are films, you watch them. Only once you¡¯re fully prepared, do you start. Whether you have put in enough effort in this area or not, people in the industry will be able to tell when they hear it.¡±


    Qi Jing felt a little ashamed when he heard her words.


    When Shen Yan first proposed to read the original work of¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·, he still thought that the former was being overly serious and that the official character information given by the organisers was more than enough. Yet now, Pu Yuzhi¡¯s words made him feel that what he¡¯s done was far from enough. The novel would have moreprehensive and three-dimensional descriptions of the characters, and that was not something that could be reced by a few simple lines of introduction. This notion was further exemplified especially after he heard Shen Yan¡¯s performance of Old Man Xiao Shan.


    He has to find the time to study the original work properly so that he can give his all for thepetition that was toe.


    Pu Yuzhi¡¯s following words slightly alleviated the guilt he felt. ¡°However, taking into consideration that most are amateur dubbing enthusiasts, it¡¯s really not easy to finish a five hundred thousand word novel, so let¡¯s take a major step back, carefully studying the official information that was provided, that¡¯s the very least we can do, yes?¡±


    Qi Jing nodded; this he did carefully read through.


    ¡°Just from the character settings for this role alone, we can more or less analyse and arrive at the key points that have to be showcased. First is the sense of age. I know that many of the contestants are youngsters, so they find it rather difficult to voice a grandpa, and it¡¯s more restrictive. Next, is the identity of this character. This person isn¡¯t some random old man passing by on the street, nor is he an ordinary farmer, woodcutter, fisherman or the like, but a Sect Leader, so the aura and poise of a Sect Leader must be there, ¡°Pu Yuzhi analysed each point, steadily, ¡°And thirdly, and also the most important trait of this character¡ªhe treats and loves his disciples as his own. Please keep the above three points in mind as you listen to mymentaryter.¡±


    Then, a bout of rustling that sounded like pages turning could be heard from the speakers. Pu Yuzhi was probably referring to something; perhaps, like Shen Yan, she made notes while listening to each of the performances.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s start with contestant number one. For the first contestant...¡±


    As she went down the list of contestants, hermentary style was more or less what Qi Jing had expected: not as gentle as that of <i>Longbow</i>. She was sharp-tongued and blunt, every critique was straight to the point, but her words were also extremely helpful. If there were audience members who posed questions on the public chat while she¡¯s talking, she would stop and slowly exin the reasons for herments, until everyone was convinced.


    ¡ªAs expected of a renowned educator.


    At this time, Qi Jing lowered his head slightly to look at Shen Yan.


    Shen Yan was still quietly seated there with a kind of concentration Qi Jing was very familiar with. He knew that Shen Yan was listening attentively, just that he had his back facing the screen.


    ¡°Next is contestant number neen.¡± When Pu Yuzhi announced the number of <i>Went off with a bang</i>, his indignant little fans who had been waiting for all this while knew that their moment to explode was finally here. Once again, they started throwing theirints on the chat, saying that the judge deliberately lowered his score, causing their idol to have to settle for second ce.


    Pu Yuzhi did not make any response to this, but simply went on to evaluate his overall performance in aposed manner.


    ¡°First of all, I have to say that this contestant¡¯s sense of age is slightly better than the ones that came before him. His old grandfather voice is very urate and I can tell that he does usually put in the effort to practice it¡ªthis, he did well.¡±


    With a slight pause, herees the ssic twist.


    ¡°However, the sense of age is only one of the criteria used to measure the suitability of the voice. In addition to it, the specific traits of the character also need to be considered. This character is calm and magnanimous, kind and respectable. Number 19¡¯s voice sounds... Well, rather than a Sect Leader who spends his days deep in the mountains and is detached from the conflicts of the world, he sounded more like a Master of the Wulin Alliance who often gives orders. He has enough of that imposing bearing but there was a sense of frivolousness to it¡ªhis expressions were too outward andcking in restraint.¡±


    And that¡¯s why she gave him a score of 3.5¡ªit was generally satisfactory, but the attitude expressed was slightly off.


    ¡°In terms of his enunciation, this contestant¡¯s foundation is also better than many before him, so I¡¯m sure he has put in the time to practice normally. Moreover, he would find ces to pause in the lines provided, so it is clear that he also considered the pace and rhythm when dubbing. I believe every one of us could hear all these good points.¡± Pu Yuzhi¡¯s approach has always been to give credit where credit was due and the same goes for her criticisms. ¡°But it¡¯s a pity the ¡®Foundation points¡¯ and ¡®Charisma¡¯ aspects were disappointing.¡±


    As soon as this statement was made, the chat exploded.


    The fans all rose up in droves to attack and fight for Uncle Bang.


    Audience 1: Our Uncle Bang obviously did a wonderful job with his performance; I found it verypelling! How could you give him 1.0 for that! Why do you have to say ¡°it¡¯s a pity¡±! Don¡¯t you know that¡¯s very hurtful? Aren¡¯t teachers supposed to build students up with encouragement?!


    Audience 2: And here¡¯s what I don¡¯t understand. On one hand, you say that you can understand that most people here are amateurs, but on the other, you grade them and hold them to professional standards. Can you be any more two-faced?? £¨¦á¦ä¦á£©=͹


    Audience 3: Strongly requesting that we get someone else toment!! Of all the judges, you had to get the one who gave the lowest score¡ªaren¡¯t you obviously bullying our Uncle Bang??


    ...


    Pu Yuzhi remained silent for about three seconds, before suddenly speaking into her mic, ¡°Many people do not like to listen to opinions of critical nature, this is normal. I, myself, would also feel ufortable eating something bitter, this is human nature. In a special situation like apetition, the chances of receiving criticisms are much higher than normal¡ªsomee from the judges, some from the audience, and some from the fellowpetitors as well.¡±


    The ruckus settled down a little as she continued on extremely calmly.


    ¡°One has to listen to criticism, but not all criticisms. Criticism can also be split into good and bad. Some people listen to both kinds, and they take it all to heart, shrinking back from a little blow¡ªthat¡¯s called being self-abased. There are also those who don¡¯t listen to either and carry on doing as they please¡ªin nicer terms, this is called having self-confidence, but to put it more crudely it¡¯s called arrogance. I personally advocate for people to rationally distinguish between the two¡ªthis, I see as a form of self-encouragement.¡±


    Thatst sentence was the key point.


    ¡°I can say very unashamedly that my criticisms are all good. For those with low self-esteem or those who are too conceited, there¡¯s no point in arguing whether thesements are positive or negative. You can choose not to listen, and on the flip side, those who are rational are weed to stay.¡±


    That p was loud and clear. Sure enough, the vulgar and mean messages on the public chat went away by quite a bit.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the ount logged into thisputer wasn¡¯t his and that it wasn¡¯t appropriate for him to publicly express such opinions as a CV, Qi Jing really had the urge to join in the ranks of the people on the chat, cheering, ¡°Teacher Pu is the best!¡±


    ¡°Well then, I shall continuementing on contestant neen.¡±


    Pu Yuzhi calmly went back to hermentary.


    ¡°In the first act where Qin Tuo returns after wandering for a long time, not much emotional changes could be heard in the Master¡¯s voice; it was the same tone throughout. Number 19 didn¡¯t bring out the feelings of surprise and endearment, giving the listener the impression that there was nothing special¡ªthis disciplees home every day. I suppose it might be because he was focused on the sense of age, so while he took care to adjust the vocal quality, he neglected the tone of the voice. That¡¯s a problem that many who have to change their voice face,pared to those acting in their normal voice.¡±


    <i>Went off with a bang</i> stood out against the many contestants that went before him, in a way, it could be said that he had a stunning opening to his performance which was a good thing.


    But the downside is that because he was overly focused on the sense of age, he overlooked the more crucial tonal changes, as well as expression of emotions. That was something Qi Jing also didn¡¯t take note of at the time until now, when it dawned on him thanks to Pu Yuzhi¡¯s analysis.


    ¡°Starting from the second scene was when his understanding of the character started to deviate, and it was quite arge deviation at that.¡± The rustling of Pu Yuzhi flipping through pieces of paper could be heard once more¡ªit seems like she was pretty detailed with her notes and wrote down quite a bit. ¡°Frankly speaking, I found the cues provided by the organisers to be overly simple. However, there are also perks to being simple; it puts the emphasis on whether or not the contestants have properly studied the information provided and thought from the standpoint and thought process of the character with the way they execute the tone and attitudes.


    ¡°The first impression I got from number neen is that this Master is extremely biased; doting on Qin Tuo and looking down on Bai Ke, to the point where he would use the younger disciple as an example to school the older disciple at every turn. Just think about it, will someone who loves his disciples dearly do something like that which would hurt the other party¡¯s pride? Putting myself in the character¡¯s shoes, as a mother, I wish for nothing more than to see my children get along with one another, and not their rtionship breaking apart from all the fighting. Not to mention someone who¡¯s the leader of a sect, such favouritism is not allowed. How can he be respected and revered when he can¡¯t treat the young members of his sect fairly? How would he be able to manage his sect?


    ¡°If we all read the novel, we would know that Bai Ke is actually someone with an inferiorityplex. As his master who understands this character w, all the more he wouldn¡¯t deliberately rub salt into the wound. This is a major mistake. Starting from this scene, his performance was already going off in the wrong direction, and this resulted in him going further and further away from the mark.¡±


    She pointed out the fatal mistake that <i>Went off with a bang</i> made and that was his interpretation of Old Man Xiao Shan¡¯s attitude towards Bai Ke. In both the second and third acts, his interpretation seriously went against the portrayal of the character in the story.


    ¡°Thest scene is the main reason why I gave number neen a score of 1.0. I personally think that this scene is extremely important. It is one of the most emotional scenes, and it¡¯s a critical moment to move the audience. As mentioned before, the feeling number neen gave me is that... Qin Tuo is the one he actually brought up as a child while Bai Ke was just someone he took in halfway, but anyone who¡¯s seen the original work would know that it is in fact, the opposite. The term ¡®Master¡¯ has both the meaning of being a teacher and a father. Contestant neen¡¯s performance only showcased the aspect of a strict teacher but not that of a loving father. He gave the feeling of regret that this Master, unfortunately, took in a heinous disciple that might as well be the spawn of the devil and very much wished he could kill Bai Ke with his own hands to cleanse their sect of evil.¡±


    Pu Yuzhi¡¯s voice sank, and her tone was even harsher than before. ¡°There¡¯s another especially critical bit of information¡ªBai Ke was already dead at that time. For an elder past his prime and in his sixties, there¡¯s nothing more heart-rending than a child dying before his parent. Seeing a child he raised with his own two hands turn into a box of ashes, no matter the abominable sins the other hasmitted, or the anger he had felt, there¡¯s no way he would be indifferent to his child who has died and cannot be revived, much less, show such cold-heartedness like number neen.¡±


    The reason why she gave such a low score was clear as day.


    This time round, even the fans of <i>Went off with a bang</i> had all been rendered speechless; it was as if they hadpletely disappeared from the chat, gone without a trace.


    Lilies: everyone prolly wants to know what she has to say about Shen Yan¡¯s performance but I¡¯m an asshole like that so let¡¯s cut off here hehe but hey, i¡¯m not that mean, we did get some good face-pping


    Mashiro: This chapter¡¯s highlight (in my opinion) is Pu Yuzhi. She has analyzed each actor¡¯s act so urately and so exceptionally, I have to say she is an excellent teacher. Guess what her analysis would be on SY¡¯s act.

 Chapter 55.2

    <h4>Chapter 55.2</h4>


    Editor: Mashiro


    Thementary segment went on and when Pu Yuzhi was about to be done with her evaluation of contestant twenty-seven, Shen Yan who had been quiet all this while suddenly asked in a barely audible voice, ¡°How... How many points did they give me? Can I advance to the next stage?¡±


    He actually sounded rather uncertain.


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but widen as he stared straight at Shen Yan. ¡°You mean you took off your headphones without even hearing your total score?¡±


    Shen Yan responded with a strained sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was a little scared... Scared that the results will let you down.¡±


    If anyone else were to hear these words said by the person in first ce, who knows how many of the contestants would faint from their blood pressure shooting through the roof. Qi Jing was both exasperated and amused by Shen Yan, but when all these different emotions intertwined into an entangled mess, what came up on top was this slight stinging sensation. He felt it both in his heart and in his fingertips that caressed Shen Yan¡¯s cheek. ¡°Oh you... You should have more confidence in yourself.¡±


    He bowed his head and ced a kiss with great care on Shen Yan¡¯s forehead, then gently resting his own against the other party¡¯s face. He decided to say the words that had been buried in his heart for a long time.


    ¡°Truthfully, I also wanted to tell you tha¡ª¡±


    Right at that moment, Pu Yuzhi¡¯s words interrupted Qi Jing. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll bementing on number twenty-eight, who¡¯s also the only person that I¡¯ve awarded four points in all categories since the start of thepetition.¡±


    When Shen Yan heard the words ¡°four points in all categories¡±, his entire body trembled slightly. And when he lifted his head, what greeted him was a faint smile that graced Qi Jing¡¯s lips.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Qi Jing asked, ¡°Now you know your score, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Number twenty-eight¡¯s voice actually isn¡¯t that distinct and belongs to the type that is rather unrecognisable, but it gives off a very calm and upright feeling. The fact that this feeling is retained even when he is imitating an elderly voice is extremely rare among the contestants who have to alter their voice.¡±


    At this point, it felt like a rare smile appeared on Pu Yuzhi¡¯s face as she gave her review.


    ¡°In voice acting, the key thing is to provide a voice. This is where the stark difference between stage performances and dubbing lies, and considering the fact that¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·is a game, what the yers see are the characters in the game. Thus, on top of ensuring that the voice fits the image of the character, voice actors also have to hide themselves as much as possible¡ªthe voice should bring people into the scene and not out of it. In this case, not having a distinctive voice is actually a good thing.¡±


    For any piece of work thates with an image, the voice has to match the image, otherwise, it would appearpletely out of ce, and people wouldn¡¯t want to listen on.


    This is the biggest difference between film, television, and game dubbing and traditional audio dramas.


    ¡°Contestant twenty-eight, your voice is more on the gentle, honest-sounding side, and it makes me feel like I can imagine an old man living in seclusion in the mountains, indifferent to fame and fortune. Like the wild storks flying by the drifting clouds, this elder lives his life at ease¡ªthat is one of the characteristics of Old Man Xiao Shan. I don¡¯t experience any dissonance when I try to think of the character. Unlike many of the youngsters who sound quite contrived and nasally when they try to imitate the voice of a 60-70-year-old, you¡¯re able to make your voice sound very natural, which is good.


    ¡°Even better is that while you have steady control over the vocal quality, you¡¯re still able to adjust your tone ording to the changes in the character¡¯s stance; something that many often forget. Like in the first scene, for example, that change from a Sect Leader, to a Master, and finally to a father eagerly waiting for his children toe home is something that I personally think that you considered and handled really well. The cues and punctuation in the text provided is just for reference¡ªsome contestants read them as they are, without taking into ount the environment and atmosphere the character is in at the time, but I feel you have taken it into ount.¡±


    Then, she gave an example of what it meant to blend the lines into the scene.


    ¡°Now, everyone, close your eyes and imagine, it iste in the middle of the night and Old Man Xiao Shan suddenly notices someone at the door. If you go one step further to link it to the context set up in the novel, it was a time of turmoil and unrest in the Jianghu, and the pce was sending people to scour high and low to arrest members of the Jianghu. Hence, as the Sect Leader, it¡¯s perfectly normal for his first reaction to be on the alert. But at this time, he suddenly realised that it¡¯s his young disciple who has returned safely, so with a change in his identity, naturally the emotions must change as well. Especially in thest part... although they¡¯re words ofint, you can hear the deep concern and affection in the voice. This contradictory feeling of parents constantly nagging for our children toe home, yet can¡¯t help but grumble at them when they actually do was captured really well and urately.


    ¡°For this scene, whether it¡¯s the pauses or the pacing and emphasis, or that slight gasp number twenty-eight added, all allowed the listener to experience the flow of emotions the character is going through.¡±


    When Qi Jing heard this, the corners of his lips couldn¡¯t help but pull upwards.


    Yes, that¡¯s exactly the feeling he had when he rehearsed with Shen Yan¡ªit felt like he was actually in the scene and he could clearly see the expressions and movements of the other party, allowing him to make a reasonable reaction to the imagery.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s talk about this feeling of having a dialogue. I seldom bring up this point because few contestants actually manage to express it. What this sense of having a dialogue means is that the voice actor takes note of who they¡¯re talking to during the dubbing process, adjusting their tone of voice ording to the subject they would be talking to in the scene, giving the feeling that they are voice acting with someone when there actually isn¡¯t anyone.¡±


    Since Shen Yan showed something that was not mentioned in any of thementary from before, Pu Yuzhi was also more than happy to point it out to everyone.


    ¡°Number twenty-eight, as you were acting out the lines, I could feel that your Old Man Xiao Shan takes note of the emotional state of the other party as he speaks, and from your tone of voice I can kind of guess the personality of the other person.


    ¡°This is most obvious in the second act, in the conversation with Bai Ke. Many people don¡¯t seem to know that Bai Ke is mistrustful and has an inferiorityplex, especially when he ispared to his peers. So when I heard the way you handled this act, I perked up and thought to myself, ¡®wow, so there is someone who will take care to be sensitive to Bai Ke¡¯s feelings¡¯.¡±


    ¡°The more outstanding part is the pause after the line, ¡®Your junior, he¡¯. There were also a few contestants before you who paused at that spot, but most simply slowed down their speech and didn¡¯t pay attention to lowering their voice as well. When I heard you lower your voice, I felt like I could virtually see Bai Ke stand in front of me, and the change in his expression when he heard his master bring up his junior. It sounded like the change in your voice was because you saw the unpleasant expression on his face and you felt apologetic so you went about it in a more subtle and sensitive manner. And the way contestant twenty-eight handled criticising Qin Tuo before praising him was also done right. Generally speaking, Old Man Xiao Shan has to scold the younger disciple first so that his older disciple would feel a little better, then when he brings up the aspects that Bai Ke can learn from Qin Tuo, it¡¯s easier for the former to ept. As for thest part of the scene where number twenty-eight acted out the feeling of a loving father being worried about his child who is about to leave the mountain... I¡¯m sure everyone must¡¯ve heard it without me having to go into the details.¡±


    After saying a big chunk of words, the flipping of paper could be heard once again, and the sound that travelled into Qi Jing¡¯s ears sounded so very crisp and vivid.


    While she was flipping through her papers of notes, Pu Yuzhi could still be heard muttering, ¡°With regards to contestant twenty-eight, it¡¯s actually quite difficult for me evaluate him by each of the categories as I did before because they¡¯ve all molded into one entity, each segment isplementary to the other, and not one can be left out. So I¡¯m more inclined toment about it as a whole, that¡¯s why I¡¯ll talk about it scene by scene.¡±


    She did as she was saying and went on to talk about the third act.


    ¡°The third act by number twenty-eight is the most impressive and left the deepest impression on me among those I¡¯ve heard in this round, today. As for why I say that, I believe we all have an inkling in our hearts, otherwise, there wouldn¡¯t be a live voting rate of over 90 percent.¡±


    Pu Yuzhi said her thoughts truthfully. She had been quietly observing the audience¡¯s reactions all this while, it¡¯s just that she chose to say it out now.


    ¡°In order to make a charactere alive, you have to have emotions. However, it is not enough to just show this emotion. Whether or not one is able to reach the point where it resonates with the listener determines the sess or failure of the character. Earlier I had exined the difference between ¡®Foundation points¡¯ and ¡®Charisma¡¯, and some students might not have quite understood, but ¡®Foundation points¡¯ is to evaluate whether the yer can show emotion. Of course, this emotion expressed can be right or wrong. While ¡®Charisma¡¯ is built on the correct expression of feelings on the basis of whether or not the listener is pulled in, whether or not the person is moved or shaken to the core.


    ¡°The reason why the right emotion is crucial is because only then does it align with the logical human mind; something that is not logical does not stand up to scrutiny and will never move people. However, just being ¡®right¡¯ alone is not enough to impress others, it also needs to be ¡®real¡¯.¡±


    She exined slowly and indepthly, ¡°Many people think that the voice is the most important part of voice acting¡ªthis is true¡ªbut adequate pauses and spaces are just as important. Number twenty-eight, there was a big gap before you started on the third act. At first, I also thought it was a pause between the scene and the scene transition, but the pause was too long. Only then did I realise it was to show that the character was in so much pain he couldn¡¯t muster a word. And when you opened your mouth and said your first words with much difficulty, it further confirmed my thoughts.


    ¡°As for your handling of the tone, we¡¯ve already discussed that in detail before so I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no need for me to talk about it all over again. The lines and cues provided are the same for everyone. And how we differentiate our performance from others lies in how one adds their own little quirks to make the lines be rich and not nd. All thesee from things beyond the script, like acting out onomatopoeia such asughing or crying to support your performance.


    ¡°Thatst part where the mirthlessugh slowly turned into choking back with tears¡ªthis was something not mentioned anywhere in the script. This was a line that doesn¡¯t really stand out, but with this addition, it suddenly became extremely real. I¡¯ve been a teacher for so many years, so I can basically tell between fake and real crying at a nce... I think that you were truly choking back tears in thest part. Students, you have to know just how impressive it is for a voice actor to get into character in such a short span of time. To be able to visualise the character, put yourselfpletely in their shoes at that moment in time, and understand them¡ªthis is not something that can be done unless you¡¯re able to fully be one with the character, and twenty-eight, you did it. ¡±


    ¡°Shen Yan...¡±


    Qi Jing whispered into his ear and called out once more,¡± Shen Yan, you heard that didn¡¯t you? You did it... Really... And you did very well at that.¡±


    There was some movement behind Shen Yan¡¯s lids before he buried his face into Qi Jing, his hands remained tightly clutched onto the corner of thetter¡¯s clothes.


    Qi Jing ced his hand on his broad back and gently tugged him upwards. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get up.¡±


    In the dark room where there¡¯s no light, the glow that came from the screen was especially precious. Yet, from Shen Yan¡¯s angle, he could only see the dark shadow he casted, that¡¯s why, Qi Jing wanted him to turn around, to stop turning his back on the light, and to take a good look at what the audience was saying about him with his own eyes.


    But before he could do that, Pu Yuzhi, whom Qi Jing thought had finished her review, made yet another shocking statement: ¡°Now, I will specifically talk about why I had to deduct a point for contestant twenty-eight.¡±


    A/N: For this chapter, the content formentary is really too long (moreover,Teacher Pu actually has more to say, but I really can¡¯t fit it in). So... I still hope this is content that you guys like to see. I knew it, I¡¯m the type of person whose word count explodes when I write reviews seriously...TAT


    Mashiro: I really want to hand in some water to Teacher Pu. She may need it to continue on her review in the next chapter. Phew, I felt thirsty on her behalf. Anyway I still wanna know why she deducted his 1 point. In my opinion SY had rocked his performance.

 Chapter 56

    <h4>Chapter 56</h4>


    Sorry for messing up the schedule time earlier this day, apparently scheduling chapters at 2AM might lead to malfunctioning of brain circuits _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_


    TLC: Lilies & Jie


    Editing: Whitere


    Qi Jing froze, his hand subconsciously stopping partway through the action of helping Shen Yan up. Because he couldn¡¯t predict how big of an impact the words Pu Yuzhi was about to say would have, he didn¡¯t know whether he should still get Shen Yan stand up or if it was the wrong time for that.


    Yet, Shen Yan shook his head and chose to stand up himself. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s what I want to hear.¡±


    Qi Jing took a look into his eyes as those wouldn¡¯t lie about his current frame of mind. But in reality, that pitch ckness was way more steady than he imagined. He never forgot the sea that was hidden within Shen Yan¡¯s eyes. Every river would return to the sea¡ªno matter how rapid or how turbulent the river, they would all revert into calmness after entering the sea.


    Shen Yan... he¡¯s really stronger than Qi Jing thought him to be.


    Qi Jing agreed with short ¡°Mhm¡± and took his hand away from Shen Yan¡¯s back, holding his hand instead.


    If Shen Yan didn¡¯t need support, then keeping himpany was just as good.


    At that time, through the faint noise of background static, Pu Yuzhi¡¯s voice could be heard; it reverberated in the room. ¡°First of all, I want to talk about my feelings regarding what you said before the audition.¡±


    Not only were her words unexpected for the listeners, Qi Jing was also plenty surprised by it. He thought she was about to criticize Shen Yan¡¯s voice acting techniques, but looking at where it was going, it didn¡¯t seem to be the case.


    ¡°Just as many of our listeners had said before, it feels as if you¡¯re out of ce in thispetition. And that¡¯s right, I also feel the same¡ªI think you treat voice acting very seriously. And that¡¯s very good, being earnest and meticulous in what you do should be highly praised in any field or upation. But I don¡¯t know if my intuition is right... I feel like your meticulousness stems from some kind of sense of duty, not from the love for what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s expression changed.


    Out of sudden... he felt as if he wasid bare. It was as if he had suddenly been jerked awake, and he subconsciously moved to lightly cover his mouth.


    ¡ªShen Yan, don¡¯t speak, don¡¯t say a word.


    ¡ªBut I can talk if I y ¡°someone else¡±


    It was a psychological suggestion that took root in his mind for twenty odd years. Even though its literal meaning was gone, his subconscious was still being influenced by it.


    His initial motivation behind getting into voice acting was to forget himself, to break away from the pressure of being ¡°Shen Yan¡±. Later, he gradually used it as a means of treating his selective mutism, to gain the freedom and courage of talking through the acting.


    Then, his friends talked him into helping them with run-throughs and also ying some minor roles in audia dramas as requested by the producers who reached out to him...


    Behind his conscientiousness of answering every plea, he didn¡¯t feel any sense of fulfilment. In fact, for him it simply remained a kind of ¡°means of treatment¡± and ¡°duty¡±, nothing more.


    ¡°I think that... you actually don¡¯t derive any pleasure from voice acting.¡± Pu Yuzhi¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud, but the power in her words could not be ignored, hitting hard at his very heart, ¡°You¡¯re here just to finish your duty, toplete your understanding of the role, the same way you said you wanted tomemorate your grandpa. As for the final oue, what the reaction would be like¡ªI guess it didn¡¯t cross your mind at all, nor did you care about it.¡±


    It really was like that.


    But with how Pu Yuzhi broke it down all the way to that point, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t keep himself from sighing inwardly. Indeed, Shen Yan had exactly this kind of mentality¡ªas if he waspleting his assignment by going on the stage and ying diligently until the curtains closed, only to leave the scene without either saying anything nor seeing the oue.


    In fact, Qi Jing was just about to say this to him, but he didn¡¯t expect Pu Yuzhi to also see through that.


    Actually... voice acting shouldn¡¯t be just a duty, it could also hold a deeper meaning.


    ¡°I have already expressed my evaluation of your acting skills. I assume that everyone could see that what you showed this evening was a brilliant performance and can imagine how much time you usually spend practising and put a lot of effort into analysing and understanding the role. But if you choose to continue voice acting, unfortunately, your choice of the characters would get more and more limited, and the room for improvement in your performance would be just as small.¡± Pu Yuzhi seemed to sigh with regret, ¡°Moreover, you seem as if you can quit at any moment.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± A short exmation escaped the depths of Shen Yan¡¯s throat as his fingers trembled a bit.


    Qi Jing felt that he was on the verge of turning away.


    Pu Yuzhi continued speaking, ¡°It might be perhaps my instinct as a teacher¡ªI believe talents like you are very precious and letting such a talent go on waste would be a great pity; however, the final decision is still up to you.¡±


    Qi Jing quietly nodded to her words.


    ¡°But before you make this decision, you should first see how the audience was moved by your voice acting.¡± At that moment, Pu Yuzhi chuckled gently and raised her voice, ¡°There¡¯s a lot of professional voice actors among my pupils. When they¡¯re in school, they gain joy from winning the teachers over with their performance, and when they start to work, they¡¯re happy to influence the audience with their acting and take pride in that. Once you recognize the enjoyment you¡¯re bringing to other people, you will also start to feel this joy. Only this way you can keep walking the path of voice acting.¡±


    ¡°Only this way can you truly recover.¡± Suddenly, Qi Jing added another phrase.


    Shen Yan froze momentarily before turning abruptly to look at him. Qi Jing turned his head to meet his eyes, the light of the screen reflecting in his eyes&#k2014;those radiant and honest eyes watched Shen Yan with a gentle smile.


    So... just getting used to performing and talking before numerous strangers still doesn¡¯t count as true recovery?


    At that moment, Qi Jing motioned with his chin towards the screen, guiding the other party with his nce. Shen Yan seemed to understand something, blinking nkly before he finally shifted his gaze to face the source of that light.


    The screen¡¯s light appeared to be even more blinding and intense in the darkness. He feltpelled to take a step forward and after some hesitation, slowly moved his gaze to the public chat in the channel window.


    Audience 1: ~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~ Do your best, Kitty¡¯s Papa!! I really love your voice acting!! It really can move the listener, I hope you can continue!!


    Audience 2: Teacher Pu is right, Kitty¡¯s Papa made me feel he was about to disappear once the task was done. Here, here, here, look here, look here!! I just want to say I really appreciate your acting, it¡¯s truly a pleasure to my ears and I swear the angst hit me right in the feels¡¾*sobbing* It¡¯s all because that part just now was too sad¡¿... Cough, cough, I mean, what I wanted to say is¡ªplease, you have to continue voice acting, you¡¯re amazing, really!


    Audience 3: Hahahaha, what Teacher Pu meant to say to No. 28 is, he¡¯s very good and very conscientious, yet he limits himself to small roles akin to a passerby who¡¯s only here to buy soy sauce. To be honest, CVs like him should have a much bigger audience~ I¡¯m raising my paw as well, I hope No. 28 can continue voice acting and give more roles a try, as well as let himself feel more joy doing it. I promise that I will certainly be among your audience!!


    Audience 4: I agree with thementer above!! I was the one who said that he felt mismatched for thepetition, hahaha~ At that time I didn¡¯t really know why that was a case, only now Teacher Pu¡¯s words made me realize the reason behind it¡¾I am just too stupid _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_¡¿... Kitty¡¯s Papa, you should be proud your performance made us covered in snot and tears!! It¡¯s neither a bad thing, nor tall talk but a demonstration of your abilities!!


    Audience 5: ¨“¨Œ¨“What? Can quit voice acting at any time? Come, I¡¯ll show you my tears now! I just hope that my face full of tears will make you think it through thoroughly! I really love your voice acting, although we¡¯re already satisfied as the listeners, it¡¯s obviously best if you yourself are happy as well!!


    Audience 6: Hm, I also have a feeling that you¡¯re not voice acting out of love for it, but out of sense of duty. I might not know the reason for it, but I hope you can derive pleasure from voice acting, just as how we feel pleasure listening to it~ ¨R¦Ø¨Q


    That¡¯s right...


    Before, he had always hid behind the curtain. Even if he asionally appeared at some corner of the stage, it would be just him willingly resigning himself to serve as a stage prop.


    Today, he had ovee his psychological barrier and arrived at the centre of the stage¡ªbut the light there was too strong, too dazzling, rendering him afraid. He wholeheartedly wanted to do his job earnestly and finish the performance he had to show before turning away and heading back into the darkness.


    But that wasn¡¯t recovery.


    Just standing on a stage and finishing his performance still couldn¡¯t be counted as a full recovery yet.


    He would attain a full recovery only if he made one more step ahead and passed through the spotlight, breaking away from the fear and blindness brought by that dazzlingly white light, persevering in walking towards the frontmost part of the stage. Only then would he be able to look down towards the auditorium, see the pleased smiles of the audience, hear their prolonged apuse.


    Only by realising this would he be able to understand that his voice could bring joy to other people and that it wasn¡¯t like how the woman always admonished¡ªthat it would only bring troubles.


    Only by realising this would he finally be able to... wish to open his mouth, wish to speak up.


    Shen Yan stared fixedly at everyone¡¯s encouragement on the screen. He suddenly felt his throat throb and couldn¡¯t utter a word for quite a while.


    Qi Jing only smiled as he lightly scratched the palm of his hand.


    At the same time, Pu Yuzhi¡¯smentary was also reaching an end, ¡°I never gave any contestant a full score of 5.0 points in any of the¡¶Order to End the Heavenspetitions. That means that the highest score I will give out is 4.5¡ªeveryone may think of it as my personal ¡®full score¡¯. And that¡¯s because I believe that everyone has room for improvement. That deduction of half a point isn¡¯t because I¡¯m dissatisfied with any of you¡ªit¡¯s just me cing hope in your future, hoping that you can take to heart the principle that there¡¯s no best¡ªthere¡¯s only better.¡±


    She stopped for a moment, then softly chuckled behind the mic, ¡°I¡¯ve just specially checked the list of contestants and it seems that number twenty eight, you¡¯ve also applied for other contests, so I believe that we¡¯ll have another chance to meet. If by that time you can still maintain your current standards and also let me feel that you started to genuinely enjoy voice acting itself, then I¡¯ll be more than willing to give you 4.5. I¡¯m looking forward to that day¡ª¡±


    The moment those words were heard, the public chat got so spammed with red flowers, they seemed to merge into one.


    Audience 1: ¨“¨Œ¨“Crap! From today on, I¡¯m Teacher Pu¡¯s brainless fan!


    Audience 2: ¨“¨Œ¨“Teacher Pu¡¯s brainless fan +1!


    Audience 3: ¨“¨Œ¨“Teacher Pu¡¯s brainless fan +2!¡¾I have to say that Teacher Pu feels just like my previous ss teacher, both are strict but treat their pupils very well ¡¿


    Audience 4: ¨“¨Œ¨“Teacher Pu¡¯s brainless fan +3! Ah, right, right, count me in as Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s brainless fan as well!


    Audience 5: ¨“¨Œ¨“I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d chance upon such a good harvest while listening to ?Order to End the Heavens? voice acting contest, it was worth it!! Five stars for Teacher¡¯s Pu feedback style!! And five stars for Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s performance!! Looking forward to seeing other scenes in the finals!!


    Audience 6: Hearing Teacher¡¯s words, I immediately ran to check the official page, Kitty¡¯s Papa is actually signed up for Bai Ke and Marquess Shun!! I was so surprised!! And so hyped!! I¡¯ll make sure toe and cheer for you, best of luck!! ~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~


    ¡°Thank you... Teacher Pu.¡± Even though he was aware that the other person couldn¡¯t possibly see him nor hear his words, Shen Yan still bowed before the screen as he voiced his most sincere thanks in a low voice.


    ¡°Thank you, Teacher Pu.¡± Qi Jing also gave his thanks with a light smile.


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± Shen Yan¡¯s gaze left the screen and turned towards him as he said in the same, husky voice, ¡°thank you too, for apanying me all the way here.¡±


    ¡°It was you who first made me happy, don¡¯t you remember?¡± Qi Jing cocked his head childishly, raised his brow and said with a smile, ¡°At that time, I¡¯ve juste back after having a car ident. You contacted me online, and we chatted about that first time we acted together. Do you remember what I said then?¡±


    He remembered.


    They enjoyed acting together¡ªQi Jing said so and so did he.


    Turns out he already had those feelings, it¡¯s just this time, it wasn¡¯t just Qi Jing, but thousands upon thousands of people that... that gave him the joy of approval and recognition.


    But this wasn¡¯t the biggest joy voice acting brought him.


    ¡°Having been able to meet you... I¡¯m so happy.¡± Shen Yan said in a low voice and slowly brought Qi Jing¡¯s hand to where his heart was, putting it on his chest as if dering some kind of sovereignty. He closed his eyes, a soft, choked sob escaping his throat as he leaned his head against Qi Jing¡¯s shoulder to slowly sort out his bittersweet emotions.


    ¡°Me, too.¡± Qi Jing murmured in his ear.


    Looking past Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder, he saw that bustling YY channel window. It wasn¡¯t long before the final list of qualified contestants appeared on the screen.


    1st ce: Number 28 Kitty ¤Î Papa, total score of 17.092 points.


    2nd ce: Number 19 Went off with a bang, total score of 14.761 points.


    He believed it was just the beginning.


    No matter if it was for him or for Shen Yan, their road as voice actors was still long and broad¡ªmerry things were bound to happen, just as unknowns were bound to appear.


    As for Qi Jing, the unknowns started to crop up even before the start of his contests, their number snowballing with the time.


    The next day was his first working day of that week, and it would be just as packed and busy as the previous weeks. Shen Yan went to the clinic to work as usual while he took Little Return Date out to carry on the undercover investigation of the veterinarian clinics.


    Even though he had listened to twopetitions in a row the day before, he could still have a good night¡¯s sleep by that person¡¯s side, so his fatigue disappearedpletely, his spirit fully restored. Not to mention getting up in the morning, he could even eat that person¡¯s piping hot breakfast! Qi Jing felt that today, no matter if it was for work progress or quality, he could take it all to new heights.


    ¡°Man¡¯s spirit is invigorated after chancing upon a joyous asion.¡± One of his colleagues sized him up from head to toe during the lunch break and made quite a fair conclusion.


    ¡°You can think of it like that.¡± Qi Jing responded, his eyes curving up in a smile.


    He had personally witnessed Shen Yan take a step out of the shadows, even earning the first ce and advancing in the ranks, it could be said that merriment arrived at their home¡ªof course he would feel happy for Shen Yan.


    ¡°Did your request for the job as a news anchor go through?¡± His colleague seemed to be well-informed¡ªthe director was a bbermouth, so it seemed like everyone in the whole channel knew about this matter already.


    ¡°No,¡± Qi Jingughed as he shook his head, ¡°I still don¡¯t know anything about that one yet. We¡¯ll see. I¡¯ll do my best to try it if I get a chance, but otherwise, I can only continue working towards it.


    The 3D world matters were never going as smoothly as the 2D ones. Nevertheless, Shen Yan¡¯s experience gave him a kind of motivation¡ªif the other could make a step forward, then he should also advance towards his goal. Every obstacle could be ovee as long as one had confidence and perseverance.


    After eating lunch, there was still an hour before the next interview.


    Thepany driver had to take a nap, and a couple of his colleagues went to the shopping district to buy stuff in passing, but Qi Jing didn¡¯t follow them. He sat at the back seat and yed with Little Return Date on hisp while freeing up his hand to unlock his phone.


    There were two pages opened up in his browser. One was the original novel for the fifth part of ?Order to End the Heavens?, about half a million characters altogether¡ªhe intended to slowly read through it today and conscientiously research all three of his characters. The other one was a newly opened, popr thread on the voice acting forum titled ?Everyone, let¡¯s talk about the voice actingpetition for this year¡¯s installment of Order to End the Heavens?.


    In fact, this post thread was opened the previous evening. At that time, he was engrossed with listening to thepetitions and didn¡¯t browse the forums, so he missed some of the livementary and discussions.


    The thread started with a discussion about the happenings of the firstpetition for the ¡°Liu Suyu¡± role.


    Because of Crossing the bridge noodles, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t avoid bing one of those gals¡¯ topics. Actually, the moment he opened the forum and saw the thread name for his and Crossing the bridge noodles CP thread, ?Golden wind and autumn dew arriving at their tryst, envying not immortals, only mandarin ducks couple?, he was already aware of what he was about to see.


    [Comment 24]:


    It finally started!! But why did Crossing the bridge noodles have to be so unlucky and draw the first ce in the line up... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    I feel very good about the MC sister, as for the three judges... I need to wait and see, I hope they¡¯re more reliable than those three from the previouspetition. There was only one judge who was serious about scoring in thatpetition, but I just have no strength to rant about the other two. I love both Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ voice and acting, hope he can smoothly advance to the next stage of thepetition.


    [Comment 25]:


    ¦²(¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ What the hell!! The moment he got to the mic, Crossing the bridge noodles asked if Don¡¯t ask for my return date was there!! What¡¯s with that tant ambiguity?? Is Bronze Sparrow Terrace being made into a stepping stone by this liaison of his two little shous, hahahaha... What to do, I would actually love to see that.


    [Comment 25]:


    My God, I also heard that! (I say, Noodles¡¯ voice when he¡¯s sick suddenly sounds so gong, pfft...) It also looks like Don¡¯t ask for my return date has responded! Quickly, tell me if I¡¯m right, tell me, tell me, tell me!


    [Comment 27]:


    You¡¯re right!! Don¡¯t ask for my return date has also told him ¡°best of luck¡± or something like that. I could virtually see the great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s utterly devastated expression!! ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    [Comment 28]:


    o(*////¨Œ////*)o Crap... I¡¯m really falling into the Time Limit CP pit, what to do! Now I¡¯m headcanoning this ¡°phndering gong x pure and virtuous shou¡± pairing... Help!! Once my head receives such an idea to work with, my brain just can¡¯t stop!!


    [Comment 29]:


    Thementer above, you can go to the next door CP thread to discuss it! It¡¯s exactly that¡¶Golden wind and autumn dew arriving at their tryst, envying not the immortals, only mandarin ducks couple¡·post thread. They have given us quite a lot of working material before, but with how we¡¯ve got more of it now, it¡¯s enough to fill a book~ o(¨Ro¨Q)o


    He just couldn¡¯t bear to look straight at the posts rted to him.


    Qi Jing skipped them in silence. He flipped a page and continued scrolling until he found a reply that managed to catch his attention firmly, making him stop his breath subconsciously.


    [Comment 410]:


    I really, really want to know who exactly that ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± is!! I bet my dignity as a producer, if that¡¯s a smurf, then I have to sniff out the big name behind it!!£¨¨s£­£ß£­£©¨s¨k¨k


    A/N:


    It would be so good to meet someone like Teacher Pu within my life.£¨©Ð£ß©Ð£©


    And as for the pace of the plot... Uhm, seems like no matter what part of the novel we¡¯re in, there will always be readers saying it¡¯s too slow, or that it was just fine before... I also don¡¯t know what I should do to correct it anymore, so I think I can only stick to my original outline. Thementary in the previous chapter was indeed too long, that¡¯s just my habit, please pardon me. As for how slow the plot of their real life was going, that¡¯s probably also a problem with my style... (I can¡¯t live without bedcovers and details *copses*)


    In the end, I¡¯m the one who wants it to finish quickly!! ¨“¨Œ¨“ Finish it, then jump into a new pit... (Hey, shouldn¡¯t you fill the first pit up first!)


    T/N:


    luci: The chat... the chat was so wholesome QAQ I also want to spam red flowers for Teacher Pu!! And I absolutely love the author¡¯s attention to details, don¡¯t take away my detailed descriptions, please? _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_


    whitere: Ahhh, love the imagery in this chapter with the turning away from the light and then going through it... Theizens were super cute, too!

 Chapter 57

    <h4>Chapter 57</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editor: Mashiro


    Within the online voice acting circle, the outstanding producers were also excellent hunters.


    They were constantly lurking in the various drama posts on forums and in YY channels, their senses cranked up to the highest level as they hunted for the voices they fancied,ting in the staff members and CVs who caught their eyes.


    Currently, every CV with at least a bit of skill was up to ears in a debt so big, it was like a bottomless pit they couldn¡¯t fill. Most of them straight up changed their status to ¡°not epting new dramas¡±. That¡¯s why the producers started to rope in neers as a countermeasure¡ªlike this, the high-profile voice actingpetitions like ?Order to End the Heavens? became a convenient hunting ground for those in search of good voice actors.


    Qi Jing knew from the beginning that if Shen Yan were to show his true abilities in thepetition, he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape the fate of bing a gossip topic. As for whether the results of those gossips would ultimately end up being good or bad, it depended on what kind of person the producer who wanted to rope him in was.


    It was just as Pu Yuzhi had said before¡ªexpanding one¡¯s acting possibilities, searching for more voice acting opportunities was a very good thing for a voice actor. Nevertheless, Qi Jing had already seen all kinds of dramas during his three years of voice acting and knew that some things weren¡¯t as easy as one would imagine. It is actually difficult to meet a reliable team that chooses a story one approves of.


    Shen Yan was different from him.


    When Shen Yan had started voice acting, the circle was still rtively simple, while he himself was also more suited for seriouslymitting to dubbing an audio drama. He wasn¡¯t suited for the current environment where anything and everything easily called for a bloodbath.


    Right now, all seemed nice and quiet, but who knows if it was just the calm before the storm.


    If producers were to start sending him invites for audio dramas all at once, not taking into the consideration whether Shen Yan had enough time to voice act on top of his 3D life affairs and considering how he was the type who heeded every plea, he definitely wouldn¡¯t turn any offer down. In that case, the audio dramas starring him would start toe out sessively in a short period of time, so both his viewership and fanbase would spike in growth¡ªand the more popr the person, the more critique they garner. There would always be a couple of people who couldn¡¯t stand to see someone seed and would start running their mouth off.


    It was a simple way of getting caught up in a drama.


    If he chose to be selective about the audio dramas he epted, the rejected producers might feel offended. They would start to write things like ¡°he takes on requests from other groups but not ours, he¡¯s clearly looking down on small production crews¡±, or ¡°he¡¯s not even that popr but he¡¯s already acting all self-important¡±, continuously tarnishing his reputation on forums.


    That was another simple way to get caught up in drama.


    When met with either of those two situations, a low-key person like Shen Yan would eventually work to slowly retire from the circle, making some people say that this CV ¡°had no passion¡±, ¡°no patience¡± towards voice acting, even saying stuff like ¡°no sense of responsibility¡± and so on.


    No matter what, everything could end with him getting attacked.


    The reason why Qi Jing knew that was because during those three years he spent in the circle, he himself had experienced all of the abovementioned, word for word. But he wasn¡¯t so sure if Shen Yan could face it as calmly as him,ughing it off easily.


    The sound of Qi Jing¡¯s sigh made the kitten on hisp prick up its ears swiftly, its round eyes staring at its owners¡¯ closely knitted brows. As if aware that the phone was the reason behind its owner¡¯s worries, it decisively scratched at it.


    His eyes keen and arm swift, Qi Jing quickly raised his phone just in time to let the screen escape its ill fate of getting scarred by the cat¡¯s scratch.


    ¡°Meow!¡± Little Return Date¡¯s attack failed and started to protest indignantly as it hung onto his waist.


    ¡°Shhh... There, there, be a good boy now.¡± At times like this, using food as a bribe was the best strategy. Qi Jing hid the phone away, emptying his hand before he took out the cat kibbles Shen Yan had prepared for him, managing to lure Little Return Date into jumping off his body to happily enjoy its benefits.


    Qi Jing could do nothing against his little one as he smiled at it dotingly. This fellow was growing bigger and bigger with each passing day; with apanion like this, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry as much. The problem was, he felt bad increasing the burden on Shen Yan¡ªcoupled with how his own future was still uncertain, he could only set that idea aside.


    Taking advantage of the fact that Little Return Date still had its head down as it was busy stuffing itself with food, he continued to read through theter posts in the thread.


    In essence, the content of thements under the post had the same development as those during thepetition. He checked the time when they were posted&#k2014;it seemed that the 410thment was made about the time when Shen Yan had just started his introduction. People were probably first lured by that ¡°pleasant youthful voice¡±, while theterments thread were from people who were blown away by his performance.


    ¡¾Comment 415¡¿:


    My God!! The producerdy fromment 410, if you dig out that guy¡¯s identity then I beg you, inform us about it!! I¡¯ve just heard him voicing the first scene and couldn¡¯t help but shiver from head to toe¡ªthat Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s tone is so on point!! I became a wreck when I heard thatst scene... ¨“¨Œ¨“ I¡¯ve listened to my fair share of audio dramas already¡ªI think I have about 1 Gb of them on my hard disc¡ªbuttely there haven¡¯t been any audio dramas that particrly moved me, even my life core¡¯s dramas feel just so-so... I think I arrived at the aesthetic crisis phase (*copses*). I didn¡¯t expect that thepetition for a grandpa role would actually make me tear up!!


    ¡¾Comment 415¡¿:


    I... I have just finished listening to that ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡±¡¯s performance, just for my family¡¯s Empress Dowager toe into my room to grab something. She got scared silly by my sobbing, even asking me what happend... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Ahem, in all seriousness, that No. 28 was so charismatic!! This evening I didn¡¯t vote for anyone at first, as there was no one who would really suit my taste. I didn¡¯t even vote for this Uncle Bang or something. ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q ...I really thought I would hold on to that voting ticket, but when I heard No. 28, I finally cast my vote without a second thought!! To bepletely honest, No. 28¡¯s voice is of a type that apletely tone-deaf like me can¡¯t remember no matter how often I hear it, but his skills are great, each sentence so full of emotions... The feelings between the master and the disciple made me shed tears when I was listening. If he would voice act in something with a romance, it would probably be beautiful too~ ¨R¦Ø¨Q


    I really want to hear him acting in some romantic dramas... Better yet if it was one of my favourites!! Fortunately the author of ?Order to End the Heavens? is pretty good. *howls* I hope he¡¯ll win!! This way, I would have more motivation when ying the game!!


    ¡¾Comment 417¡¿:


    I¡¯m also crying... I¡¯ll go out to calm down first... If thementer from 410th manages to expose him, then please,e back and tell us! I need to be his brainless fan!!


    ¡¾Comment 418¡¿:


    Is it possible that he doesn¡¯t dabble in online voice acting? First, if he does voice acting online then it¡¯s impossible for him to not be famous with this skill. Second, I felt like he¡¯s unlike any CV I know when I listened to his self-introduction¡ªhe doesn¡¯t give that sense of hunger for fame as some CVs. How to put it... I just feel he wouldn¡¯t possibly be a part of the circle, it may be that he doesmercial voice acting... But it also doesn¡¯tpletely seem to be the case. In a word, it feels a bit as if he was from beyond this world, there¡¯s an unworldliness to him =¡£=


    Okay, actually I just want to hear him in an audio drama *cries*... And there¡¯s also one fairly realistic problem¡ªwhat if he doesn¡¯t do BL?? His voice sounds so upstanding, so I don¡¯t think he would voice a BL aghhhhh... (*plucking my hair in self-torment*)


    ...


    ¡°Ladies, you got it all wrong.¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help butugh at the phone screen.


    Shen Yan had in fact been in the circle since long, long ago, it¡¯s just that he went away for a while. Moreover, he was always very low-key, never taking any main roles and only sticking to ying small nobodies. Those small roles he took were basically all some uncles or grandpas, so he never really used his real voice and with only two, three lines, he had little freedom to show off his abilities. Also, he was never picky about the productions¡ªbesides ?Trap?, those few audio dramas he appeared in weren¡¯t really known, so of course no one would pay attention to him.


    And as for whether he would voice act in BL...


    If those littledies were to get to know that this person was Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s IRL boyfriend, they would no doubt be very surprised.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t say that.¡± Qi Jing smiled, but also sighed softly. Haters had smeared him so many times before, so honestly, his reputation wasn¡¯t particrly good. Saying this would only bring Shen Yan unnecessary trouble¡ªhim being rumoured to go for the CPs for hype was just a trifle, but letting Shen Yan¡¯s reputation get smeared was out of the question.


    There was also one matter Qi Jing didn¡¯t have the courage to tell Shen Yan.


    Although he knew before that in terms of voice acting,¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡± was but a junior to ¡°Geese Fly North¡±, but... Now the two of them were together, yet still unable to walk shoulder to shoulder like equals, it really was a bit hard...


    His current self couldn¡¯tpare to Shen Yan¡¯s abilities.


    There was a gap.


    There was a disparity.


    There was a distance.


    He wanted to get a bit closer to him, to be a little more suited for that man.


    Qi Jing¡¯s thumb scrolling on the screen gradually slowed down before it finally stopped as he curved up the corners of his mouth in a bitter smile, ¡°Qi Jing, ah, Qi Jing, you still have to put in more effort... Don¡¯t you make a slip in mere semi-finals.¡±


    He felt disheartened out of the blue. And the content of the discussions in the post would probably only add to that feeling, so he closed the page, intending to prioritise using the time he had on hand to study the ?Order to End the Heavens? novel.


    The car ride between interview locations took about twenty-thirty minutes and Qi Jing put all that time to good use. The speed reading skill he had developed during his career as a journalist was of great help¡ªfrom the morning to the afternoon, he managed to read about three quarters of that half a million characters whenever he had time, developing an overall understanding of the characters and the main plot points.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go straight back to thepany after we finish our job, there¡¯s no need to send me back to the north part of the city. I still have some materials I need to make a copy of, so I¡¯ll just hail a cab after I take care of that.¡± Qi Jing made an unexpected request.


    ¡°What data is that, so urgent?¡± There was a free ride yet he didn¡¯t take it, even specially running back to thepany, moreover, it wasn¡¯t that cheap to take a cab from the TV station to the north of the city¡ªit was in no way worth it in the eyes of his colleagues.


    ¡°Mhm. I remember that the Legal Channel once broadcasted it before, but it was way back in the day, so I doubt it can be found on the inte. I want to ask them directly if they would let me borrow the video backup from that time. ¡° Qi Jing exined with a smile, ¡°I really need to use it in the next two days. We don¡¯t have any interviews arranged tomorrow or the day after, so I can only do it today in passing.¡±


    As he returned to the TV station, Qi Jing said hello to the people in the News Channel before turning his head and darting towards the Legal Channel¡¯s office.


    At the beginning, the littledy in charge of data management was unwilling to cooperate, but Qi Jing brought out Little Return Date to win her over with its cuteness. The little one had been apanying Qi Jing on his interviews for some time and had be increasingly clever. It rolled over on the table to show its white fluffy belly as it showed off its charms, and thedy was promptly won over without any problems¡ªshe immediately agreed to help him transfer the video materials from two years before.


    Qi Jing was beaming with smiles as he casted an approving nce at the little fe, making a mental note of its meritorious deed.


    ?Insight Into Drug Rehabilitation?¡ªthose were the materials he wanted to study.


    Two years ago, he had followed the production team to the provincial drug rehabilitation centre for an interview. But at that time he was in charge of interviewing the public safety department members and didn¡¯t in fact visit the rehabilitation centre itself, so he had no direct contact with the patients. Heter watched the episode when it aired and footage that showed drug withdrawal symptoms left a deep impression on him.


    In ?Order to End the Heavens?, the character he chose, ¡°Emperor Chang¡±, had been taking Immortality Pill for many years¡ªhe was always gloomy and dispirited, or bursting into frenzied fit of madness. At first he thought it was just a heavy metal poisoning, but looking at the author¡¯s descriptions, it seemed like the Immortality Pill Emperor Chang took wasced with an addictive drug by a taoist priest. Some of the wordings the author used for the symptoms of Emperor Chang¡¯s addiction re-ups made him think of this particr programme. Qi Jing thought that he could use it as a suitable reference material to make his performance more realistic.


    By the time he finished the proper business, it was 6 PM in the blink of an eye. The days were getting shorter and shorter, so half of the sky was already tinted with a dark, ashen hue, the few small street lights standing no chance against the nightfall. The tides of hurried pedestrians and drivers getting off the work congested the roads¡ªsheer nce at this picture made him also feel the rush; holding a box with a cat in it, he started pacing about on the fallen parasol tree leaves.


    But Qi Jing had rather poor luck¡ªhe bumped into the time for the change of a shift for the cab drivers throughout the city, so even though he waited there, enduring the chilling wind for twenty odd minutes on the roadside, he still didn¡¯t manage to hail a cab.


    It was at that time, when Shen Yan called him.


    ¡°I¡¯m already back, are you still working? Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?¡± That voice sounded a bit deep and tinted with concern and worry.


    ¡°Mhm, today I didn¡¯t take a ride back with thepany car. I wanted to hail a cab, but I ran into the time when they¡¯re changing shifts, so I might be back quitete. About dinner, you can make it simple, you know I¡¯m not picky.¡± It only took him to hear the other talking for the mncholy Qi Jing felt during the afternoon to fade away quite a bit; he couldn¡¯t help but smile a bit.


    He really had no backbone. Little Return Date had to give its best to act cute to buy the littledy¡¯s approval, but Shen Yan didn¡¯t have to do anything¡ªjust a sentence from him and Qi Jing was already sold.


    ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll wait for your return.¡± The temperature was quick to drop during autumn, so the Dr Shen in Shen Yan came out and he couldn¡¯t help himself from nagging Qi Jing a bit, ¡°Remember to find somewhere less windy as you wait for a cab, don¡¯t catch a cold.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing purposefully lowered his voice in a provocative manner as he asked with a smile, ¡°If I get cold, would you be willing to warm my bed tonight?¡±


    It seemed like Shen Yan was rendered dumbstruck on the other side of the call as he didn¡¯t answer the question for a while.


    Since that night when they got drunk, Shen Yan very naturally stopped using that small bed in the study. Qi Jing found him apelling reason¡ª¡±The weather got cold, so snuggling together is better for keeping warm¡±. Then, he gotfy and happily used that reason to use Shen Yan¡¯s arm as his pillow, listening to the other¡¯s breath while falling asleep.


    Hearing Shen Yan remaining silent for quite a while, Qi Jing realised that the other got stumped by his question and couldn¡¯t help but give him a stifled chuckle. He did his best to not burst out into a loudugh before thepany building so as to maintain the gentlemanly image he kept for a long time. ¡°I won¡¯t tease you anymore, let¡¯s talk again when I¡¯m back.¡±


    After hanging up, Qi Jing kept standing there for a long time, his head lowered as heughed lightly to himself. Only after he finishedughing did he bend over to pick up the cat carrier holding the kitty.


    It was at that time when he heard a person calling his name from nearby, that voice full of disbelief, ¡°... Qi Jing?¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s fingers momentarily lost their hold, the box he just lifted a bit falling back to the ground with a dull thump.


    The sudden movement clearly gave the little one inside the box a scare. In a single moment, its body curled into a ball and rolled from one corner of the box to the other. When it finally stopped, it lifted its small head in a puzzlement, its eyes staring at Qi Jing.


    Qi Jing¡¯s face was pale. When he realised that he had frozen mid-action, his fingers trembled a bit before he once again took hold of the cat carrier, grasping it firmly with great force.


    But his mind waspletely nk¡ªhe didn¡¯t know what action he should do next, or how he should do it. The only action he could manage now was to think hard over one question.


    Why is this person here?


    In fact, he coulde out with an answer after a bit of thinking. They used to be fellow students and their specialisations were simr, so to some extent, it could be said that there was some link between their upations.


    This was the building of the provincial TV station and this was the entrance to thepany; it¡¯s not like it¡¯s unheard of for provinces to conduct exchange activities. And he might have heard of something like that when he came back to thepany today, but he was too caught up with searching for the materials and didn¡¯t think much about it... If he only properly put those bits of information together, he would be able to see the reason behind this encounter.


    If it was the usual him, working it out would be a piece of cake.


    But now.


    Right now, any kind of progress in his thinking was challenging, even hindering his normal breathing, his lungspletely filled with the chilling autumn air, sending a hint of chill throughout his body.


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± This time, the other¡¯s voice sounded more certain, his footsteps getting closer and closer, ¡°You still remember me... don¡¯t you?¡±


    T/N:


    Luci: ¦²(¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ A new pokemon appeared! Yikes! *shoves Big Return Date into the box and runs away with both cats*


    Lilies: unleash the kitten on him (¨s¡ã¡õ¡ã£©¨s¦à (\ .o.)\


    Mashiro: Kittamooonnn, Go!

 Chapter 58

    <h4>Chapter 58</h4>


    Editor: whitere


    Of course Qi Jing remembered.


    However, that kind of memory was like a greyed image in one¡¯s album of memories, a picture sealed in one of the pages that one refuses to look back on. That page was densely filled with his former innocence, optimism, and ignorance, which, in retrospect, was but an unfunny joke.


    Every time he tried to get back on his feet, the photo album flipped open automatically and turned to that page, forcing him to look back.


    Now, Shen Yan had closed that album for him and he had nned topletely forget about it, burying it away, never to be seen again. Who knew that photo in the album would suddenly appear... and the actual living version would suddenly be in front of him, right here, right now.


    Qi Jing thought back to the first time he stood in front of a camera¡ªno matter how stiff or unprepared he was, he¡¯d at least have to smile. And so his hand finally made the second move¡ªhe slowly picked up the cat with the carrier and held it against his side.


    This was a posture that made him appear more confident.


    ¡°Long time no see,¡± Qi Jing turned around and replied to him with a greeting that was just as distant as it was polite. Even if he didn¡¯t have a mirror in front of him, he knew that what he had stered on his face was his usual on-camera, professional smile¡ªgentle, yet detached.


    ¡°You must be doing well these days, ssmate.¡±


    When that man heard Qi Jing address him as ¡°ssmate¡±, his face seemed to pale a little and even his steps faltered, noting any closer. Qi Jing sized up this man again after many years. It had been so long since theyst saw each other. His looks were pretty much the same, just that now, he had this added air of sophistication of a man of the media to him after being out in the society for a few years. After bing a husband and father, he started to take the mature man route; he¡¯s probably just as popr with thedies now as he was during their university days.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m just alright. I live a normal life and work at a TV station like you.¡± That man paused, as if to rify that his presence was not intentional. ¡°I came here on a two-day business trip for the exchange event between the two stations that¡¯s been organised... I heard from the school alumni that you¡¯re working here... To think we¡¯d really bump into each other.¡±


    At that, his eyes fell on Qi Jing¡¯s left arm which was encased in a cast and hanging in an arm sling; it looked like he wanted to say something.


    ¡°Your hand... What happened?¡±


    ¡°Car ident.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s answer was very concise with no intent of sharing any details. He spoke as if he were making a work report, monotonous and straight to the point, ¡°I got it on a business trip; my left arm is broken and I needed to recuperate at home, so I don¡¯te to the office much.¡±


    ¡°Is it serious?¡± The man was asking about his arm, but his eyes had already moved onto Qi Jing¡¯s face, and his gaze froze there, like he had fallen into a daze from staring at Qi Jing.


    ¡°Even the most serious of injuries heal one day.¡± Even if it leaves repercussions, it doesn¡¯t stop life from moving on.


    Qi Jing answered with ease. Words he once thought he could not say, he could now express without difficulty; something he could not have imagined before. And after actually saying it out, he found that facing his past seemed easier than he had thought. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of relief, as if he had been freed. Even if this relief came at the price of leaving a weight on the other party¡¯s chest, he didn¡¯t feel guilty about it.


    That man probably never expected such a reply from him. They were both clever men, so there was no need to exin the words between the lines. Thus, that man¡¯s expression became even worse.


    The Qi Jing in his memories was not like this.


    In his memories, Qi Jing was still that clean and bright young man from many years ago. Qi Jing was well-liked and always received everyone with a smile. Yet he was also unexpectedly shy and proactive in front of him, but not overly clingy and annoying like some women. Because of this charming gap moe, he could not resist secretly getting closer to sneak a taste of him. Besides, no matter what he did, it was nothing that couldn¡¯t be solved by begging a little.


    But now, Qi Jing¡¯s current way of speaking¡ªpolite words that were really taking a jab at him¡ªmade the man very ufortable.


    He rather missed the old Qi Jing who was meek and naive.


    Both parties fell silent.


    Qi Jing felt that all that needed to be said had been said, but that man didn¡¯t think the same. After all, what they had before was something more than friendship.


    ¡°It¡¯s really been a long time since we saw each other, since the wedding.¡± There was visible hesitation in that man¡¯s expression, but he ultimately still decided to touch on a sore spot. When a man finds that traces of himself are fading away in the other party¡¯s heart, he can¡¯t help but want to leave more marks&#k2014;such is the terriblepetitiveness of a man.


    ¡°People in the news industry, like me, have our hands full running all around the country.¡± Qi Jing didn¡¯t give him a chance to delve deeper into the topic and simply blocked whatever intentions he had with a brief reply.


    The man stared at him for a long time, as if he was suspicious that the person before him was in reality not Qi Jing, but unfortunately, Qi Jing¡¯s appearance hadn¡¯t changed much either, other than his appearing more mature and poised in the way he carried himself and his jawline bing more defined. Despite his injury, he didn¡¯t look a mess and was in fact, well put together. However, there was no smile in his eyes and the light softness of the old days was gone, vaguely revealing a sense of an edge.


    ¡°You... remember me, don¡¯t you?¡± Unable to reconcile with this disparity, he asked again.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already say hello to you?¡± When Qi Jing saw him take another step forward, he raised his chin slightly and answered his question with another question to stop his advance.


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking.¡± He wasn¡¯t referring to just remembering, he meant if he still had a ce in Qi Jing¡¯s heart.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t answer immediately as he stayed in ce with his brows furrowed.


    As if catching a glimpse of opportunity, the man hurriedly took two more steps forward and gently offered an apology. ¡°I know it was my fault for not promptly contacting you after the wedding. I had just gotten married and had too many things to do at the time; I had to go visit my inws every so often, and when I finally had the time, I couldn¡¯t reach your mobile...¡±


    The reason why he couldn¡¯t reach him was because Qi Jing had changed his number.


    At that time, he had already left home and hade to live independently in this new and unfamiliar city all alone. He wanted to reset and start over from zero, so changing his phone number was just part and parcel of this process.


    As Qi Jing listened in silence, the fingers holding the corner of the box tightened involuntarily, to the point the box got dented by him.


    It wasn¡¯t out of any emotion, it was just a subconscious action.


    ¡°Then I heard you went out to work, but you left your old hometown, so I didn¡¯t know where you went either. And you don¡¯te for the reunion gatherings, so I didn¡¯t know how you were for a long time. That¡¯s why¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know how you¡¯re doing,¡± Qi Jing suddenly cut him off at this point, ¡°After you got married, everything went pretty smoothly for you. You got promoted in your first year of work, and the next year your wife gave you a big fat baby, who is probably in primary school now, right? Sure I never went to the ss reunions, but for someone like you who¡¯s on the fast track, people are more or less bound to mention you on other asions.¡±


    If one truly wants to find out about what another is doing, there are actually many ways. Not to mention that they were both in the media business.


    That man was really taken aback when he heard Qi Jing¡¯s words at first but soon after, his eyes were overflowing with a sense of joy. ¡°I knew it... you still care about me.¡±


    The corners of Qi Jing¡¯s lips pulled into a cold smirk as he threw a wet nket on that man. ¡°That¡¯s only because you¡¯re the most sessful amongst our peers, so naturally, everyone looks up to you. Although my career isn¡¯t as smooth sailing as yours, my boss at work is quite fond of me and I¡¯m also quite friendly with my colleagues. Moreover, I¡¯ve already found myself a very nice boyfriend, and it¡¯s going well so far... Who knows, maybe in the near future, it¡¯ll be you who¡¯s always thinking of me.¡±


    The man¡¯s expression was as if he had been struck by lightning. He appeared to be quite dumbstruck by Qi Jing¡¯sst statement.


    ¡°You still... haven¡¯t changed for the better?¡±


    This time, it was Qi Jing¡¯s turn to be stunned.


    When he understood what the other party meant, it was like the cold nket which was cast out had been thrown over his head instead¡ªit chilled him to the core, to the point he even felt this illusion like he was being burned. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a rage rile up in his heart. He was so appalled that he actuallyughed out loud in front of that man.


    <i>Changed for the better?</i>


    <i>What does he mean by change for the better? To take a wife and have kids, washing away this ¡°dark past¡± that¡¯s deemed sacrilegious by society; to be a ¡°normal¡± person through and through?</i>


    Well, in this aspect, his views were pretty much perfectly aligned with that of Qi Jing¡¯s parents.


    ¡°The person who¡¯s least qualified to ask this question is you, no?¡± Qi Jing replied coldly when he was doneughing, ¡°What my sexual orientation is¡ªshouldn¡¯t you already know that very well? No matter how many years pass by, what I¡¯m looking for will only be a boyfriend and not a girlfriend.¡±


    The man seemed embarrassed and hurriedly scanned the surroundings to make sure no one was near them before saying in a lowered voice, ¡°Qi Jing... I¡¯m not trying to say anything, just that this is all for your sake. To be honest... I didter search up some information and gained some understanding of that circle. If you continue like this... it¡¯s not good for your health.¡±


    <i>¡ªNot good for your health.</i>


    When one took a closer look at it, it was a very pointed statement.


    A scoff escaped Qi Jing¡¯s lips when he heard this, and he abruptly walked up into that man¡¯s face. This sudden movement gave that man a big shock and he was actually forced to back away. However, Qi Jing was already right in front of him.


    He stared that man right in the eye as he spoke in a seemingly woeful and resentful manner, ¡°So you know... That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve been devastated since you got married, but I can¡¯t change my nature, so I had to go out to look for men every day. My private life became a mess and I¡¯ve been having promiscuous sex; I can¡¯t even keep track of the number of men I¡¯ve been with. And since we¡¯re all men, there¡¯s no need to worry about contraception so we don¡¯t even use a condom. As a result, as you said, I¡¯m now HIV positive.¡±


    That man instantly turned white as a sheet.


    When he heard the words ¡°HIV positive¡±, he even gasped in shock. Realising that Qi Jing was very close to him, he hurriedly stumbled backwards in a panic, almost tripping along the way.


    At that moment, the resentful expression on Qi Jing¡¯s face disappeared without a trace as he raised one brow and sneered, ¡°What? Was that what you thought I would say?¡±


    That man¡¯s cold sweat was one step short of oozing out when this dramatic turn of events forced it back in. He looked at Qi Jing in disbelief while thetter looked at him calmly. Seeing the dumb look on that man¡¯s face, looking all at a loss, Qi Jing pulled his body back with a smile and went back to his usual upright stance.


    Unburdened of all his burdens, his expression became pretty rxed and liberated and so did his smile. ¡°Unfortunately for you, I cherish myself more than you think and I haven¡¯t done a single one of those things I just mentioned.¡±


    Indeed, the lives of some people in the gaymunity were quite messy, but he was not one of them.


    He worked hard to earn money to support his independent lifestyle¡ªhe wasn¡¯t much different from those whobelled themselves as ¡°normal¡±.


    ¡°As for my health, I mostly have a bunch of minor ailments due to work, but nothing major. And this car ident was, as I said, just an ident. I n on gradually changing my bad habits in the future to make myself healthier,¡± Qi Jing continued.


    Once he realised how badly the other person viewed him, the panic he felt at the start of this reunion was gone with the wind. In fact, he even felt a sense of pity for that man¡¯s ignorance.


    ¡°Qi Jing...¡± That man finally processed that all this was Qi Jing deliberately testing him, and he hurriedly approached thetter again, but Qi Jing shook his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re just concerned about the ce you take up in my heart; you want to know how much influence you really have on me... That vain personality of yours really doesn¡¯t change no matter how much time passes.¡± His voice was a little hoarse, but every word he said was clearly enunciated.


    With every word, he was reopening old wounds, but it didn¡¯t hurt, in fact, it felt good. ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie to you about what I¡¯m going to say next: my life has indeed changed because of youing out of the closet early and cutting off ties with my family. But these things were bound to happen sooner orter and you simply brought it forward, so I don¡¯t me you. Another change is that you made me a coward. I became afraid to like someone again, spending all these years all alone. But after hearing those words from you today, I feel really stupid.¡±


    <i>Luckily, I didn¡¯t refuse to ept Shen Yan¡¯s hands because of the wounds you left me.</i>


    <i>Luckily... I was strong enough to walk this far to meet the person who truly loves me.</i>


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re still missing the me from the past, but I can tell you with certainty that that person is gone. Right now, I will only face forward and have a good life with my boyfriend. Oh, and by the way, I recently applied for a promotion as a show host. My chances aren¡¯t high, but it never hurts to try.¡± After Qi Jing said all of that in one breath, that stuffy, suffocating feeling on his chest cleared away and his heart was now at peace.


    He gave that man a bright smile. ¡°That¡¯s why, I¡¯ll just be focussed on living my life, and you should, too. Goodbye, ¡®ssmate¡¯.¡±


    With that, he turned around and walked towards the road. The taxis should be done changing shifts, and it was time to go home. Shen Yan must still be waiting for him to go home to have dinner together.


    Right at this moment, his left arm was suddenly violently tugged from behind. ¡°Qi Jing!¡±


    Qi Jing got a scare and froze in ce. Because his right arm was holding the box with Little Return Date and his left was his injured arm, in that moment, there was nothing he could do. If he were to struggle, it would definitely affect his injury and his bones that had just recovered might end up broken again¡ªit was not worth it.


    ¡°Qi Jing, don¡¯t go.¡± The man was breathing heavily; he sounded like he was still very unwilling to give up. He held a death grip on Qi Jing¡¯s bicep, to the point it hurt him. ¡°I want to have a proper talk with you; don¡¯t go yet. The amodation that I was provided is just down the next junction. Let¡¯s go there... This is not a good ce to talk soe with me, I can¡¯t just let you go like this.¡±


    ¡°Have you lost your mind? Let go!¡± Qi Jing wrinkled his brows from the pain and demanded for him to let go, but the other party refused to budge.


    ¡°Don¡¯t struggle... It¡¯s not worth it if your arm were to be broken a second time.¡± That man firmly grabbed onto Qi Jing¡¯s right arm as well and forcefully turned him around to face him.


    Qi Jing jerked his head up to meet that man¡¯s eyes when he heard those words. Only then did he notice that something was not quite right with the look on his face; that man really wasn¡¯t joking around. Qi Jing felt his heart skip a beat, but his body was restrained and he could not break free. And at this moment, that man spoke again in a low voice, ¡°This is the entrance to your office; there are peopleing and going. You don¡¯t want to cause a scene either now, do you? Aren¡¯t you still waiting for your promotion?¡±


    That was indeed the case.


    This was the entrance to his office, not that man¡¯s. He was the one who stood to lose out more if they caused a scene. Well, ain¡¯t he smart? Knowing how to take advantage of people¡¯s weaknesses.


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Qi Jing was so mad that his voice shook a little as he couldn¡¯t help butugh at the absurdity of this man.


    ¡°No.¡± That man¡¯s tone was soft as he attempted to tug at Qi Jing¡¯s heartstrings to coax thetter, but he was just using the carrot-and-stick. ¡°It¡¯s been too long since we¡¯ve seen each other. I didn¡¯t know you had so much pent-up dissatisfaction with me... and it makes me sad. You have some misunderstandings about me. I want to have a proper talk with you to clear them up.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it, let go.¡±


    ¡°Qi Jing,e with me.¡± That manpletely disregarded his resistance and increased the grip of his hands once more. Qi Jing hadn¡¯t been using his left hand much in the past few days¡ªgiving his 101 percent to keeping it safe and sound, and it was even more so the case for Shen Yan¡ªbut right now, his arm was basically paralysed by the man¡¯s forceful grip.


    Qi Jing was starting to regret it a little; he had forgotten just howpetitive and petty this man was. What he had just said was tantamount to a severe p in the face, so of course, the other party wasn¡¯t going to let it slide so easily. If he were to yell and make an uproar, this man really just might shove him onto the ground in a fit of panic and his arm would definitely have to face the fate of being broken again.


    In that instant, he could feel his heart going haywire. Even though he had his phone right there in his pocket, he couldn¡¯t find an opening to make a call and that person would never give him that chance.


    At this point, he could only adapt to whatever was toe...


    A/N: This chapter in summary¡ª


    Qi Jing: Negatives begone!


    His Ex: No way!


    Lilies: SCUM


    Whitere: HISS. *swipes at ex with ws out*

 Chapter 59

    <h4>Chapter 59</h4>


    Thank you so much for a coffee Tinsunny! (???)??. * ? ??


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: Mashiro


    ¡°I really did love you at that time.¡±¡ªIt was a line that appeared in every drama about love entanglements, in every novel when old mes showed up. It was clich¨¦d, but worked pretty often.


    And right now, a person was confessing to him in the same way in real life. That man said that phrase in a low voice full of remorse¡ªit could very well be a quite moving scene, provided that person didn¡¯t hold his arm in a tight grip, making him unable to budge.


    His aodation was very close to the TV station. Qi Jing had been there before¡ªat that time, he was in charge of receiving the training exchange colleaguesing to the city from the other areas. This time, the man was probably also arranged to stay at that ce by thepany.


    This ce was, strictly speaking, a budget hotel with no star ratings. The prices were cheap, so the living conditions were far from being first-rate, but they were passable.


    The wall behind the door was white, with a wallpaper that looked like it was due for a change and smelled of dried special-purpose cleaning paste. Now, Qi Jing was being pressed against it and forced to breathe that smell in. Besides its white surface with his shadow on it, he couldn¡¯t see anything, but he could still hear the clicking sound of the door locking automatically.


    Contrary to the traditional door locks, the electronic ones weren¡¯t that easy to be pick locked from the outside. What¡¯s more, that ¡°do not disturb¡± button had already been pressed, so no cleaning service woulde in. And the only holder of the key card to this room was precisely this man who¡¯s sticking close to his back, whispering into his ear.


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± The man had a different air about him than in days gone by. Before, he wasn¡¯t this overbearing and had a bit of refreshingness to him, like the summer sunpletely unlike the overpowering masculine scent of cologne he had now. Yet the tone he spoke in was still the same as in the past as he repeated those same words again as if to enchant Qi Jing, ¡°at that time, I... really loved you.¡±


    If the time went back a few years into the past, perhaps those words would actually soften his walls.


    But right then, right there, this situation¡ª


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t squeeze out any other expression than a mocking smile, ¡°Is that so? Thank you very much then. Now, can you let go of me?¡±


    ¡°Qi Jing, don¡¯t be silly.¡± The man had no intention of letting him go. Even while restraining his wrist, he actually managed to free an index finger and stroke the back of Qi Jing¡¯s hand, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say already that we need to have a proper talk?¡±


    ¡°Is this ¡®proper talk¡¯ of yours supposed to be talked through in this position?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you like it?¡± Even that man¡¯s way of asking was the same as before¡ªwhile it sounded like a question, it was, in fact, just a self-assured deration.


    Qi Jing¡¯s whole body shivered¡ªnot out of fear, but because of the rage he felt.


    Like?


    Indeed, back then, there were times when all of his dormmates would be out; upon hearing about it, that person woulde over, lock the door and hug him suddenly from behind just like this, pushing him against the wall.


    Their dormitory building was old, its walls very thin, so they could indistinctly hear the conversations andughtering from the room next door. But the man felt a kind of thrill akin to cheating¡ªboth mentally and physically.


    And at that time, Qi Jing already knew¡ªeven though he was still young and na?ve¡ªthat homosexuality went against widely epted norms, so he dared not make the slightest noise, dared not let anyone realise. It didn¡¯t matter what that man did to him; he could only endure it as his knees went weak, that¡¯s all.


    Now, that man used just one word, ¡°like¡±, to summarize his feelings from the past.


    Those one-sided, half-coerced embraces and fondling?


    ¡°Get over yourself, aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll start shouting?¡± Despite the absurdity of the other party¡¯s approach, Qi Jing still thought of his unknowing wife and his young son, and ultimately wanted to leave him some leeway. He only said in a chilling voice, ¡°Let go of me, now. If you have something to say, then say it quickly, I don¡¯t have that much time.¡±


    After all, this was the person he had once given his heart to¡ªhe didn¡¯t want to get too extreme.


    But he didn¡¯t expect that the manpletely didn¡¯t care for his considerations at all.


    ¡°Heh, who woulde if you were to scream? The hotel staff, or maybe the police?¡± The voice from behind himughed twice¡ªthe man¡¯s hot breath on his nape made disgust well up in his heart, ¡°And what if the police came? If you told them that something happened between two big, grown-up men, would they even believe it? And even if they were to believe it, after some brief investigation, they would find out that we were fellow students, while with some understanding of our social circle they would also see that we¡¯re ¡®good friends¡¯. You even were the emcee at my wedding... So what are you going to tell them? What¡¯s more, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m about to do something to you, I just want to talk.¡±


    Under those circumstances, this case would indeed sound preposterous from the perspective of the ¡°normal society¡±, making itpletely unbelievable.


    The man¡¯s wife wouldn¡¯t believe him.


    The man¡¯s parents wouldn¡¯t believe him.


    Even their mutual friends wouldn¡¯t believe him. The most ironic thing was, he was familiar with every single one of those people.


    The police would probably think they got in a dispute for financial reasons, maybe held some personal grudges or something&#k2026; But both those versions would be unfounded, as they were indeed unrted to the truth.


    If he were to speak of the truth, he would probably be the only one to bear the consequences.


    He would be viewed as a lunatic by this society...


    ¡°If you had really... ever liked me at least even a tiny bit... then scram from my sight right now.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s voice started trembling.The feeling of helplessness and anger that had no outlet to vent could only rush up his throat, making his wordse out hoarse.


    ¡°Qi Jing, I know that in fact, you¡¯re notpletely unwilling, right?¡± The man continued asserting his opinions without a care. In his opinion, as a gay, Qi Jing wasn¡¯t that different from a woman¡ªat a time like this he wouldn¡¯t be honest, and any kind of resistance he showed was simply out of shyness. But a bit of coaxing in a soft voice and the man could continue.


    ¡°If I said I¡¯m unwilling, would you listen?¡± Qi Jing¡¯s smile was devoid of any warmth.


    ¡°Why are you unwilling,¡± Obviously, the man didn¡¯t listen. He pushed Qi Jing even harder, taking another step closer, their clothes rubbing against each other. Qi Jing felt his left hand covered in cast being pushed against the wall¡ªany kind of struggle would risk aggravating his fracture. He clenched his teeth and did his best to endure it, yet that person still had to pursue the matter and ask, ¡°Or is it that... You have a boyfriend now, you should already be used to that? How far did you go with him, did he touch you? Or did he sleep with you?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my boyfriend, it wouldn¡¯t be strange no matter how far I went with him.¡±


    Those were the words he just spouted in anger. That person wouldn¡¯t possiblyprehend just how much Shen Yan cherished him, so he didn¡¯t feel like exining it.


    ¡°Turns out you¡¯re such a frivolous person; so you could just hop on to the next so easily?¡± To his surprise, the man¡¯s tone instantly grew cold, as if he got piqued. ¡°Back then when I epted you, you had told me yourself that I was the first man you dated¡ªin the end, you intend to forget me this easily?¡±


    Frivolous.


    Easy.


    In the eyes of the perpetrator, the years of his loneliness could be described just like that, summed up in those few words.


    At that moment, Qi Jing suddenly gave a lowugh and basically spat the next few words out through gritted teeth, ¡°So what, is epting a man who likes other men like me some kind of charity of yours? Truly, I can¡¯t thank you enough for your benevolence at that time.¡±


    Maybe because his voice was too harsh, but the man¡¯s arrogance was quickly taken back, once again reverting back to the soft coaxing, ¡°Qi Jing... Don¡¯t be angry, I was wrong. I really did love you at that time.¡±


    Once again, the conversation got back to the starting point.


    Qi Jing had no energy to continue going back-and-forth with him. His heart was already thoroughly chilled as he said, his face devoid of any emotion, ¡°Did you know? At the time of your wedding... I really did wish you happiness from the bottom of my heart.¡±


    The man was taken aback, his hands seemingly rxing their grip a little.


    ¡°I knew that the path I chose wasn¡¯t easy, so much so that I even felt relief in knowing that you didn¡¯t have to take this thorny road with me and could lead your ¡®normal¡¯ life.¡± After mumbling this in a low voice, his gaze recovered its rity as he scoffed, ¡°Yet, after hearing your words today... Not only did I feel pity for the past me, I¡¯m even starting to pity your wife.¡±


    Every word of hisst sentence was like a whetted knife, sharp beyondparison.


    The man¡¯s expression changed as he furrowed his brows as his voice sank suddenly, ¡°Qi Jing, you...¡±


    The man¡¯s hand firmly clutched Qi Jing¡¯s chin, forcing him to turn his head over, his heavy pants pressing on¡ªhe only wished to block those lips, to make Qi Jing unable to say anything more.


    At that time, the phone in Qi Jing¡¯s pants suddenly started ringing.


    The two of them froze at the same time. The ringing of the iing call kept echoing among their hurried gasping, preventing the man from making another move. Qi Jing, on the other hand, made use of the man¡¯s distraction and jerked his chin out of the other¡¯s hold, breathing with difficulty through his clenched teeth.


    It was the third time for Qi Jing¡¯s phone to ring.


    The first call came when they were on their way to the hotel, and of course, the man didn¡¯t allow him to answer it.


    The second came before they got into the room, and he didn¡¯t take it as well.


    Now, that ringtone has once again interrupted their confrontation.


    ¡°Damn it...¡± At first, the man hadn¡¯t originally intended to go this far, but after receiving such verbal stimtion, in that moment of impulse he felt his desire surge. Yet, that imposing manner of his had been utterly washed away by the ringtone. Even though Qi Jing was still restrained by him, if he were to kiss a homo once again after all those years, it would still be somewhat awkward.


    Both embarrassed and annoyed, he changed his hold and held Qi Jing¡¯s right hand with his left one, forcibly shoving his other hand into Qi Jing¡¯s trousers pocket, taking the phone out. ¡°Yan?¡± The man looked at the caller¡¯s ID disyed on the screen and asked in a heavy voice, ¡°This is that boyfriend of yours, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Who would have thought that Qi Jing would deny in a frosty and stern voice, ¡°What boyfriend, it¡¯s a work-rted call! Quick, let me take it!¡±


    The man was quite stupefied for a while as he looked at Qi Jing, his gaze full of doubt. Looking from this angle, he was unable to see the other¡¯s expression clearly, but his voice seemed to be extremely serious, so it didn¡¯t seem to be a lie.


    Yet the man still chose not to believe him. ¡°You¡¯re saying it¡¯s work-rted? Which work-rted phone number would be saved under such a name? Don¡¯t you dare try to fool me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve disrupted my private life and now you want to get in the way of my work as well?¡± Qi Jing questioned him back instead, all of his words amounting to a perfectly logical argument, ¡°Aside from working in news, I also often help the Science and Education Channel. Currently, I¡¯m working on a series about birds, and the document I¡¯m responsible for is about geese. It¡¯s not like the person-in-charge and I keep in constant contact, only getting in touch for work-rted stuff, so I just saved his number as the topic name to save myself the trouble. I¡¯m relying on their help to apply for a promotion this time. Are you trying to ruin my career now?¡±


    The man seemed to waver a little, but he still wasn¡¯t certain enough to return the phone to Qi Jing. ¡°How would I know that... what you¡¯re telling is true?¡±


    Qi Jing snorted coldly, ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? Then you take the call yourself and put the phone on speaker mode. If you think there¡¯s anything wrong with what I¡¯m saying, then you can directly end the call.¡±


    He sounded so confident with his words, but really, Qi Jing¡¯s heart was thumping noisily, his pulse so loud as if it was about to burst through his chest.


    The man stayed silent for a while before finally pressing the answer button, putting the phone on speaker mode just as Qi Jing said, before holding it on the side of his face. The thumb hovering just over the screen could end the call at any given moment.


    Qi Jing held his breath. The blood rushed to his head, making him feel a bit dizzy.


    As expected, that familiar voice came through, seemingly anxious.


    ¡°Qi Jing¡ª¡±


    ¡°Jiang Hui, boss ordered you to follow Lin Qu¡ªhow could you forget that?¡± He quickly interrupted in a stern voice, his tone reproachful.


    The voice from the other end of the call momentarily stopped and only a faint static could be heard asionally. Besides that, the caller didn¡¯t utter a single word.


    Those were the name of the characters from the first season of ?Trap?, as well as one of the lines from it.


    Jiang Hui was the name of the policeman, while Lin Qu was the name of the illegal organization¡¯s nightclub boss. The person saying this line was the policeman¡¯s superior and this dialogue happened just after Lin Qu was seized by someone from the organization, disappearing from the police¡¯s surveince.


    Lines that only they knew.


    A story that only they knew.


    At that time, the voice was once again heard from the speaker, calm, but dispirited, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it was an oversight on my part... Where is Lin Qu now? I¡¯ll look for him.¡±


    Up till that moment, the man still didn¡¯t look like he was about to end the call, so it was a good start. Hence, Qi Jing continued unhurriedly, ¡°Lin Qu left with Brother Meng today; that¡¯s the ce.¡±


    Brother Meng was a capo of the organization in the story, who was at odds with Lin Qu. Under the pretext of punishing him for getting in contact with the police, he brought him to a luxurious guest room of a hotel and during that time, he held Lin Qu in a half-threatened, half-hostage state. ¡°That ce¡± was a specific location, so anyone who knew the background of the story would understand.


    ¡°I understand...¡± The voice from the other end of the call became even lower, as if that person was taking a deep breath, ¡°So that ce is inside the nightclub?¡± The nightclub referred to Lin Qu¡¯s workce.


    Qi Jing cautiously went through the suitable wording in his mind, looking for as good of a hint as possible. ¡°No,¡± He said, ¡°but it¡¯s around that area. Go and ask around the ces near the nightclub, someone should have seen Little Fishbone.¡±


    Little Fishbone was one of Lin Qu¡¯s small-fry underlings who followed his big brother around often, running errands for him. The receptionist of the hotel saw the Little Return Date and politely informed them that cats and dogs were not allowed upstairs. It just so happened that the man thought this cat a nuisance, so he temporarily left it at the ground floor. Naturally, the receptionist would make sure to write down the room number of the deposit¡¯s owner.


    ¡°Understood.¡± His point seemed to have been sessfully conveyed, as the other party gave an affirmative.


    ¡°Jiang Hui,¡± Qi Jing kept maintaining aposed, business-like tone before. Only when he reached this part, his throat started throbbing, his voice shivering a bit, ¡°you need to hurry... You know what kind of person brother Meng is. Be sure to get in touch with Lin Qu on the double...¡±


    What kind of person brother Meng was.


    Brother Meng was an unscrupulous person who held an immense hatred towards Lin Qu. Moreover, he was a person that yed by means both fair and foul. It was the first time in the audio drama when Lin Qu was in a life-threatening situation, brother Meng even deliberately let his underlings humiliate him.


    Over the call, the other party¡¯s breathing seemingly got even more urgent, the other person clearly getting agitated. His breaths could be heard blowing into the microphone again and again.


    His response was just like that sound of static, slightly shaky, ¡°Definitely; await my good news¡ª¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡± Qi Jing didn¡¯t know why he suddenly felt his throat choke up. He forced himself to smile and say his goodbyes to the other man.


    ¡°Bye.¡± After a brief response from the other side, the call was terminated.


    After hearing Qi Jing conclude that puzzling conversation and seeing that he didn¡¯t include any calls for help in it, the man breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he didn¡¯t understand its content, it still should bepletely unrted stuff.


    He really shouldn¡¯t disturb Qi Jing¡¯s work; the ¡°good talk¡± he wanted to have with him was a private matter.


    The man saw that the call had already ended, so he also took back his hand, lightly tossing the phone on a bed. He didn¡¯t care about it anymore as he once again hugged the person before him slowly. Unexpectedly, Qi Jing¡¯s profile seemed almost pallid as if he had used up thest bit of his energy and didn¡¯t even feel like opening his mouth, posing no resistance.


    The man took it as a reward for not hindering his work, and coaxed in a low voice, ¡°See? You wanted to take the call, and I let you take it. I really don¡¯t intend to hinder your promotion.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s expression was bleak. He blinked slowly, snickering after quite a while, ¡°Wasn¡¯t I also well-behaved?¡±


    The man agreed promptly, ¡°Yes, yes, yes... I was wrong for doubting you earlier.¡±


    It was already nightfall, and the room was only lit up by the smallmp over the door at the entrance, the pale yellow light shining on Qi Jing¡¯s profile. From the man¡¯s perspective, his hair was dishevelled and his cor was also pried open in their previous scuffle. And because of the beads of sweat that covered the back of his neck, when the light reflected off it, there was some kind of silent exquisiteness in it.


    The person himself kept staring silently at the wall, that meek look with his eyes and lowered head evoked the man¡¯s nostalgia for the Qi Jing of the past. He couldn¡¯t help but once again caress his cheek.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Qi Jing furrowed his brows.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡± Even just saying his name made the man feel dryness in his throat, his breath suddenly burning hot.


    The man was out here by himself, no one in the home would know about what was happening here, moreover Qi Jing was a gay. There was nothing safer and no secret more secure than that.


    ¡°I know that your words before were just said in a fit of anger... From now on, let¡¯s just talk about the good old times, shall we?¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t say anything.


    The man saw his unresponsiveness and took it as a sign that they had reached an understanding, so he happily turned the person over, making him face himself. After all, this all talking about old good times should at least start from facing each other, shouldn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Qi Jing...¡± This time, his voice was filled with an even clearer, unconcealed thirst, and even more so, desire.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Qi Jing still didn¡¯t lift his head, his eyes still focused on some invisible point on the floor. Any glimmer of light was gone from his eyes, only leaving ashes behind as he moved his lips, ¡°Let me take a shower first.¡±


    A/N:


    I also want Dr Shen to appear sooner, s...


    T/N:


    Luci: As exasperated as I am right now, there¡¯s only one thing I feel I need to say: the gs were there. The moment that man started casually crossing Qi Jing¡¯s boundaries in their past rtionship, disregarding hisck of consent for his own pleasure, it was already a very, very rming sign. The least I can say is, I feel pity for the ex¡¯s current wife, and happy for Qi Jing as he escaped the fate of having to deal with such a toxic man, especially since that toxicity of his seems to have snowballed since they parted their ways.


    Also RIP everyone¡¯s blood pressure. No matter if it¡¯s the trantion team or our lovely readers, let¡¯s all take a break and drink some chamomile tea (:3¡¹¡Ï)_


    Mashiro: Waiting for SY toe in shining armour and beat the hell out of this guy even though it will be OOC for him. F*** that guy!! If I had the ability to cross over screens then I would have beaten the hell out of him myself!!!!


    Luci: Here, look, you can see how blood pressure imes its first victim ^^^

 Chapter 60

    <h4>Chapter 60</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: Whitere


    The man did not show the joy he should have felt, and his expression soured instead. ¡°Qi Jing, you¡¯re not making excuses. Are you?¡±


    At that moment, Qi Jing looked up at him, the scorn in his eyes like a heavy blow to the man¡¯spetitive nature. Then, all of sudden, the corners of his lips curled up in a smile, ¡°It¡¯s inconvenient for me to move around and I have no phone on me¡ªperhaps you¡¯re afraid that I¡¯ll dig a hole in the wall to escape? Is it that you think too highly of me or do you have too little confidence in yourself?¡±


    It¡¯s thatst line that was crucial.


    It was in a man¡¯s nature to be harsh when facing obstinacy, but respond with lenience topliance. Qi Jing seemed to have lost his previous edge, so the man didn¡¯t need to do anything that would end up detrimental to both of them.


    Running into Qi Jing was a surprise, and hearing the contempt the former held for him was even more of a surprise¡ªthat umtion of surprises was enough to spark the man¡¯s desire to conquer.


    ¡°Well then, go ahead.¡± There was no need to worry; either way, he had plenty of time. Besides, pushing the other party too far wouldn¡¯t do him any good.


    ¡°I¡¯m more surprised by how much you¡¯ve changed... You don¡¯t feel grossed out by men¡¯s bodies anymore?¡± At that moment, Qi Jingughed once again, neither coldness nor warmth discernible from his expression.


    The man froze.


    Although he was in a rtionship with Qi Jing for some time back in college, he still felt repulsed by male bodies. Whenever they would touch each other, he would make sure to avoid touching any part that would remind him that his partner was a man. He had only been able to feel good when closing his eyes, imagining that he was touching a woman. When he watched a couple of GVs out of curiosity, he ended up retching before he even finished watching.


    Hence, he thought to himself¡ªhe still should count as a normal person; if it was just surface-level stuff limited to simple body contact, then it shouldn¡¯t be considered ¡°abnormal¡±.


    Fortunately, Qi Jing was someone who was easily content. At that time, he could make do with a single hug for a couple of days, and whenever the man was in a good mood, there was also no harm in kissing him every once in a while. After all, seeing that guy cover his flushing ears made him feel quite smug in his heart.


    But now, the Qi Jing before him wasn¡¯t the same anymore¡ªhe was like a block of ice.Yet the man firmly believed that tearing down that pretense, he would still find that naivety and softness inside¡ªthe Qi Jing he could easily hold in the palm of his hand.


    ¡°People can change.¡± That was how the man exined his change of mind.


    After all these years of marriage, it was finally the time for the seven year itch to kick in. Since the birth of their child, his wife had be less affectionate with him; so just like some of his fellow male colleagues, the normal family life started seeming too monotonous to him, tedious even, so he couldn¡¯t help but let his imagination go wild.


    Perhaps it was the high time to seek some novelty, some new stimtion.


    Qi Jing kept silent, but after listening to that, he repeated slowly with a vague sneer on his face, ¡°Indeed, it seems like people do change.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s only because it¡¯s you we¡¯re talking about. You¡¯re different.¡± The man added quickly. He couldn¡¯tprehend the meaning behind Qi Jing¡¯s expression, but he didn¡¯t forget to say something he thought to be pretty thoughtful, that way he could please the other man while concealing his true thoughts. No matter if it was for the past or present, one thing he was never stingy with was cajolery.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t respond, only jerking his hand coldly away. The man hesitated for a moment, then let go slowly. Under his watchful eye, Qi Jing strode towards the entrance of the bathroom and expressionlessly mmed the door upon entering.


    The moment the door was shut, his first action was to push the button on the door knob, locking himself in, away from the man outside. After pushing it, he leaned stiffly against the door, gasping deeply as if he was about to drown. He didn¡¯t even know whether it was because of rage, or something else, but his fingers wouldn¡¯t stop shaking. Forcing himself to maintain rity of mind, he quickly twisted the knob behind him to ensure that it was properly locked; only then, did he stagger a few steps ahead and wearily sit on the edge of the bathtub.


    ¡°Kekeke...¡± He didn¡¯t know why he wasughing, and in such an awful voice, too.


    He hung down his head dispiritedly and looked at the floor. Those white and cold ceramic tiles made him think of numerous things from the past.


    Such as the bride¡¯s pure white dress at the wedding. He still remembered each word of the blessings he recited, that serene but happy smile of the woman. She was a good woman, too good for that man.


    Such as the emptiness of the ward he stayed in after the car ident. Now, the feeling inside of his throat felt exactly like when he was swallowing the rice back in the hospital, each swallow painful, agonizing. He could feel his stomach start to churn, as if it was being hollowed by something, but he didn¡¯t feel like eating anything¡ªrather, he felt an urge to retch.


    It wasn¡¯t as if he was about to die, yet those bits of memories started shing by like passing lights, validating that his past seemed to have suddenly bepletely worthless.


    Or perhaps... it could be said that he did indeed die.


    At least something inside him got a definite burial. Despite the gloominess of its ¡°funeral¡±, he was d that he ultimately attained liberation, thank goodness that he only kept alive a sliver of trust in this man¡ªthis man who treated that trust like trash.


    Qi Jing lifted his head slowly and looked at the bathroom¡¯s huge mirror. Hisplexion was ashen and it wasn¡¯t because of the bright lighting from themp&#k2014;it was quite admirable that the man could produce those kinds of lecherous thoughts while looking at a face this appalling. He gave a cold, mocking snicker&#k2014ughing at the man, yet also at himself. Then, the corners of his mouth turned back down, resuming that expressionless state.


    He looked at the watch; it was already past 7PM.


    He sat in this ce where there was really no way for him to chisel a hole through the wall and make a break for it, but as long as that man wasx enough to let him lock himself in the bathroom, he got all the time he needed to bide his time.


    From time to time, he could hear the man pacing back and forth outside the bathroom, as well as his patience slipping away.


    Qi Jing waited for around ten minutes before he turned on the faucet in the bathtub and allowed the shower to start spraying water, so that the other wouldn¡¯t get suspicious. In a moment, the bathroom filled with the sound of flowing water.


    The vent fan was on.


    From his position, he could feel the chilling air passing through the crack in the door, slipping into his trouser legs, a faint chill slowly creeping up his legs; yet his back was assailed with the steam from the shower. With cold from one side and heat from the other, Qi Jing clutched at the cor of his shirt as he hunched his back, curling up frigidly like a snail sprinkled with salt.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s been quite a while since he experienced that feeling of his limbs growing cold from low blood sugar level.


    It was something that would only happen back during his days of messed up lifestyle and crazy working hours; he never felt it anymore since he started living with Shen Yan. Shen Yan would prepare a delicious, piping hot meal for him, smiling gently as he looked at him eating that soft and plump rice.


    The food was probably cold by now...


    ¡°I want to eat it, even if it¡¯s cold...¡± Before, he didn¡¯t shed even one tear when his heart was like the cold ashes, but once he thought of the food Shen Yan made, he suddenly couldn¡¯t repress his feelings anymore and just couldn¡¯t stop those things flowing from his eyes. He bit his lips to the point they turned white, his voice shaky as he said, ¡°Shen Yan, I want to eat...¡±


    ¡°Knock knock.¡±


    At that time, Qi Jing suddenly heard the sound of knocking at the main dooring from beyond the bathroom door.


    Shocked, he held his breath. He unconsciously looked at the time¡ªit was less than fifteen minutes since he got into the bathroom...


    Impossible, that¡¯s too quick. It¡¯s impossible.


    Even though reason told him so, he couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart beating faster as he stood up from the side of the bathtub.


    The man outside the door also didn¡¯t seem to expect that someone would knock at the door. Harbouring a guilty conscience, he called in an anxious voice, ¡°Who? Who is it?¡±


    Qi Jing hastened his pace to get to the door and stick his ear to its surface, his whole being focused at listening to what was happening outside. At that moment, an elderly voice could suddenly be heard, ¡°Open the door, I forgot to bring my stuff¡ª¡±


    Hearing that the one outside was an elderly person, the man rxed his tense posture a little. It was probably a hotel guest from the same floor who mixed up the room doors. ¡°Sir, it¡¯s not your room, you¡¯ve got the wrong door.¡± He didn¡¯t think long before he yelled back.


    He looked through the peephole. It seemed to be blocked out with something, it was so dark he couldn¡¯t see a thing. But the man didn¡¯t care about it, he only wished for the other side to leave quickly, so as not to rm more people.


    ¡°Ah?¡± And yet, it happened to be the way of speaking he hated the most, that senile tone somon among old people.


    ¡°You got the wrong room.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear you.¡± The old man not only seemed to have a blurred vision from age, his hearing wasn¡¯t too good either.


    ¡°I said, Sir, you went to the wrong ce! It¡¯s not your room; your things are not here!¡± The man knitted his brows as he raised his voice.


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear you.¡± The old man still repeated that phrase, even his knocking at the door got louder and louder.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± The man nced at the bathroom door which was still tightly closed and thought to himself that a weak old geezer who couldn¡¯t even speak without his voice trembling wouldn¡¯t pose any threat, so he moved to ce a hand on the door handle. As he did so, he said angrily, ¡°I said, Sir, why are you¡ª¡±


    The moment the door opened a peep, the man suddenly felt it thrust towards him violently, its impetus making him tumble backwards!


    Shocked, he struggled to maintain his bnce and not fall. Just as he was about to lift his head, his wrist got clutched¡ªit hurt so much, he reflexively jerked his hands up, yet he didn¡¯t expect that the joint on the side of his elbow would get clenched in a firm grip, keeping a precise hold on the tendon controlling the strength in one¡¯s arm.


    That was one of the weakest points in the human body.


    In that moment, the man¡¯s arm was struck with immense pain¡ªhe couldn¡¯t help but scream, but the next second, that arm got twisted to his back and he finally fell to his knees with a thud.


    ¡°I said that there was something of mine in your room, and I¡¯m here to take it back,¡± A young man¡¯s voice came over,pletely unlike the elderly voice from just a moment ago, heavy and tinted with a trace of wrath, ¡°didn¡¯t you hear me?¡±


    The man suddenly realised what the other was talking about.


    ¡°You¡ª¡± Before he could finish his sentence, he was suddenly struck hard on the side of his neck and his eyes immediately went ck as he lost consciousness.


    A doctor was a doctor after all¡ªthe amount of force he used was all carefully calcted, so he wouldn¡¯t possibly cause unnecessary harm. Shen Yan let go of that man¡¯s joints, gasping as he straightened his back slowly.


    ¡°Qi Jing?¡±


    The room was silent, with only an indistinct sound of flowing water disturbing the silence.


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± Shen Yan softly called that name, ¡°it¡¯s alright now... You cane out.¡±


    At that moment, the bathroom door opened with a creak. At first, the door only opened a bit, it took a few seconds before the person slowly came out from inside. Under the bathroommp, there was a strong contrast in the lights and shadows on his face. He looked a bit pale, his gaze bleak as he stared numbly at the person on the floor.


    ¡°Is he dead?¡± Even when he asked that question, there was no expression on his face.


    ¡°He¡¯s just unconscious.¡± Shen Yan was slightly stunned, and before he could say another word, Qi Jing suddenly extended his hand and reached around in the space between them like a blind man looking for his way. When he finally found Shen Yan¡¯s hand, he grabbed it as if he was grasping onto thest driftwood in the vast ocean, holding onto it desperately.


    Then, heughed.


    ¡°Ha, haha,¡± Qi Jing¡¯s voice was incredibly shaky, it was clear that he did his best to control his emotions, ¡°Is that so, that¡¯s good... It would only cause you trouble if he died, he¡¯s not worth it.¡±


    After saying that, he froze. Then, the hand holding onto Shen Yan suddenly let go. ¡°I also burdened you,¡± He said, ¡°I¡¯m also not worth it.¡±


    Saying this, he made two tottering steps forward, his expression nk.


    He didn¡¯t know where to go.


    Probably somewhere where the shadows are the darkest, deepest, that¡¯s where he should go¡ªhe wanted to hide himself, hide in a ce where Shen Yan wouldn¡¯t find him.


    The moment he made the third step, suddenly a pair of arms embraced him, pulling him into that person¡¯s secure hug. ¡°Qi Jing,¡± A hoarse voice came from behind him. His back was warm, so warm that it hurt, and he felt like crying, ¡°snap out of it. Calm down... Let¡¯s go back home.¡±


    ¡°Uh...¡± Choking with emotions, he gave a stifled reply. Tears that regained their usual warmth fell from his face onto the back of Shen Yan¡¯s hand. Those tears seeped between his fingers, the bitterness in them connecting their intertwined fingers, tying the two of them into one.


    It was as if he received a kind of redemption.


    Qi Jing really wanted to stay in that embrace like that, but the man on the floor made him unable to bear the thought of staying in this ce even for even a second longer. So he suppressed his emotions and forced himself to take all of his belongings. When they were leaving, he didn¡¯t spare the man a nce, as even one more look at him would make him disgusted. He only kept a death grip on the hem of Shen Yan¡¯s clothes, pulling him as they went out, up until they left that suffocating room far behind them.


    They didn¡¯t take a lift, but left by the fire escape route where the light was the dimmest.


    It waspletely dark behind the passage door. They couldn¡¯t even see the staircase clearly.


    Shen Yan walked down two steps first before he turned his head back to support Qi Jing. But Qi Jing stood in ce in a stupor. The strength in his legs was only enough to get him out of that ce¡ªaftering this far, he couldn¡¯t lift his foot, he couldn¡¯t make another step anymore, unable to either go ahead or back. He could only grasp that hand tightly, and not let go.


    Shen Yan knew that the stress Qi Jing was under hadn¡¯t gone away yet. He went back a step, not insisting on making him go, only hugging him silently in the darkness, ¡°If you can¡¯t go on, then stop for a moment.¡±


    Qi Jing only reacted after a long while. His fingers searched tremblingly for Shen Yan¡¯s shoulders before he lowered his head there, his breath shaky.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything anymore; besides drawing his head closer to console him, he made no other movement.


    Yet after a long spell of silence, the person in his embrace said two words all of a sudden, ¡°My ex.¡±


    Shen Yan froze.


    To be honest, he more or less figured it out, so it was fine even if Qi Jing didn¡¯t spell it out clearly. But the tone of Qi Jing¡¯s voice was very serious and resolute, so he only said ¡°mn¡± in response, remaining still in the same position.


    Qi Jing¡¯s voice stopped again.


    But Shen Yan felt his knees moving a bit, his body leaning forwards, hugging him even more tightly.


    ¡°Shen Yan¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Shen Yan, are you here...¡± Even though that person was so close at hand, he still asked stiffly in a daze.


    ¡°Mhm, I came. I¡¯m here.¡± Every time, Shen Yan would give him a response that could settle his heart, even though his throat was a bit hoarse. Those exchanges were sporadic and devoid of logic, making one unable to tell whether the person speaking was of clear mind.


    ¡°I thought... it would take you much longer.¡± The moment he heard the knocking at the door, his heart almost stopped from nervousness.


    ¡°I was already anxious when you didn¡¯t answer the second call, so I was on my way at that time. In fact, I was already at the entrance of the TV station when I made thatst call.¡±


    So that¡¯s how it was.


    Qi Jingughed feebly and continued until he couldn¡¯tugh anymore, only leaning his head against Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder as he kept trembling uncontrobly.


    ¡°I know his wife.¡±


    The topic that had to be brought up needed to be brought up, for the sake of concluding it once and for all.


    ¡°She¡¯s a girl with quite a good background. She¡¯s very pretty and has a good personality. Back then, me and that man got to know her at college... She looked so innocent, so splendid when sheughed, and even went so far as to resign from work to give him a child and raise it well. They got married soon after graduation, but funnily enough, that guy still made me be their emcee... I thought, even if he didn¡¯t cherish me, he would at least cherish that good girl. I really, honestly... thought so, all this time until now.¡±


    He ran out of breath at that point, so Qi Jing gasped slightly a couple of times before he controlled himself and continued.


    ¡°I know his parents.¡± He said, ¡°I met them a lot of times during wedding preparations. Both of them are very good people. His mother was always smiling; she loved topliment people. Whenever I met her when I was doing my part as a master of ceremonies, she would praise me for being sensible, courteous and so on. Seeing her son getting married, she would also take care of introducing dates to me...¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how to reveal the truth to those people.


    He didn¡¯t know how to speak up while avoiding doing any harm, because as long as he spoke up, it would certainly do some harm.


    Family, wife, child, and kind and understanding parents.


    The man possessed many things he couldn¡¯t have.


    The man himself didn¡¯t know how to treasure it, while he was taking it all into consideration, and in the end, all of it ended up as a mere joke.


    ¡°I¡¯m so dumb,¡± This topic was nearing the end, and each word Qi Jing said was squeezed through his teeth as heughed miserably, ¡°I thought those kind of people... would still at least have some conscience and fidelity to speak of.¡±


    ¡°You endured it for long enough,¡±At that moment, Shen Yan prevented him from carrying on with his self-me, ¡°either way, the sheer fact that you didn¡¯t give him away is the biggest lenience; it¡¯s already enough.¡±


    That man deserved to receive much harsher punishment, not just getting let off with merely being knocked out.


    Yet, he knew where Qi Jing wasing from.


    After a short pause, his voice got even heavier. ¡°It might be selfish of me to say that... butpared to that person¡¯s family, you should care more about yourself.¡± He moved Qi Jing¡¯s head up a bit, touching his forehead with his own as he muttered, ¡°If you think that you have no family to care for you, then, take me as your family¡ª¡±


    T/L:


    Lilies: Phew, we all g now, this is just a cannon fodder even the author thought was undeserving of a name. Also, join us as a trantion checker if you know Chinese, otherwise there¡¯ll be no updates mwahahahaha


    Luci: Oh noes! The main trantor went bonkers! Help! Urgent need for TLCers, don¡¯t leave me on her mercy QAQ


    But on a serious note, I can¡¯t even express how aggrieved I feel by the fact that Qi Jing spent all those years keeping that stuff closed off in his heart, only to protect the people around that man from the truth about his scum nature. It wasn¡¯t a wise choice, as it might lead to even more people getting hurt because of him, but still... Big Return Date needs all the hugs TAT


    Whitere: Good riddance. This trash deserved a world of hurt and yet Qi Jing was so merciful already. I¡¯m d this dude is out of the picture. SY, you¡¯re so darned cool.

 Chapter 61

    <h4>Chapter 61</h4>


    Thank you to anon for the caffeine boost!


    Editor: Mashiro


    Family.


    When he puts it like that, it almost sounds like a marriage proposal...


    Although the person who said it didn¡¯t realise it, it didn¡¯t matter. And as for himself, it was enough for him to quietly carve this hard-earned promise into his heart.


    In a trance, Qi Jing¡¯s lips pulled into a smile, but before it could fully form, Shen Yan got in so close, he could feel his lips being singed by Shen Yan¡¯s breath. In that moment, all his emotions overflowed; he stopped smiling and even his mind nked out. All he could do was close his eyes and slowly decrease the distance between them until it became a full-fledged kiss.


    It was a kiss unlike the ones before.


    It was quieter, more natural, and very much more like a human¡¯s innate instincts.


    At that moment, finding Shen Yan¡¯s lips and sealing it with his own seemed to have be his instinct. When he found them, he sought them out even more desperately. It¡¯s as if he had sunk to the bottom of the sea, only relying on the other¡¯s breaths for air¡ªin these few seconds, they were alive because of one another. After experiencing the burial of a part of his life, nothing was more precious than having a reason to live on.


    As he thought so, he let his tears fall without a word, allowing them to silently seep into the space where their lips touched.


    It was both bitter and salty.


    In that way, it really resembled... the taste of the sea.


    Little Return Date was still half-asleep when it woke up from its slumber because of the shaking of its box. When it finally opened its eyes, Little Return Date realised that its other dad was here. Its fur which was raised from wariness rxed and it called out to him with a ¡°meow¡± while waving a paw¡ªit was both a greeting and a show of its cuteness.


    With a tilt of its head, Little Return Date noticed that both its dads were now watching it and the satisfaction from gaining their attention instantly rose to the maximum.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go home,¡± Shen Yan said gently. It was directed at Little Return Date, and also Big Return Date.


    Qi Jing silently watched as the other man picked up the box and chuckled without a sound. In the shadows of the dark alley, he gave his hand to Shen Yan, allowing thetter to lead him forward, slowly walking towards the main road.


    The two of them hailed a taxi by the road. After Qi Jing got into it, he quietly watched Shen Yan get into the car with the box holding the kitten and randomly blurted, ¡°This is the second time.¡±


    Shen Yan froze slightly.


    But Qi Jing simply asked him with a small smile on his face, ¡°Don¡¯t you find this scene awfully familiar?¡±


    When Shen Yan heard that, he immediately understood what Qi Jing meant by the ¡°second time¡±¡ªhe had personally travelled from the north of the city to bring this man and cat home once before.


    ¡°At that time... we were also riding a cab just like this, even our seats were the same,¡± Qi Jing mumbled to himself, his eyes twinkling with nostalgia. Because he had cried just now, his voice still sounded a little hoarse, but his chuckle sounded especially warm. ¡°Back then, I didn¡¯t even dare to let you hold my hand.¡±


    Hearing him say these words, the taxi driver seemed to give them a subtle nce from the rearview mirror, but Qi Jing didn¡¯t care about it.


    Perhaps it was the helplessness and hopelessness he felt today because of the so-called ¡°normal society¡± which triggered his rebelliousness.


    Perhaps it was because he had ¡°died¡± once that he became more broad-minded and couldn¡¯t care anymore. He didn¡¯t want to hide his love for Shen Yan anymore.


    He wanted topletely cast aside the strange looks people gave him and just live his life openly and freely for once.


    And Shen Yan probably shared the same thoughts as him because that hand had already silently held his as they normally do. It was a very firm grip, devoid of any intention of hiding from the eyes of others.


    Surprisingly, the driver uncle didn¡¯t react in any particr way as he witnessed their actions, he just asked for the destination they were headed for and stepped on the elerator, driving off towards the north of the city. Did he view them with silent contempt, or disapproval, or maybe something else? Qi Jing had no way of knowing. Right now, his heart was like ake, which had be calm after the passing of a raging storm. All of his intense feelings were hidden beneath, at the bottom of theke, only leaving behind the flickering reflections of light on the surface.


    And the person who brought him those lights was right here, just by his side, holding his hand and never letting go, never leaving him behind.


    Beyond that, he cared for nothing.


    As the sun went down and the day turned into night, the city centre shone brightly. This contrast made the inside of the vehicle appear particrly dark and it gave a feeling as if they were separate from the world, allowing one to quietly observe the world around them. Qi Jing looked out of the moving car from his seat. The darkness of the night was like the sea and those quickly passing lights, the fish, swimming and weaving in and out of the darkness. Through the ss, the ¡°swimming fish¡± left behind traces from their tails cutting through the ¡°water¡±.


    And his fingers, too, were gently tracing the marks on Shen Yan¡¯s hand.


    One after another, like a silkworm forming a cocoon, cing the two people¡¯s feelings deep inside the cocoon and letting it slowly mature inside. But he wanted to speed up the process.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± Qi Jing suddenly said, ¡°I want to take out a loan to buy a car.¡±


    Those words came out of nowhere.


    Shen Yan looked up at him with some surprise, but the momentary confusion soon dissipated and he seemed to understand something. Those obsidian eyes soon regained their rity and stared right at Qi Jing.


    Qi Jing returned his gaze, his expression calm and solemn, and he began to slowly borate on his ns for the future.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working for a few years now, and although my sry isn¡¯t high, my personal expenses aren¡¯t high either. I don¡¯t spend on luxury goods, so I still have some savings left. Right now, we can probably get a pretty decent economy car for a few hundred thousand yuan. With a down payment of around 30 percent, plus themission fees, insurance, vehicle purchase tax, etc, it should be about forty to fifty thousand yuan. I should be able to take out that much... As for theter instalments, it might be a little tight with my current sry, but it shouldn¡¯t be a problem if I live a bit slightly more frugally and pay back slowly.¡±


    Shen Yan just listened quietly.


    When talking about his less than optimistic economic conditions, Qi Jing still maintained an optimistic attitude, ¡°However, if I can be promoted sessfully, then my sry will also be raised ordingly, and my year-end bonus will definitely be more than what is it now, so paying for the car payment won¡¯t be that much of a struggle.¡±


    When he heard this, Shen Yan asked in a low voice, ¡°Why did you suddenly think of buying a car?¡±


    With a faint smile on his face, Qi Jing replied, ¡°Didn¡¯t we talk about housing before? Initially, we talked that I¡¯ll have to start going back to work at the office regrly once the cast is off and staying at your ce would be too far and inconvenient so I¡¯ll definitely have to move back into my apartment. But... if I had my own car, I don¡¯t have to rely on public transport to travel to and fro from work which will save a lot of time and that problem will go away.¡±


    In the past, he gave up too much for someone who didn¡¯t value him, only to end up with this sad and ridiculous ending.


    And now that he¡¯s met a lover who truly cherishes him, all the more was it worth for him to invest a hundred times more affection and action than he¡¯s ever given, to secure and carefully maintain their rtionship.


    ¡°I want to seriously consider our future and solve this problem at hand.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s expression was resolute and there was an indescribable sense of determination in his eyes. He lowered his voice and whispered slowly, ¡°I... want to stay by your side, and keep you by mine.¡±


    How much Shen Yan cherished him, he would have to return it twice as much.


    That day when the two of them drank, the way Shen Yan murmured and begged him not to go after getting drunk was still deeply branded into his mind, leaving behind an eternal mark.


    Instead of justforting with words, he¡¯d rather think of practical solutions that could help change the current situation.


    There are countless obstacles in real life and he may not be able to solve them all at one go, but he can slowly break through the problems, one at a time. Shen Yan had already given him a ¡°home¡±, so naturally he should work hard to make sure that he can ¡°return home¡±.


    ¡°I signed a one-year contract for my apartment and it only ends at the end of the year. Whether or not I live there, the rent has already been paid, and it¡¯s not like I can get a refund so it doesn¡¯t matter where I live.¡± He took a deep breath before nervously giving Shen Yan¡¯s hand a gentle squeeze. ¡°If... If Ipletely move out from the apartment after the contract expires and if you are willing to take me in then... then the rent saved can be used to pay for part of the car loan. That way, we can always live together...¡±


    As his words trailed off, Qi Jing lowered his head slightly, subconsciously not wanting to see Shen Yan¡¯s expression at this moment. He was a little afraid of seeing any kind of awkwardness or hesitation on that man¡¯s face.


    After a short pause, he still didn¡¯t forget to give the other party an out.


    ¡°Of course, all of this is only if you¡¯re willing...¡± to let me officially be a part of your family.


    That house was the one where Shen Yan used to live together with his grandfather, to Shen Yan, it meant much more than simply a ce to live in. To officially allow someone to move into the house would mean not only letting someone enter his life, but also his past; it meant to truly treat this person as ¡°family¡±, and that was not an easy decision to make.


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± the man sitting beside him gently called out his name in a low and husky voice; it sounded like augh, yet at the same time, also sounded like a sigh, ¡°You should¡¯ve already known what my answer is... I asked you to treat me as your family, and that naturally includes the living part as well.¡±


    Qi Jing did in fact know the answer all along, but it was different hearing the words from the man himself.


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t think I am being too abrupt.¡± Qi Jing could feel a lump slowlye up in his throat but he still forced out a smile so that he didn¡¯t appear like too much of a mess.


    ¡°No, not at all.¡± Shen Yan grasped his right hand tightly and said with a sad smile, ¡°I¡¯m actually very happy to hear those words from you... I thought it would take a much longer time to get you to stay. Moreover, the circumstances don¡¯t permit it either. You¡¯re at a critical stage of your career and I don¡¯t want to hold you back because of my selfishness. However, hearing all your serious considerations and so far into the future too... I-I¡¯m virtually on cloud nine.¡±


    How could he not be?


    Once upon a time, most of his ¡°family¡± had chosen to leave him, or let him go. His grandfather was the first who was willing to take him in, and now... Qi Jing was the first who was willing to be taken in by him.


    ¡°I¡¯m only worried about one thing, and that is the financial burden that will be ced on you.¡± As touched as he was, he didn¡¯t forget the gap between ideals and reality. It wasn¡¯t that he had any doubts about Qi Jing¡¯s abilities, but it was just simply too tough to provide for a car alone. ¡°If possible, I¡¯d like to share the burden of the loan with you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already provided the ¡®house¡¯, so of course I can¡¯t possibly let you provide for the ¡®car¡¯ as well, ¡° Qi Jing politely declined his kind offer in a half-joking manner.


    At this moment, the uncle who had been driving all this while suddenly interjected, ¡°Young man, if you¡¯re looking to buy a car, I can rmend you a few local dealers. They offer quality service while not charging too high a service fee. In your case, I¡¯d advise that you get a car that can retain its value. That way, you can drive it to and from work, or drive it out for a short trip during the holidays or whatever. And as long as you maintain it well, you can easily sell it second hand if you want to rece it with something better when your circumstances allow for it.¡±


    Both Qi Jing and Shen Yan froze for a moment.


    They weren¡¯t afraid that the driver would overhear their conversation, but it¡¯s just that the fact that he would initiate a conversation with them, and doesn¡¯t seem to have a hint of discrimination, was something out of their expectations. Qi Jing had always thought that people in society more or less viewed their kind of rtionship with tinted lenses.


    So, after recovering from the initial surprise, Qi Jing smiled and straightened his posture, ¡°Sir, more than the car issue... don¡¯t you find the two of us very strange?¡±


    Since the other party initiated the conversation, he didn¡¯t mind being frank about it. His usual instincts of a reporter conducting interviews came up and he couldn¡¯t help but be curious to probe into the other party¡¯s mentality.


    As he drove, the driver replied to him with an apologetic smile, ¡°Sorry for staring at you guys since you got in the car. At the time, I thought you looked like a couple, but I didn¡¯t dare to jump to conclusions, and I¡¯ve only just confirmed that you are a young couple after listening to your conversation along the way.¡±


    <i>A young couple¡ª</i>


    That was the first time he had heard such a substantive adjective from aplete and utter stranger.


    Qi Jing suddenly felt his cheeks burn up and he couldn¡¯t help but turn away while Shen Yan, on the other hand, gently tightened his grip, firmly locking Qi Jing¡¯s hand in his palm, as if in affirmation of the other party¡¯s words.


    ¡°Oh dear, if I made you feel that I was looking at you with prejudice, then I¡¯m really so sorry,¡± the driver apologised a second time and after that, he continued rambling on, ¡°It¡¯s because apart from my daughter, I haven¡¯t actually met people like you in real life... So uh...¡±


    Qi Jing was someone who was skilled at capturing information and at this moment, he had already let out a slightly dazed exmation.


    The driver then realised what he had inadvertently said so he patted his head and added on with a helplessugh, ¡°Ah yeah, my daughter is also... Sigh, that¡¯s how it is. Although there are many people who don¡¯t understand this stuff nowadays, I can still understand it, after all, I have such a situation in my own family.¡±


    The driver¡¯s words evoked memories of when Qi Jing cut off ties with his family and his heart could not help but sting a little.


    ¡°The fact is, not every parent will be able to understand when this situation happens in their family,¡± he whispered. This driver¡¯s daughter really was lucky, at least whenpared to him.


    But the driver sighed, ¡°Sigh, young man, let me be frank with you, back then when my daughter came out to me and my wife, I couldn¡¯t ept it either. It¡¯s only after many years did I finallye round, my wife still can¡¯t quite understand her till this day. But as parents... we ultimately still wish for our child to be happy.¡±


    Qi Jing could still hold it in at first, but as the driver continued, he couldn¡¯t really control his emotions anymore, and his hand that was holding Shen Yan¡¯s trembled slightly. ¡°Well... that¡¯s not the case with my parents.¡±


    ¡°Young man, you can¡¯t really me your parents for this. The people from our generation are sometimes too conservative in their thinking and they can¡¯t get over it. If the ones that are parents are already like this, much less those who couldn¡¯t care less since this doesn¡¯t affect them or those who simply watch on as entertainment.¡± The driver then turned the conversation back to him and Shen Yan halfway through, ¡°But to be honest, I felt particrly moved right now just listening to your conversation. Even if it was a real couple made up of a man and a woman, not many young people these days are able to n their future so seriously. That¡¯s good. All the best!¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback; he suddenly felt something well up inside, filling himpletely.


    Shen Yan, who had been silently listening to their conversation, also spoke up at this time, ¡°Thank you for your encouragement.¡±


    Hearing that, the driver burst into a heartyugh, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. My daughter has also moved out and is now living with her partner. Both of them have good jobs and are doing quite well. It¡¯s precisely because we only have one child that I pay special attention to this area. I guess it can be considered fate that I served the two of you today, so I couldn¡¯t help but say a few words.¡±


    Since it was no longer a sensitive topic, they took their time chatting with the driver. The half-hour drive went by in a blink of an eye and the taxi had already turned into the northern part of the city.


    When they alighted, the driver refused to take their fare no matter what and simply drove off after giving them a free ride home.


    ¡°How unexpected... To think we meet someone this open-minded and kind-hearted.¡± Qi Jing felt a wave of emotions as he stood at the intersection of the neighbourhood and watched the taxi leave. Indeed, just as this world has a cold side, it also has a warm side to it. The helplessness that had been building up at the bottom of his heart today had suddenly been temporarily liberated and he felt slightly relieved.


    ¡°Perhaps there might be more people who can ept us than we think.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s words spelled out the realisation that hit him. This was something that he had never experienced before.


    ¡°Mhm, this is the first time I outrightly told a stranger my sexual orientation,¡± Qi Jing scoffed at himself, ¡°But it feels pretty good.¡±


    Shen Yan looked at Qi Jing quietly for a long time, looking like he had something to say.


    ¡°Qi Jing... H-Have you ever thought of having a proper talk with your family again?¡±


    A/N: One provides the house and the other provides the car¡ªare you two actually proposing to each other?? You need to get married quickly!!


    I feel like I¡¯m spreading positive vibes this chapter...


    And also, I finally figured out why I¡¯ll never be able to write a scum gong as a protagonist. Because: 1. I have a biological aversion to scum and 2. Based on my usual style, I would make the scum so realistic that the readers woulde knocking on my door to kill me. (With reference to reactions to the scum ex, I think this is highly likely...)

 Chapter 62

    <h4>Chapter 62</h4>


    Thank you so much ChaiTea for a cup of coffee! <33


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: Whitere


    Qi Jing never considered it.


    He never considered it in the past, and he would never do that in the future... If it wasn¡¯t for Shen Yan asking him so.


    After keeping silent for a long while, he ultimately didn¡¯t give his answer.


    ¡°I think that you should talk with your family once again.¡±


    It was as they were sitting down for a meal together when Shen Yan answered that question for him.


    Before them, there was a wide dining table made of ck walnut, quite homely in style. On the table, four dishes and one soup were arranged neatly, all of it home cooked and reheated by Shen Yan. There was no better time, no more fitting situation than this to discuss the matters of family.


    The chopsticks in Qi Jing¡¯s hand froze. He quietly put the vegetable back into his bowl and said with a sigh, ¡°Shen Yan, I know that you have good intentions, but... If it really was so easy tomunicate with them, then I wouldn¡¯t have gone as far as to cut off contact with them for so many years.¡±


    Qi Jing was a very amodating person, pretty mild-tempered and extremely patient.


    For such a person to choose to leave back then probably meant that he had reached the end of his line and was left with no other choice.


    Shen Yan also stopped his chopsticks, at that moment, he didn¡¯t know whether he should carry that conversation on. Thest thing he wanted was to make things hard for Qi Jing, especially considering how he had just gone through an emotional upheaval. He didn¡¯t want to make it even worse.


    ¡°I understand... Let¡¯s eat first.¡± He said in a low voice.


    Aside fromforting him with words, Shen Yan also reached out to smooth the hair on Qi Jing¡¯s temples, stroking him in aforting manner with a gentle smile on his face. It was a habit of his¡ªafter working in a vet clinic for all those years, he would always try to make the injured animals at ease just like this.


    Qi Jing had carefully observed Shen Yan at work before, so he had already discovered this habit at that point. But he didn¡¯t bring that up, quite dly epting this kind offort instead.


    After all, the only one who could make himfortable with showing his weakness, to let him lick his wounds at ease... was Shen Yan.


    The dinner this time was two hourster than usual, so by the time they cleared up the tableware, it was way past nightfall. Qi Jing spent a long day filming outside, and with the ¡°reunion¡± with that man to boot, both his body and mind were now thoroughly exhausted. He wished for nothing more than a shower, to cleanse himself of those horrid memories and that repulsive breath.


    Just as always, Shen Yan unbuttoned his shirt and gently helped him remove it. Qi Jing was about to raise his left hand to let Shen Yan slip the sleeve off his cast, but he felt a sudden burst of dull pain that made him suck in a mouthful of air with a hiss.


    Shen Yan froze, then he asked with a furrowed brow, ¡°Did you get injured?¡±


    Saying this, he quickly supported Qi Jing¡¯s left arm, making its whole weight rest on his hand so that he wouldn¡¯t move it around anymore.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. There¡¯s nothing wrong with the fractured ce, it¡¯s just the part above that hurts.¡± Qi Jing shook his head. He didn¡¯t need to lift his arm before, so only when he moved it now did he realise that the part near his shoulder was all sore and aching, ¡°That guy kept holding me there when he threatened me; it should just be a temporary pain, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    He did his best to y it down as much as possible, but that didn¡¯t reassure Shen Yan at all. His brows were still closely knit as he examined Qi Jing¡¯s upper arm in silence.


    Looking closer, with the help of the room¡¯s lighting, he could still see the marks left from that brutal grip. It wasn¡¯t only the left arm, the marks were also on the wrist of his right hand. Although it didn¡¯t look like Qi Jing suffered any harm at first nce, things were often not as minor as they seem. Let alone that situation, which couldn¡¯t be considered anything minor to begin with.


    ¡°That guy... Did he want to do something to you?¡± He finally brought up the elephant in the room. Qi Jing wasn¡¯t in his best mental state before so he didn¡¯t want to ask this question, but right now, he really couldn¡¯t keep it in.


    Qi Jing was slightly stunned. He lifted his head to meet Shen Yan¡¯s eyes. In those eyes, there was concern, and there was worry; the only thing missing was a reproach to him¡ªQi Jing was very moved by that consideration, so being honest also became less of a hurdle.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s breath got caught upon hearing that word, but Qi Jing only shook his head with a wry smile. He put his right hand on the back of Shen Yan¡¯s hand and added in a low voice, ¡°But he didn¡¯t get to have his way, I managed to avoid it.¡±


    Hearing this, Shen Yan stayed still for a moment, blinked his eyes, then finally sighed with relief.


    Qi Jing observed each movement of his in a silence. As a matter of fact, anything having to do with one¡¯s ex would be pretty tricky to mention to the current partner, so he was afraid Shen Yan would feel repulsed by this matter. But he didn¡¯t want to keep him in the dark¡ªhe hoped that they could build their rtionship on the foundation of honesty, not lies.


    However Shen Yan¡¯s hand stayed as it was, ced gently on his shoulder, his sentiments devoid of any negative feelings. So he slowly closed the distance by a step so that the two of them were almost leaning against one another.


    ¡°Shen Yan... Do you mind my past?¡±


    He didn¡¯t only mean the happenings of that evening, but also all of his past experiences that he didn¡¯t want to bring up again.


    ¡°No,¡± Hearing the nervousness in his tone, Shen Yan smiled faintly and heaved a long sigh as he recovered from his shock, ¡°I just don¡¯t want to see you continue getting hurt because of him.¡±


    Everyone has some past they wouldn¡¯t want to uncover, and he wasn¡¯t an exception. Even all his past he didn¡¯t want Qi Jing to know about would one day get revealed to him¡ªit was just a matter of time. That¡¯s why he knew very well how Qi Jing felt at the moment. He could easily put himself in Qi Jing¡¯s shoes, so why would he rub salt into his wounds?


    ¡°I want to cherish our rtionship, so I need to make it clear.¡± Qi Jing lowered his head, only adding a sentence in a stuffy nasal voice after a long while.


    ¡°I know.¡± He knew about that from the very beginning.


    ¡°To me, your opinion is very important.¡± Qi Jing added.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Those two, simple words eased the pain Qi Jing carried in his heart for years, the sting slowly fading away, his heart now full. Being able to obtain one¡¯s important person¡¯s trust was the best constion out of all.


    ¡°Then tonight... Are you still willing to warm my bed?¡± Once the depressing thoughts went away a little, he felt a need to act coy for a bit, ¡°I think I really might have caught a cold.¡± After saying this, he shrinked his shoulders, acting as if he was cold.


    Shen Yan couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, then said in a low voice, ¡°Alright. Now go take a shower first, I¡¯ll take care of making the bed.¡±


    Late autumn, deep night, cold weather.


    Whenever those three things came together at the same time, Qi Jing¡¯s desire for warmth would get even stronger. A quilt can be very warm on its own, indeed¡ªbut he yearned for an existence even warmer than a quilt. And that existence habitually took out a hairdryer after making his bed. The moment Qi Jing left the bathroom, he was pressed down on a chair and had his hair carefully blow dried before he was tucked under the quilt.


    ¡°Youe here as well.¡± Qi Jing said in a small voice.


    The warmth of the hot water on his body had yet to disperse and his skin was a bit flushed¡ªhis hair ends still damp¡ªappearing much darker and softer than usual.


    Hearing something like that, from a person in that state, it would be hard for Shen Yan to find a reason to decline.


    What¡¯s more... The thought of declining never even passed his mind.


    ¡°Do you want to sleep?¡± Shen Yan asked in a low voice beforeing over, ¡°If you do, then I¡¯ll turn off the light first.¡±


    ¡°Not yet, I still want to read the original novel of ?Order to End the Heavens?, I didn¡¯t manage to finish reading it during the daytime.¡± It was still early, so Qi Jing intended to finish his ns for the day, leading his life back at its original tracks after getting disturbed by that man. He propped up his pillow up against the head of the bed as he talked, then waved at Shen Yan with his phone, his eyes curling up in a smile, ¡°If you don¡¯t have anything to do, then would you mind keeping mepany?¡±


    Shen Yan nodded.


    But he still turned off the main light in the bedroom, only leaving the reading light on the bedside table. Its dim, warm light couldn¡¯t be said to be especially bright, but it was sufficient for reading.


    Originally, he only thought of sitting alongside Qi Jing just as the day before, but the moment he got under the quilt, Qi Jing shifted over, even burrowed into his embrace. Shen Yan took him into his arms without a hint of awkwardness, hugging him gently from behind, letting him read the novel while lying on his chest.


    Outside the window, there was a boundless darkness.


    All was quiet in the old town district; only the bodhi tree downstairs rustled in the wind, but even that noise sounded serene.


    From the outside, all that could be seen of their ce was a single square window, its windowpane dyed in a dim yellow light¡ªamong the countless dark windows, it seemed especially bright and weing. From the inside, their world was contained to a tiny area by the nightmp, but it was so warm, so cozy¡ªjust big enough to contain two interdependent hearts.


    Qi Jing was reading a novel, while Shen Yan wasn¡¯t looking at anything, only locking his hands together on Qi Jing¡¯s abdomen to keep him in a tight embrace, closing his eyes as he took in the scent on his body. It was a sweet scent left after a shower¡ªthat scent was everywhere, no matter if it was for Qi Jing¡¯s still damp hair, or the side of his neck that Shen Yan brushed with his nose.


    He didn¡¯t want to let anyone else smell it.


    He didn¡¯t want to let anyone else have it.


    To hold Qi Jing so closely till there was no space between them was a kind of action, a kind of sentiment that left no ce for anyone else to intrude. And so, even if he was just sitting there an hour or two in silence, Shen Yan still felt plenty content. He didn¡¯t know how much had passed by the time the person in his arms put down the phone and said in a small voice, ¡°I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Is that so,¡± Shen Yan came back to his senses and chuckled gently, ¡°It isn¡¯t thatte yet, but since you¡¯re tired, you should go to sleep already. Rest well.¡±


    Saying this, he reached his hand out to turn off themp on the bedside table.


    Suddenly, Qi Jing stopped his hand without a word, slowly pulling it back to himself. He didn¡¯t let him turn off the light, nor did he think of going to sleep yet, ¡°Wait... I want to look at your hand.¡±


    Look at his hand.This kind of peculiar request just before sleep left Shen Yan dumbfounded.


    He observed as Qi Jing spread his hand open, looking at it earnestly without saying a word, and couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°What is it, what are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°Palm-reading.¡± Qi Jing seemed to be snuggling even closer, like a small animal afraid of the cold,pletely giving himself up to Shen Yan, seeking warmth in his arms. He stretched out his index finger and slowly traced the line stretching from below Shen Yan¡¯s little finger to the centre of his palm, his voice husky, ¡°Your love line... it¡¯s both thin and long.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s so? Then what does it mean?¡±Shen Yan let him have his way, gently supporting his chin on Qi Jing¡¯s shoulder, making for a good listener.


    ¡°It means you¡¯re a devoted lover, and that you¡¯re sensitive.¡± As Qi Jing talked, the tip of his finger stopped at the end of the love line, stroking there a couple of times slowly, the sensation a bit ticklish. Shen Yan instinctively curled his fingers, gently holding Qi Jing¡¯s hand between them. Qi Jing didn¡¯t take his hand back, leaving it still in his hold.


    ¡°Then, do you think that¡¯s true?¡± He asked with a chuckle.


    ¡°I do.¡± The person in his embrace seemed to also haveughed before his voice got lower, ¡°It¡¯s just, sometimes... not only are you not sensitive at all, you¡¯re very slow.¡±


    Shen Yan was taken aback for a moment.


    ¡°For example?¡± He could admit that he could be very foolish at times, but he didn¡¯t know what Qi Jing was implying.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t say a thing, and a long while passed inplete silence. Just as Shen Yan thought he already fell asleep in his embrace, he suddenly opened his lips slightly, as ifughing and sighing at the same time.


    ¡°For example... I stayed in your embrace for such a long time, yet you didn¡¯t make any move¡ªisn¡¯t that slow?¡±


    Indeed, Shen Yan was very slow.


    If he wasn¡¯t this slow, he would notice that slight tremor of his hand as he spoke, and he would realise that his palm was all sweaty from nervousness.


    It wasn¡¯t fire that his words brought, only the sparks that could start one. That was the most he could do.


    As for Shen Yan though, he could do much, much more.


    Suppose that fire really set aze...


    His body sunk down all of a sudden as if falling into a field of cotton. His backnded on the light and soft quilt, the back of his neck was held steadily by an arm as ity him down on the bed.


    Themp beside the head of the bed was still illuminating everything in its faint light.


    But the light had disappeared from his vision for a moment¡ªthat man had already turned over onto him, slowly closing in from above. The moment their foreheads met, he heard his name being softly called by that person in a low, almost pleading voice, ¡°Qi Jing¡ª¡±


    The fire¡ªwas set aze.


    That¡¯s because it was clearly the voice of someone scorched, both parched and burning.


    His heart drummed, and he responded almost inaudibly, ¡°Mn.¡±


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± Shen Yan once again called him so, his face which was against the light showed traces of torment as his slightly trembling fingers caressed Qi Jing¡¯s face. Every time he spoke a word, his breath would scald Qi Jing. ¡°After what happened today... won¡¯t you be afraid?¡±


    Afraid... yes.But he wasn¡¯t afraid of Shen Yan getting intimate with him, in fact, quite the opposite of that even¡ªhe was afraid of Shen Yan leaving him. Aside from that, Qi Jing didn¡¯t know what was there to fear.


    ¡°If you¡¯re worried that I would be afraid, then simply make my mind gopletely nk, just make it so that I¡¯m unable to think of anything else.¡± He lowered his eyes, instinctively reaching out his right hand to the side of his cheek. Even if it was just for a moment, even if it waspletely useless and he was just deluding himself with a flimsy lie, he still wanted to cover that ce beside his eye, dyed red by the fire. But he wasn¡¯t able to conceal the hoarseness in his voice, ¡°It should be fine... if you do it your way... as my boyfriend...¡±


    The moment he finished his words, his right hand was suddenly held gently by Shen Yan, then moved away.


    He couldn¡¯t even try to deceive himself anymore. He could only close his eyes, turning his face sideways on the pillow as he looked away.


    Him looking away didn¡¯t mean that when that kissnded on the side of his neck, he didn¡¯t feel it. In fact, he not only felt it¡ªhis body even trembled slightly in response, and he couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head up with a soft gasp.


    ¡°Shen Yan...¡±


    ¡°Qi Jing...¡± Shen Yan responded in a low voice.


    Whether he would be able to make Qi Jing mind go nk, he did not know. Perhaps before the other man lost his head, the one doing the deed himself had already lost his ability to think. He surrendered all of himself to his instinct, to his two hands seeking warmth on Qi Jing¡¯s body, to those lips that sought to mark that man as his with every kiss.


    Qi Jing¡¯s right hand seemed to have lost all of its strength as he quietly put it on the side inpliance with his movements. He looked just so weak.


    When Shen Yan kissed his Adam¡¯s apple lightly, he gave a fake struggle, gasping as he half-opened his eyes, staring absent-mindedly at the ceiling.


    He didn¡¯t say anything.


    He didn¡¯t make him stop.


    Because he had to admit¡ªShen Yan¡¯s kisses felt so good. Even though they¡¯ve lost theforting nature from before and were tinted with a bit of hard to control passion, they still felt so good. And he was more than willing to wee all of it as long as Shen Yan wished to go on.


    A/N:


    I¡¯d dly turn into that nightmp on the bedside...


    T/N:


    Luci: *slowly covers the nightmp with a nket* (? ???¦Ø??? ?) Qi Jing... Howe you¡¯re so good at enabling... Aye, you deserve thatfort, my boy.


    Lilies: I¡¯m the bed!!


    whitere: Whoo! Now that¡¯s what I call ¡°telling them the water is warm¡±...

 Chapter 63

    <h4>Chapter 63</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editor: Mashiro


    Shen Yan gently held Qi Jing down and even grinded against him while the hand behind his neck pulled him over.


    He waspletely trapped, their bodies tangling into one.


    The pillow sunk.


    Qi Jing¡¯s slightly leaned back body was now even tauter, even tenser than a while ago¡ªit was a posture inviting one into taking another step. In his nearly feverish state, Shen Yan¡¯s mind was already clouded, unable to resist such temptation¡ªhe leaned in and pressed closely against the lines created by the body beneath him, chasing each gasp the other man breathed, sealing them with his lips.


    ¡°Ngh...¡±


    Those kisses rendered their words useless, their gasps disorderly. At times deep, at times shallow, their pants reverberated in the dark room.


    Qi Jing¡¯s brows were knitted as hurried gasps escaped his parched throat, most of them brushing on Shen Yan¡¯s lips only to get swallowed by his kisses. He unconsciously bent his knees and couldn¡¯t help but rub the soles of his feet against the bedding; opening his legs a little, he allowed the other to lodge himself between them.


    Shen Yan let go of his right hand.


    He let go of it, but didn¡¯t move his own away.


    His fingers slowly wandered up Qi Jing¡¯s arm, tracing past his shoulder, finally burying into the hair behind his ear. Only his thumb stayed pressed against that ear, stroking it time and time again.


    This ce on Qi Jing¡¯s body was always quick to blush.


    Especially now¡ªboth soft and warm, it was incredibly pleasant to touch.


    ¡°Are you... treating me as a cat again...¡± Qi Jing asked in a husky voice, his eyes gleaming with a light smile. When he spoke up, their previous kiss was yet to end, so each word he said made their lips brush against each other, only stopping when Shen Yan lowered his head toplete it and continue with another kiss.


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± In his heart, he was very much aware who he was holding¡ªit was exactly because he was aware of it that so much affection and tenderness flowed through his actions.


    Qi Jing listened to his words quietly, then lowered his eyes as heughed, but didn¡¯t say anything in return.


    As if responding to those caresses, he furtively moved his right hand to Shen Yan¡¯s waist¡ªhe lifted the hem of his shirt and slid under his clothes, his fingers directly touching Shen Yan¡¯s skin. Starting from the back dimples there, his hand started tracing up, caressing the entirety of that back. Whenever Shen Yan breathed, he would feel those firm, strong and sturdy back lines moved under his palm.


    ¡°Qi Jing...¡± Shen Yan called in a hoarse voice as he begged in a low voice by his ear, ¡°... Stop.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Qi Jing chuckled softly and asked despite knowing the answer.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t reply.


    Under themplight, he could clearly see Qi Jing¡¯s expression¡ªhis eyes were half-opened, the ears on their sides still flushed deep red, yet the corners of his mouth were slightly raised. He knew that what Qi Jing needed from him wasn¡¯t an answer, but something else.


    ¡°Shen Yan, do you want to... try it too?¡± Qi Jing¡¯s voice was so hushed it was barely audible, but just like the caress of his hand slowly teasing along Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder de, it was more than enough to stir the other man up. With twoyers of fabric between the two of them, every time they moved their bodies, the buttons on their chest would brush against one another. The buttons gave off this faint sound as if they were about to pop out of the strings that held them in ce as they grazed against their skin.


    It¡¯ll feel ufortable if we stayed like this, won¡¯t it?


    Qi Jing thought so as he came up with an excuse for himself.


    Shen Yan panted in a low voice, and sure enough, he straightened his back as his hand sought the uppermost button of Qi Jing¡¯s cor.


    He¡¯s long lost count of the number of times he¡¯s unbuttoned Qi Jing¡¯s clothes.


    It was an action he should already be more than familiar with, yet now his movements were as clumsy as that of a beginner; and it took him a long time to finally undo the first one.


    Qi Jing also couldn¡¯t stop his breath from bing even more urgent¡ªhe closed his eyes and didn¡¯t move as he let Shen Yan¡¯s fingers unbutton more of them; the second one, the third one... It was the same routine as when Shen Yan helped him take off his clothes whenever he wanted to take a shower. But now, his situation was different, even the temperature of the other¡¯s fingers was different¡ªthe ce Shen Yan touched below his corbone felt as if it was being seared.


    When thest one got pushed through the buttonhole, andpletely detached from the cket, his shirt now wide open.


    It wasn¡¯t the first time Shen Yan was taking off his clothes for him, but for the first time he let his hand touch his chest gently, moving down along the direction of the shirt sliding off his body, familiarising himself with the Qi Jing he¡¯s never seen before¡ªone who appeared only before him, letting his guard down, only for him¡ªthis one and only Qi Jing.


    ¡°Shen Yan.¡±


    Maybe because he was out of breath, but when Qi Jing called his name, his voice was soft, faint even.


    The hand on his back scratched him a couple times in fervour; it didn¡¯t hurt at all, rather, it made his heart tremble.


    He really wanted to forget about everything, and just make that person his&#k2026;


    To take possession of him&#k2014;selfishly, wilfully, forcefully even&#k2026; Or he would wish so if he wasn¡¯t a doctor who tolerated no harm.


    Shen Yan took a deep breath as if he was struggling to get out from a sea of fire, the violent pulsing of his heart causing a rupture-like pain in his chest.


    He lowered his head to look at Qi Jing. Qi Jingy still on the pillows, his body looking almost gilded by the dim light; his clothes were in disarray, yet he still kept smiling at him faintly, his smile so alluring that he was unable to look away, only capable of staring at him in a daze. Qi Jing¡¯s body was burning hot as well, as if anywhere he touched had mes buried underneath his skin, mes that could easily burn down one¡¯s mind. The moment the unwilling thought of taking his hands back appeared in his mind, he already knew he had already used up all of his sanity.


    Thest shrivel of it was left for Qi Jing¡¯s injured hand.


    That¡¯s because with the light on, his eyes could still catch it.


    The cast was resting in a pretty safe position, so if he kept the scope of his movement to minimum, trying to be as careful as possible, maybe it woulde out of it unscathed. But... the wound had yet to healpletely, so if he were to lose even thatst tidbit of reason, he didn¡¯t know what would happen, how far would he go.


    ¡°Hah...¡± Shen Yan closed his eyes and chuckled bitterly, then he burrowed his head in Qi Jing¡¯s embrace, holding onto him tightly.


    ¡°Shen Yan?¡± Qi Jing turned his head over in confusion, asking close by his ear.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t answer, only shaking his head in response before he gently pecked the side of Qi Jing¡¯s neck with an inaudible sigh. Qi Jing gasped instinctively in response, his arched body copsing back on the bed. His right hand pulled Shen Yan¡¯s head towards himself,bing through his hair with his fingers as a form offort.


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± At that moment, Shen Yan said softly, ¡°I like you.¡±


    That deep, familiar voice.


    What wasn¡¯t familiar though, was how he clearly knew those three words in his heart, yet he never heard them properly before.


    Qi Jing froze for a while, then he suddenly felt a warmth in eyes, something welled up in them, scattering the light that was reflected in his eyes. And now, with the light reflected in them instead, tears spilled out.


    He couldn¡¯t snap out of it for quite a while, unable to say anything for a long time, just hugging Shen Yan even tighter.


    At that moment, Shen Yan slowly shifted his body and without waiting for Qi Jing¡¯s movement, he suddenly moved over and gently captured one side of his ear, nipping it tenderly with his lips.


    ¡°... Like you.¡± Shen Yan softly murmured, ever so close as he repeated those words.


    As he spoke, Qi Jing could feel his breath blow into his ear and all the way to his heart, that warmth almost as if it was about to melt.


    Just as Qi Jing haspletely lost himself to that warmth, unable to extricate himself, Shen Yan¡¯s hand suddenly shifted from the back of his waist, gradually feeling its way down his abdomen. Through theyer of clothes, it silently pressed on that ce which had long since already reacted. At that instant, Qi Jing shivered all over, unconsciously closing his eyes as he couldn¡¯t help a brief moan from escaping.


    The two of them were as close as they could be throughout all that time; with how long their bodies were tangling together, it was all but unusual for any healthy man to have a reaction.


    But having been touched like this by the other, the psychological impact was even more intense.


    Qi Jing¡¯s knees went soft as he shivered minutely against Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder, his ear couldn¡¯t be redder, as if it was about to melt on Shen Yan¡¯s lips. Shen Yan¡¯s breath was both low and heavy as he started rubbing slowly, his movements clumsy. At the same time, his lips parted¡ªthis time, he bit Qi Jing¡¯s earlobe, making a quiet wet sucking noise.


    ¡°Like this... is enough.¡± He said.


    ¡°Ngh...¡± Qi Jing was taken aback at first, butter kind of understood what he meant. It took a long while before he finally gave a throaty response through hisboured breathing.


    His own hand also searched its way down impatiently, looking for him as well.


    It¡¯s just that his hand was even more straightforward than the other man, slowly burrowing under Shen Yan¡¯s clothes, following his curves before it finally touched that ce and gripped it lightly.


    Shen Yan¡¯s body tensed a bit, yet Qi Jing didn¡¯t release his hold, keeping a firm hold on it.


    Hearing that man¡¯s breath bing more and more urgent, an unexpected sense of satisfaction sprouted in Qi Jing¡¯s heart, his parched throat suddenly filling with a sweet aftertaste. Therefore he even deliberately lifted his knee, rubbing it against the inner side of Shen Yan¡¯s thigh as he listened to those low, constrained gasps he ever so wished to hear.


    ¡°Like this is enough... isn¡¯t it?¡± His face against the side of Shen Yan¡¯s temples, he chuckled with a sigh.


    As if they were sharing a secret.


    After that, he couldn¡¯t remember how it began, or how it finished.


    He only knew that they shed a lot of sweat, their clothes and the bedding both got somewhat wet. A box of tissues that was originally ced at the desktop ended up on the bedside table, its weight a bit lighter than the night before.


    It was Shen Yan who turned off themp.


    Qi Jing onlyy there in silence as he looked at him moving his body to press the switch, then he quietly reached out his hand to tug at his sleeve, prompting him toe back to his side. He again leaned against him as if he was a body pillow, but there was a difference this time¡ªShen Yan turned over and took him into his arms, hugging him to sleep.


    Qi Jing knew he would sleep well.


    Next day.


    When Shen Yan woke up, their position didn¡¯t change that much.


    He opened his eyes, still not fully awake yet. Thete autumn morning¡¯s sunlight was only faint, and the sky also was yet to fully wake up; most of the room was still dark, which coupled with this season¡¯s gloomy chill only made one unconsciously want to sleep in a bit longer.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t close his eyes again. He lowered his head, silently watching the person sleeping next to him.


    Qi Jing¡¯s face was almostpletely hidden against his sleeve, his breath regr, looking as if he was still sleeping.


    ¡°Qi Jing...¡±


    Shen Yan called his name softly; seeing no reaction, he leaned over andid a kiss on his cheek.


    The person on his side still didn¡¯t make a move; if he didn¡¯t see the blush on the tips of his ears, Shen Yan would have really believed that he was still sound asleep. As for the reason for that pretended slumber, Shen Yan was more than aware of it. As he went still, stupefied, he unconsciously lowered his eyes¡ªremembering the happenings of the previous night really made one feel bashful.


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± Putting his hand on Qi Jing¡¯s head, Shen Yan stroked his hair as he asked mildly, ¡°Do you still want to sleep for a bit longer?¡±


    ¡°Mhm...¡± Qi Jing finally answered him, yet his head remained down.


    The answer was very vague, but under those circumstances, it could be nothing else but affirmation.


    Shen Yan smiled faintly. His fingers retreated from Qi Jing¡¯s hair and just like the night before, he rubbed his ear lightly with a thumb. The ce under his finger was warm, and for a while, he was unwilling to let it go. ¡°You sleep for another while, until whenever you feel like getting up. I¡¯ll leave the breakfast for you on the table.¡±


    ¡°Mhm...¡± Another mild response.


    Yet Qi Jing¡¯s hold on his arm got even tighter, as if he knew Shen Yan was about to leave him.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t know what to say so he only chuckled softly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to go to workter, so I¡¯m getting up first.¡± Even though he did nothing wrong, there was still a bit of apologetic tone to his voice. After saying that, Shen Yan continued to idle away the next few minutes while cuddling Qi Jing so. It was onlyter when he moved and slowly took back his hand, not forgetting to brush away a lock of hair that fell on Qi Jing¡¯s forehead. Afterbing it nice and tidy, he finally got out from under the quilt and left the bed.


    After the sound of the door closing could be heard, out of sudden, Qi Jing¡¯s hand noiselessly pulled the corner of the quilt over his head. Then just like this, his body slowly shifted under the quilt toward the ce where Shen Yan had just been lying, setting on the ce where his warmth could still be felt.


    His heart was getting too noisy.


    He keptying there just like that, all the way until his heartbeat calmed downpletely.


    His head was full of the details from thest night¡ªat that time he felt it wasn¡¯t nearly enough, and still wanted more. But when he was thinking about it now, he could only feel his face burning.


    They clearly had yet to take thest step, yet he was already getting too shy to look Shen Yan in the eye, getting bashful and remembering that distinct touch of those hands... He really was too useless. Qi Jing let his imagination run wild as he hid under the quilt, unable to convince himself to get out of the bed while Shen Yan was still in the house.


    The vet clinic opened at 8AM every day, and it was currently 7:15AM.


    He could vaguely hear Shen Yan preparing breakfast outside the room; the smell of food filled the house¡ªit was without doubt a tasty and nutritious warm meal. Qi Jing almost suffocated from how stuffy the air got under the quilt, so he lifted one corner of it and listened to the nking kitchen utensils and tablewareing from the living room. After a short while, all of the sounds disappeared, and another ten minutester, there was a dull noiseing from the entrance¡ªit was probably Shen Yan going out to work.


    He rubbed his chest¡ªthat wild heartbeat was about topletely calm down, even though the warmth he felt was far from getting any better.


    No matter what, he had to get his act together before Shen Yan gets back at noon...


    Qi Jing took a deep breath and with a face red as a tomato, he swung his head like a rattle drum before he got up and went to freshen up.


    He got to thepartment outside the bathroom and stood before the washstand, but the moment he was about to take his toothbrush and a cup, his gaze suddenly swept across the mirror before him and he froze immediately.


    With his hand stopped short of taking the washing utensils, he took it back from midair to push the cor of his shirt aside, only to see the faintly discernible marks underneath. There were some on his neck and some on the side of his vicles¡ªeven though he¡¯s never gotten those before, after reading novels and watching a lot of ¡°reference material¡±, he already more or less knew what these were.


    When he realised how those marks came to be, his face immediately turned into a hot chilli pepper, even more than when he was in the bed.


    Qi Jing cleared his throat, then instinctively looked away as he hurriedly pulled the cor up, as if he wasn¡¯t even able to look into his own eyes reflected in the mirror.


    He really didn¡¯t expect he would also have a day like this.


    He always thought leaving traces like this was something newlyweds or especially passionate lovers would do¡ªhe didn¡¯t expect Shen Yan, with his meek character, could also do stuff like that during the moments of passion.


    And what was even more important was that when he saw it, he actually also felt kind of happy for a moment... What a mess.


    How fortunate that Shen Yan went to work and didn¡¯t see that.How fortunate that he didn¡¯t have to go to work and let his colleagues see that.


    ¡°Otherwise it¡¯d really be very bad...¡±


    Qi Jing muttered to himself as he slowly stroked those hickeys, the corners of his lips curling up without him realising.


    In order to get his mind out of the gutter more effectively, he decided to direct his attention back onto voice acting.


    He hadn¡¯t visited the forum again after closing that post about the development of the ?Order to End the Heavens? contest yesterday. And with the whole string of things that happenedter, he didn¡¯t have any asion to go online, and knew nothing about how thetest two auditions turned out. There surely was someone who would record apetition of this scale, so he nned to catch up with it during his free time today.


    Even though neither of them were listed for yesterday¡¯s auditions, there was no harm in listening to other people¡¯s performances to gain some experience¡ªand that was even more the case with how he was really interested in the judges¡¯ feedback.


    After turning on theputer, Qi Jing first opened the forum page, as he was very concerned about that director who imed to try and unmask the big name behind ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± and wanted to check whether they made any move, and what were the results. But fortunately enough, it was only a day since Shen Yan¡¯s performance concluded, so he saw no traces of anyone managing to dig out the truth.


    Unlike Qi Jing, Shen Yan¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t as easily recognizable, moreover the audio drama producers he¡¯s worked with were few and far between.


    It wasn¡¯tpletely impossible to get recognized, but it would probably take some time.


    What¡¯s more, the two of yesterday¡¯s auditions also diverted the attention of a part of the audience.


    One of them was the audition for the page ¡°Lu Wei¡±¡ªand surprisingly enough, there was an ID Qi Jing was particrly familiar with on the list ofpetitors who advanced to the next stage.


    ¡°Eh? Crossing the bridge noodles...¡± Qi Jing was surprised for a moment, but after a while he was back to normal, thinking that it couldn¡¯t be called as big of a surprise.


    When Crossing the bridge noodles first performed as ¡°Liu Suyu¡±, he got influenced by his illness and an unfortunate ce in a line up, throwing a shadow on his second performance. Even though his second audition was for a youthful voice he was best suited for, so at least in theory, he had everything to go for the first ce, he seemed to have not recovered from the illness yet and scored the mere third ce.


    Since he had already taken part in two auditions, then hisst one should be the one where their names got ced so close to each other on the contestants list, thepetition for ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±.


    Currently, he got one fourth ce and one third ce, getting the qualification to advance in ranks for both of thepetitions.


    But if he were to get any lower cement for the ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±petition than those two, then ording to thepetition rules, even if he ced in the top ten, his efforts would still go down the drain pitifully.


    ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± was a main character; if he lost the chance to y the main character because of two NPC roles, then it would be hard to not think it a great loss.


    Thinking about it, Qi Jing suddenly thought of something and quickly logged into his weibo ount.


    ¡ªHe didn¡¯t see any @s he expected.


    Seeing that Crossing the bridge noodles didn¡¯t issue any invitation to watch hispetition like thest time, Qi Jing breathed a sigh of relief. Seems like what the other party did that day was just a whim.


    At that moment, his heart felt much lighter and he closed Weibo without a second thought.


    As there was no prompt, hepletely overlooked the private message that was sent into his ¡°Messages from non-mutuals¡± folder.


    Crossing the bridge noodles: I¡¯m sorry for taking the liberty of making you cheer for me that day, but thank you foring. On another note, here¡¯s my QQ number¡ªif it¡¯s not a problem, please add me, there¡¯s something... I need to tell you directly.


    T/N:


    Luci: Those hickeys... Grandpa Yan, you truly have some qualifications to be the legendary ¡®<i>angel in the streets, devil between the sheets</i>¡¯¡ªI expect a loting from you in the future (? ???¦Ø??? ?)


    Mashiro: (? ???¦Ø??? ?) (/¦Ø£Ü)

 Chapter 64

    <h4>Chapter 64</h4>


    Thank you Tinsunny for the treat


    Editor: Whitere


    There were three possible reasons why <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> stopped paying him any heed:


    1. <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> was only slightly interested in him because of <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>. That¡¯s why he came to take a jab at him and got tired of it after toying with him for a bit, so <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> didn¡¯t care for him anymore.


    2. <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> wasn¡¯t too interested in him because he realised that there were no benefits to associating himself with some nobody.


    3. <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> waspletely uninterested in him.


    Of course, the most ideal option for Qi Jing would be option 3, but he knew that in reality, it should be either 1 or 2. Which was honestly still okay, since anything that happens in the 2D world would just go away with the wind once unplugged.


    Not finding any more messages directed at him from <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>, so he gave himself a relieved pat on the chest and switched over to the forum, carefully reading through thements made by everyone about thepetition.


    Apart from expressing their opinions about the matches that have already concluded, theizens were also engaged in fervently discussing their predictions for the future matches. The main reason for this was that with every instalment of the¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·voice actingpetition, several CVs would shoot to fame from it. Even for those who didn¡¯t win, their fame was bound to be far greater than before. This was especially crucial in the current online voice acting circle where people were bing increasingly aggressive and ambitious and poprity virtually determined one¡¯s future prospects.


    All the CVs were dying to be famous overnight.


    All the producers were waiting to discover talents with great potential.


    And all the listeners were looking forward to hearing more great voices, to experience more eargasms¡ªeveryone was here with their own motives and purpose, so to speak.


    Someone went to the official page of¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·and copied over the list of shortlisted contestants. This list naturally included the roles that Qi Jing and Shen Yan would bepeting forter.


    The discussion surrounding ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± had been going on since the semi-finals of ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡±. But the crowd was more concerned about Shen Yan¡¯s next roles, ¡°Bai Ke¡± and ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±.


    [Comment 462]:


    Speaking of the next few matches, I¡¯m especially looking forward to the remaining two of ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡±! ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ


    Although the old grandfather he voiced was very nice and touching, I ultimately still prefer listening to youthful voices (hides face) ...His normal voice gives people afortable and upright feeling, and for him to voice a despicable scumbag like ¡°Bai Ke¡±... I find it a little hard to imagine... I think he would be more suitable for ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±, yep.


    [Com 465]:


    Shaking hands through space with thementer on top! I also think it¡¯s quite unexpected for Kitty¡¯s Papa to register for ¡°Bai Ke¡±; ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± definitely matches his vibe more. His ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡± is so kind and amiable; voicing ¡°Bai Ke¡± is basically a waste of spots. He might as well sign up for two lead roles!! ...It¡¯s a shame just thinking about it!! Why didn¡¯t you apply for a lead role, Kitty¡¯s Papa!!£¨¨s¨F¡õ¡ä£©¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø


    [Comment 466]:


    Oh save it, you... =¡£= With the Great God <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> there for ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±, all the other contestants that signed up for that role can only be cannon fodder, that¡¯s why, it¡¯s only wise to choose to avoid it.


    Alright, I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m the Great God¡¯s diehard fan... but I¡¯m just sincerely stating a fact. ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q As for the two lead roles, this Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s voice is probably only suitable for ¡°Qin Tuo¡±? Our Great God also signed up for that, so I¡¯m guessing he knew he couldn¡¯t stand up to the Great God and gave up from the start. After all, you still need to look at poprity in the dubbingmunity. If this Kitty¡¯s Papa isn¡¯t revealed to be some super Great God hiding behind a smurf, it won¡¯t be easy for him to win.


    He might still have some hope if he does a decent job at ¡°Bai Ke¡±, that¡¯s all. (picks nose)


    [Comment 467]:


    ...Wow isn¡¯t a certain Great God¡¯s fan above feeling real good about themselves... Don¡¯t be so quick to dere your victory already, you might trip ¨r£¨¦å£ß¦å£©¨q


    Although I also enjoy listening to <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> voice, for something like apetition, I doubt it¡¯s enough to just have a good voice andrge fanbase; the judges might not give a hoot about that. Personally, I think this Kitty¡¯s Papa would be able to get at least top three for ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± if he¡¯s able to perform his usual standard. As for ¡°Bai Ke¡±... every cell in my body despises this character, so I won¡¯tment on it.


    [Comment 468]:


    Ugly sobbing... Every word thementer above said... Bai Ke, this scumbag, is not one of, but the character I most wanted to kill off when I was reading the novel... My precious Fang Yisheng Ahhhhh! He got disabled because of that horrible poison!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    ...


    At this point in the discussion, the tide suddenly turned to Qi Jing because he was one of the contestants who registered for and was shortlisted for the role of ¡°Fang Yisheng.¡± And of course,<i> Crossing the bridge noodles</i> who was also shortlisted couldn¡¯t escape bing the subject of gossip.


    [Com 470]:


    About that~ Speaking of ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±, I took a look at the list someone posted above and there are a lot of familiar IDs from the online voice acting circle!! Of which, I think the most famous and high-profile of the bunch is probably <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>. In most of the audio dramas that I listen to, his youth voicees up the most, though I think his teenage voice is really good too! (I really am a Shou voice-con...) ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± belongs to the cold beauty type and when I tried to imagine his voice in it, it seemed really apt!! ~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~


    [Com 471]:


    A ¡°Moss stan¡± here to make our presence known!! If Little Sparrow really wins ¡°Qin Tuo¡± and Little Noodles takes ¡° Fang Yisheng¡±, then I¡¯ll really be able to start shipping the first and second lead when I¡¯m ying the game!! ©d(¨RO¨Q)¡¨


    I¡¯m so looking forward to it with starry eyes!!


    Bute to think of it, <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i> actually signed up for both ¡°Qin Tuo¡± and ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±; is he being serious here... These two characters arepletely different though? I actually started taking notice of him because of¡¶Trap¡·. I liked his voice in the drama, so I went to search up his other works, but they turned out to be so different... I was a little disappointed... I still prefer the sultry 0.5 voice he did when he acted with Little Sparrow... (Fine, I¡¯m con for weak Shou voice)


    I¡¯m not really optimistic for his next two matches, and even if I like his voice, he¡¯s going up against two of my life¡¯s cores! That¡¯s definitely not going to work out!! ¨R¡÷¨Q


    [Comment 472]:


    W-Wha¡ª?? <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i> is going topete with the ¡°Moss¡± couple?? Is this the start of a dramatic showdown while getting into a 3P?? (¨R¨Œ¨Q)/


    At first, I didn¡¯t really take note of the list but checking it out since everyone was talking about it, I feel really&#k2026; happy to see it! Gahahah!


    Let me put on my serious face as I say the next words. I¡¯ve had my eye on him since before he was in¡¶Trap¡·. Will I say I prefer his Gong voice? Yes, that¡¯s right, I¡¯m a Gong-con, and more importantly, a charming yboy Gong voice-con! <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s</i> voice sounds rather bright and mboyant¡ªjust the way I like it¡ªbut just how hard did he have to fake his voice in¡¶Trap¡·for his dubbing to turn out that way...


    Anyway, although I don¡¯t have much expectations, I still want to listen to his performance, be it ¡°Qin Tuo¡± or ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±. <(£þ¦á£þ)>


    [Com 473]:


    Weakly drifting through the many Sparrow and Rice Noodle fans&#k2026; I¡¯m just a tiny Return Date fan.


    I¡¯ve been a fan of Return Date for a long time now and although he¡¯s good at ying dead and has little work to show (Oi), his Weibo looks really interesting. I feel like he knows a lot, especially about current affairs and news, and I often see him reblogging and then writingments that are spot on! (I think I¡¯m going off tangent again&#k2026;)


    I saw the girl from Comment 471 say that she wishes he would be a Shou all the way, but he¡¯s super Gong on his Weibo, alright! He can either be a strong Shou with <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>, or a yboy Gong with Little Noodles¡ªI don¡¯t mind either way~ (Oi, oi, oi)


    ...


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey... Ladies, weren¡¯t we just discussing thepetition, why have we started to talk about rtionship issues now?¡±


    Qi Jing dejectedly banged his forehead on the table twice; he didn¡¯t know whether tough or to cry. Ever since he voiced¡¶Trap¡·and the drama that ensued on Weibo, every time he was mentioned on the forum, people would definitely bring up <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> or <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> or both.


    ¡°Haiz, I rather you guys put Kitty¡¯s Papa and I together in discussion,¡± He sighed feebly and gave a helpless chuckle. Hemented thusly although he understood that this was the most unlikely situation to ever happen.


    He more or less had an idea of the direction thepetition predictions were leaning now. Whether it¡¯s ¡°Qin Tuo¡± or ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±, there wasn¡¯t anyone who had much hopes for him, due to hisck of fame and sparse portfolio...


    ¡°But that makes it all the more exciting,¡± Qi Jingughed.


    He¡¯s so excited for that moment when the tables are turned.


    However, where there were fans, those antis could often soon follow after.


    Qi Jing watched the many fights that revolved around him and through all those back-and-forths, the people engaged in it could be divided into three categories: real fans, real antis, and antis that disguised themselves as fans.


    The real fans, for the most part, were open-minded and cheerful, liked to listen to dramas, liked good voices, and would often persuade both sides to reconcile when their idol got into an argument with someone else.


    The real antis would ignore everything and as long as the target of their hate was there, they would just go up and curse, without any reason or trigger.


    As for those disguised antis, they would appear to be talking out of anger for their favourite CV, but in reality, they were just attacking someone in the name of being a fan, and might not genuinely like that CV. After all, if one genuinely liked someone, they would not push that person to the forefront of the storm. Their real motive was to sow discord and take pleasure in the fans of different idols going at each other.


    These fewments before him right now would fall into thest category¡ª


    [Comment 484]:


    What a joke. I¡¯m really thoroughly disgusted seeing those people talking about CPs on top. Is this <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i> person addicted to riding on others¡¯ coattails? First, he had this ambiguous rtionship with Bronze Sparrow, and now he¡¯s instructing his fans to pull some publicity stunt by hyping the CP? If I remember correctly, didn¡¯t he drag the Great God down because before he took a long time to submit his recordings, and ended up exposed by an insider for being two-faced?


    Although that post was deletedter and he was in the limelight for a good while after the release of¡¶Trap¡·and no one found trouble with him, however, the heavens know everything that we do. He¡¯s recently gone back to his old tricks by riding on <i>Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯</i> coattails now, isn¡¯t he? And what¡¯s up with <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>, being baited so easily. What a waste of any fondness I felt for him... Fan turned passer-by.


    [Comment 485]:


    ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q Hahaha, I think the joke is you,ment 485. You call yourself a Rice Noodle Fan? Then do you know the people who say the nastiest things under the¡¶Trap¡·post are all you Rice Noodle Fans?


    There is no evidence to support the im that <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>, yet you¡¯re still bringing it up to stir shit, then can I suspect that you¡¯re the one who made that post? Taking a hundred steps back, <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> is obviously the one who¡¯s riding on people¡¯s coattails. Look at that confession he made towards <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>, the Weibo is still there and he even did it in front of his official CP, <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>. So can I say that this <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> is very cunning? After bing popr from being with the Great God, he immediately turns around and seduces other people. It¡¯s not even an exaggeration to call him a white-eyed wolf.


    Go have a look yourself, there are still posts rted to the ¡°Time Limit¡± ship floating around. Do you dare say that those weren¡¯t created by you Rice Noodle fans yourselves? You shot yourself in the foot and still don¡¯t know, truly deplorable.


    All the best, Return Date! Snatch the Great God over and let those Rice Noodle fans cry themselves to sleep!


    [Comment 486]:


    I can only scoff at the twoments above mine. Little Noodles¡¯ ability is there for all to see, you think he needs someone else¡¯s help to make it? Don¡¯t go around spreading such moronic thinking.


    While Little Noodles might not have as many fans as <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>, his followers on Weibo are at least in five figures, and he has more dramas than <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>, all of high quality too. He¡¯s not someone who made it thanks to fans. You Sparrow fans are really shameless, constantly crediting it to the Great God, quit being so narcissistic already.


    The same goes for <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>. Putting aside the matter of him being entangled with <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>, what¡¯s he trying to do mentioning Little Noodles Weibo the other time?? He only has a few thousand followers but I guess he¡¯s managed to gain quite a lot of attention from leeching off others left and right. He didn¡¯t even perform well on his most popr work¡¶Trap¡·. Tch. ¨r(¨s_¨t)¨q


    [Comment 487]:


    ...I wanna say that this is the thread for discussing the ¡¶Order to End the Heavenspetition. Can the people who want to bring up all these love dramas open your own thread!! Be it <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> or <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> or <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>, you can discuss it here if it¡¯s rted to thepetition, but settle your personal affairs elsewhere! Don¡¯t dirty my eyes!! (I originally had a pretty good impression of these three CVs but I¡¯m about to turn into a passer-by thanks to these fans...)


    [Comment 488]:


    I originally had a pretty good impression of these three CVs but I¡¯m about to turn into a passer-by thanks to these fans+10086


    I¡¯m not interested in CVs¡¯ private life at all, I¡¯m purely a drama listener; if both their voice and acting skills are good then it¡¯s plus points for me; if the fans are sensible people, additional points. However, whatever point I have for these three are almost exhausted by the fans... Look, I will be objective when voting for thepetition¡ªI will vote for whoever that can impress and move me. Who cares if they ride on coattails or try to pull publicity stunts with ships, thisdy here only cares about skill, regardless of character.


    ...


    Thements following that were finally brought back on track, but before that, some of the words said were still so nasty they were too hard to ignore.


    Qi Jing sighed a second time.


    He had a bad habit¡ªit¡¯s something Ninth Lady had mentioned to him before, other people had also told him about it, but he hadn¡¯t been able to correct it. Whenever it came to matters in the 2D world, he always adopted the attitude ofpromising to whittle down a major issue until it became nothing. Sometimes, because he¡¯s unwilling to meet the disputes head-on, people would take that as a chance to attack him and use him of feeling guilty, and things would end up spiralling in a worse direction.


    If he had been more assertive and insistent in his ideas back then, he wouldn¡¯t have performed¡¶Trap¡·the way he did.


    If he had drawn a line back then, there wouldn¡¯t be all these people constantly bringing up who¡¯s coattails he¡¯s trying to ride on and who he was trying to use to get exposure through their ship.


    ¡°Looks like I have to set things straight,¡± he muttered to himself; not just for himself, but for Shen Yan as well.


    First, he wanted to start from <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>.


    He had personally witnessed the way <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> treated his fans, and honestly... although those little girls were young, they didn¡¯t seem to have that much firepower. Moreover, through some clues, he could see that <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> usually made sure to restrain them, so it¡¯s unlikely that they would do something likeunch malicious attacks. He¡¯ll have a talk with him and the two of them would issue a statement together to clear up the matter, which would probably be able to prevent more offensivements froming.


    ¡°Noodles-kun, looks like I really need to have a good talk about life with you...¡±


    As he said that, Qi Jing opened Weibo again and searched for <i>Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯</i> homepage after taking a deep breath. It was then that he suddenly noticed that there was a tick mark next to <i>Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯</i> avatar¡ªit was a sign that this person was already following him. Qi Jing was stunned. When did this happen? He didn¡¯t even notice.


    Back when¡¶Trap¡·was first released, he only followed <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i> out of courtesy, but he had never followed <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>.


    This time, it¡¯s really... Ah, he feels so embarrassed.


    It just so happens that the little dot next to the private message button was green at the moment¡ªan indication that the other party was online. After Qi Jing clicked on the follow button, their status became ¡°Mutuals¡± and since he saw that <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> was online, he clicked on the private message box and got ready to use his right hand to slowly type out his message. But to his surprise, a private message alert popped up in the next second.


    <i>CV ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles</i>: You¡¯re online now, right? I just saw that you followed me.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s really rare to find people online this early in the morning.


    Qi Jing could only close his own message window and directly reply to the other party.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: Mhm.


    <i>CV ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles</i>: You didn¡¯t add me on QQ, is it because it¡¯s inconvenient?


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: QQ? I don¡¯t know your QQ number...


    <i>CV ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles</i>: I pm-ed you two days ago, you probably didn¡¯t see the message.


    Two days ago¡ªthe day of the ¡°Liu Suyu¡± match.


    When Qi Jing saw that message, he suddenly remembered that there was a new feature on Weibo called ¡°Messages from non-mutuals¡±, so he hurriedly went back and saw the message quietly sitting there in his mailbox.


    ¡°Shi...¡± He sucked in a breath of cold air. So the other person was the one who wanted to talk about life? Ah... he¡¯s sinned...


    The other party hade to ask for an exnation, because he had seen the unpleasantments on the forum¡ªwas what Qi Jing thought. So he painstakingly typed down his reply, word by word.


    <i>CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I¡¯m sorry, because there was no notification I didn¡¯t see it in time. It¡¯s quite inconvenient for me to type, so if we can voice call on QQ, could we do that?


    <i>CV ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles</i>: OK, but I have to go to work at 9 AM, so I can¡¯t talk for long.


    So he¡¯s a working adult huh... As his voice sounded very young, Qi Jing thought he was a fresh-faced college freshman or even a high school student or something. How surprising.


    Qi Jing instinctively looked at the time¡ªit was 8.30 AM now, they still had half an hour.


    He opened the QQ app and the moment he logged in, his auditory senses werepletely taken over by a loud, non-stop beeping sound, giving him a headache for a moment. It¡¯s okay, he¡¯d voice call <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> first, then look at the messages people left for him during the call.


    He sent a friend request to the number given by the other party.


    He didn¡¯t think that <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> even set three questions for iing requests:


    1. Who are you?


    2. What are you contacting me regarding?


    3. I¡¯m not epting new shows, do you still want to continue?


    Qi Jing raised a brow and after some thought, typed out his answer:


    1. <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>.


    2. Shouldn¡¯t be anything bad.


    3. It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s a drama you¡¯ve already epted.


    After sending it, the friend request was quickly approved. Qi Jing was still fiddling with the audio jack of his headphones when the voice call from <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> already came. After he epted it, the voice that came to his ears was one that sounded rather unfamiliar but it did sound ¡°clear as water¡±, as the fans put it.


    ¡°Hello? Can you hear me?¡± The nasally sound in his voice from the day of the match was gone; seemed like he was recovering quite well from his cold.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Qi Jing replied and didn¡¯t know what else to say in that moment so he politely greeted the other man, ¡°...Good morning.¡±


    The person on the other end of the line seemed to be slightly taken aback as he only replied after a pause, ¡°Good morning.¡±


    Thank goodness, the atmosphere was much more peaceful than the hostile, tense atmosphere he had expected¡ªit wasn¡¯t to the point that every word they said was covered in gunpowder, ready to start a fight any time.


    ¡°What did you mean when you said ¡®it¡¯s a drama you¡¯ve already epted¡¯?¡± After a short moment of silence, <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> suddenly brought up this abrupt topic.


    Hearing those words, Qi Jing lifted his head in confusion and stared nkly at the undting green dots in the volume area.


    <i>What? Has this manpletely forgotten that he¡¯ll be ying as a couple in an audio drama with me? Or is it that this drama is too absurd that he selectively erased it from his memory? Ah, but those lines that¡¯d zap anyone with a hundred thousand volts of lightning really make you not want to recall it...</i>


    ¡°You probably have too many dramas on your te and forgot about it,¡± Qi Jing offered an exnation for him.


    As he said that, his fingers moved to click on the shing penguin avatar at the bottom right corner of the screen, intending to take a quick nce at the other messages during their conversation.


    And quite coincidentally, the first message he clicked on was actually from the producer of this show they were talking about¡ªit was from<i> Jade Butterfly</i>.


    Looking at this ID which he hasn¡¯t seen in a long while, Qi Jing thought to himself: <i>how timely of her.</i>


    ¡°The producer is called...¡±


    Before he could say the words <i>Jade Butterfly</i>, his eyes suddenlynded on the contents of her message and his voice instantly stalled. Blinking at the screen, he slowly straightened his sitting posture as his brows furrowed together.


    <i>Jade Butterfly</i>: Return Date, this <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> is really too cunning and good at ying games. I¡¯m so disappointed in him. Don¡¯t ever believe anything he says to you. Don¡¯t believe it¡ª


    A/N: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ Needing to split myself into so many differentmenters in also skill...


    Congrattions on Little Noodles¡¯ official appearance!! ~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~


    Congrattions to the return of Jade Butterfly!! ~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~


    Lilies: For those who aren¡¯t on the discord, we¡¯ll be taking a break from updating until the end of Aug cause my exams are here


    Whitere: nearly forgot Jade Butterfly existed... The plot thickens!

 Chapter 65

    <h4>Chapter 65</h4>


    Lilies: thank you to MCJohnston and Bee for the donation!! ¦Ò(¨R¦Å¨Q£ï)


    TLC: Lilies


    Editor: Mashiro


    ¡°What is the producer called?¡±


    The other party¡¯s voice sounded plenty calm, like the water of a bottomlesske¡ªso calm that it was almost scary.


    Qi Jing hesitated at once. No sound came from his half-opened mouth for a long time as he furrowed his brows more and more.


    ¡°... Forgot.¡± He replied softly, ncing down slightly as he spoke, ¡°I forgot her ID.¡±


    Apart from that message, Jade Butterfly also attached a picture with ament ¡°got it from an insider in the know¡±, along with repeatedly urging him not to ¡°leak it to the person in question and take care so it doesn¡¯te back to bite you¡±. It was sent via offline message, so he had to click on the attached picture to see it. With a bellyful ofplicated feelings, he clicked on the mouse button to open it.


    What he saw was a screenshot of a chat log.


    In it, the ID of one of the participants had been covered, probably out of fear for repercussions.


    On the other hand, the ID of the other participant, Crossing the bridge noodles, waspletely out in the open, dark grey Fang Song font size 14 being a font of his choice. As for the content, it went as follows:


    Crossing the bridge noodles: Don¡¯t ask for my return date? What kind of joke is it? Who would want to y in the same drama as that shameless person and ruin my own reputation?


    ¡ö¡ö: But he is working with that CP of yours.


    Crossing the bridge noodles: I know he¡¯s cooperating with Bronze Sparrow, so he¡¯s probably about to get popr from now on, but do I, with the amount of my fans in five digits, have to rub off some of his poprity? What¡¯s more, the sheer thought of being in the same production crew as him makes me feel sick, and all of the staff members who know me are aware of that. If either me or one of them is in the production crew, Don¡¯t ask for my return date can forget about staying in it.


    ¡ö¡ö: Haha, you¡¯re so heartless. How can he get popr with you like this?


    Crossing the bridge noodles: He is probably going to get popr through ?Trap?. Hehe, if he insists on trying to interact with me, then I¡¯ll make sure to return the favour and cast a to trap him. Then I¡¯ll just toss a bait to lure him into making a fool of himself or something.


    ¡ö¡ö: You can show him some goodwill first, then find an opportunity toin on the forum, saying he cheated you and wanted to use you. This way, you would be guaranteed to get him cancelled.


    Crossing the bridge noodles: That¡¯s a good idea.


    ¡ö¡ö: Little Noodles, you have my full support! A shameless wretch like him shouldn¡¯t stay in the circle.


    Crossing the bridge noodles: What¡¯s more, I won¡¯t give up Bronze Sparrow to anyone else, especially not to someone this two-faced. No matter if it¡¯s now or in the future, as long as I have yet to retire, they can only pick one¡ªit¡¯s either me or him, nopromises.


    ... So, those previous production crews ¡°asking¡± him to leave for no apparent reason were all his doing?


    The moment he saw the content of that picture, Qi Jing felt a chill spreading through his very bones; he felt light-headed, as if the blood suddenly reversed its flow in his veins.


    He didn¡¯t know how to describe that feeling¡ªhe only felt his whole body grow stiff, his hand holding the mouse slowly gripping it harder and harder. Even the cursor on the screen was starting to shake.


    No, wait¡ªHe should wait first, wait and do a simple test before making a decision.


    Qi Jing silently moved the cursor towards the ¡°end the call¡± button on the window and ended their voice call without any word of warning. Then, he sat there still, waiting. After about two or three seconds, the other party sent another invitation, and he ended the call once again.


    After the second call didn¡¯t go through, Crossing the bridgenoodles used the message mode to express his confusion in the chat window.


    Crossing the bridge noodles: What happened? The call ended suddenly.


    Size 14, dark grey, FangSong font...


    Everything was exactly the same as in the picture.


    Qi Jing held his breath for a moment, slowly leaning against the back of the chair. His heart throbbed dully deep in his chest, his thoughts flying into disarray.


    After a long while, he reopened the voice chatting channel and slowly gave the other an exnation for what had just happened. ¡°... I¡¯m sorry, there was a problem with the inte connection on my side, I just got disconnected twice. It should be fine by now.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Crossing the bridge noodles didn¡¯t seem to show any unusual reaction and moved on with the topic, ¡°Right, I have yet to thank you properly for thest time.¡±


    ¡°Noodles-sama, you¡¯re too polite.¡± Hearing this ¡°thank you¡± after seeing that picture left Qi Jing with a strange feeling.


    ¡°No need for calling me ¡®sama¡¯, it sounds so strange when two VAs call each other this.¡± Crossing the bridge noodles paused for a bit, then suggested, ¡°You can just call me Noodles. In return, can I call you Return Date?¡±


    ¡°Of course&#k2026; you can call me as you wish.¡±


    Qi Jing kept cool and exchanged some conventional pleasantries with him as he calmly opened the online voice acting forum. He searched for the audio drama posts of a few of the production crews that kicked him out first, including &#k27RJ;Keep the Cloud, Borrow the Moon&#k27RK;, &#k27RJ;Pce Coup&#k27RK;, as well as &#k27RJ;His Happy Times&#k27RK;.


    Although Crossing the bridge noodles didn¡¯t have any role in ?Keep the Cloud, Borrow the Moon?, The Reed, the director of that drama, was widely known in the circle as a hardcore ¡°Rice Noodles Fan¡±, so much so that she was even considered his number one ¡°mom¡±; it wouldn¡¯t be strange if she heeded his everymand.


    In ?Pce Coup?, Crossing the bridge noodles yed a supporting role, his scenes quite important.


    As for ?His Happy Times?... Turns out Crossing the bridge noodles yed the main character for that one.


    All sorts of clues came together, almost every single one of them pointing at the fact Qi Jing didn¡¯t want to believe in.


    His impression of this person that was about to take shape had suddenly be confusing, as if something that was about to surface had unexpectedly sunk back even deeper into the dark waters.


    So when Jade Butterfly mentioned him being ¡°good at ying games¡±... That was what she meant?


    He already experienced Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ skills at voice acting, but once those acting skills got used in reality, it really made one¡¯s blood run cold.


    And that man, at that very moment, was still talking to him calmly. ¡°Return Date, I wanted to talk about something with you.¡±


    Qi Jing closed the post pages in silence, and after a moment of hesitation, he still decided to listen carefully, ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±


    Crossing the bridge noodles wasn¡¯t quick to continue talking, falling silent for a moment instead. After a while, he said something thatpletely caught Qi Jing off guard.


    ¡°I wanted to ask you, what prejudice do you have against me?¡±


    Isn¡¯t that what I should be asking? Qi Jing¡¯s eyes opened wide with disbelief, full of doubt whether heard that right¡ªhe couldn¡¯t help but return that question in his heart.


    Yet Crossing the bridge noodles didn¡¯t stop at that, ¡°You previously... withdrew from a couple of production crews I was in. Was there any kind of reason behind it?¡±


    Is it perhaps the legendary ¡°the thief cries thief¡± situation?Qi Jing was alreadypletely confused about what he should think of this matter.


    ¡°Noodles,¡± He released his breath slowly and made his first move to sound the other out, ¡°Are you sure I left the production crews on my own ord? And how did you get to know about this matter?¡±


    Crossing the bridge noodles went silent for a moment, his voice now mixed with a bit of caution, ¡°... I¡¯m sorry, but to avoid the problems from arising, I can¡¯t tell you who told me about this matter. This circle is only so big, if the two of you were to cooperateter, then knowing too much would make it quite awkward. But... after she told me about it, I went to verify it by myself¡ªthose production crews also told me so.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±


    The other party¡¯s tone didn¡¯t sound as if he was hiding something, or had a guilty conscience¡ªin the end, is this an act or not?


    That ¡°don¡¯t believe it¡± from Jade Butterfly was like a thorn wedged deep into his mind¡ªit caused him pain whenever his will to believe him showed up a bit, so he didn¡¯t dare to trust that man so lightly.


    A person¡¯s voice was just so very deceptive, no matter how clear, how innocent it sounded. He was a voice actor himself, he should be even more aware of that.


    ¡°Well then,¡± Qi Jing decided to make a strategic retreat, ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t have any prejudice against you, not a speck of it.¡±


    And he really meant it¡ªeven though the other party¡¯s fans smeared him in the thread for ?Trap?, that was only his fans¡¯ behaviour, the VA himself didn¡¯t need to assume the direct responsibility. And as for the indirect responsibility... The opinions varied when it came to that one, but he wasn¡¯t the type to take the online nder personally, so he didn¡¯t think much of it.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then that¡¯s good.¡± The calmness of an early morning could be easily hearding from Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ side of the call as he breathed, as if he was now a lot more at ease, ¡°I know that some of my fans were rude towards you before, and thought that was the reason.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re talking about the matter of thements in ?Trap? thread, that happened after I left those production crews.¡± For now, he settled with the version of him leaving by himself.


    Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ voice got a bit more serious after he heard that, ¡°It happened after you left?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Qi Jing replied ording to the truth as he observed his reaction.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Crossing the bridge noodles suddenly eximed softly as if he had realised something, then said in a low voice, ¡°It seems like I overlooked a certain crucial detail... Let me go back and ask around a bit more to rify that.¡±


    Qi Jing kept listening to him in silence, then decided to take back the initiative.


    ¡°Since you already asked your question, then Noodles, I also would like to ask you something¡ªthat time when you posted on weibo that you like me, it wasn¡¯t for real, right?¡±


    Yet the other man unexpectedly returned him the ball with a single strike, ¡°No,pared to Bronze Sparrow Terrace, I indeed like you more.¡±


    Can you not admit that so outright... Qi Jing felt his brain hurt.


    ¡°In that case, what did you like about me? I don¡¯t think we ever actually interacted before?¡± Since the other was so straightforward, then he could only get right to the point.


    ¡°Your voice,¡± After a moment of silence, Crossing the bridge noodles said in a lukewarm tone, ¡°it¡¯s closer to the voice of a person I like¡ª¡±


    Qi Jing momentarily went dumbstruck.


    Wait...


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace was his boyfriend.


    But Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s voice didn¡¯t resemble the voice of a person he liked.


    Compared to Bronze Sparrow Terrace, it was his voice that was closer to the voice of the person he liked.


    So there was definitely one statement from above that didn¡¯t hold up¡ªQi Jing was digesting the heavy load of information packed in that sentence, honestly feeling as if he had been yed by the other man, ¡°... Wait, the Great God Bronze Sparrow Terrace isn¡¯t your boyfriend, and he isn¡¯t the person you like?¡±


    Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ next words were enough to shatter the heart of every ¡°Moss¡± stan, ¡°Nonsense, when did I ever say he¡¯s my boyfriend?¡±


    So the 3D matters are truly different from what is being said in 2D...


    The people of the online voice acting circle often were quick to believe the rumours, and wouldn¡¯t think as deeply about it.


    But just like this, some of the things that didn¡¯t make sense before suddenly became clear. ¡°So that day at thepetition when you said I can make you feel a bit better, you meant...¡±


    ¡°I had listened to your audio dramas before, and always felt like your voices were quite simr, so as long as I listened more to your voice, I could easily substitute it for that guy¡¯s. When you came to wish me good luck, I could imagine your voice saying it, making it feel like he was the one to wish me luck.¡±


    ¡°Turns out you¡¯re a hopeless voice-con huh...¡± Qi Jing facepalmed in silence.


    ¡°It was indeed because I liked his voice that I got to know that guy.¡± Crossing the bridge noodles trulyid it on the line.


    He¡¯s not just a voice-con, but also a severe case to boot¡ªQi Jing couldn¡¯t help but feel pity for that unknown boyfriend-kun.


    ¡°Then, why not invite the person himself to wish you luck?¡±


    Any sound from Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ side disappeared for a moment, and it took a long while for him to say slowly, ¡°It¡¯s because... it was only my one-sided ¡®like¡¯. He doesn¡¯t have that kind of intention.¡±


    Qi Jing suddenly went silent. So it¡¯s a not yet established rtionship, no wonder he can only use substitutes...


    Crossing the bridge noodles was veryposed throughout their whole conversation, and it was only when he spoke the next words that some of his personal feelings slipped through. His voice low, he said, ¡°That guy really is cunning. He never let me record him, never sent me any voice messages, insisting that it¡¯s only worthwhile to talk in person when something has to be said, and even calls can¡¯t count as talking to each other. To be honest, it¡¯s all because of my one-sided love¡ªhe probably just didn¡¯t want to let himself get trapped.¡±


    ¡°Oh right,e to think of it, you were sick that day.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s more, it was the first audition, and you had that misfortune to be the first to perform.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I get it now...¡± I can understand those difficult feelings, but Noodles-kun, please, remember to consider the feelings of your substitute, don¡¯t ignore the psychological burden on them. Qi Jing took a deep breath, silently reminding himself that he needed to be a gentleman, needed to show consideration¡ªunder no circumstances should he turn his roasting mode on now.


    Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly hesitated, feeling as if there was still something iffy about it.


    His gaze shifted back towards the picture Jade Butterfly sent him, the doubts in his mind getting stronger by each moment.


    If... if Bronze Sparrow Terrace isn¡¯t his real sweetheart, then wouldn¡¯t those cocky words of a lover scrambling to fight with his rival, all that ¡°won¡¯t let him have Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡±... wasn¡¯t thatpletely illogical?


    Or was it that he was leading people both in real life and online, but because of his ego, he wanted to be only looked upon favourably, and that¡¯s why he cared so much about his in-name-only online CP?


    Or maybe he was faking that story about a man with a voice simr to his; maybe it was all a lie?


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever believe anything he says to you.¡± In the end, Qi Jing still couldn¡¯t forget Jade Butterfly¡¯s warning.


    If their whole conversation from today was just one big lie, then it could truly make the blood in one¡¯s veins go cold¡ª


    ¡°There¡¯s also another reason besides your voice.¡± Just as he was deep in his thoughts, Crossing the bridge noodles spoke once again, going back to their initial topic, ¡°That guy, Bronze Sparrow Terrace, is always so high-profile with the way he deals with stuff. He keeps indulging his fans, but never really cares about what kind of troubles it may bring to other people. Taking thements in the ?Trap? thread as an example, I think more highly of the way you responded and handled the situation.¡±


    Qi Jing was thus taken aback.


    By the time he came back to his senses, his curiosity was piqued, so he couldn¡¯t help but continue the topic, ¡°Is that so? All of my friends believe I didn¡¯t manage that situation well.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t the best way to handle this, yes, butpared to Bronze Sparrow Terrace, you still managed it far better than him.¡± Even though Crossing the bridgenoodles didn¡¯t deny, he still entuated his previousparison.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± His gaze moved between the current chat window and Jade Butterfly¡¯s chat window, unable to draw the final conclusion.


    ¡°I feel like you¡¯re a rather reasonable VA, so if there¡¯s any sort of misunderstanding between us... then I hope we can rify it, the sooner the better.¡±


    That was what Crossing the bridge noodles said.


    It¡¯s just that whether those words were trustworthy was still up to consideration.


    Half an hour passed in a blink of an eye; they didn¡¯t get particrly deep into the conversation, but Crossing the bridge noodles already had to hastily go offline.


    Qi Jing knew that mere thirty minutes is far from enough to determine the truth, but he didn¡¯t urge him to stay.


    Having personallye in touch with Crossing the bridge noodles there was nothing objectionable about him apart from the twoints Qi Jing had about him being a severe voice-con and arbitrarily using someone as a substitute. But that Crossing the bridge noodles from the picture was sopletely different in behaviour, it kind of made Qi Jing think of those characters with split personalities who appeared so often in the Hollywood movies.


    But in reality, there were way more good actors in this world than actual DID cases¡ª


    Qi Jing thought for a long time, then decided to reply to Jade Butterfly¡¯s message first.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Miss Butterfly, about that picture... Can you find some time to talk about it?


    T/N:


    Luci: ... Noodles, I kinda admire the extent of your voice-con tendencies *bows in admiration*


    It¡¯s also my birthday today, so we¡¯ll be releasing another update this weekend! Stay tuned for the bonus chapter~


    Mashiro: Well, this chap made me so confused, but I have a feeling that maybe it¡¯s Jade Butterfly who has a problem and not Noodles.......I could also be wrong.


    Anyway, Wishing you a very warm Happy Birthday, Luci!! ?? ?? ?? ?? ?? ??


    Hope you have a wonderful year ahead of you. (Luci: <3 *blushy* )

 Chapter 66

    <h4>Chapter 66</h4>


    Lilies: thanks very muchie to MCJohnston and Bee for the donation <33


    TLC: Lilies


    editor: Whitere


    It was after 10AM when Jade Butterfly finally appeared.


    There were only two types of people who could go online at that kind of hour¡ªthose who would sneakily ck off on their shift, and those who happily idled away in their homes.


    Jade Butterfly obviously belonged to thetter type. She agreed when he asked whether they could use the voice chat, and when the call connected, Qi Jing could still hear the ttering of her beauty products¡ªit seemed like she was in the middle of her morning skincare routine at thefort of her home.


    ¡°Good morning, Miss Butterfly.¡± Qi Jing remembered that she had called him a gentleman before, so he couldn¡¯t neglect his greetings for ady.


    ¡°Did you see that picture, Return Date? That guy, Crossing the bridge noodles, he really is so conniving¡ªluckily we found out early.¡± Jade Butterfly on the other hand cut straight to the chase, her tone full of righteous indignation¡ªstill, there was not a single moment when she stopped to p her face, promoting the absorption of her skincare product.


    Qi Jing hesitated, then decided to first try to sort out the sequence of events.


    ¡°Miss Butterfly, when did you receive that picture? I won¡¯t be asking you who leaked it to you, but can you shed some light on the timing?¡±


    ¡°I got it two days ago.¡±


    Two days ago... So about the same time when Crossing the bridge noodles invited him to cheer for him during the first round of semi-finals.


    The voice acting circle has always been a ce where the cat will be let out of the bag sooner orter, if there was some scandal, it was bound to spread like a virus in a mere moment.


    Considering the suggestion of that anonymous person from the picture, Crossing the bridge noodles¡® action of inviting him could indeed be linked to that advice to ¡°show him some goodwill¡±... Going along this line of thought, this part of the chat would seem to make sense.


    But for Crossing the bridge noodles to actually dare to spill his guts so brazenly, the one he talked to had to be someone he held a great deal of trust in and not your usual fan. Under this premise, this ¡°close friend¡± of his who first fanned the me, then immediately leaked the chat record to the third party... it was quite obvious that their character wasn¡¯t the best.


    What¡¯s more, they were currently in the midst of the ?Order to End the Heavens? voice actingpetition, so choosing such a sensitive time for a VA to expose them... It had to be said that this ¡°close friend¡± was quite evil, ¡°executing righteousness at the expense of their kin¡±.


    Aside from that, he was quite curious how themunication was like between Jade Butterfly and Crossing the bridge noodles.


    ¡°Miss Butterfly, if memory serves me right, when we first talked, you told me that you would contact Crossing the bridge noodles within the next two days and asked me to start recording first.¡± Qi Jing opened the chat record of their previous conversation as he spoke. The date of the replies indicated it urred a few weeks ago¡ªit¡¯s been quite a while already. ¡°Later, I finished working on dry recordings and sent it to you, but didn¡¯t get any response ever since then... I thought you already passed it to the post-production team.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not even talk about that. After I contacted Crossing the bridge noodles at that time, he readily agreed to act in the drama. In the end, he disappearedpletely after agreeing, and no matter how much I pestered him, I couldn¡¯t get him to hand in the recordings.¡± Jade Butterfly¡¯s voice seemed to be full of grievances.


    Qi Jing expressed his understanding towards her struggles as the producer.


    As the once renowned ¡°god of ying dead¡± himself, he was very well aware how much resentment these dys in recording submission could cause.


    ¡°At first, I thought he was just ying a big shot and decided to try and bear with that, but only after I saw that picture did I realise that he just felt displeased by the fact that you were ying the other lead and was bent on making this audio drama fall through.¡± She said faintly, unscrewing a bottle of her beauty product as she scoffed, ¡°Return Date, you really are pitiful... to have stumbled upon a guy like that.¡±


    Qi Jing gave a polite chuckle, but it wasn¡¯t those words that he had on his mind now.


    Jade Butterfly said that she contacted Crossing the bridge noodles.


    And judging by Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ reaction from just now, it was as if he had no idea about the existence of this audio drama¡ªwas this what it meant to y dumb?


    To think about it with a motive in mind, analysing Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ remarks from the picture¡ªhow he kept saying he was ¡°shameless¡± and didn¡¯t want to act alongside him indicated that he knew about Jade Butterfly¡¯s audio drama on one hand. And on the other hand, it exined that the reason behind such actions were caused by his opinion of Qi Jing having a poor moral standing.


    This ¡°poor moral standing¡± was probably tied to hister mentioned ¡°two-faced¡± behaviour.


    It was the phrasing often used at the time when the haters smeared him on the forum. This argument waspletely ungrounded, but it seemed as if Crossing the bridge noodles believed it.


    Reading towards the end of the conversation revealed a bit of jealousy in his motive¡ªjealousy caused by his rtionship with Bronze Sparrow Terrace, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t say that he ¡°won¡¯t let anyone have him¡±.


    In this case, this Crossing the bridge noodles could be summarised by two characteristics¡ªgullible and jealous.


    Qi Jing slowly furrowed his brows.


    Can a gullible person keep refuting rumours on weibo, each of his ¡°nonsense¡± crushing all those false news to smithereens?


    One should know that determining whether the news is true or false not only takes plenty of experience, one also needs to be especially insightful and have a sound judgement.


    Someone who¡¯s so prone to jealousy would also be quite petty, always envying everyone just like that Mr S.O.B. from thepany; if there was no problem they¡¯d create one, making trouble for others on purpose.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t have an understanding of Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ usual behaviour, but... as a guy who has an official CP that¡¯s been validated by numerous ¡°Moss¡± stans, yet he wouldn¡¯t let him off, a subject of love scandal with the Great God whom he¡¯s only worked with once, that jealousy was on a whole other level. Such a grudging person would have at least some gossip flying around the circle, especially all the leaks from the staff members he cooperated with before, yet after those three years of reading the forum gossip, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t seem to recall seeing anything of that sort.


    Either he was really, really good at acting.


    Or it wasn¡¯t him who was acting this whole time, but someone else...


    ¡°Ms Butterfly,¡± Qi Jing asked suddenly, ¡°you said that he did agree to take on this audio drama?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case then can I take a look at the screenshot of your conversation at the time?¡± His voice was calm, his attitude sincere, so as not to make this request sound in any way abrupt, ¡°Please do that with the message manager open and take a screenshot of the date as well, I want to know for how long he had been deceiving me.¡±


    It seemed like Jade Butterfly became dumbstruck, even the sounds of applying the skincare products disappeared.


    ¡°That day, we used voice chat, so I don¡¯t have any chat records.¡± After a split second, the sound of her pping her face could be heard once again, ¡°What¡¯s more, the software we used doesn¡¯t have the record option.¡±


    Voice chat...Fine.


    ¡°Then ording to your memory, did he say anything else besides epting the audio drama?¡± Unless their rtionship was especially close, there was no need to open a voice chat to simply say ¡°yes¡± or ¡°no¡±. It¡¯s not like Crossing the bridge noodles had a hand injury like him, making typing inconvenient.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t, he just said he¡¯s taking it.¡±


    ¡°But you did say my ID, right? Otherwise he wouldn¡¯t know I¡¯m ying the other character.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I told him that I asked you to y the gong.¡± Jade Butterfly didn¡¯t refute.


    Qi Jing once again thought of the conversation in the picture¡ªthe way Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ talked there was quite extreme, and it was easy to see that he was full of disgust towards him. In theory, there was no way he would ept that role in the first ce, because dragging out the recording stage would end up with him offending the production crew staff¡ªit was tantamount to making an unnecessary sacrifice of his good name as a VA. If it was really that whole ¡°casting a bait to lure him¡±, then he could only say: ¡°That fellow Crossing the bridge noodles... his way of doing things is really too extreme, it¡¯s too scary.¡±


    Hearing hisment, Jade Butterfly suddenly gave a light chuckle.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Return Date, he bullied you like this already, you can¡¯t let him get away with that.¡± She closed the container in her hand, putting it aside as she started guiding him patiently, her tone sincere and earnest. ¡°I think that since it¡¯s you who¡¯s the direct victim in this case, then you should post this screenshot. Post it on forum, on weibo, make everyone see just what kind of person he is¡ª¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing looked up slightly and stared fixedly at the chat window.


    ¡°Did you just say... that I should post this on forum and weibo myself?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jade Butterfly continued to advise him patiently, ¡°with something like this happening, what kind of man can tolerate it? Return Date, how can you just bear with that? What¡¯s more, if you let such a person run about unbridledly like this, he would keep bullying other people like this as well.¡±


    The forum was where all the information gathered.


    Weibo was where all the information spread.


    Whichever tform he chose¡ªonce he spoke up, the damage would be irreversible. And with how they were in the middle of ?Order to End the Heavens?petition, it would sure attract a lot of attention.


    ¡°Miss Butterfly,¡± Qi Jing¡¯s voice dropped a bit, his tone unusually serious, ¡°putting aside the forum where you can post under another ID, the weibo handle is fixed. Do you know... what kind of consequences I would get for exposing him?


    ¡°Haha,¡± Jade Butterflyughed elegantly, as if she was poking fun at him overthinking things, ¡°Are you afraid he will take revenge on you? You don¡¯t need to worry about that, he may have more fans than you, but as long as you have the courage to expose his evildoings, then you will win over people¡¯s sympathy for sure. After all, everyone is used to taking the more vulnerable one¡¯s side.¡±


    Qi Jing shook his head in silence before the screen.


    No... It wouldn¡¯t be that easy.


    The very first, direct result would be a fierce hubbub in the circle, and everyone would unite to attack Crossing the bridge noodles. Based on to his years-long experience in following the gossip, the content of that screenshot waw more than enough to make Crossing the bridge noodles retire from the circle andmit ID suicide, never to return.


    Then, quite obviously, Crossing the bridge noodles wouldn¡¯t be able to continue with thepetition, as there would for sure be people who would create problems.


    And atst, he, as an original poster, would get a temporary sympathy from everyone, but once everyone calmed down and looked back, he would be the vindictive overlord no one would dare to provoke. People would start to think, ¡°The one Don¡¯t ask for me return date screwed over today is Crossing the bridge noodles, but who knows who he will screw over tomorrow¡ªif you are careless and offend him in any way, you¡¯re done¡±, and they would slowly start to keep him at a safe distance.


    All three of the points above werepletely based on the premise that Crossing the bridge noodles really did say those words.


    But... what if that¡¯s not really the case?


    What if after he exposed Crossing the bridge noodles andpletely destroyed his reputation, forcing him to leave the circle, there was someone who would suddenly appear and say that the source of that picture is unclear, that he framed Noodles to get rid of him?


    ¡ªProbably the next one to leave the circle would be him.


    No matter how he looked at it, there was no way to predict the direction it would head in. But no matter how this matter would develop, one was sure¡ªit would only cause harm and no gain.


    ¡°Forget it,¡± Qi Jing tossed out a single phrase, sounding very much as if he was going to just bury the hatchet with just those simple words, ¡°if he doesn¡¯t want to work with me then so be it, no need to expose him. And if he intends to nder me on the forum... My conscience is clear, he can say whatever he wants.¡±


    ¡°Return Date, how can you just suck it up like that?¡± Jade Butterfly raised the pitch of her voice a bit, seemingly bbergasted, ¡°You¡¯re the victim, you need to be strong and fight for justice for yourself!¡±


    After a brief pause, she continued to list him her reasons.


    ¡°What¡¯s more, aren¡¯t youpeting with him for the ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± role in the ?Order to End the Heavens?petition? That¡¯s the main character we¡¯re talking about, I¡¯m sure you would want to take the first ce for that role.¡± Saying this, sheughed sweetly, then said slowly, ¡°Crossing the bridge noodles is quite well established within the circle, so it¡¯s clear that he has some skill when ites to voice acting. If he were gone, then you would have one strongpetitor less to worry about. Who knows, maybe you¡¯ll even be able to win that one¡ªwouldn¡¯t that be wonderful?¡±


    Qi Jing was instantly taken aback.


    He had never thought of winning without any fight, nor would he ever do that. Whatever grudges they may have between them¡ªduringpetition, he wished to prove himself with his skill.


    Thus, he tried to convey that way of thinking as tactfully as he could, ¡°There¡¯s no need to do that, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m guaranteed to win with him out of the picture, there¡¯s no point in creating such a big drama.¡±


    Yet Jade Butterfly continued in a soft and gentle voice, ¡°As for that, you don¡¯t need to worry about it too much, Return Date. Northwest Road is one of the judges for the men¡¯s group of thepetition, and he¡¯s my old friend. As long as I ask him, he would give me some face for sure, so when the timees, I can ask him to help you get that ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯ role.¡±


    One after another, her words entered Qi Jing¡¯s ears¡ªas he listened to them, it was as if something clicked in ce and the gears finally started to rotate slowly in his mind.


    It was as if he was sitting in a car with heavy rain pouring outside and the long still wipers finally started to move, suddenly letting him see past the water stains obscuring his view.


    Even though he still couldn¡¯t see that far, but... at least he had that moment of rity.


    Qi Jing slowly sat up straight.


    ¡°Miss Butterfly,¡± His voice was low, making it sound as if although still cautious, he was starting to waver, ¡°you can¡¯t joke about this kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking at all.¡± From her words to her tone, everything seemed to point at the authenticity of her statement.


    ¡°Why are you so eager to help me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°You got bullied by Crossing the bridge noodles because you voiced in my audio drama. I¡¯m angry at his behaviour, but also want topensate you a bit for that¡ªReturn Date, you¡¯re such an amazing person, you deserve to be supported.¡± He had already heard about Jade Butterfly¡¯s wish to support him, Ning Xiaoxiao mentioned it to him before; apparently she listened to the ?Trap? audio drama as he cooperated with Bronze Sparrow Terrace, and it piqued her interest towards him.


    ¡°But there are also the two other judges, so it¡¯s still hard to say what the final score would turn out to be.¡± He expressed that he was willing to consent.


    ¡°The score and whatsoever is not a problem, unless you mess up your performance a big time¡ªin that case, even we wouldn¡¯t be able to help you. But since you managed to pull off the leading role from ?Trap?, then you shouldn¡¯t make this kind of mistake.¡± She dispersed his misgivings with a giggle, then made a promise, ¡°No need to worry about the organisers¡¯ side of things, I know some people, there won¡¯t be any controversy.¡±


    That¡¯s it.If he went on and exposed Crossing the bridge noodles at that time, affecting his advancement in ranks, then finally took the first ce...


    Then that would make for his ¡°motive¡±¡ª


    ¡°Haha...¡± Out of sudden, Qi Jingughed shortly before he changed the subject, ¡°At the moment, everyone knows that I¡¯mpeting with Crossing the bridge noodles for the ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯ role. If I need to expose him, then it would be better to use some other methods to keep suspicions from arising. Let¡¯s do it like this¡ªif Miss Butterfly wants to support me, then can you help me get the ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯ role? When ites to the leads of the game, naturally, I¡¯m most interested in the main role.¡±


    It seemed like Jade Butterfly didn¡¯t expect him to say something like that, she went silent for a brief moment.


    After a while, sheughed along with him, but she wasn¡¯t as polite anymore, ¡°Return Date, you shouldn¡¯t bite more than you can chew.¡±


    Those words really are on point¡ªQi Jing raised his brow.


    ¡°Both of them are main characters, be it ¡®Qin Ta¡¯ or ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯¡ªMiss Butterfly, does it really make such a difference to you?¡± He continued his asking, his tone innocent.


    ¡°Hehe,¡± Jade Butterflyughed lightly, ¡°There¡¯s already a decision behind the closed doors for the ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯ role already, don¡¯t even think about it.¡±


    Already set?


    It wasn¡¯t that strange to have backstage arrangements in professionalpetitions, what was strange was that she knew of those arrangements. Judging from their previous conversations, if she knew of them, then the one chosen for the role was most probably someone she knew, moreover he should also know that person as well.


    Suddenly, Qi Jing gasped slightly, as if in sudden understanding, then said with a gant chuckle, ¡°I get it now... Well, it¡¯s not like I should, or even have the skill topete with him.


    He didn¡¯t mention any name pointing towards the identity of that ¡°him¡±, but his tone made it sound as if he was very clear at heart who he was talking about.


    Jade Butterfly resumed that clear and cheerful tone and he could hear the smile in her voice again, ¡°I knew that you¡¯re a modest fellow, Return Date. To be honest, an audition for this kind of normal character... I think there¡¯s no meaning in you trying to go for it. Isn¡¯t it too difficult for you to express feelings for a woman?¡±


    Hearing herst words, Qi Jing¡¯s hand gripping the mouse suddenly moved¡ªhe opened the home page of ?Order to End the Heavens? and went straight to the female roles page, one he didn¡¯t pay any mind to up till that moment. Under thepetitors list for the first female lead ¡°Su Miaoyu¡± audition semi-finals, Jade Butterfly¡¯s ID was listed right there.


    The moment he saw those two words, Qi Jingughed out loud.


    Of course, Jade Butterfly didn¡¯t know why he wasughing suddenly, so their conversation took a pause, only resuming once he spoke once again, ¡°Miss Butterfly, I understand now¡ªif you were to express towards a gay, then I guess it would be troubling you as well, so I can get what you were trying to say.¡±


    ¡°Return Date,¡± She tried to figure out his attitude and it felt like he really seemed to get it, so she once again gave a soft chuckle, ¡°I¡¯m only trying to be considerate of you by saying this. You¡¯d rather act with a man on the other side, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t answer this question directly, it¡¯s just the corners of his lips were curled up all that time, ¡°That being said, Miss Butterfly, there are so many people taking part in thepetition, so there should also be more people like me among them. Everyone is doing voice acting like this¡ªit¡¯s not about what we like more or what we don¡¯t like; it¡¯s quite tiresome to differentiate one by one.¡±


    Jade Butterfly unscrewed a bottle of another beauty product and proceeded to apply it slowly.


    Sheughed meaningfully, ¡°Aiya, to be honest, you can still hear it if you listen attentively. You you can always catch hints of that promiscuity when ites to... gays. Haha, Return Date, don¡¯t get angry at me for putting it like that, there are people who are very appealing like this¡ªfor example, you.¡±


    Promiscuous¡ª


    What a fancy way to put it. It sounded a lot better than to call him a femboy, although the meaning behind it was pretty close.


    ¡°Right, I am often told that I¡¯m well-suited for a role of a nightclub owner or something like that. It should be because of that promiscuous vibe you just spoke about.¡± There was a hint of smile in his voice, but not a trace of it on his face, ¡°I¡¯m really curious what kind of voice you think sounds like it wouldn¡¯t possibly belong to a gay, Miss.¡±


    ¡°Let me think...¡± Jade Butterfly stopped what she was doing, humming unhurriedly before giving an example, ¡°That¡¯s right, there¡¯s a certain guy I really took liking to, I want to try and find an opportunity to cooperate with him after thepetition concludes. His voice is clearly of a very righteous type¡ªhave you ever heard about Kitty no Papa, that ID?¡±


    A/N:


    *silently lighting a candle for Kittty¡¯s Papa*


    T/N:


    Luci: *letting go of Qi Jing¡¯s kitty leash* Get her my boy (¨s¡ã¡õ¡ã£©¨s¦à ©ß©¥©ß


    Whitere: LOLs Jade Butterfly, you¡¯re so wrong about Kitty no Papa hahahaha

 Chapter 67

    <h4>Chapter 67</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editor: Mashiro


    ¡ªOf course I heard of it, it was me who came up with this ID.


    ¡ªAnd the man behind that ID, he¡¯s my IRL boyfriend.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s right, boyfriend. And there¡¯s no way I would let you have anything to do with him, no¡ªway¡ªin¡ªhell.


    Qi Jing really wanted to holler that out loud, see what expression this information would put on Jade Butterfly¡¯s face.


    But in the end, he didn¡¯t say a thing.


    For the sake of Shen Yan, he couldn¡¯t say a thing, at least not yet. He could only clench his fists and silently endure the suffocating feeling in his chest alone, as if he was drowning in the depths of freezing water. He kept staring coldly at the chat window until the end of their conversation. Even his parting words wereposed and urbane, as he temporarily maintained his gentlemanly facade.


    But the moment the voice chat window disappeared, so did his facade. With his heart in disarray, he couldn¡¯t even bother to browse the inte anymore and directly put theputer in sleep mode. Once the screen turned off, what reflected on its ck surface was his cold face, not a bit of his gentlemanly self left anymore.


    That¡¯s so... annoying.


    He didn¡¯t feel this annoyed even when he was being smeared by the antis on the forum.


    To him, voice acting was always akin to a safe abode, something both pleasant and pure¡ªbut now, for the first time in his life, he felt an aversion towards this hobby and was starting to feel angry at himself for pushing Shen Yan up this stage full of fierce undercurrents.


    Qi Jing furrowed his brows, reclining on the chair for a long while as he tried to calm down.


    ¡°... Don¡¯t worry about that, don¡¯t worry about anything else¡ªit¡¯s fine as long as Shen Yan can gain encouragement from this.¡±


    He forced himself to bear with this duality of thepetition. There were people like Jade Butterfly and Northwest Road, but likewise, there were also ones like Longbow and Pu Yuzhi. He should leave all the shady business happening behind the scenes for him to bear, Shen Yan only needed to focus on his performance. He would just have to remove all the obstacles as theye¡ªeverything would be fine.


    ¡°Haa...¡± Qi Jing breathed out slowly, finally steadying his feelings.


    Looking at the time, it was almost noon. He shifted around in the chair, but in the end, he just couldn¡¯t stay seated anymore¡ªQi Jing shot up to his feet and threw on a random jacket and walked briskly to the door.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but he had the urge to see ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± right now, and just couldn¡¯t wait until he came back home.


    Qi Jing opened the door with a jerk, only to suddenly hear the crisp sound of keys nking against each other.


    He was shocked at first, then when he lifted his head, the sight before him gave him yet another shock¡ªShen Yan was standing right before the entrance in surprise, staring straight at him with his hand still in the midair.


    A big bunch of keys was dangling as it hung from the door lock¡ªit seemed like Shen Yan had just put them in, but didn¡¯t even have time to turn the key when Qi Jing interrupted him by opening the door so abruptly, hence the current situation with the two of them staring nkly at each other.


    ¡°Uh... You¡¯re already off from work?¡± Qi Jing coughed so that he could turn his head to the side.


    Even though a couple of hours had already passed since the morning, once he came face to face with Shen Yan, he still couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat embarrassed.


    ¡°You¡¯re going out?¡± The first thing Shen Yan noticed wasn¡¯t the awkwardness on Qi Jing¡¯s face but the fact that thetter was dressed to go out which really stunned him.


    ¡°Pft-¡± Qi Jing heard the confusion in Shen Yan¡¯s tone and couldn¡¯t help butugh. He took the keys hanging from the door first, then reached out his hand to pull the still dazed man inside from the front of the entrance, ¡°Not anymore, since the person I was going out to find has already returned.¡±


    Shen Yanughed along the moment he understood the meaning of Qi Jing¡¯s words, and let him lead himself inside.


    It was just about mealtime and Shen Yan was carrying bags filled with fresh ingredients he had just bought from the market in his other hand. The two of them didn¡¯t spare any time for idle talk and went straight to the kitchen to take out the groceries first. Qi Jing wouldn¡¯t be of any help with his injury, so he only watched Shen Yan in silence as the man was taking all kinds of stuff from the bags and sorting them out.


    He may have been looking, but his mind kept wandering; he couldn¡¯t get rid of what Jade Butterfly had said to him earlier that morning from his head.


    That¡¯s why he blurted this question out of the blue, ¡°Shen Yan, do you think I give off a promiscuous vibe?¡±


    Shen Yan was taken aback by this question.


    Only then did Qi Jing realise that the way he conveyed his meaning was quite off¡ªhe was asking about his voice but the person listening definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to get that with the way he phrased it. He didn¡¯t even have time to feel embarrassed when he saw Shen Yan bring a hand to his lips, as if holding back something. A small chuckle eventually still slipped out¡ªQi Jing could hear the quick movement of air as the other manughed.


    Qi Jing¡¯s face grew a bit hot.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it, I meant...¡± my voice.


    Shen Yan turned his head over to look at him, a smile still gracing his lips, and without waiting for Qi Jing to finish his words, he gathered him gently into a hug.


    At that moment, Qi Jing very much needed a ce to heal, and the embrace of the person before him fulfilled that criteriapletely. He had no reason to reject, so he closed his eyes and calmly epted that hug. Shen Yan stroked Qi Jing¡¯s hair and rested his face against the other¡¯s temples as he whispered, ¡°You don¡¯t. I think you¡¯re great as you are; you feel very natural.¡±


    Hearing him say so, the gloom in Qi Jing¡¯s heart easied quite a bit. He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, using Jade Butterfly¡¯s wording on purpose to tease him, ¡°Meanwhile, I wish I was promiscuous, this way I would be able to taint the straight and righteous you.¡±


    Shen Yan waspletely at loss, unable to understand what he was saying, ¡°What straight and righteous?¡±


    Qi Jing onlyughed and shook his head slowly.


    At that moment, his gaze wandered slightly, suddenlynding on Shen Yan¡¯s cor right before him, making him recall those hickeys hidden underneath. His heart grew hot and in a moment of unrestraint¡ªhe found the courage to move over, and nted a kiss on Shen Yan¡¯s neck.


    Shen Yan was caughtpletely off guard¡ªhis whole body tremored, but Qi Jing held his arm tightly, keeping him from moving.


    Those lips branded the constantly throbbing pulse on the side of his neck¡ªit was hard to tell whether they were scalding, or being scalded. Kissing and biting, Qi Jing ignored the hammering noise of his own heart as he slowly sucked in patience, till he left a light mark.


    Atst, Qi Jing let him go once he was done, panting slightly.


    He opened his eyes slightly. Very well, seems like I finally managed to leave my own mark on you¡ª


    ¡°And you got tainted by me just like that.¡±


    He smiled with satisfaction, his eyes full of glee as he leaned his forehead against Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder, immersing himself in the other man¡¯s warmth, his heart at ease.


    After a long moment of shock, Shen Yan once again held him in a secure hug and asked in a low voice, ¡°What happened? Why are you suddenly doing... this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m taking my revenge,¡± Qi Jingughed throatily, ¡°a revenge for leaving me with thesest night.¡±


    He had been resting his head on Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder all this time, and only now did he lift his head and take half a step back. Then, he pulled on the side of his cor with a finger, smiling as he let the other man see two, three of the hickeys hidden beneath it.


    Shen Yan nked for real this time.


    As the one who brought up this topic, Qi Jing, on the other hand, didn¡¯t feel as embarrassed about it anymore. He observed Shen Yan¡¯s face with a grin until he saw him looking away, all ill at ease with his face faintly blushing¡ªonly then did he burst outughing. His mood that was previously weighed down with heavy clouds had now cleared up all at once, and he wasn¡¯t as negative about the uingpetition anymore.


    Once one¡¯s mood improves, any food is bound to taste wonderful¡ªthis saying is indeed true.


    The lunch was unexpectedly sumptuous that day. The two of them would eat one meat dish and two vegetable dishes, sometimes supplementing them with a soup¡ªbut that day, Shen Yan prepared four dishes and a soup, the amount of food obviously out of ordinary.


    Qi Jing was helping withying out the bowls and chopsticks when he looked with surprise at Shen Yan bringing out the dishes from the kitchen, cing them on the ck walnut table. He couldn¡¯t help but ask in puzzlement, ¡°Why did you make so many dishes? We won¡¯t be able to finish it for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, it also includes a share for dinner.¡± Shen Yan replied.


    Qi Jing looked at thevish set up on the table. There was indeed no need to prepare the dinner, in fact that food was enough to eat until tomorrow.


    Yet usually, Shen Yan would rather make him fresh dishes, always advocating eating food right after it was made, so he wouldn¡¯t stint on his time while making dinner out of mereziness. Him saying beforehand that they had to eat that one lunch for two meals sparked some curiosity in Qi Jing.


    ¡°Why are you goofing off today? You don¡¯t want to make dinner anymore?¡± After the dishes were served, Qi Jing cracked a joke with a smile when the two of them took their seats.


    Currently, the only person capable of cooking in their house was Shen Yan, so the reason behind it had to be rted to him.


    It seemed that Shen Yan had already expected him to ask this. He didn¡¯t reply immediately, scooping the rice for him in silence and adding some side dishes before he said slowly, ¡°Actually... I will be having an evening shift tonight, so I won¡¯t be back for dinner. That¡¯s why I made the food beforehand, so you can just heat it up before eating at that time.¡±


    There seemed to be nothing unusual about that, but Qi Jing was suddenly stunned after hearing those words, immediately staring at him in shock.


    ¡°Evening shift?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, from the afternoon till the evening.¡± Shen Yan knew he would react like that, so he only smiled bleakly.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t bear it and ced the chopsticks down to grab his sleeve in a hurry, ¡°You... Don¡¯t you tell me that you want to forfeit tonight¡¯s ¡®Bai Ke¡¯ audition¡ª¡±


    Shen Yan held his hand gently andforted him, ¡°No, I don¡¯t intend to forfeit it. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just the time I¡¯ll be back will be a bitte, but I should be able to be on time for the audition.¡±


    ¡°At what time will your evening shift end?¡±


    ¡°Technically, it should be from 6PM to 10PM... But I talked with a person from the rted department, and asked to adjust the timing and make up for the hours with the time set aside for dinner from 5PM to 6PM, so I can leave earlier at 9PM. Even in the worst case scenario I should be back at 9:30PM.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing breathed a sigh of relief.


    Luckily, the ¡°Bai Ke¡± audition was the secondpetition to take ce that evening¡ªit would only begin at 8:30PM, and Shen Yan just so happens to be thest to go. ording to Qi Jing¡¯s experience of listening to the previous two semi-finals, it would be past 9:30PM by the time thestpetitor was to perform.


    He finally let go of Shen Yan¡¯s sleeve he had been gripping so tightly and held his chopsticks again. But after thinking for a while, he put them down once again.


    ¡°Sigh...¡± Qi Jing knew that he shouldn¡¯tment about Shen Yan¡¯s work, but he still couldn¡¯t keep a sigh from escaping his mouth, temporarily unable to continue eating in peace, ¡°It just had to be to be on the day of thepetition that you had to get the evening shift, that¡¯s so unfortunate... Maybe during the afternoon you should go and ask your colleagues if there¡¯s someone who would exchange shifts with you?¡±


    ¡°Actually, regarding today¡¯s evening shift... It was me who asked for it.¡± Shen Yan said in a quiet voice.


    This took Qi Jing by surprise, ¡°Why?¡±


    He was clearly aware that it would cause the issue with the timing, why would he ask for it himself?


    Shen Yan sighed and asked, ¡°Did you forget? Tomorrow you have to go to the hospital for the follow-up check-up, you¡¯ll be having thest X-ray and reexamination taken before taking the cast off. I...¡±


    He hesitated after saying that, as if he was thinking of the wording he should use so as not to make Qi Jing feel that he was being a burden to him.


    ¡°With that ident at the hotel from a few days ago, I... I¡¯m a bit worried. I wouldn¡¯t feel at ease letting you go out alone before you get your cast taken off. What¡¯s more, from here you can only take a bus to get to the hospital, so with how crowded it can get, it would be better if you had someone by your side to look after you. That¡¯s why I asked a few of my colleagues if there would be someone willing to exchange with me for the four hours of my morning shift tomorrow, but unfortunately, the only alternative was today¡¯s evening shift from 6PM to 10PM.


    Usually, whenever Qi Jing went to work, he was apanied by colleagues he was well acquainted with, so that wasn¡¯t a problem.


    But the thought of having him go alone to the hospital with strangers all around him... It made that ¡°once bitten, twice shy¡± mentality of his re up, leaving him unable to feel at ease.


    That Qi Jing understood very well. He gave Shen Yan a guilty smile, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t handle that matter well and made you worry.¡±


    Shen Yan gently made a gesture to stop him from apologizing any more, ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, it¡¯s not your fault. And it¡¯s also not like I do this only because of that matter... I nned to go with you from the start, so it¡¯s still all ording to my original n.¡±


    Qi Jing furrowed his brows, sitting there all quiet.


    Shen Yan soothed him in a soft voice, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s only ten minutes from here to the clinic, even less if I were to walk quickly. I will make sure to be back before it¡¯s my turn.¡±


    There was nothing Qi Jing could do but chuckle, ¡°Well, alright... Then I will help you log in into your YY ount and set up the equipment while waiting for you toe back.¡±


    He thought, I just hope there will be no unexpected ident¡ª


    But in reality, unexpected idents are ¡°unexpected¡± for no other reason than because one could never guard against them.


    Qi Jing wholeheartedly hoped there would be no unexpected situation during Shen Yan¡¯s evening shift, so he sent him a message every now and then to ask about his situation. But it was still long before the nightfall when an unexpected situation urred; what¡¯s more, it urred in a surprising way, in a surprising ce.


    After his conversation with Jade Butterfly, Qi Jing already had a grasp of the overall matter, so he intended to maintain that ¡°hostile¡± act between him and Crossing the bridge noodles to mislead her. That¡¯s why he logged on his weibo ount and sent Crossing the bridge noodles a private message: ¡°Because of a certain matter I will be temporarily cancelling my follow of your ount; it¡¯s rted to the matter we discussed in the morning. It¡¯s not convenient to talk about it in PMs, so I will contact youter on QQ.¡±


    After sending that message, he cancelled his follow, making it seem like he had some enmity with Crossing the bridge noodles on the surface.


    ¡°Like this, I can at least fool Jade Butterfly during the semi-finals...¡± He muttered towards the screen.


    After closing the private messages, he off-handedly opened the ¡°messages from non-mutuals¡± folder.


    He wasn¡¯t in the habit of checking those messages often before, considering that with how he had a good few of thousands of fans on weibo, he would often receive advertisements or private messages from some zombie fans. But since he missed the message Crossing the bridge noodles left him those two days ago, he made it a point to remind himself to pay attention to it, so as not to miss another important message without even knowing it.


    He didn¡¯t expect that there would really be another message inside the ¡°messages from non-mutuals¡± folder.


    The signature of the sender was unusually in, so in that if Qi Jing didn¡¯t check the content, he would most probably have taken that private message as an advertisement and deleted it¡ª¡±¡ïFive¡ï¡±, that was the sender¡¯s weibo ID. It¡¯s so overly simple that two stars had to be added on its sides to make it more recognizable.


    This kind of ID would make anyone who saw it think it suspicious, even more suspicious than adding ¡°King¡± at the beginning. And Qi Jing also subscribed to that train of thought.


    He was already automatically moving the cursor towards the upper right corner of the message to delete it, but his hand froze momentarily. And it wasn¡¯t only his hand that froze, even his breathing and his heart virtually stopped functioning.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: Mr Don¡¯t ask for my return date, I know who ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa is, moreover... I also know that you know who he is as well. I just want to ask you one question: did he decide to take part in thepetition out of his own volition, or...? I will decide whether to say more after I get your answer, thank you.


    In that moment, cold sweat covered Qi Jing in an instant and his body began to shake as he froze stiffly before theputer.


    Impossible¡ªThe first thing that appeared in his head was that exact word, then, that single word started repeating frantically in his mind, looping unstoppingly: impossible, impossible, impossible...


    Most CVs would register their weibo with their real voice acting IDs, so ¡°CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡± was without doubt Don¡¯t ask for my return date himself. And this ¡°Five¡± came directly, straight to his face and told him with such certainty, ¡°I know who he is, and you know that as well¡±¡ªthat wasn¡¯t a tone of someone making a spection.


    Even if it was a staff member who had cooperated with Shen Yan before and recognised him by his voice, they wouldn¡¯te looking for Qi Jing.


    Qi Jing kept the fact that Shen Yan = Geese Fly North = Kitty ¤Î Papa away even from Ning Xiaoxiao, his Junior whom he had the closest rtionship with.


    That person... Just how on earth did they know?


    But now wasn¡¯t the time to be in shock. He restrained his body¡¯s reflexes, suppressing the cold sweat and maneuvered the mouse with his trembling fingers to click on that ID, opening that person¡¯s main page to see just who on earth was this person.


    But to his despair, that ¡°¡ïFive¡ï¡±¡¯s main page waspletely empty, with nothing posted in it. There wasn¡¯t even a single follower or fan, so it was clearly a newly registered ount. Qi Jing could even safely assume that this ount was registered for the sole purpose of sending him that private message; it was most probably just a smurf with the real identity nowhere to be found.


    But that wasn¡¯t important.


    What was important at the moment, was that Qi Jing noticed that this person was online, because the green light indicating that was on.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go offline, don¡¯t go offline!¡± It was the first time for Qi Jing to feel so anxious about his typing speed being affected by his injury¡ªmuttering those words repeatedly, he jabbed with his finger at an astonishing speed, typing out a couple words of reply with great difficulty.


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Who are you really?


    Very quickly the currently online ¡°Five¡± replied to him.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: It doesn¡¯t matter who I am. Mr Don¡¯t ask for my return date, please reply to my question, did he sign in for thepetition voluntarily?


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ... Yes.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: So that¡¯s how it is... I understand then.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: Now, I know you probably have a lot of questions to ask, but I still can¡¯t tell you too much. I just want to give you a friendly reminder to be careful when using YY. If he intends to take part in thepetition undercover, then it would be better to register a side ount for thepetition from the start¡ªthis way, there would be no need to worry about getting recognised.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: My suggestion is¡ªit would be better if he didn¡¯t use the YY ount he used during the previouspetition and made a new side ount. It¡¯s because that day, he had just made an appearance for the first time, so there¡¯s not that many people in the know. Many of the producers only listened to the recording after the fact, so they have no way of contacting him. And those who were present at the time probably weren¡¯t that quick to think or good at stalking. But with a bit of research they would realise that his main ount had appeared in ?Trap?¡¯s production crew¡¯s voice channel, and if someone checked the cast list and noticed the grandpa role, they would be able to guess his identity with ease (but as for now, there shouldn¡¯t be anyone who knows about it aside from me, haha).


    ¡ïFive¡ï: I took the liberty of contacting you because I feel like he really trusts you, Mr Don¡¯t ask for my return date, so I just wanted to warn you about it. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just a casual passer-by, I don¡¯t have any malicious intentions~ I won¡¯t tell anyone about what I know, I can swear about that. And finally, I wish you both good luck during thepetition~ (¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å


    Seeing thest message, Qi Jing felt his heart which had been in his mouth return back down a little closer to where it belonged. He breathed a big sigh of relief and felt his nerves calm down. Judging from the way that ¡°Five¡± was talking, it seemed like he was rather trustworthy.


    He didn¡¯t know what the other party¡¯s objective was, but looking at that long-winded advice, it indeed made sense.


    In terms of security, simply changing the ID of the main ount couldn¡¯tpare to using a side ount... He would help Shen Yan register a new ount, so as to avoid him getting uncovered by more clever people like ¡°Five¡±.


    After the other delivered thest message, Qi Jing typed two words, ¡°thank you¡±¡ªthe other replied with a simple ¡°you¡¯re wee¡± and disappeared into the inte.


    ¡°Crap, I¡¯m really worried about that ¡°Five¡¯¡¯s identity...¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s fears were still to bepletely dispelled. He gripped the mouse tightly in his hand, not letting it go as he stared at those few messages left by that person, seeking for any trace of a clue.


    But he didn¡¯t find a single thing.


    At that time, he caught sight of his phone on the desk from his peripheral. He he froze slightly before quickly grabbed it, sending Shen Yan a short message:


    ¡¾Shen Yan, do you know someone called ¡°Five¡±?¡¿


    A/N:


    Our dear 2Yan is indignantly putting his mark on Kitty Grandpa¡¯s body~ =v=


    Moreover... Please, Don¡¯t ask for the identity of ¡°Five¡±, the author will y dead, en.


    T/N:


    Luci: Yooo, look at who forgot about his embarrassment and goes around ¡°tainting¡± the prim and proper citizens~ Tsk tsk tsk, Big Return Date, you weren¡¯t so bold in the morning...


    Mashiro: Well well well, who is this new character now?

 Chapter 68 - f

    <h4>Chapter 68 - f</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Edittor: Whitere


    What surprised Qi Jing more than the appearance of that ¡°Five¡± was how Shen Yan didn¡¯t reply with a message, calling him directly instead.


    ¡°¡®Five¡¯? Where did you meet him?¡± Shen Yan¡¯s voice was small, quite the opposite of the scale of his surprise.


    Although that was clearly a question, it could still count as an answer to Qi Jing¡¯s inquiry.


    Evidently they knew each other¡ª


    ¡°So you really know who that person is.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s curiosity overshadowed his worries¡ªafter all, it was umon for Shen Yan to call him outside his break time.


    He told Shen Yan about receiving the message from ¡°Five¡± on Weibo and the content of their conversation. As Qi Jing did that, Shen Yan listened silently on the other end of the microphone throughout, not saying a word. There were a few times where Shen Yan wanted to say something, but he ultimately didn¡¯t and only after the other was done did he sigh softly.


    ¡°Since he suggested so, then let¡¯s just do as he says... He has no malice.¡±


    That was Shen Yan¡¯s conclusion.


    Having his curiosity increase after reaching a conclusion was something pretty rare for Qi Jing.


    That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t help himself from inquiring about the main point, ¡°So who exactly is this ¡®Five¡¯?¡±


    Shen Yan only chuckled weakly, ¡°It¡¯s someone I got to know through voice acting back in the day... His nickname at the time was precisely ¡®Five¡¯. Only a few of us knew that nickname at the time, that¡¯s why he came up with this ID on purpose. I don¡¯t think intends to hide his identity.¡±


    So that¡¯s how it is.


    If that guy was Shen Yan¡¯s voice acting buddy, then any doubts he had could be dispelled.


    But Qi Jing still had one more question, ¡°But putting the matter aside of how he knew we know each other... Since he knows you, then why didn¡¯t he contact you directly?¡±


    Shen Yan wanted to reply, yet he didn¡¯t utter a word for a long while.


    ¡°It¡¯s because... I didn¡¯t reply to him for a long period of time, so he might have thought I had blocked him.¡± Saying this, Shen Yan once again sighed softly, yet he didn¡¯t exin why he would want to cklist him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you got dragged into this... If you are bothered by his actions, I will go have a talk with him.¡±


    At the moment, Qi Jing was still lost in thought, processing what kind of behaviour would make someone as gentle as Shen Yan block that guy, and when he heard those words, he hurriedly said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. At least what he said was quite reasonable; in any case, I should be thanking him for that.¡±


    Hearing him say so, Shen Yanughed softly and didn¡¯t delve deeper into the topic.


    At that time, the meows and barks of the animals together with the nurses¡¯ inquiring voices that could be heard in the background forced an end to their conversation. Shen Yan was still in the middle of his shift, and Qi Jing didn¡¯t want to dy him for too long, so he hurriedly told him to go back to work. He also didn¡¯t forget to remind him to also make some time to eat dinner.


    After the call ended, Qi Jing fell into deep thought as he sat before his desk, his attention shifting back from the phone to theputer screen.


    To be honest, he did not approve of prying into others¡¯ private matters.


    Any VA in the online voice acting circle knew that this kind of behaviour was repulsive.


    But the information he had at hand now was like a half-written article¡ªeven though after the release, the readers wouldprehend the gist of the story, they would still be unable to understand the entirety of it. For someone with a journalist background like Qi Jing, this feeling was really unbearable, as if a hundred tiny little paws were wing at his heart.


    ¡°I really want to ask ¡®Five¡¯ why he would possibly get blocked...¡±


    Qi Jing mumbled, doing his best to repress that strong urge to ask that question as he stared at the flickering cursor in the nk private message box. After who knows how many he¡¯s closed and reopened the private message window, he finally couldn¡¯t help but ask a question that was still rted to himself, but didn¡¯t really count as prying into Shen Yan¡¯s private matters: How did you find out that I know ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡±?


    After leaving this message, Qi Jing fell into the monotonous rhythm of browsing the forum, then browsing private messages, then browsing while listening to that evening¡¯s firstpetition.


    He thought that since ¡°Five¡± registered a new weibo ount to get in touch with him, then he shouldn¡¯t possibly abandon it after using it just that one time.


    As expected, that ount had once againe online at 8PM, just in time for the break between the auditions.


    Instead of answering Qi Jing¡¯s question immediately, he asked him a question in return.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q Haha, didn¡¯t I say that you have to be careful while using YY? It¡¯s fine if you want to know more, but it would be rather unfair if I was the only one providing the information. Courtesy should be reciprocated¡ªif Mr Don¡¯t ask for my return date is willing to tell me what¡¯s your rtionship and how you got to know each other, then I can tell you how I discovered that in return. What do you think? It¡¯s a pretty fair deal, right?


    ... This ¡°Five¡± really was sharp, all of his questions were on point.


    Still, this at least confirmed that he had little understanding of his rtionship with Shen Yan, so he probably inferred it from some kind of clue he found on YY.


    Currently, the truth behind the rtionship between ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡± and ¡°Kitty &#k306R; Papa¡± couldn¡¯t be revealed to the world&#k2014;he had to guard against Jade Butterfly¡¯s little tricks, especially considering those tricks of her could influence their auditions in the future. That¡¯s why not even Shen Yan¡¯s friends could know about it&#k2014;no one could.


    Qi Jing thought for a moment, deciding to go with a reply that doesn¡¯t deviate too much from the truth.


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: We¡¯re friends. Since you¡¯ve checked the post thread for ?Trap?, then you should also know that I¡¯m part of the cast, right? We got to know each other while ying in that audio drama.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: Is it really that simple? That¡¯s all it takes to get him to willingly take part in thepetition? I don¡¯t believe you.


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: That would count as the second question. I¡¯ve already replied to your first question, so you have to reply to mine first if you want me to consider if I want to reply to the second one.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: ... Pft, hahahaha! I like that counter! Seems like you also aren¡¯t that simple yourself~


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    ¡ïFive¡ï: Hehehe, fine, then I¡¯ll give you a clue¡ªdo you remember which channel the two of you visited before the ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡± audition?


    Seeing this reply, a speck of light flickered before Qi Jing¡¯s eyes, illuminating a certain corner of his memory.


    Then it hit him and a soft ¡°ah¡± of realisation escaped his lips.


    Channel... It was the channel he used to help Shen Yan set up his equipment; the channel had quite a funny name¡ªit was called ¡°chitter-chatter¡±. A few years ago, it was once a channel for the small and obscure CVs to practise voice acting, but it grewpletely deste in the past two years. Qi Jing always thought that those listed in the channel were only there to umte points, the ¡°zombie¡± members who just wanted to level up their ounts¡ªhe didn¡¯t know there was still someone ¡°alive¡± there.


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: So you were in the ¡°chitter-chatter¡± that day?


    ¡ïFive¡ï: Mhm... To be fair, it was quite a coincidence; I used to visit that channel often two years ago (of course, at that time I didn¡¯t use this ID). A few days ago, after the ¡°Liu Suyu¡± audition, I visited that channel during the half an hour break to reminisce, because... a person I know could appear there, so I stayed online to see if they woulde.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: In the end, I suddenly heard someone opening the mic in the channel and saying something about ¡°remembering to change the ID¡± (that¡¯s right, that person was you), so I took a look and discovered it was you.


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ... So it was all due to my carelessness... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    ¡ïFive¡ï: That¡¯s why I said that to prevent things like that from happening, it¡¯s best to use side ounts for safety. Lla~ ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ... Understood, we will make sure to use a side ount... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    ¡ïFive¡ï: But we¡¯ll still need his consent for this matter.


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I asked him already, he said he agrees.


    With the conversationing to this point, ¡°Five¡± suddenly went silent for quite a while, and it took him a long time to send the next reply.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: Mr Don¡¯t ask for my return date, did you tell him my ID when you told him about it?


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Mhm, I told him.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: Then how did he react?


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: He said that you don¡¯t mean any harm, and it¡¯s fine to do as you said.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: ......


    ¡ïFive¡ï: ......


    ¡ïFive¡ï: THEN WHY DID HE BLOCK ME FOR SO LONG!! *topples over* ¨“¨Œ¨“


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ... To be honest, he didn¡¯t block you at all.


    <i>¡ªHe just didn¡¯t want to reply to you, that¡¯s all.


    </i>


    <i> </i>Qi Jing automatically added that sentence in his thoughts.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but he suddenly felt that this current ¡°Five¡± was a bit amusing. He felt the urge tough, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel sympathy.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: He didn¡¯t block me??


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Mhm, that¡¯s what he told me.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: He even told you about that?? Tsk tsk, he really tells you a lot... Your rtionship can¡¯t possibly be that simple.


    <i>Crap... </i>


    Qi Jing cursed in his heart. He forgot that the other party was capable of sounding out their rtionship based on how much Shen Yan told him¡ªcontinuing this topic wouldn¡¯t be safe.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t expect ¡°Five¡± would have a gossipy soul that matched his own; the other kept ¡°hounding¡± him with questions.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: Right, I already answered your question, so you should answer my second question¡ªis your rtionship really so simple?? (look at my serious eyes)


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Yes, the answer¡¯s finished.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: ... I don¡¯t believe you... £¨¦á¦ä¦á£©


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: That¡¯s the truth.


    <i>Boyfriend also counts as a type of ¡°friend¡±, and a romantic rtionship is a very simple rtionship as well¡ª</i>


    Qi Jing yed around with those definitions, his face not even blushing. Seeing the content of the private message box refreshing continuously, the corners of his lips curled up slightly, and even typing with one hand became less of a hassle.


    In fact, even if it was just a misunderstanding on his part, it seemed that he and this ¡°Five¡± really hit it off, and he didn¡¯t feel the distance or awkwardness between strangers with the other party..


    Looking at their chat record alone, it seemed just like Shen Yan said¡ªthat guy held no ill will. He didn¡¯t know what could have happened in the past that would result in ¡°Five¡± only daring to help Shen Yan by contacting him covertly. Qi Jing wished to help recover that rtionship, since friends that truly cared about oneself were hard toe by.


    Unfortunately though, the ¡°Bai Ke¡± audition was about to start soon; Qi Jing needed some time to help Shen Yan with the preparation before thepetition and couldn¡¯t continue chatting, so he hurriedly said his goodbyes. The other party didn¡¯t stop him, only begging him to not tell Shen Yan about the content of their conversation, his reason being that ¡°otherwise, he would not only block me, but even possibly cklist me this time¡±.


    Saying so, he also included the crying thick noodles emote for the effect.


    Qi Jingughed as he agreed.


    After leaving the weibo page, he signed in with the new YY ount he created that afternoon. He prepared the ount name and the ount data beforehand, then entered the channel dedicated for thepetition ording to the official guidelines. He logged into that ount using Shen Yan¡¯sputer, then logged into his ount with his ownputer in the other room, so that it looked like Kitty ¤Î Papa and Don¡¯t ask for my return date were both present at the same time. When Shen Yan was back, he would immediately run back to his own room to listen from that side.


    After seeing quite a number of auditions already, Qi Jing was already more or less used to the boisterous atmosphere at the opening, as well as thousands of people being online at the same time. Yang Chunqu¡¯s introduction was about the same every time, so the first minutes before the actual start of thepetition were rtively easy on the contestants and the listeners alike.


    But the moment the lines chosen by the organizators got published, any calmness ceased to be.


    ¡°Dear contestants, attention please! It¡¯s now 8:21PM Beijing time, and we¡¯ve just finished introducing thepetition rules as well as the three judges for this stage. Next, we will be publishing the lines for the semi-finals of the ¡°Bai Ke¡± audition, please pay attention to the announcement!¡± It was already the third day for Yang Chunqu to host thepetition, yet she was still just as full of vigour¡ªit truly made one admire her.


    Qi Jing fixed his gaze on the announcement window.


    He wanted to send Shen Yan the lines, so he had a chance to think through how he would act out those lines before he¡¯s back at home.


    Soon enough, the content of the official announcement changed from the contestants¡¯ numbers to the lines for three scenes. Without any surprises, ording to the prompts for the scenes those lines appeared in, the two of them were dialogues with ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±, while thest scene was a dialogue with the master ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡±.


    Shen Yan¡¯s prediction wasn¡¯t wrong, that character truly had a lot of opportunities to y in the same scenes as ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±.


    The finals would be in a format of acting with other voice actors, so aside from being familiar with one¡¯s own role, knowing the other contestants¡¯ roles was also crucial.


    But because of ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± in scene prompts, the fans of the original novel caused a bout ofints in the chat, especially the numerous ¡°Squares¡± fans of Fang Yisheng.


    Audience 1: £¨¨s¨F¡õ¡ä£©¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø I just knew that there would be the scenes involving Fang Yisheng in the lines the organisers chose! Just looking at it reminds me of the scenes in the novel! I hate it so much I¡¯m typing these words through clenched teeth!!


    Audience 2: £¨¨s¨F¡õ¡ä£©¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø Thementor above, you¡¯re not alone!!¡¾*sobs* I clearly hate Bai Ke so much, yet still came to listen to this audition, I must be a M...¡¿


    Audience 3: Pfft hahaha, looking up at the novel fans above. The non-novel reader expresses myck of pressure, as long as it¡¯s a nice youthful voice, I won¡¯t refuse anyone (facepalm).


    Audience 4: ... No offence to thementer above, but Bai Ke¡¯s youthful voice is definitely not nice.


    Audience 5: ... Bai Ke¡¯s youthful voice has no chance of sounding nice +1 His character setting is a sinister and petty person, right? I imagine his voice should sound rather sharp and evil, the kind that you know he¡¯s the bad guy the moment you hear it.


    Audience 6: I¡¯ve checked the list of contestants who qualified for this round, and indeed there¡¯s a lot of ¡°bad guy¡± kind of youthful voices! Ahahahaha~


    ...


    ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t that be pretty bad for Shen Yan?¡± Qi Jing instinctively shook his head.


    To be honest, it wasn¡¯t only the listeners¡ªhe also felt like Shen Yan¡¯s voice sounded way too... not evil.


    There was one thing Jade Butterfly said right¡ªwhenever Shen Yan talked, the feeling he gave as he spoke was that of an upright young man, that went without saying. Moreover, Qi Jing already pretty much had a fixed image of Shen Yan through their interactions in real life, so to be perfectly honest, looking at those lines, he just couldn¡¯t imagine how Shen Yan would act them out.


    It shouldn¡¯t be that bad that he makes himself aughingstock, right...


    Qi Jing silently rested his forehead on his hand.


    It¡¯s half an hour before the end of Shen Yan¡¯s shift... He said that the evening shifts aren¡¯t that busy, so he should be able to take a call.


    Qi Jing took advantage of the fact that the first contestant had yet to start his performance and took off his headphones, calling Shen Yan¡¯s phone number.


    ¡°Duu¡ªduu¡ªduu...¡±


    Because no one answered the call, Qi Jing was greeted with a long series of dial tones until a beep from the tel sounded, redirecting him to voicemail.


    It took Qi Jing by surprise; he simply hung up and tried again¡ªstill, not one answered.


    He began to feel especially uneasy for some reason; sitting in his chair, he straightened his back a little, calling that number for the third time, unwilling to give up. Atst, a second before the redirection to the voicemail turned on, the call came through.


    Qi Jing breathed a sigh of relief, then said hurriedly, ¡°Shen Yan, you finally¡ª¡±


    But to his surprise, the voice he heard was that of a young nurse, who told him in a crisp voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s not Dr Shen who took the call. May I ask you if you¡¯re Mr Qi?¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback, and it took him a while toe back to his senses, ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m Mr Qi.¡±


    The young nurse continued, ¡°Dr Shen is currently in the clinic, I¡¯m one of the assistant nurses. We have just received an emergency patient¡ªthe animal was in a very dangerous state and needed to undergo surgery immediately. Dr Shen had just started the surgery five minutes ago, and he¡¯s currently in the middle of it. He told me that if Mr Qi were to call, I should pass you the message that the surgery might go on for a while, but he will do his best to be on time.¡±


    A surgery¡ª


    Qi Jing felt his heart drop, and the urgency in his voice couldn¡¯t help but go up a notch as he asked, ¡°May I ask, approximately how much time this surgery might need?¡±


    The young nurse thought for a while, ¡°That¡¯s hard to say, it depends on the exact circumstances of the animal¡¯s injury. It could be half an hour in one case or up to an hour in another case. Out of all our surgeons, only Dr Shen is on shift tonight, so there¡¯s no other surgeon to help him, so it might take a bit longer.¡±


    He was very clear about Shen Yan¡¯s style when it came to surgeries¡ªhe wouldn¡¯t possibly skimp over his work because of his personal matters, and he would always make sure to carefully and conscientiously do his best all the way to the end.


    That¡¯s why he wouldn¡¯t possibly do sloppy work during the surgery.


    ¡°I understand...¡± Qi Jing took a deep breath, doing his best to sound asposed as possible and forced augh. ¡°Then I¡¯d ask you, Miss nurse, to not tell Dr Shen that I called before he wraps up the surgery, no matter what. I don¡¯t want to hurry him up, so please, let him do his work at his pace.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The little nurse quickly ended the call.


    Qi Jing put down the phone, his heart in a mess.


    He looked at the livelyments in the chat, as well as the flickering of Yang Chunqu¡¯s voice activity indicator¡ªsuddenly, he couldn¡¯t even muster the will to put on his headphones.


    Turns out his disparity from the character wasn¡¯t the worst part of it.


    It¡¯s the fact that he won¡¯t even be able to act it that¡¯s the worst.


    ¡°Sigh...¡± But work is work, and you can¡¯t treat the lives of small animals like child¡¯s y.


    It was only when the firstpetitor was put on the microphone that Qi Jing finally put his headphones on in silence. He tried to convince himself to listen to that audition, at least for the sake of his ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± auditionter. Currently, the worst case scenario would be Shen Yan not being able to get back in time¡ªwhen the time came for him to perform, Qi Jing would need to fake problems with either the equipment or the inte and forfeit his qualification.


    T/N:


    Whitere: love how gossipy Five is, hahhaha


    Luci: Gossipy like an old aunty from your neighbourhood!

 Chapter 69

    <h4>Chapter 69</h4>


    Editor: Mashiro


    Bamboo Forest, evening time, rain.


    With thest of his strength exhausted, he copsed in the mud¡ªa scene that could only be described as ¡°an ignoble existence trying to live¡±.


    The imperial troops lying in ambush have yet to catch up, but he was already at the end of his rope and could not move a single muscle.


    As the heavy rain poured from the sky, the dense water pellets fell into the puddle before him. He blinked strenuously, but even so, hisshes couldn¡¯t stop the beads of rain from rolling into his eyes. It hurt so bad he couldn¡¯t see the ripples on the puddle, let alone see his blood that was dispersing through the water. The stench of blood faintly prated his olfactory senses.


    <i>¡ªI¡¯m going to die.</i>


    And it was in a way he was most unwilling to resign himself to.


    In the depths of this unknown bamboo forest, in this hour of darkness, he was going to die, in a wretched and miserable state, all alone.


    ¡°I... don¡¯t want to die. I don¡¯t want to die...¡±


    Barely holding on to his consciousness, he repeated those words over and over again.


    The sound of the rain was so loud; his voice blended in with the rainfall, each sounding more urgent than the one before, as if it were a desperate call.


    At this moment, he suddenly heard a crisp, clear voice. ¡°You don¡¯t want to die? What else are you hanging on to?¡±


    As his eyes widened in shock, he could see a man in white reflected in the ripples of the puddle. He did not know where the man came from nor when he arrived, but that man stood there firmly in the wind and rain in a straw hat and raincoat.


    Then, everything suddenly nked out and Qi Jing jerked his head up.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    The tip of his pen gently scraped across the surface of the paper, but still, no word was written.


    The current contestant he was listening to in his headphones had already moved on to the second line, but the tip of Qi Jing¡¯s pen was still stuck twirling in ce, unable to decide what to write down in his notebook. And more importantly, he was actually unable to conjure in his mind the tone in which ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± would reply ¡°Bai Ke¡±...


    <i>Weird...</i>


    Even though the performance of this voice actor was not bad¡ªthe feeling of weakness was properly expressed and the feeling of onest desperate struggle against death was also sufficient¡ªQi Jing still felt like something wascking in this contestant¡¯s grasp of the character¡¯s emotions. Once such a thought urred to him, his mind short-circuited.


    The official lines provided were only those of ¡°Bai Ke¡± and did not include ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±. However, as someone who hadpleted¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·, just thinking back a little and Qi Jing could tell which part of the story the lines came from.


    In the first scene, Bai Ke was being chased by the imperial court and was saved by Fang Yisheng when he was on the verge of death.


    To prepare for this, Qi Jing even specially opened a browser next to the YY application window and sought out this part of the story in the fifth instalment of the¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·novels, so he could see ¡°Fang Yisheng¡¯s¡± corresponding lines and practice to the contestants¡¯ performance. However, he had not expected a situation where he would not be able to act to the other¡¯s performance.


    Qi Jing had been voice acting for three years, but due to his chaotic work schedule, he often couldn¡¯t find the time to do a live run-through, so he usually records his files on his own when he has the time. After which, he would get feedback from the crew and send a follow-up recording at the director¡¯s suggestions or after listening to the DEMO.


    So live practice like this was a rarity and¡¶Trap¡·was one of the few.


    And this situation of getting stuck all of a sudden during the dubbing process has happened before, when he was acting against Bronze Sparrow Terrace. Now, a simr feeling has reappeared.


    ¡°This has already happened four times in a row with four different contestants and it¡¯s still happening...¡± Qi Jing muttered to himself in front of hisputer, much to his chagrin.


    Staring at the nk piece of paper on the desk with ¡°4¡±belled on it, he felt a wave of anxiety washed up.


    Was it because he was losing patience because he knew he couldn¡¯t catch up to Shen Yan?


    Was it because he was too distracted to listen to thepetition and couldn¡¯t jot down hisments properly?


    That might be the case...


    But that didn¡¯t rule out the fact that there were problems with the yers¡¯ performances.


    Qi Jing shook his head and pushed himself to write down a few words. This was to help calm himself down, by following Shen Yan¡¯s example of writingments for each contestant. But unfortunately, his mind was in too much of a mess, with too many distracting thoughts, that the logical thinking he was usually good at was malfunctioning.


    His eyes would stray towards the time every few minutes, and he also had his phone at hand, hoping that Shen Yan would suddenly call back to say that the operation was over and that he would be home soon or something. However, nothing happened. No matter how on pins and needles he was, he could only continue to listen and write down his opinions in silence.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Shen Yan has already made it to the next round for one character, it¡¯s fine even if he loses this one,¡± Qi Jing reassured himself.


    But to be honest, thepetition for ¡°Bai Ke¡± and ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡± waspletely different. It was difficult for contestants to stand out in thispetition because the role called for a young voice so there was no need to change one¡¯s voice and the requirement for one¡¯s voice was lower. As such, the bar was naturally set lower and one¡¯s understanding and performance of the lines determined to arge extent whether or not a person could stand out from the crowd.


    Amongst the four contestants Qi Jing had listened to hastily, the performance for the first act was average¡ªno mistakes but nothing fantastic either.


    Well, it¡¯s not like he could me them...


    For a fragmented line like ¡°I don¡¯t want to die¡±, it really doesn¡¯t take much skill from the contestants and naturally did not show their abilities.


    Let¡¯s take contestant four who had just started his performance, for example, he was the typical ¡°bad guy¡± that one could tell just from hearing his voice. The wretchedness as a viin desperately clings onto life could be heard as soon as he opens his mouth. The prompt of ¡°dying¡± provided by the organisers might as well be nothing because in such a scene, one would easily be able to achieve that effect by sounding a little weak and breaking up their speech a little.


    In contrast, the lines for the second and third acts gave more room for the contestants to show their abilities.


    The second act was the dialogue between Bai Ke and Fang Yisheng, which is set just before the former was intent on killing thetter by poisoning him. Although there were no major ups and downs in the overall tone, there was a lot of meaning behind the lines and it was worth listening to.


    The third act was Bai Ke defending his despicable deeds in front of his master, Old Man Xiao Shan. There are fairly clear tone cues in this scene, and the emotions are intense, with all the cold words of scorn and sarcasm and yelling and all that that were appropriate for a viin, so the contestants could just let loose for an explosive scene.


    Unfortunately, the third act which had the most to show didn¡¯t have the appearance of ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±, so Qi Jing was only left with the second scene to practice with.


    It was a scene where the two characters were sitting opposite each other, having a drink...


    ¡°Master Fang, if it wasn¡¯t for you lending a helping hand, I¡¯m afraid I would¡¯ve lost my life at the hands of the Pce¡¯s imperial hounds. I will never forget this great kindness you¡¯ve extended to me.¡±


    Before their banquet for two began proper, Bai Ke started off by making clear the reason for his toast. And as he said those words, he poured the cup of poisoned wine.


    There weren¡¯t any prompts at this part, allowing the contestants to do as they see fit.


    ¡°As I¡¯ve said before, it¡¯s nothing much, you needn¡¯t think too hard about it, Brother Bai.¡± Fang Yisheng¡¯s tone was calm and casual, but he gently epted the wine and downed it in one go¡ªthis part was from the novel and not included in the script provided by thepetition. Qi Jing was reading the lines directly from the novel.


    At this point, the contestant ying ¡°Bai Ke¡± was speaking politely which was still eptable to Qi Jing¡¯s ears as it was in line with the plot. But then came the next part where the official cue given was ¡°to pose a question¡± and most contestants really just used a questioning tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing... How could Master Fang say it¡¯s nothing? ¡®Listen to the Wind Inn¡¯ was miles away from the ce where I was ambushed that day; you must have had a hard time trudging through the rugged mountain path in the pouring rain.¡±


    ...


    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± He lost it here again.


    It shouldn¡¯t be a real question but rather a rhetorical one. Qi Jing annoyedly shook his head in the audience¡ªhe couldn¡¯t agree with the way many contestants chose to take on this line in the scene. Ever since he had finished reading the novel, he¡¯d couldn¡¯t help but start imagining the scenes in the book and whenever the other yer¡¯s performance didn¡¯t match what he had in mind, he wouldn¡¯t be able to continue acting.


    Since the start of thepetition today, he¡¯s met a few ¡°Bai Kes¡± who were not too bad and was able to get out a line or two, temporarily breaking away from the nk state his mind was in. However, whenever it came to parts which required extra attention to details, he would immediately break out of character.


    To prove that he wasn¡¯t being overly critical, Qi Jing took a nce at the chat.


    The audience seemed to have a simr reaction as him.


    Audience 1: (£þ_£þ|||) Uh... is it just me?? Somehow it feels like all the contestants that havee out so far all feel... a little OOC.


    Audience 2: (£þ_£þ|||) I don¡¯t think you¡¯re the only one because I feel the same... Frankly speaking, the contestants could pay a little attention to the scene the lines are said in, the plot, and the character they¡¯re speaking to. Some lines are not as simple as they look, it¡¯s probably hard to have a good grasp of the character just by staring at the official lines provided by thepetition, not to mention the fact that some of them don¡¯t even have cues.¡¾This novel fan is itching to post the original text¡¿


    Audience 3: Only the yelling and outburst in the third act feels somewhat satisfying. The first two acts... sound weird.


    Audience 4: Sounds weird+10086


    Audience 5: The third act has a more intense dialogue so it¡¯s easier for the contestants to get in the mood and sounds better, and the tone in that part is less prone to error. But we¡¯re clearly more concerned about the scenes between Bai Ke and Fang Yisheng!! Bad guys also deserved to be properly studied and analysed alright! Oi!! ¨s£­£ß£­£©¨s¨k¨k


    Audience 6: Actually, there are a few Bai Kes who sound bad enough, but they all let loose so much that they all ended up going in a strange direction... And they all went in the same direction¡¾pfft¡¿. Are all bad guys made from the same mold??¡¾Puhaha¡¿Well, to be fair, in this case, the judges¡¯ score wouldn¡¯t differ too much but I haven¡¯t given out a single vote yet and I¡¯m a little sad... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    ...


    ...


    That¡¯s right, there were two points of difficulty when it came to thepetition for ¡°Bai Ke¡±:


    1. The lines of who he¡¯s talking to were not given so it was easy for those who do not know the story to misinterpret them.


    2. The ¡°bad guy¡± as performed by all the contestants thus far was too standardised, too stereotypically bad.


    The average score given by the three judges remained at a mid-range score of three, with an asional upper middle, four. However, the difference between the total scores of the contestants was very small and thepetition to qualify would be quite fierce.


    <i>But it¡¯s still better to have a chance topete than none at all.</i>


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t stop shifting anxiously in his seat as his eyes constantly strayed towards the time at the bottom right corner of the screen.


    10.20 PM


    Almost an hour had passed...


    More than two-thirds of the contestants have finished their turn and there were only less than five people left but his phone on the desk was stillpletely silent. He didn¡¯t even receive a text, let alone a call¡ªthe operation must still be underway. Besides, it would take a while to get from the hospital back to the neighbourhood even with a run.


    ¡°It¡¯s hopeless...¡± Qi Jing murmured under his breath, trying to convince himself with much difficulty to face the harsh reality. ¡°There¡¯s absolutely no hope if the operation hasn¡¯t ended by now.¡±


    Qi Jing really wanted to get up, take off the headset, and go sit in a corner to calm down. But he tried a few times, and every time he did that, he would be gripped by hesitation at thest moment... Ultimately, he still refused to give up on these few short minutes.


    He doesn¡¯t dare make the im that Shen Yan would perform amazingly, after all, his vibe and voice didn¡¯t match the character. But Shen Yan¡¯s grasp of the tone definitely wouldn¡¯t be too off. Even if his hard skills were not a good match for the character, he could try to put up a decent fight with his ¡°soft skills¡±, that is his acting, and squeeze into the top ten? ...Though all these thoughts are just wishful thinking now.


    ¡°Number thirty...¡±


    <i>Yeah, even if number thirty isst of the order of appearance, there¡¯s no way to dy it indefinitely. Qi Jing thought to himself in a daze.</i>


    <i>Wait.</i>


    <i>No, someone seems to be calling this number... </i>


    In that moment, he suddenly realised that the voice wasing from his headphones.


    ¡°Contestant thirty¡ª¡±


    When his brain finally reconnected, Yang Chunqu¡¯s bright voice became clearer than day in that instant, causing him to jolt back to his senses!


    ¡°Contestant number thirty, can you hear me?¡± Having received no response, confused, Yang Chunqu called out the number for a third time, this time, not forgetting to include the ID attached to that number. ¡°Contestant thirty, Kitty no Papa, if you can hear me, please turn on your microphone and check your equipment¡ª¡±


    Qi Jing drew a cold breath.


    Turns out that while he was fighting with himself internally, the time had turned 10.30 PM before he knew it.


    Turns out that it was already the turn of thest contestant, that is, Shen Yan?


    <i>...Crap.</i>


    In that moment, his heart felt as if it was gripped by something, every single vessel in his body constricted, and his limbs turned cold as he sat frozen in his seat, not knowing how to react.


    The listeners in the chat on the other hand, clearly knew how to react and in fact, they reacted very enthusiastically; everyone was eagerly waiting for Shen Yan¡¯s turn.


    Audience 1: ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sYO!!! <i>Kitty ¤Î Papa</i>!! Finally!!


    Audience 2: Hmph, I¡¯m definitely not going to admit that I actually have no expectations at all for Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s Bai Ke. I¡¯m just here for his youthful voice that¡¯s nice and cosy to hear!! Lla~ ¡¾That¡¯s right, I cried to his Grandpa performance the previous time¡¿


    Audience 3: In any case, I think that the character of Bai Ke is for sure not a suitable role for a good youth(?) like Kitty¡¯s Papa, I¡¯m just here to enjoy his voice. Moreover... I think I might hear an honest and loyal Bai Ke. Pfft. (~£þ¨Œ£þ)~


    Audience 4: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä An honest and loyal Bai Ke, hahaha! Thement above, you really pushed my funny button! I¡¯ve never heard of the ID, <i>Kitty ¤Î Papa</i>, before but all my friends told me to listen to the recording for Old Man Xiao Shan. At first, I wondered what¡¯s there to listen to an old grandfather but who knew, I would really want to bow down to him after hearing the recording! I really look forward to hearing your young voice! Even if it¡¯s for a bad guy!!¡¾Eh¡¿


    Audience 5:£¨©Ð£ß©Ð£©Will I admit that the reason why my ass still isn¡¯t in bed is only because I want to hear his version of Bai Ke...


    Audience 6:£¨©Ð£ß©Ð£©RTRT. As a fan of the story itself, I¡¯m actually quite ok towards Bai Ke...I don¡¯t feel as righteous and outraged as the Squares. As the saying goes, a despicable person will ultimately have a pitiful side to them. After listening to thepetition so far, there are some contestants who were not bad and I¡¯ve voted for them, but I definitely felt that there were areas for improvement. I¡¯ve heard a bit about this Kitty¡¯s Papa and apparently he took down the first ce for the semis for Old Man Xiao Shan?? I look forward to hearing a different kind of performance.


    ...


    ...


    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, but Kitty¡¯s Papa... he probably won¡¯t be able to perform...¡±


    Qi Jing looked at the words of expectation that filled the public chat, feeling a thorn lodge into his heart, stabbing him so hard that he couldn¡¯t lift his head in front of the screen and could only apologise to everyone dejectedly. The microphone was still turned off and this sentence was just hisst rehearsal before he crushed everyone¡¯s expectations.


    However, what must be faced still has to be faced...


    He took in a slow deep breath and once done, he closed his eyes and reopened them. Qi Jing moved the cursor on to the microphone icon on the screen and clicked it, unmuting himself, and the coloured horizontal bars representing the volume change began to jump back and forth.


    At this point, he could only pretend that there were some technical issues.


    Qi Jing pressed his nails against the microphone and gloomily gave the surface a gentle scrape, creating an artificial static sound.


    ¡°Contestant number thirty?¡± When Yang Chunqu heard this sound, she was slightly taken aback before quickly asking, ¡°I heard a loud noise but no voice, is there something wrong with your set-up?¡±


    Qi Jing did not answer.


    ¡°Ck... psssshtt...¡±


    ¡°It looks like number thirty is indeed in a bit of trouble...¡± Yang Chunqu hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should announce to the crowd that if the technical difficulties is unable to be solved immediately, ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± would automatically be disqualified from thepetition. Especially when the audience was showing such great shock.


    Audience 1: Holy heck!! Are you kidding me!! Get your shit together, mic!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Audience 2: Holy heck!! Why does it have to be the contestant I wanted to hear the most! Kitty¡¯s Papa, quickly settle your equipment, I don¡¯t want to have waited all night for nothing!!


    Audience 3: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ Technical difficulties? Do you have to abuse me so...


    Audience 4: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ I¡¯m heartbroken... How do you expect me to sleep tonight when I haven¡¯t heard Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s Bai Ke!!


    Audience 5: Kitty¡¯s Papa do you have your phone!! You can log into YY on your phone!! I don¡¯t even care about the sound quality, as long as you can keep your spot in thepetition!! He¡¯s thest contestant anyway, begging the organisers to give some leeway, give him some time to download the software or something aAaaAh... ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Audience 6: As much as I want to beg the organisers as well, but a rule is a rule, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s good to make exceptions like that. Sigh... What a pity, there are so many contestants who have withdrawn from thepetition due to technical difficulties this year... Who knew Kitty¡¯s Papa would be one of them as well.


    ...


    ...


    After waiting for about ten seconds, it seemed that even Yang Chunqu, the officially appointed host for the programme, could not dy any longer.


    She spoke regretfully, ¡°Unfortunately, it seems that number thirty¡¯s equipment really isn¡¯t working. Since that¡¯s the case, this is the end of the semi-finals for ¡®Bai Ke¡ª¡±


    <i>This is the end.</i>


    Qi Jing had thought the same if it weren¡¯t for the fact that he heard the rattling of keysing from the front door at that moment.


    Although faint and messy, it was the sound of keys unlocking the door that he was all too familiar with.


    A shudder ran through his body as joy instantly washed over Qi Jing¡ª


    ¡°MC!¡± Without even thinking, he blurted the next words, shouting at the microphone for her to stop, ¡°Wait! MC, please wait a minute!¡±


    The voice in the headset disappeared for a moment.


    Then, Yang Chunqu weakly asked a question. ¡°Huh... who is... this speaking?¡±


    Mashiro: I was at the edge of my seat with nervousness for QJ, but I still couldn¡¯t help butugh at thest part!!!

 Chapter 70

    <h4>Chapter 70</h4>


    Lilies: thank you Rereadm for the ko-fi (~£þ¨Œ£þ)~ ¡û stolen emoticon from one of the earlier chaps


    TLC: Lilies


    Editor: Whiteres


    No matter who was that, it couldn¡¯t possibly be ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡±.


    And that¡¯s simply because the voice waspletely different¡ª


    When Qi Jing realised that he called out in a moment of desperation, his breath stagnated and his first reaction was to cover his mouth with hand.


    He shot up to his feet as if reflexively, but the movement was too abrupt, causing him to forcefully knock his knee by the desk table with a bang. That sound was probably also transmitted, since Yang Chunqu once again eximed with surprise. The pain instantly made Qi Jing recover some of his rationality, so he put down his hand, quickly pushing the key to mute the mic.


    Unfortunately, what is done can¡¯t be undone¡ªmuting the mic now couldn¡¯t make up for his already said words.


    After all, it wasn¡¯t only the MC who heard him, but nearly ten thousand of listeners.


    Audience 1: &#k2026; Crap, who was that fellow?? I might not be very familiar with Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s real voice, but it can¡¯t! Possibly! Be! Him!¡¾By the way, I think I heard the sound of hitting something... My friend, are you alright?¡¿


    Audience 2: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã That scared me, this voice is clearly different from Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s voice before... Whomst is it! Whomst!


    Audience: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã I need to say that this voice is quite pleasing to the ear~¡¾so clear and distinct¡¿


    Audience: Could it be...


    Audience 5: Could it be a family member?? Aooooo¡ª! I know it¡¯s a proper voice actingpetition, but I can¡¯t help my thoughts from going wild!! Begging for the truth, begging for rification!! ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã


    Audience 6: ...Speaking of which... even though he spoke quickly, and I didn¡¯t hear it clearly... I¡¯m still sure that I heard that voice somewhere. It sounds so familiar!! But I can¡¯t recall where I heard it right now... (scratching walls)


    ...


    I¡¯m begging of you all, don¡¯t recall it¡ªQi Jing held his hand over his madly thrashing and panicking heart, not even daring to take a breath as his eyes stayed locked on the continuously appearing new guesses on the public chat.


    What to do?


    What to do?


    His voice was very distinct, so even though he spoke so quickly and the listeners wouldn¡¯t be able to recognise him at the moment, after some of his fans listened to the recording multiple timester, he would certainly get recognised¡ªso what should he do now?


    At that time, the door to the study suddenly opened as a panting Shen Yan barged inside.


    His breathing was rushed, he hadn¡¯t even managed to take off his shoes and coat and still held the keys to the main door in his hand¡ªthey jingled with every hurried step he made. Because he ran the whole way back, it was hard to say whether the flush on his face was from the running or from the chilly wind. Traces left behind by the perspiration that had dried were still visible on his fatigued face, but his gaze was strong.


    Qi Jing should be overjoyed to see him, but at the moment he wasn¡¯t capable of mustering any semnce of a smile, and could only stand there like a statue, his face pale.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ª¡±


    Both of them spoke at the same time, and were taken aback at the same moment. But they also both knew what the other was apologizing for.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... Shen Yan, I¡¯m so sorry. I called out in my haste just now...¡± Qi Jing¡¯s voice trembled as he pointed towards the mic.


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic.¡± Shen Yan tried to slow his hurried breathing as he tossed the things in his hands aside and held Qi Jing¡¯s shoulders, patting on them as if to help him suppress his fear. In fact, he heard Qi Jing¡¯s cry as well when he entered the door. Linking together the words said, he could more or less guess the current situation, so he said in a low voice, ¡°It¡¯s my fault, it¡¯s me who got backte... Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s already fortunate that I can turn up on time.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t wrong about that; they should take it step by step.


    Qi Jing closed his eyes resigned to this fate and nodded his head in silence as he let Shen Yan take off his headphones to put them on himself.


    Yang Chunqu in the voice channel was clearly still confused. She watched as the light by ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡±¡¯s ID dimmed once again; she tried to call him a couple of times, but to no avail. It also seemed that all of the listeners agreed to drown her with the pleas to ¡°wait for a while longer¡±, so she had no other choice but to give him a bit more time.


    At that moment, that light suddenly lit up and a slightly breathy, but still familiarly deep and steady voice could be heard, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, host... Everything is alright now.¡±


    Once he spoke up, the chat was immediately flooded with cheers.


    Audience 1: ¨“¨Œ¨“ God bless!! It¡¯s the real Kitty¡¯s Papa this time!!¡¾His real voice is really so easy on the ears ¨R¦Ø¨Q¡¿


    Audience 2: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Hooowl¡ª! I¡¯m so excited! Is your equipment fixed already?? All that wait wasn¡¯t for naught, it was worth it staying up tonight!!


    Audience 3: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Scaring me to death, and here I thought I won¡¯t be able to hear you~


    Audience 4: Kitty¡¯s Papa, begging for rification! Who is that guy who has just spoken! If I don¡¯t hear the answer, I won¡¯t be able to sleep tonight, really! (rolling around on the floor)


    Audience 5: Begging for rification or I can¡¯t sleep tonight! +1


    Audience 6: Begging for rification or I can¡¯t sleep tonight! +2


    ...


    Yang Chunqu was stupefied by this scene, but she finally realised this contestant was the actual, legitimate Kitty¡¯s Papa whopeted for the role of ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡±, and hurriedly said, ¡°Ah, seems like it¡¯s really contestant number thirty this time. Is your problem with the equipment solved?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry for theplications.¡± While he responded, Shen Yan hurriedly took off his coat and loosened the cor of his shirt a bit, so that he could gradually calm his breathing. During all that time, his eyes had been fixed on Qi Jing who took his coat for him. He hesitated for a moment, then took an initiative to exin the situation to Yang Chunqu, ¡°The person from before, he... he¡¯s my tmate. My equipment suddenly malfunctioned leaving me in a tight spot, so he came over to help me adjust it and spoke up in a moment of carelessness. So please, forgive us for that mishap, host.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it was.¡± Yang Chunqu chuckled, finally understanding the situation, ¡°That¡¯s great that you managed to repair it at thest moment.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    It was 10:30 PM already, so saying Qi Jing was his friend wouldn¡¯t be very usible. But when he gave Qi Jing a questioning nce, thetter made a shushing gesture, signalling him to not tell the truth¡ªthat¡¯s why Shen Yan chose ¡°tmate¡± as the most reasonable exnation, one that wouldn¡¯t expose the true nature of their rtionship.


    But the listeners¡¯ imagination spanned way wider than Yang Chunqu¡¯s train of thought.


    Even more, they started to extend into the more ambiguous direction¡ª


    Audience 1: ... tmate... = =


    Audience 2: ... tmate... That has to be an excuse = =¡¾Speaking of which, I also feel like I¡¯ve heard that tmate¡¯s voice somewhere...¡¿


    Audience 3: tmate or whatever, the point is, they¡¯re living together!! Hahahaha, two guys living under the same roof, it really makes my imagination go wild!! (/¨R¨Œ¨Q/)


    Audience 4: That tmate¡¯s voice is pretty nice, can I ask Kitty Papa and the tmate toe for a round?!!


    Audience 5: Pfft, what did the previousmenter mean by that e for a round¡±, what kind ofing and what round did you mean~ Oh crap, it really makes me shy~¡¾Lies! You¡¯re clearly so happy you could drop dead by now¡¿


    Audience 6: Pfft, I¡¯ll board the trend and ask Kitty¡¯s Papa and the tmate toe for a round, no matter the interpretation, both are weed = =+


    ...


    The situation was getting more and more out of hand.


    Yang Chunqu cleared her throat and reminded everyone that thepetition was still going on, ¡°Dear listeners, we will now ask contestant number thirty to make the final preparations. As usual, before we start¡ªdo you have something to say to everyone, number thirty?¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s audition was beginning properly, so there was no need for him to stay anymore¡ªthinking this, Qi Jing made to go, intending to leave the room so that he wouldn¡¯t influence Shen Yan¡¯s performance. But at that moment, Shen Yan suddenly grabbed his hand. He didn¡¯t use much strength, but his hold was firm.


    Qi Jing found himself at loss; he lowered his head to meet Shen Yan¡¯s calm gaze.


    The deep ck of those eyes was just like the strength holding his hand, steady, but also determined... It made one want to stay enveloped in it.


    Wait.Shen Yan mouthed to him.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t react for a while, then nodded his head lightly. But Shen Yan didn¡¯t release him, he kept holding Qi Jing¡¯s hand like this.


    The listeners in the chat proceeded to express their excitement; because this ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± had left everyone with quite a deep impression with his opening statement during the previous audition, even earning a specialment from Pu Yuzhi, together with numerous support from the listeners.


    Only the judge had the right to speak at that time, so the contestants had no way of turning their mics on to respond.


    That¡¯s why now everyone was curious whether he had any change of heart.


    This time, Shen Yan looked at the screen, at thements people sent for him in the chat. It was as if he was looking at the audience smiling at him from below the scene, the view no longer obscured by the dazzling light of the stage lights. He took a deep breath and said slowly, ¡°First... I¡¯d like to thank Teacher Pu for thementary and advice from thest time. It was on point regarding numerous things, and I benefited from it a lot. It let me... reconsider my attitude towards voice acting, as well as other things I was unable to see before. Thank you.¡±


    As he spoke, he didn¡¯t really stop moving his fingers and kept stroking the back of Qi Jing¡¯s palm with his thumb.


    Qi Jing chuckled noiselessly and also curled his fingers against Shen Yan¡¯s hand in turn, holding the other¡¯s hand in a gentle grip as if to convey his support for the other¡¯s words.


    ¡°Next, I want to thank the listeners who showed me support.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s gentle voice got caught by the mic; for Qi Jing, his voice was like a vast sea, steady and calm¡ªbut this time it wasn¡¯t immersed in the depths of the night, but warm like a sea under the sunlight during low tide.


    ¡°Before, I never looked at the screen. I didn¡¯t dare to. But only when I properly lookedter did I realise that... There are actually so many people listening to me, supporting me. I... I¡¯m really grateful to all of you.¡± He said in a low voice, ¡°I hope that today I can also give you a satisfactory performance.¡±


    When Shen Yan said this, the heaps of red flowers on the screen were already innumerable.


    Audience 1: £¨¨s¨F¡õ¡ä£©¨s¦à Flipping the table! What do you mean by ¡°satisfactory performance¡±, ah?! It will certainly be a performance deserving of a high score!


    Audience 2: £¨¨s¨F¡õ¡ä£©¨s¦à Exactly! Kitty¡¯s Papa, have more faith in yourself!


    Audience 3: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Even saying stuff like ¡®not daring to look at the screen¡¯... Crap, I think I felt my heart sting right now!! My motherly love (?) is overflowing!!


    Audience 4: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Each of your opening remarks make me tear up, what¡¯s up with that... Kitty¡¯s Papa, you owe me some tissues!!


    Audience 5: Making me tear up +1, but I still have to say that this time, he will y Bai Ke!! That uber-scumbag Baike!! What if after being so wholesome now he won¡¯t be able to scum himself upter!?¡¾My focus seems to be wrong...¡¿


    Audience 6: Thementer above pointed out the right thing... Kitty¡¯s Papa, why did you have to choose that role! Such a waste of your slots! (scratching a wall indignantly)


    ...


    Everyone¡¯s reactions were to be expected¡ªor rather, they were even more warmer than expected.


    Qi Jing smiled.


    Shen Yan¡¯s reaction had changed quite a lot since he first appeared thest time, and Qi Jing believed that the listeners could hear that in his tone. No matter the oue of thepetition, whether he wasted his role quota or not, it never really mattered¡ªhe had already witnessed Shen Yan taking a step forward in his life.


    Like this, he could now leave with his heart at ease and go back to his room to listen to him on his ownputer. As for whether they would get exposed, he didn¡¯t really want to mull over that now. They could think it throughter after thepetition.


    But just as he wanted to leave, Shen Yan not only didn¡¯t move, but held his hand even tighter.


    Qi Jing was utterly perplexed by his behaviour.


    ¡°And atst, I want to talk about why I chose this role.¡± Last time, Shen Yan had talked about the reason for choosing his previous character, and this time wasn¡¯t an exception. ¡°The choice of ying ¡®Bai Ke¡¯ is in fact mostly because of his rtionship with ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯¡ª¡±


    As he spoke, the chat filled up with all the ¡°eh¡±s, signalling the surprise of the listeners. They obviously couldn¡¯t make sense of that reasoning.


    But Shen Yan continued.


    ¡°By my side, there¡¯s a person I consider my benefactor. It¡¯s not like I had my life saved by him like it was the case with ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯ and ¡®Bai Ke¡¯, but he has given me so much; not in a material sense... but it¡¯s something really, really precious to me.¡±


    At that time, Shen Yan suddenly pulled Qi Jing¡¯s hand, pulling it over to his chest¡¯s level, then lowered his head to nt a gentle kiss on his fingers.


    Qi Jing trembled, as if those lips set a fire that made their way from the ce where the kissnded up to his cheeks, immediately sparking a burning hot sensation.


    Really...His heart was just so unprepared for that.


    When the kiss ended, Shen Yan turned his head over to look at him andughed as he ced that hand directly over his heart, then continued, ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to try voice acting as this character¡ªto remind myself not to be someone like ¡®Bai Ke¡¯. That¡¯s it. Thank you.¡±


    Even though only Qi Jing could truly understand those words, the audience¡¯s ability to connect this and that was truly not to be underestimated.


    The atmosphere in the public chat had already started to fall into an uproar.


    Audience 1: o(*////¨Œ////*)o Aiyoyoyo~~~


    Audience 2: o(*////¨Œ////*)o What kind of situation is that?? Does it mean that IRL Kitty¡¯s Papa has a benefactor simr to Fang Yisheng??¡¾Oh my, I just can¡¯t stop my imagination from going in all sorts of directions, can I?¡¿


    Audience 3: o(*////¨Œ////*)o That reason is so amazing! Saying it like that, I feel like the original plot had suddenly be a love-hate angsty drama! ¡°I can¡¯t have you, so I¡¯ll kill you¡±, this kind of story, am I right?!


    Audience 4: £¨//////ÆH//////£© So it could be interpreted like that... Crap, once I¡¯ve epted such a setting...


    Audience 5: Kitty¡¯s Papa, is that really all you have to say?!! How is that possible!! Quick, tell me if that IRL ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± you just spoke about is your tmate or not!!¡¾This time I really won¡¯t be able to sleep tonight, ok?¡¿


    Audience 6: This time I really won¡¯t sleep tonight +10086! Is it roommate-kun? Hooowl¡ª! If it really is tmate-kun then I feel like the door to the new world is about to open for me... I know that the original plot has a female lead character, but... I think there¡¯s a ce for a Bai Ke x Fang Yisheng sh, don¡¯t you think??


    ...


    ¡°Ahem... Then, contestant number thirty, I will now turn off my mic.¡±


    It was clear that Yang Chunqu knew where the people in the chat were going, but to leave some time for the final judges¡¯mentary, she put an end to everyone¡¯s spirited brain-rotting.


    Looking at the flickering of Yang Chunqu¡¯s avatar, Qi Jing knew it was now the time for him to leave for real.


    His cheeks were still hot when he gently broke his hand away from Shen Yan¡¯s grip and lightly punched thetter on the shoulder. Then, he quietly left the study and quickly went to the bedroom to put on his headphones.


    By the time Qi Jing put his headphones on, the timer of the mic sequence¡¯s first speaker had already started counting down from 120.


    As he wanted to save time, he was virtually running on his way there yet he didn¡¯t even care to catch his breath but held it, focusing solely on listening.


    Yet strangely enough, even though three seconds passed on the timer, there was still no sound to be heard in his headphones. In the end Qi Jing couldn¡¯t hold his breath any longer and took a few gasps¡ªonly then he discovered the faint sound of a man gaspinging through the headphones¡ªbutpared to his, that breathing was moreboured, more hurried, as if it wasing from the depths of that person¡¯s chest.


    Quite stifled, the pants could be heard one after another.


    It was as if there was something clogging his throat, his breath sounding almost turbid. As if...


    He was in the rain¡ª


    Suddenly, Qi Jing felt a chill washing over his body as if it was pouring, just like in the scene he saw before his eyes. That¡¯s right... it was in the middle of a torrential downpour¡ªeven without needing to read the novel, the lines for the second act would¡¯ve already clued the contestants and the audience in.


    What¡¯s more, Bai Ke should have copsed into a pool of blood at that time.


    His face smeared was covered in mud and the rain was strong; most of the time a person lying like that would have trouble breathing, be it from the pouring rainwater or the water gathered on the ground.


    Then, Qi Jing heard a voice in his ears quite unlike any other he had ever heard before.


    It wasn¡¯t the voice itself that he had never heard before¡ªin fact, there was barely any change in the voice, it was merely a pitch higher, a bit brighter than Shen Yan¡¯s natural voice.


    What he had never heard before was the temperament hidden within that voice.


    Just like Shen Yan himself was like a scabbard¡ªan inherent quality of a scabbard is bluntness, it wouldn¡¯t inflict any harm upon touching and is both solid and durable.


    But now, he was like the de hidden away in the scabbard, his sharpness almost sinister¡ª


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die...¡±


    When he said the first line, that moist breathing suddenly became more urgent, moreboured, to the point when one could hear his whimpers with each breath he took, making the repeated line he saidter sound ever more powerful¡ª


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die...¡± With his teeth clenched, he cried, unreconciled, ¡°Don¡¯t want to die... I don¡¯t want to die!¡±


    The same line, one Qi Jing had heard twenty nine times already, but the thirtieth time was different beyond his imagination.


    At this point, the vast majority of the contestants had used the incoherent and weak tone, enacting the ¡°nearing death¡± promptpetition officials included in the description, usually resulting in a copy-paste-like act of a man on hisst dying breath.


    That part itself wasn¡¯t really wrong.


    If this scene was to be taken out of the story without any context, no one would find it inadequate.


    Qi Jing suddenly remembered the description of this scene from the original ?Order to End the Heaven? novel. The reason why Bai Ke ended up in this state, waiting for death like this was because he had been ambushed by the imperial court¡¯s military forces. His bing the target of that ambush was the result of his identity as ¡°senior of Qin Tuo the traitor¡±¡ªthe military officer who was after him had made this clear.


    Bai Ke always had a low self-esteem because of his birth and felt envious of his junior whose family background was tens times better than his, yet now, he was to die at some god-forsaken ce because of his rtionship with that same junior.


    How could he not feel resentful?


    How could he not hate?


    So of course... As he was nearing his death, there was one wish that would appear first in his heart¡ªthe wish to not die, to live on and take revenge on his junior.


    Qi Jing felt as if something hard rammed into his chest, and a shiver ran through his body.


    It wasn¡¯t isted voice acting.


    This voice acting drew links to the different parts and epassed the entirety of the story.


    Gradually, that breathing that made one think of a trapped beast nearing its end was thoroughly exhausted and slowly ceased to be; after a spell of painful coughing, that man suddenly let out a tiny whimper, ¡°... Uh...¡±


    It was as if the moment of the overwhelming fury had passed¡ªthe man probably realised that he was really going to die and lost all of his will.


    At such times, one would usually calm down that tiny bit.


    The one he would think of wouldn¡¯t be his junior, but his dear master who he was closest to and trusted the most, the master who single-handedly raised him but didn¡¯t even know he was about to die in the chilling rain.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die...¡±


    He still wanted to see his master one more time.


    He was still unreconciled, but this time it was more despaired, more sorrowful, ¡°I, don¡¯t want to die... don¡¯t want to.¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t realise that he stopped breathing at that point, as he waspletely focused on the other party¡¯s voice.


    Upon witnessing such a change from furious to sorrowful, one would no doubt feel some curiosity towards this person.


    They wouldn¡¯t be able... resist wanting to save his life, to see why he clung to his life so desperately¡ª


    With that thought, the corresponding lines naturally escaped Qi Jing¡¯s lips.


    ¡°Don¡¯t want to die?¡± Interesting... So what exactly would the reason be? ¡°Then... what other attachments do you have?¡±


    Luci: (mind deep in a gutter together with the audience) I... I also want Kitty¡¯s Papa and the tmate toe for a round... (? ???¦Ø??? ?)¡ûalso stolen


    Whitere: AHHHHHHHH PUBLIC HIDDEN CONFESSION <3<3<3

 Chapter 71

    <h4>Chapter 71</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    <i>unedited</i>


    The sound of that man¡¯s breathing stopped for a moment and the previously weak breath suddenly became urgent, uneven.


    ¡°Who is it... Who are you! Who¡ª¡±


    His words were far from being coherent; they were interrupted by his gasps for breath quite a few times, and even his teeth seemed to be chattering. Listening to it made one realise that this person was struggling while speaking, and it was as if one could see him crawling stubbornly in the mud.


    In the official lines, this line was simply written as ¡°who is it, who are you¡±, with a question mark at the end, so a lot of contestants chose to carry on with the previous sense of weakness, only adding the usual questioning tone. What¡¯s more, ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±¡¯s character setting was that of ¡°Bei Ke¡±¡¯s life saviour, so there were quite a few people who added a bit of pleasant surprise suitable for a person being rescued to their voice acting.


    Yet this version deviatedpletely from that course.


    ¡°Bai Ke¡± was a man of many suspicions, it was hence easy to imagine that after getting ambushed and almost killed, the sudden appearance of a stranger would not only not make him feel relieved, but he would even feel more despaired.


    ¡ªWho are you, a hound of the imperial court, chasing me all the way here to kill me?¡ªYou¡¯re asking me for my attachments, is it because you want to ask if I have anyst words?


    That was the effect that was being presented to Qi Jing and the audience.


    The dying man¡¯s intense will to survive, as well as his fear¡ªboth were distinct beyondpare, each word pulling on listener¡¯s heartstrings.


    Then, how should ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± reply under those circumstances?


    Before him was a man on hisst breath, so even if he didn¡¯t do anything and just looked from the sides, this person would without doubt die.


    This man was already in such a sorry state, but his appearance made him look even more wretched just like that.


    It was kind of ludicrous, but also... miserable.


    He subconsciously lowered his voice, making it light and devoid of any pressure, as if he wanted tofort the man, ¡°I¡¯m but a man of jianghu who happened to pass by, I bear no ill will toward you.¡±


    After responding with that line, Qi Jing slowly leaned back and slumped against the back of the chair, sitting there in silence as if paralysed.


    <i>So that¡¯s how it is.</i>


    So that¡¯s why the previous contestants¡¯ performances couldn¡¯t get his lines toe out smoothly¡ªit was because this whole part of dialogue was done fundamentally wrong from the very beginning making it such that it didn¡¯t make any logical sense with regards to the character. When trying to act his lines, he would feel like something was strange, hence he would get stuck constantly.


    I never thought it could be acted like this, he thought.


    His heart was pounding hard, but apart from it being due to him beingpletely immersed in the tense atmosphere of the scene, it was more so due to the excitement of acting with another VA.


    The time for the change of scene was very short, so short that this excitement had still yet to fade away when it was reignited.


    In one moment it was still a man covered in dirt, but in the next, that voice sounded as if it was washed in a clear water; the sharp tone was put in a perfect order, and even a bit of gentlemanly manner could be heard.


    Perhaps one would really think that man a gentleman, if it wasn¡¯t for the chilling, mocking tone of his next words.


    ¡°Master Fang, if it wasn¡¯t for your rescue back then, my lowly life would probably end under the hands of the imperial court¡¯s thugs.¡±


    At this point, he paused for a moment.


    When he spoke once again, his voice was darker and colder than before as he said word by word through his clenched teeth, ¡°A tremendous grace... One I won¡¯t be able to forget till death.¡±


    Qi Jing went stiff upon hearing this.


    He didn¡¯t know why he felt a kind of invisible oppression seeping through from between the words; it wasn¡¯t obvious, but it made him feel as if a de was held to his throat, and he actually couldn¡¯t utter another word.


    Crap...


    ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± was a man who experienced all kinds of adversities, so he wouldn¡¯t even bat an eye in such a situation, and would face it calmly instead.


    ¡°At that time I also said that it was but a trifle... Brother Bai needn¡¯t think much of it.¡± Suppressing the uneasiness in his heart, he tried to carry on with the scene dully, using as calm of a tone he could muster.


    At that time, a low chuckle could suddenly be heard in his headphones.


    At first, it was more like a faint scoff, then came those two sybles.


    ¡°Keke.¡±


    This was neither in the lines nor in the acting prompts. It reverberated without the slightest foreshadowing, as if surfacing from the depths of bone-chilling still water.


    Qi Jing froze, then he shivered from a sudden chill.


    ¡°But a trifle... How can Master say it was just a trifle?¡±


    His smile had yet to fade away, it seeped into one¡¯s ears together with those words, a hint of killing intent buried beneath his courteous act. But it was hidden too well, buried too deeply. The tone of his voice was like a low growl of a wolf from under the sheepskin may have made one sense of something wrong, but it wasn¡¯t to the point of putting him out in a in sight.


    ¡°¡®Listen to the Wind Inn¡¯ is as far as eighteen miles away from the ce I was ambushed at that day.¡± Yet it was you, Fang Yisheng, who passed by.


    ¡°That mountain road was precipitous, what¡¯s more, it was raining heavily that day.¡± Yet it was on that day, at that ce that we met.


    How possible such a coincidence might be?


    He spoke with greatposure and ease, his smile the more prominent the longer he talked, but he already ceased putting up a pretense and hiding his menace, and finally openly delivered the stab, ¡°Master sure had a hard time on the way there.¡±


    ¡ªFang Yisheng, I already know you used to serve the imperial court, do you still want to continue fooling me?


    ¡ªYour saving me then was a mere pretense, your real objective was to get me to unknowingly give you information; you were just using me, that¡¯s all.¡ªThe me who once felt gratitude so great towards you... I really was such a fool.


    ... Qi Jing was dumbstruck.


    This time, he really was unable to respond. He couldn¡¯t even say a word.


    So cold.So terrifying.


    There wasn¡¯t a single speck of warmth from ¡°Shen Yan¡± at all. What appeared before him in his mind was now aplete stranger; he was already unable to visualise Shen Yan¡¯s features, as the only thing he saw was a cold grin on the face of a betrayed man.


    Qi Jing knew that ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± still had his lines after that, but he was unable to act them out at that moment.


    In the novel, there was a long period of silence at that point of the dialogue between those two characters, but it wasn¡¯t easy to portray with a timer on the performance underpetition conditions.


    Yet that effect was delivered just right.


    Of course, Qi Jing wasn¡¯t the only one to realise that point.


    Audience 1: ... I got spooked into crying...¡¾Really... Just now, I kept inching backwards until I almost fell off my chair¡¿


    Audience 2: ... *bursts out in sobs* KITTY¡¯S PAPA SO SCARY!! ¨“¨Œ¨“


    Audience 3: My heart almost stopped, ok?! What happened to the voice of a model youth I was promised!! What about the honest and considerate Bai Ke I was promised!! Quick, give me back my wholesome Kitty¡¯s Papa, he¡¯s so scary in this role!! ¨“¨Œ¨“


    Audience 4: (swoons) My entire person was unnerved by his ¡°keke¡± just now...


    Audience 5: ... It¡¯s the first time for me to listen to this contestant¡¯s audition live... Who the hell told me his voice is of the upright and healing kind... My feelings! Got! Cheated! Was that sweetment at the beginning only there to serve as a contrast for thetter performance?! ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡±, you got me this time!!¡¾I¡¯m covered in cold sweat, I really feel cheated _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_¡¿


    Audience 6: ... So... good... I¡¯m being real here, this gap moe is the best!! ¨R¡õ¨Q


    Qi Jing nced at thements in the chat. He also wiped his face with his hand, and as expected, it was equally as chilly and covered in a cold sweat.


    Just now, he didn¡¯t think of Shen Yan¡¯s type of voice at all. Whatever upright, whatever healing, itpletely slipped his mind.


    The sheer change of bearing was sufficient enough.


    By the time the second scene concluded, he no longer had any qualms about Shen Yan acting as ¡°Bai Ke¡±. Maybe it was because he had already listened to him ying all kinds of ¡°heavenly immortal grandpa¡± roles before so he had a good idea of what to expect from the first audition and wasn¡¯t too surprised by the result. But this time... he had to admit that he was blown away.


    ¡°Still, there shouldn¡¯t be any major breakthrough with the third scene...¡± Qi Jing mumbled to himself.


    The other contestants all performed splendidly during the third scene, with apt irascibility and emotions portrayed pretty much on point, so Shen Yan¡¯s acting shouldn¡¯t differ that much from the other people already presented.


    But there¡¯s no need to worry.


    Based on the two previous performances alone, Shen Yan has already left a sufficiently deep impression on the audience, so even if there aren¡¯t any highlights towards the end of his performance¡ª


    ¡°None of those outsiders understand me, they all say I brought it upon myself... Yet... Master, even you don¡¯t understand me?¡±


    At that moment, a chilling cold query came from his headphones. It was the first line of the third scene; there was a slight tremble to that voice, and as he finished, the man couldn¡¯t keep himself from taking deep breaths, as if he was about to go mad from fury.


    Qi Jing immediately refocused his mind and sat still, listening.


    Just as everyone was waiting before their screens for ¡°Bai Ke¡±¡¯s next line, an aged, pained voice suddenly said slowly, ¡°Bai Ke... Are you set on going down the wrong path?¡±


    Eh...?Qi Jing suddenly trembled, then he pressed on his headphones in disbelief, honestly suspecting that he was just hearing things.


    It was ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡±.


    It was ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡±¡¯s line. A line that didn¡¯t even appear in the lines published by the organisers, but was precisely the one that appeared during this juncture in the novel¡ª


    ¡°Ke, hahahaha...¡±


    ¡°Bai Ke¡±ughed coldly, hisughter tinged with a crazed tone. Afterughing, he suddenly roared angrily, ¡°I¡¯m going down the wrong path?? Who is the one going down the wrong path! You clearly knew I couldn¡¯tpare to Qin Tuo, you clearly looked down on me! During all those years, you¡¯ve always been biased towards him! And wasn¡¯t that because you thought that the one most suited to seed your position as a sect leader was him, not me?!¡±


    The impact of this line had yet to dissipate when another long, soft sigh could be heard from the old man.


    ¡°I never thought so as your master...¡±


    ¡°Lies!¡± There was no pause all the way from the old man¡¯s lines to the cut in¡ªit was wless, impable. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for how you treated me, if it wasn¡¯t for... your insistence that I go down to the mountain to find him in the first ce, would I end up like this today?!¡±


    The lines connected with each other so smoothly, it really felt like there were two people acting out the scene together.


    The voices of ¡°Bai Ke¡± and ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡± were being switched smoothly, making it impossible to perceive any w.


    Qi Jing finally reacted and gasped in astonishment.


    <i>¡ªIt was a one-man show</i>.The one and unique one-man show, something only Shen Yan is capable of.


    He never even imagined Shen Yan would perform like this...


    Qi Jing covered his mouth subconsciously, but this way he discovered that he couldn¡¯t keep his lips from curling up, an excitation like a giant tide washing over his chest¡ªhis heart was beating madly, ¡°thump, thump, thump¡±.


    Crap.Crap, I¡¯m so happy.


    Even though it wasn¡¯t even his own performance, when he listened to thatst scene, he couldn¡¯t keep himself from standing up and apuding. Meanwhile, the chat had already exploded.


    Audience 1: ... HOLY HECK!! IT¡¯S A ONE-MAN SHOW!! I¡¯m instantly on my knees... Heck, there¡¯s no way you can top that!! £¨¨s¨F¡õ¡ä£©¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø


    Audience 2: ... Duck!! Why didn¡¯t I remember that he also voiced Old Man Xiao Shan?? Just now, it was impossible to hear that they were being voiced by the same person, it really felt as if it was as if two actors were acting out a dialogue!!¡¾I just can¡¯t. Starting from today, I¡¯m going to officially be Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s stan!! ¨“¨Œ¨“¡¿


    Audience 3: ... What surprises me the most though... HE ACTUALLY KNEW THE LINES FROM THE NOVEL BY HEART??¡¾That¡¯s right, as a novel reader, I vaguely remember that the dialogue in that part was something along those lines¡¿


    Audience 4: Is the previousmenter for real?? I was just thinking to myself that there¡¯s no lines for the master on the official site, and thought Kitty¡¯s Papa could be just making them up for the flow, but they¡¯re actually real?? The one-man show is already exceeding my expectations, A! MA! ZING! Please ept me in the Kitty¡¯s Papa stans¡¯ association! HOOOWL¡ª


    Audience 5: ... I am already speechless... I just feel that staying tillte in the evening was so worth it, I CAN DIE WITHOUT REGRETS... _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_


    Audience 6: After listening to all kind of audio dramas for two, three years already, I dare to say that ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± is hundred times better than many of the so-called ¡°great gods¡± of the online voice acting circle!! Honestly, please continue voice acting, I¡¯m so hyped to see you in thepetitions toe!


    If there¡¯s a Kitty¡¯s Papa stans association, I would be the first to apply for the membership and check in daily¡ªQi Jing smiled at the screen, but his eyes grew hot for some unknown reason. He pursed his lips and said, trying to control his feelings, ¡°Shen Yan, you really keep amazing me...¡±


    He wasn¡¯t just going through the motions.


    If he simply wanted toplete his duty, then he wouldn¡¯t go as far devising this scene. Shen Yan must¡¯ve thought very deeply about how he wanted to pay back for everyone¡¯s support.


    ¡°Anyone who wouldn¡¯t give you this vote must have a problem.¡± Qi Jing said with a chuckle, then moved his mouse to click the vote option in the voting window.


    Next, he just had to wait for thirty seconds in silence for the final score toe out.


    But when the final score came out, Qi Jing¡¯s first reaction was shock, and then followed by a frown.


    Although he was already mentally prepared for it after his chat with Jade Butterfly,this kind of tant maniption... It really exceeded his expectations.


    ¡¾Voice quality¡¿£º4.0, 4.0, 2.0, average score 3.33


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿£º4.5, 4.0, 3.0, average score 3.83


    ¡¾Foundation points¡¿£º4.5£¬4.0£¬3.0£¬average score 3.83


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿£º4.5£¬4.5£¬2.0£¬average score 3.67


    Judging panel¡¯s evaluation: 3.33+3.83+3.83+3.67 = 14.66 points


    Additional audience vote points: 94.1% voting ratio = 0.941 points


    Overall score: 14.66+0.941 = 15.601 points


    This time you might have been a little too brazen with deliberately trying to lower the score¡ªQi Jing actually sneered when he looked through the scores, chuckling coldly as he shook his head.


    With the first two judges having given scores this high, thest row of numbers seemed especially out of ce, even containing a number beginning with a ¡°2¡±, ruthlessly lowering average score for each criteria below four points.


    Amazing.Too amazing¡ª


    Although the ratio of listeners voting was high, and they managed to win him a point, but with this overall score he only managed to get second ce. Qi Jing could admit that the winner, who scored 15.733 and won by a narrow margin, was quite capable, but objectively judging... that contestant¡¯s performance was far behind what Shen Yan showed.


    Faced with this final score, the listeners proceeded to express their shock and dissatisfaction.


    Audience 1: = =... Thest judge is Northwest Road... Does he have a screw loose??


    Audience : = = ... When ites to voice criteria, then everyone has their own opinion on how the character should sound. Personally, I feel like there¡¯s no problem with Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s voice, even though it¡¯s not of the ¡°once you hear it you know he¡¯s the bad guy¡± voice type, his tone was without doubt evil to the bone (I mean it as apliment)¡ªso what the hell is that 2 points for charisma??


    Audience 3: Teacher Pu gave out 4.5!! Teacher Pu had said before that it¡¯s the highest score she would ever give!! What an eyesore that 2.0 is besides Teacher Pu¡¯s 4.5?!! £¨¨s£­£ß£­£©¨s¨k¨k


    Audience 4: It¡¯s the first time for me to feel an urge to kill a judge... Who is the one to give amentary today!?! I demand the scores from thest column to be exined!!


    Audience 5: Answering thementer above, the judges take turns giving amentary, and it¡¯s either Longbow and Teacher Pu that would give the feedback. Northwest Road would never have to give hisment, so this evening, it¡¯s Teacher Pu¡¯s turn... But Teacher Pu¡¯s evaluation is on point!! And I want to hear what the hell is wrong with those ring twos and threes!! Kitty¡¯s Papa clearly could have taken that first ce...


    Audience 6: To be honest, I also feel like the scores previous two judges gave were also unobjective... He obviously deserves all the 5.0s!! Even without the earlier acts, just the one-man show of thest scene alone was deserving enough of the highest score!! £¨¨s£­£ß£­£©¨s¨k¨k¡¾I hate it, I¡¯m so mad that I doubt I¡¯ll get any sleep today¡¿


    Northwest Road wouldn¡¯t participate in thementaries, Qi Jing already saw other people mentioning it in the forum when he was browsing it before.


    The officially proimed reason was that even though Northwest Road was one of the champions of the previouspetition, he couldn¡¯tpare to Longbow or Teacher Pu in terms of experience with judging and giving feedback. That¡¯s why, to maintain the professionalism of thepetition, he was only responsible for giving scores as a judge.


    On the surface, he seemed to be the wronged one, but in reality he could judge the contestants however he pleased, without any need to justify the way he scored people.


    Perhaps Jade Butterfly and that ¡°person from behind the scene¡± she mentioned made use of that point.


    ¡°Damn it-...¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t hold it and pped the desk, the short sh of pain numbing the indignance that was about to take over his mind.


    If that assumption was correct, then his future auditions, Shen Yan¡¯s auditions, Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ as well as every other contestant¡¯s auditions would get affected... It¡¯s just how much they would get affected depended on how big of a threat they posed.


    Luci: Kitty¡¯s Papa is rockin¡¯ his performance!! Scores and whatsoever mean nothing, just look at our amazing kitty goose! I¡¯m so proud!

 Chapter 72

    <h4>Chapter 72</h4>


    Editor: Whitere


    His chest felt heavy like a giant boulder was pressing against him and it weighed down so heavily on him that he couldn¡¯t fall asleep no matter how hard he tried. As he tossed and turned in bed, by the time his eyes finally closed, it was already past 1 AM.


    It¡¯s been a long time... since he was unable to fall asleep nicely even with Shen Yan by his side.


    Qi Jing seldom let such negative emotions continue into the next day, but this time was an exception.


    Everyone had their bottom line.


    And his was Shen Yan¡ª


    ¡°Are you still thinking about what happenedst night?¡±


    Qi Jing was still lost in thought with a frown on his face when something all warm and soft suddenly stuck to his face which gave him a scare. He turned his head around with a jerk.


    Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the something was a bag that Shen Yan was carrying. Inside the bag were some freshly made buns; the aroma wafted through the paper bag.


    Shen Yan¡¯s lips pulled into a small smile as he moved the paper bag away from Qi Jing¡¯s face and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been calling you for a bit, but you didn¡¯t respond. I¡¯ve finally gotten some reaction from you now.¡±


    In that instant, Qi Jing was left utterly dumbfounded. ¡°Who knew that breakfast could be used like that? How amazing of you.¡±


    Shen Yan simply lifted the corners of his lips, but he didn¡¯t respond to those words. He just took out one of the buns from the bag and handed it to the other. ¡°Better eat it while it¡¯s hot; I¡¯ll go out to get another two cups of soy milk.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Qi Jing took that chubby, white meat bun and took a small bite out of it. The burst of vour and warmth that filled his mouth was enough to make him forget about his worries for a bit.


    Shen Yan had only taken the morning off from work so their time was limited; they had to go to the hospital early to register and get a number for his review with the doctor. Because of this, they went straight to a shop in the neighbourhood and settled their breakfast there instead of preparing breakfast at home. With four fragrant mushroom and meat buns, two freshly prepared soy milks, and two bowls of ck rice porridge, the two men sat down around a small wooden table in front of the shop and slowly enjoyed their meal.


    As Qi Jing munched on his steamed bun, his eyes couldn¡¯t help but wander towards Shen Yan¡¯s face again and again. After staring at the other for a long time, he couldn¡¯t hold it in any more and asked, ¡°Shen Yan, do you really not care about it at all?¡±


    The other party chuckled softly at his words.


    ¡°As I thought, you¡¯re still thinking aboutst night.¡± His voice was calm, as if the situation didn¡¯t involve him. ¡°Stop thinking about it, you¡¯ve been thinking about it all night and didn¡¯t even rest properly¡ªthat¡¯s what I care about.¡±


    As he said that, he even put down the spoon in his hand and reached out to slowly massage the space between Qi Jing¡¯s brows as if to smooth out the wrinkles in that area. Qi Jing was thoroughly amused by this action and his frown finally eased up.


    ¡°I was really angry at that time.¡± This was the truth, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been thinking about it until now.


    ¡°I know,¡± Shen Yan nodded, his expression unchanging as he continued, ¡°but the final decision lies in the hands of the organisers and the two official reasons given by them were hard to refute... Anyways, it¡¯s only the semi-finals, it¡¯s enough that I can advance to the next round; I don¡¯t feel particrly upset. And besides... didn¡¯t Teacher Pu say the same thing?¡±


    Yeah, Teacher Pu did indeed say that...


    At that time, when total score for ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± came out, it caused an uproar in the audience and they all demanded an exnation from the organisers of thepetition.


    Such disputes with the scores given have urred with every instalment of the¡¶Order to End the Heavenspetition, and in the more serious cases, people have even sent theirints to the head office. As the organiser of thispetition is amercial gamepany, they naturally couldn¡¯t ignore the requests of the consumers.


    Thus, when it came time for Pu Yuzhi toment on Shen Yan¡¯s performance, this was the first thing she said, ¡°I¡¯ve just been informed by the backstage staff to convey a few words for the organisers...¡±


    Qi Jing understood what she meant.


    This was not only to show that she was simply delivering a message, but also to draw a clear line between herself and the so-called ¡°official¡±.


    ¡°Contestant thirty.¡± After calling out Shen Yan¡¯s number, she suddenly let out a low chuckle, and for a moment there, she didn¡¯t say anything. She only continued after a short pause, ¡°Hmm... I don¡¯t really know what to say.¡±


    Those words, thatugh, they all seemed to scream an exmation that it couldn¡¯t be helped. Strangely enough, the moment Qi Jing heard her words, his lips subconsciously curled into a smile. At least, this judge was clearly on Shen Yan¡¯s side.


    The audience present probably caught the subtext as well, as they lined with thick noodle tears to vent out their conflicted feelings.


    Audience 1: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Teacher Pu... What exactly did they say? Please enlighten us!


    Audience 2: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Teach Pu, you can¡¯t not know what to say!! I¡¯ve always supported and agreed with Teacher Pu¡¯sments. Please give Kitty¡¯s Papa a fair evaluation!!


    Audience 3: &#k252B;&#k252R;&#kUR4U;&#k252B;&#k252R; I¡¯ve waited so long and it¡¯s finally time for Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯smentary&#k2026; but the whole ¡°conveying a message for the organisers¡± sounds so terrifying. Although I¡¯m scared to hear it&#k2026; at the same time, I can¡¯t help but want to ask for an exnation!!


    ......


    ......


    ¡°The organisers believe that...¡± Pu Yuzhi once again ced emphasis on the word ¡°organisers¡±, ¡°there is a reason for thest judge¡¯s scoring. Firstly, contestant thirty... deliberately dyed the time before starting and strictly speaking, should have been disqualified, but in the end, he just deducted points as a warning.¡±


    This statementpletely blocked any arguments Qi Jing had; his mouth fell open as he sat before theputer but no words came out.


    That¡¯s it.


    There was nothing they could do. The dy was real and they were the ones in the wrong first; there was nothing they could say against that.


    He just never would¡¯ve thought that the organisers on the backend would make this point the center of their argument... The feeling of not being able to refute was too stifling.


    ¡°Secondly,¡± Pu Yuzhi added in a low voice after a short pause, ¡°the organisers and one of the judges felt that contestant thirty was toeing the line of... cheating with his performance in the third act.¡±


    A ¡°cheat¡±...


    That was a very, very clever use of the word¡ªboth the timing and the context were quite apt and it sent a chill down Qi Jing¡¯s spine.


    Even what Pu Yuzhi said next, he could more or less guess 80% of hidden meanings behind them: ¡°In the third act, contestant thirty performed a ¡®one-man show¡¯, using a voice outside of his role and adding lines other than the official selection lines... In a way, he has taken the liberty of changing the ¡®Charisma¡¯ criteria for this scene and that¡¯s unfair to the other contestants.¡±


    ...He just knew they were going to say that.


    ...He just knew that they were going to harp on the bit about Shen Yan adding in parts on his own ord.


    The meaning of the word cheat could be quite subjective, and this exnation made sense at first nce. But in reality, they could say whatever they want and twist things in whatever direction they like. Qi Jing sat silently in front of the table, his hands tightly sped together, hating the fact that he couldn¡¯t find a stronger argument to refute that at that moment.


    The audience also seemed to be wavering and they weren¡¯t as insistent about fighting for justice for ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± as before. Evidently, these two reasons that were one-part a threat and another part an excuse worked quite well.


    Audience 1: ...A cheat... Well, when you put it like that, it does kinda make sense... But, but, I still really enjoyed Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s performance!! The part where he did the ¡®one-man show¡¯ was the one which made me the most heated. Whether or not it¡¯s a cheat, it¡¯s still amazing!!¡¾Though it¡¯s probably unfair for the other contestants¡¿


    Audience 2: Judging by those statements from the organiser, they even entertained the idea of disqualifying Kitty¡¯s Papa just now?? Ab-so-lu-te-ly! No-t! Well, whatever. Whether you said he dyed the time or used a cheat, he¡¯s already secured a spot for the next round.¡¾And second ce is already pretty good too¡¿Let¡¯s just wait for the final!! All the best, Kitty¡¯s Papa!! I will continue supporting you¡«(¨R3¨Q)/


    Audience 3: He did indeed drag a fair bit of time at the start, but it¡¯s not like it¡¯s entirely his fault; he had issues with his set-up and we were spamming the chat, asking the MC to wait, etc. It would be too much of a pity if he were to be disqualified because of this... I agree with thement on top! Yay to advancing!! Looking forward to the Finals and tomorrow¡¯s Marquess Shunyang match!!


    ......


    ......


    After she conveyed the official message, she first let out a big sigh before moving on. Surprisingly, shemented on Shen Yan¡¯s performance in detail as she did in thest game, but only said concisely, ¡°That is it for the official statement from the organisers. Next, I should be going in-depth about contestant thirty¡¯s performance during thepetition... However, I feel that in fact, no amount of mymentary would be as good as the students listening more.¡±


    Then, she slightly raised her sombre tone to a more certain tone.


    ¡°This is the second time I¡¯ve heard contestant thirty¡¯s performance. This character ispletely different from hisst one¡ªfrom the voice to the vibe, they were worlds apart. Like many others, before I heard it, I had a curious attitude, skeptical even.¡± As she said that, she chuckled slightly, ¡°However, we¡¯ve all clearly underestimated contestant 30. As important as whether or not the character was well-voiced, if it resembles the character, most importantly, it¡¯s whether or not he¡¯s ¡®alive¡¯. When I was listening to contestant thirty¡¯s ¡®Bai Ke¡¯, there was only one thing on my mind, that ¡®Bai Ke¡¯ was standing right here in front of me.¡±


    The moment those words left her lips, the public chat instantly erupted into amotion, as the audience excitedly flooded the screen with red flowers.


    Due to the dy in the early part, by the time Pu Yuzhi was done with the other twenty-nine contestants, there really wasn¡¯t much left toment on Shen Yan, but she still fell silent for quite a while at this point.


    Finally, she slowly said, ¡°Students, when I was reviewing the previous contestants, I¡¯ve basically pointed out all the details worth drilling. And I believe that after hearing it all, you may know better than I do what are the ces for improvement and what is deserving of high marks... All I can say is that, it¡¯s no easy feat to bring a character to life.


    ¡°People who have heard my earliermentary would know that 4.5 is my personal top score. As for the most controversial ¡°cheat¡± in act three, frankly speaking, it was my favourite part.¡±


    Even though she was singing a different tune from the organisers, Pu Yuzhi was as calm as calm can be, her thoughts clear.


    ¡°Because I could hear that contestant thirty was no longer treating voice acting like an assignment to bepleted, that as he said, was genuinely trying to give everyone a satisfactory performance. That¡¯s exactly what I wanted to see, and he certainly delivered. So it doesn¡¯t matter how other people have scored you, but please take my 4.5. This was not just ¡®satisfactory¡¯ performance but the best I¡¯ve heard so far in thepetition. Justice will always prevail. Thank you.¡±


    ......


    <i>Thank you.</i>


    Pu Yuzhi was thanking Shen Yan for the show he had put up for everyone.


    And Qi Jing was thanking her in his heart; thanking her for saying those words that made him feel so good¡ª¡±justice will always prevail¡±. He believes that most of the audience probably felt the same as him and were equally grateful towards her.


    ¡°I¡¯m already content with those words from Teacher Pu.¡±


    That made him feel more content than winning the so-called first ce of the semi-finals.


    Shen Yan said the same words asst night, looking as calm as water throughout, smiling silently and focusing on the task at hand.


    Seeing the other man didn¡¯t show the slightest bit of dejection fromst night to now, Qi Jing was finally able to let go of some of his anger.


    ¡°Well, alright.¡± Although he was still feeling worried. ¡°However, those two official reasons that were given were quite a reach and I still think there are some shady businesses going on behind the scenes... we can only hope this doesn¡¯t happen again.¡±


    In fact, Qi Jing did not just think it, he knew thepetition was rigged.


    The information Jade Butterfly revealed should be true, and there were shady practices everywhere inmercialpetitions, and he was used to seeing such things as a professional journalist. But he didn¡¯t want to rashly tell Shen Yan about these things rting to Jade Butterfly and make the other worry.


    ¡°Alright, eat up, we still have a bus to catch afterwards. Let¡¯s not dy your follow-up appointment today with the doctor.¡± Shen Yan saw that Qi Jing¡¯s ck rice porridge was still untouched and could not help but hurry him with a smile.


    One the they were done with breakfast, the two of them took a bus together to the Provincial People¡¯s Hospital. As it was a weekday and during the rush hour¡ªplus, the bus heading to the hospital also went to many other popr stops¡ªthe bus was packed full of people. Qi Jing¡¯s hand was in a cast so he couldn¡¯t let it be squeezed against people or bumped by the crowd. And even more so, he couldn¡¯t afford to fall; he needed someone to look after him and Shen Yan¡¯s insistence on apanying him all this while had proven to be all the more wise.


    ¡°Looks like it was worth workingtest night.¡±


    Shen Yan had been silently extending his arm to shield Qi Jing from the squeezing crowd from the moment he got on the bus. Only until he escorted the other party to a safer corner and both of them could stand firmly on their feet did he speak.


    Qi Jing raised a brow and teased him in turn, ¡°You¡¯re still saying that when you almost got disqualified from thepetition because of it.¡±


    Shen Yan smiled faintly, ¡°Even if I was disqualified, it¡¯s nothing... You are more important to me.¡±


    Those words were spoken very softly and faintly, but Qi Jing heard every single one of them, word for word. As the words filled his ears, warmth seemed to fill his heart as well. Making use of the fact that everyone was packed like sardines, he subtly leaned against Shen Yan, snuggling up to other where no one else would notice.


    At this point there were no more empty seats on the bus, even the seats for the elderly, the sick and the handicapped were taken. Qi Jing was currently at a ce on the bus that was meant for standing; it was a tiny space with a stainless steel handrail. So he held on tight to the handrail while facing Shen Yan whose arms were on either side of him separating him from the other passengers and creating a small private space for him.


    In such a space, no one would find it strange even if they were stuck to each other.


    Hence, as Qi Jing happily enjoyed the other party¡¯s warmth during the entire journey, even the hassle of squeezing the bus became pleasant and time seemed to pass like a breeze.


    ¡°Shen Yan...¡± This small space was not only good for being face-to-face with one another, it was also perfect for whispering.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Actually, thepetitionst night helped me discover a fatal weakness in my voice acting.¡± Qi Jing raised his head to meet Shen Yan¡¯s eyes. After a slight pause, he finished his sentence with a small smile, like it couldn¡¯t be helped, ¡°I might mess up the finals... if I make it in.¡±


    A hint of surprise seemed to sh across Shen Yan¡¯s eyes.


    He asked in an equally low voice, ¡°Why do you suddenly say that?¡±


    Qi Jing himself wasn¡¯t gloomy about it and calmly stated the reason, ¡°Weren¡¯t the first two acts conversations between ¡®Bai Ke¡¯ and ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯? Before you came back, I was actually trying to act against the other contestants in real time, trying to say ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯s¡¯ lines one by one while the other contestants were performing... The results weren¡¯t too ideal.¡±


    He¡¯s had a simr experience before.


    The role, the same lines¡ªwhen listening to <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s</i> DEMO, no matter how many times he re-recorded, it just didn¡¯t cut it. But when he recalled <i>Geese Fly North¡¯s</i> performance, the lines woulde out naturally.


    ¡°I realised that... it¡¯s still okay when I¡¯m dubbing by myself, but once I¡¯m together with someone else, how the other party performed had a big impact on my own performance.¡± When he recognised this, Qi Jing also understood how unfavourable the format of the finals was for him. ¡°Then when it was your turn to go up and perform, I was easily pulled in by you... It was the same way when acting for¡¶Trap¡·. Naturally, this has something to do with your skill, but if I can¡¯t say my lines when I¡¯m not acting with someone of your calibre... it¡¯s going to be quite bad in the future.¡±


    In the semi-finals, he could still win based on personal performance.


    But in the finals, two people had to act together and not everyone was like Shen Yan and had the ability to get into character immediately.


    ¡°In the case that... If I meet someone who¡¯s not so good at acting, I might be out of my element.¡±


    Qi Jing admitted that he was not as good as Shen Yan in voice acting.


    And this weakness of his was very limiting. If he could not ovee it, he would have very little room for development in the future.


    Shen Yan quietly listened to Qi Jing¡¯s confession and did not speak for some time. Just when Qi Jing was thinking that even Shen Yan didn¡¯t know how to help him, the other party unexpectedly slowly opened his mouth to ask a question, ¡°Why don¡¯t you... try taking the initiative back into your own hands?¡±


    Qi Jing was slightly stunned.


    ¡°Taking the initiative back into my own hands...¡± <i>Meaning?</i>


    ¡°For example, in the first issue of¡¶Trap¡·, you were matching with the other party, putting the initiative in his hands,¡± Shen Yan continued softly, ¡°But in fact, if your acting skills are above his, instead of being led, you can try to redirect hi¡ª¡±


    At that moment, the announcement of the station suddenly sounded, interrupting their conversation.


    ¡°Next stop, People¡¯s Hospital, People¡¯s Hospital. Passengers alighting, please don¡¯t forget to take all your belongings with you and prepare to get off from the back door.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re reaching soon.¡± Shen Yan gently made space so that it was easier for Qi Jing to head towards the back doorter.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take care of the doctor¡¯s appointment first. As for voice acting, we can take it slow,¡± Qi Jing said with a chuckle, ¡°Both of us will have a matchter tonight and this is the only time apart from the finals, so let¡¯s do our best together.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    The two matches of the night each had their own significance for them.


    For Qi Jing, he had said from the start that he wanted to get back at Great God Bronze Sparrow Terrace and the ¡°Emperor Chang¡±petition for tonight was his chance.


    For Shen Yan... though Qi Jing didn¡¯t know why, he seemed to be really concerned about ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±. Hopefully he can make up for the unfair treatment he faced in the previous match.


    The main structure of the Provincial People¡¯s Hospital was divided into two buildings, one for outpatient and one for inpatient, one to the south and one to the north, separated by an atrium, with a few other anciry facilities in between.


    The road where the bus stop was located was actually adjacent to the side entrance of the hospital, rather than the main entrance.


    Qi Jing and Shen Yan got off the bus and went straight in through the side entrance. After going around therge green patch in the centre, they headed towards the outpatient building.


    This ce was, after all, a tertiary hospital in the province, so the environment was not bad. A garden-style recreation area had been built between the outpatient and inpatient buildings,plete with a carp pond, rockery, a walkway, and others. There were also wooden benches around the area, suitable for visitors whoe here to see the patients and take a break.


    They took a shortcut and cut through the middle walkway.


    ¡°When I was hospitalised from the car ident, I would oftene down here for a stroll or sit around to enjoy the space.¡± Qi Jing reminisced a little about those times. And as they walked down the walkway, he couldn¡¯t resist stopping for a moment.


    Shen Yan also stopped in his tracks and stood with him in silence.


    There were a lot of patients and their families walking through the walkway, but Shen Yan was standing very close to the edge of the path, so he basically wouldn¡¯t be in the way of others. However, there was a middle-aged woman approaching him. Her footsteps were staggering slightly, appearing like a feeble elderly, and she slowly hobbled over as if struggling to confirm something.


    Even though there was still plenty of room on the side, that person only came closer and closer.


    So close, that with a few more steps, she would bump into Shen Yan.


    Shen Yan had been listening to Qi Jing speak all this while so he didn¡¯t notice someone approaching him. Only when that person¡¯s shadow cast over him did he instinctively raise his head.


    ¡°Watch out...¡±


    Out of a doctor¡¯s instinct, he reminded the other person gently.


    The other person¡¯s steps seemed to wobble even more in this moment, stumbling a few steps and looking like she was about to fall. He hurriedly reached out a hand to help her.


    In that moment, their eyes met.


    When that woman¡¯s face reflected in Shen Yan, his expression froze and the hand that was supporting her jerked suddenly. He didn¡¯t let go, nor did he pull back his hand, it just froze there stiffly in mid-air.


    That woman stared fixedly at him and slowly opened her mouth.


    ¡°...Shen Yan?¡±


    Whitere: SY is so sweet ahhhhhh

 Chapter 73

    <h4>Chapter 73</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: Mashiro


    The woman asked as quietly as she could, to the point her voice sounded raspy, repeating his name twice like a broken record.


    ¡°Shen Yan... Shen Yan?¡±


    No one heard it¡ªbesides him.


    No one else knew who the person before him was¡ªbesides him.


    Shen Yan was unable to look away.


    The woman¡¯s gaze was no longer as sharp as years ago; the course of time dulled it by a lot, but her gaze was still full of terrible obsession. Under the watchful stare of those eyes, his body tensed all over, making him unable to budge.


    Even if he didn¡¯t answer, his appearance and his expression had already betrayed him.


    The woman suddenly moved up her other hand to grab him firmly by his arm and took another step toward him, ¡°It¡¯s... you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s breath suddenly quickened. However, her stare made him feel as if something was strangling him by the throat, making him unable to breath, not to mention speaking. He knew he could simply shake his head, but doing so would do nothing other than embarrassing him even more, so he abandoned the thought of denying.


    ¡°Qi Jing...¡±


    He called subconsciously


    The first time he called his voice was low, so low it couldn¡¯t even be considered making sound¡ªit was more like a hurried gasp released when he opened his mouth.


    Only when he didn¡¯t get any response did he realise that his voice cords couldn¡¯t even muster any strength, and that the sound got trapped in throat.


    At that time, the woman before him was almost pressing on him with all of her body, her fingers clutched the cloth of his sleeve, stretching it taut, even moving her hold higher and higher as if wanting to urgently pull him over.


    ¡°Qi Jing¡ª¡±


    The second time he finally properly called out; even though his voice was still very low, it was enough to bring Qi Jing¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Qi Jing had been looking at the ce he used to walk when he was hospitalised in the car ident all this while; it wasn¡¯t until Shen Yan called him that he turned back his head. What he saw was Shen Yan supporting a middle-aged woman, what¡¯s more, that woman was leaning over to Shen Yan so much it seemed she was about to fall toward him. Seeing this, he quickly walked over to help her.


    ¡°Aiya, auntie, are you alright?¡± He asked with concern.


    The woman trembled¡ªshe didn¡¯t expect that Shen Yan would have a friend with him right now, so she flinched away slightly along with a light jerk of her shoulders.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t notice her reaction; he carefully supported her other hand and asked gently, ¡°Auntie, do you feel unwell? Do you want me to call for a nurse?¡±


    The woman quickly looked over at him.


    Then, she looked down awkwardly and shook her head. Without saying a thing, her hand that was clutching onto Shen Yan¡¯s sleeve slowly released its hold.


    Huh? Is she unwilling to be helped by a stranger?Qi Jing took note of that, so after making sure the other was steady on her feet, he slowly withdrew his hand. He observed the woman¡¯s simple and in clothing¡ªshe didn¡¯t seem like someone from the city, but a patient transferred from the county hospital to the provincial one. He thought she felt at loss in an unfamiliar ce and asked with a warm smile, ¡°Auntie, do you have trouble finding somece? Maybe you want to register? We were heading to the counter over at the outpatient, so maybe we could show you the way?¡±


    The woman listened in silence, only pursing her lips as she kept shaking her head.


    Without waiting for Qi Jing to continue, she took a step back first, her eyes still lingering on Shen Yan for a short while before she looked away and slowly walked down the corridor in a daze to sit on the edge of a bench with a disturbed expression.


    ¡°Is she a patient? It¡¯s so worrying to see that she doesn¡¯t have anyone apanying her by her side&#k2026;¡±


    Qi Jing was a bit worried and debated a little whether he should go and ask a nurse toe over.


    Shen Yan looked deathly pale. He blinked vacantly&#k2014;even though he stood with his back towards the woman on a bench, yet it was as if he could see her lonely figure in front of him.


    ¡°Shen Yan?¡±


    When Qi Jing noticed that something was not right, he unwittingly reached out and when his fingers touched the back of Shen Yan¡¯s hand, he was shocked to find out that it was ice-cold, immediately making him anxious.


    ¡°Shen Yan, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Qi Jing frowned, worried that Shen Yan might have worn too little and got cold when they were outside.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± It took a long time for Shen Yan¡¯s eyes to get back in focus, but instead of focusing on Qi Jing, he looked down at the ground for a long time, only keeping his head down for quite a while as he stared at the floor. ¡°... You have a check-up today, so let¡¯s not dy. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    As Qi Jing was about to nod, a choked sob came over from that bench behind them.


    It was that woman.


    That woman was crying.


    For some unknown reason, she hid her face in her hands and started sobbing all by herself. She cried miserably, making the passersby throw her sympathetic nces as they thought maybe someone close to her was diagnosed with some terminal illness.


    ¡°I better go see if she¡¯s alright again...¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t bear hearing it, and was about to go back and ask her more about what happened, but Shen Yan still stopped him gently.


    ¡°You go ahead and register, I¡¯ll apany her.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s voice was hoarse and choked as if he did his best to force those words out and struggled to link them together. He kept his head down during all that time, the faintest hint of pain appeared on his face¡ªunfortunately, that pain was hard to perceive. ¡°If anything happens, give me a call... I¡¯ll go upstairs to look for you.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Hearing that he was willing to stay, Qi Jing felt a lot more relieved and said with a smile, ¡°Either way I can register by myself without any problem, so you stay and apany that auntie for a while.¡±


    Then he paused and sighed with a faint smile.


    ¡°Truth is, when I first stayed in the hospital by myself, I also felt really down, so I thought that... maybe that auntie has experienced something sad. If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯d ask you to make sure to console her. After all, having someone to talk to at a time like that really helps with getting better.¡±


    One would always have some empathy for someone with the same difficult experience.


    Shen Yan listened without saying a word, then nodded after a long while, ¡°... Mhm, understood. You go ahead.¡±


    After he said so, Qi Jing walked some twenty odd metres down the corridor before looking back to find that Shen Yan was still standing there, watching him go. He smiled and waved at him, signaling him to not worry and urging him to go.


    Shen Yan kept looking at him for a while, then finally turned away and walked to the woman sitting on the bench.


    Feeling relieved, Qi Jing entered the outpatient department building and went to the floor he was first sent to after the ident. After registering, he sat by himself in the waiting area to quietly wait for his name to appear on the announcement screen.


    The waiting area was furnished with severalrge and clear ss windows, so he could see thick, heavyyers of clouds slowly sucking out the light from the skylines from his seat. What had been a clear sky in the early morning was now gone without a trace, the dark grey making it seem as if the winter had alreadye ahead of time¡ªit was bound to be a cloudy day.


    <i>... I hope it¡¯ll stay just cloudy, and not rainy.</i>


    He thought.


    Neither of them had thought of bringing the umbre, as both of them didn¡¯t expect that there would be such unexpected changes in the weather. It¡¯d be bad if it rained...


    A chilly wind blew by; it was cold, indeed, but it still showed no sign of the possible rain.


    With the sky this dark, it was far from the atmosphere of a reunion.


    Shen Yan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then slowly walked towards that woman¡¯s side to take a seat. He sat particrly rigid.


    She seemed to have sensed his presence¡ªher spasmodic sobs gradually calmed down and she finally opened the fingers covering her face, revealing those sad yet resentful eyes from between her fingers.


    ¡°Shen Yan...¡±


    She called that name once again.


    It was her who came up with that name¡ªeven though it was passed down from that man she both loved and resented the most, it still belonged to her, so she would never forget it in her lifetime.


    With a shiver, he sped together his hands that were resting on his knees, then said that word with utmost difficulty, ¡°... Mom.¡±


    Hearing that word, the woman lifted her head up with a jolt.


    ¡°DON¡¯T CALL ME THIS OUTSIDE!!¡±


    The harsh, shrill from the fright voice was no different from the past. How could he possibly forget it... He shouldn¡¯t have forgotten it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± After a long while, he managed to say his second sentence; then, there was only silence.


    His ability to form any words seemed to have been eroded by that silence, disappearing into the depths of his throat. His whole person was suddenly caught in a daze, but his hands subconsciously curled into fists as he could feel the phantom bites of pain. His palms seemed to have a better memory than his brain¡ªthey still remembered the feeling of getting struck with a ruler.


    <i>So, what am I supposed to call her?</i>


    Ah, that¡¯s right¡ªwhen he was young, the woman taught him what to say whenever they took a walk on the streets together.


    ¡°... Auntie.¡± He called in a soft voice. He called her the same as Qi Jing, like aplete stranger, as only this way he would be able to continue this conversation, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Hearing him call her so, the woman froze, her breathing suddenly urgent.


    She exhaled hurriedly, taking a good couple of breaths before she managed to stop herself from crying once again; yet she still couldn¡¯t prevent her eyes from growing teary, ¡°I¡¯m not alright, I¡¯m not alright at all.¡±


    <i>Not alright¡ª </i>


    It was just two words, but they still made his heart drop heavily, making him forget to breathe.


    The two of them sat side by side, but he didn¡¯t take another look at her, only looking down on his hands that had turned white from clutching too tightly. He asked stiffly, ¡°Why?¡±


    After getting out of touch with no news of her to be heard, he thought that the woman was at least leading a happy and blissful life.


    After all, her biggest burden was already gone.


    Yet the reality that the woman revealed to him was not at all what he had hoped for, ¡°Why... You¡¯re asking me why? Just look at me, I¡¯m already like that, but there¡¯s still no one who would find the time to apany me to the provincial hospital to visit a doctor. My family can¡¯t bother with me, after all, my dad has long since passed, and my mom has been bedridden for years already, unable to even care for herself. The rest of my rtives told me they don¡¯t have time to apany me, even my husband was the same, but I know that they just think it a chore...¡±


    At this point, her voice was already choking with sobs, ¡°Now I don¡¯t even know what to do after seeing the examination results; I don¡¯t even dare tell anyone about it... How can I be alright...¡±


    The woman once again began to sob.


    Only now Shen Yan realised that he was holding his breath for all that time, the strong feeling of asphyxiation making his head start to spin, so he had to take a few low pants, his chest struck with a dull pain. ¡°Examination results.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t bring himself to ask directly.


    Under the circumstances where he didn¡¯t know the answer, he couldn¡¯t ask the question, so he could only repeat the key word dully, repeat like a broken record. ¡°Examination results...¡±


    ¡°Examination results... I got them yesterday.¡± The woman finally continued after him. Because of her crying, she sounded older than she really was, more haggard. ¡°They said there¡¯s a tumour developing in my brain¡ªit¡¯s still unknown if it¡¯s malignant or not... The doctor asked me to stay in the hospital for an observation to decide if there¡¯s a need to operate on it.¡±


    Shen Yan felt as if he had resurfaced from the depths of the ocean¡ªafter being immersed in the dark and cold water for too long, a strong shiver ran through his body the moment he got fished up.


    The sheer opening of his lips made him taste the salty and bitter seawater, ¡°A brain tumour...¡±


    He saw shes of white before his eyes, making him feel like he was soon going to lose sight of everything around him, so he shut his eyes quickly and shook his head with difficulty. The only thing he managed to shake away was his fear from meeting the woman once again¡ªbut the fears remaining were of apletely different kind, one he had never expected to experience.


    ¡°The pathology report... when will it be out?¡±


    ¡°The doctor told me by tomorrow.¡±


    PET-CT scan could only provide the initial recognition of a tumour, to determine whether it was malicious, the pathology report needed to be done as well.


    Shen Yan tried to regain control over his reason, attempting to simply sort out some of his medical knowledge to find even a trace of an information that could remotely console him¡ªbut he discovered that thinking already became a difficult task, much less rational thinking.


    ¡°If, in case you have to undergo an operation... Will anyonee to take care of you?¡± He asked.


    The woman stared fixedly at him, her eyes bloodshot as she scoffed, ¡°Who knows. I don¡¯t even know if I can have surgery. And even if I need surgery, I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to afford the medical fees. These years, my husband is so addicted to gambling that he lost almost all of our family fortune to it, so there¡¯s no way he would pay this money.¡±


    After hearing this, Shen Yan had finally regained some of his rity of mind.


    With his knees still a bit weak and it took him some time to slowly stand up from the bench. He said, ¡°... Please wait here for a bit, I¡¯ll be back in a moment.¡±


    For the convenience of the patients, the hospital provided banking services at several points located around the hospital grounds¡ªthere was one located just five minutes away, near the inpatient building.


    There was a twenty thousand yuan limit for withdrawing money at an ATM, so Shen Yan went directly to the counter to withdraw his money. He withdrew forty thousand from the savings he worked for every day and packed it in an envelope, sealing it tightly. Then, he silently went back to the bench, and put the envelope in the dumbfounded woman¡¯s hands without saying a word.


    ¡°Please save this money for emergency use. Operating a brain tumour should cost about this much, so... hopefully it can get you through this.¡±


    Usually, a brain tumour surgery would require a matching postoperative care, so the medical fees at the time would far exceed this amount, and could even get to double or triple this price.


    But he had limited financial means, so he could only do his best to cushion the woman¡¯s expenses, focusing on the woman¡¯s current situation.


    ¡°Shen Yan...¡± Woman¡¯s hands grabbing the envelope kept trembling as she stared at him wide-eyed, but he only sighed softly, not saying anything more. However, after falling into a short daze, the woman suddenly shoved the money back at him as if she thought of something, gasping as she yelled agitatedly, ¡°No! No! Is this money your father gave you... I don¡¯t need it, I don¡¯t need his money!¡±


    Shen Yan was taken aback, then he frowned, the tone of his voice fell when he realised what she was saying. ¡°No, I never took any money from him. I earned this money all by myself, not a single penny of it is from him.¡±


    The woman took two tottering steps back, backing away from him, then quietly scrutinised his appearance.


    No matter what, there was no way of denying¡ªthat man¡¯s blood was flowing in his body, there¡¯s just no denying that... The fact that that man was his true, biological father.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± She suddenly snickered at herself, mumbling, ¡°You¡¯re right. He never wanted you.¡±


    A/N:


    Mama Shen... No, Auntie Shen, can you just let me adopt Dr Shen... ¨“¨Œ¨“


    T/N:


    Luci: *in the middle of printing the adoption documents* It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine.


    It do be fine, we can still adopt our fluffy goose QAQ


    Mashiro: ughh, I want to squish his cheeks so hard that he would forget his pain for a moment.....he is such a good son and such a good boyfriend!!!

 Chapter 74

    <h4>Chapter 74</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    <i>unedited</i>


    For a moment, Qi Jing thought it was raining.


    His eyes were drawn to the windows by the chilly gale outside, but he only saw theyers uponyers of towering clouds without a trace of rainfall.


    He was just seeing things.


    The doctor¡¯s words brought his attention back to the radiograph, ¡°You¡¯re recovering quite well, Mr Qi; it could even count as quite speedy among the patients with ulna and radius fracture.¡±


    The doctor pointed toward the location on the x-ray that faintly showed the fracture line. The initial blood stasis had already dissipated and the fracture line was already barely noticeable, the doctor had to outline it with his finger for Qi Jing to see it. There was new bone tissue linkedpletely with the bones at the ce of the fracture, so it could be said that he had already reached the mark of clinical recovery.


    ¡°At the rate of your recovery, the cast can be taken off next week, and you can start to slowly rehabilitate your wrist and fingers. As for the upper arm, there shouldn¡¯t be any problem with small movements, but you need to avoid strenuous exercise and moving it around too much,¡±


    Next week.Qi Jing¡¯s eyes lit up and he couldn¡¯t hold back the joy he felt from shining through them, ¡°Really? That¡¯s wonderful... It would make daily life so much easier. After all, I do feel bad always needing someone to tend to me.¡±


    Hearing this, the doctor added, ¡°Your family must¡¯ve taken good care of you for this speedy recovery.¡±


    Qi Jing smiled, ¡°Mn... I¡¯ve been eating and resting way better than ever before, and I was always being protected from falling or bumping against things, so I think that might be the reason why I recovered so quickly.¡±


    The doctor gave Qi Jing an ¡°oh¡± of realisation before saying while writing down the follow-up report, ¡°Your lover sure is kind and considerate to you.¡±


    Hearing that word, Qi Jing froze for a moment, then the corners of his lips quirked up as he nodded and said smilingly, ¡°That¡¯s right... My lover is indeed very considerate... Incredibly considerate.¡±


    After the appointment concluded, Qi Jing strode out of the doctor¡¯s office and went toward the waiting area first.


    He had already sent Shen Yan a message while waiting, telling him the floor and area he was at, but neither of the two messages were met with any response. Just when he was about to call the other man, his queue number appeared on the screen and a nurse came over to lead him to the radiographing room. Qi Jing could only settle with sending the third message:¡¾I¡¯ll go in first. If youe upstairs, then just wait for me in the waiting area.¡¿


    Now, with all that done and proper, he walked ahead swiftly as he checked the iing messages and the call history¡ªyet there still was no response.


    Could they still be talking?


    Just as he was about to call Shen Yan¡¯s number, he suddenly saw a familiar figure sitting quietly in the lounge, visibly sad. He looked sideways at the overcast sky outside the window, not uttering a single word.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± Qi Jing heaved a sigh, lowering the phone in his hand and going over to him, ¡°So you had already got here?¡±


    Hearing his voice, the man on the bench trembled, then turned his head over to give him a nk stare. Then, for some unknown reason, he suddenly raised his hand, reaching forward as if he was searching for something.


    Qi Jing wasn¡¯t sure what was going on with him, but he still reached over and held Shen Yan¡¯s hand gently.


    His hands are a little cold, Qi Jing thought to himself, and held it even more tightly, doing his best to give the other even a tiny bit of his warmth.


    That gesture invited quite a few odd looks from the other people in the hall; some even started whispering judgementalments about them. But Shen Yan didn¡¯t react and Qi Jing also didn¡¯t care much about it, so he sat by his side just as always, with no intention of letting go of his hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, why didn¡¯t you reply to my messages?¡± Qi Jing asked with a chuckle.


    ¡°Message...¡± Shen Yan repeated in a stiff voice, then paused. It took him a long while before he remembered the meaning of that word and said while closing his eyes tiredly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I, for all that time, I wasn¡¯t paying attention to my phone.¡±


    After saying this, he rubbed his face with his other hand, as if forcing himself to wake up.


    It was very rare for Qi Jing to see him like that.


    Moreover, Shen Yan waspletely normal when they left home in the morning, so this difference appeared all the more obvious. Qi Jing felt his heart skip a beat¡ªno matter how he thought about it, if he analysed this situation based on the time, there could only be one reason...


    ¡°You and that auntie...¡± Did the two of you talk about something?


    ¡°How was your check-up?¡± Shen Yan spoke up all of sudden, gently cutting off Qi Jing¡¯s words.


    Being asked this, Qi Jing could only briefly repeat Shen Yan what the doctor told him, ¡°The result of the check up is surprisingly good; there was no shift of bones after the surgery, the radiograph indicates that the fracture is nearlypletely healed and the bones are slowly reconnecting. The doctor said... Next week we should be able to take off the cast.¡±


    Qi Jing subconsciously slowed down while saying thest sentence.


    He knew that the time of taking off his cast was a very delicate topic, since it was rted to the length of his stay with Shen Yan.


    Even though he had already nned to get a car, the money for the down payment still had to be prepared in advance, and the procedures involved in buying a car couldn¡¯t bepleted in such a short period of time. If the director required him to go back to work immediately, then he would probably have to go back to his apartment, and live away from Shen Yan for some time. Shen Yan himself was most probably also aware of that.


    But to his surprise, after hearing him say so, Shen Yan didn¡¯t say a word, and only his hand tightened its hold.


    ¡°I&#k2026; What should I do?¡±


    It was only after a long while when he heard those few, hoarse words.


    Qi Jing was taken aback and stared at him nkly, not knowing what he was referring to.


    It was as if the ashen hue of the sky outside filled Shen Yan¡¯s eyes, they could hold no warmth, no life. It was as if rather than asking a question, he was mumbling to himself. ¡°What should I do&#k2026; to make you need me more?¡±


    That sentence was thest thing Shen Yan spoke that morning.


    On their way home, he remainedpletely silent¡ªno matter what Qi Jing asked him, he would only shake his head slightly, signaling that he¡¯s alright.


    Of course, Qi Jing didn¡¯t believe that.


    ¡°I always need you very much.¡±


    When the two stood face-to-face on the bus, Qi Jing leaned into the other¡¯s chest slightly¡ªwhen their eyes met, he once again repeated his reply from the hospital in a low voice. Shen Yan looked at him and only smiled weakly without saying a word in response. No matter how many times Qi Jing said it to him, his reaction never changed.


    Qi Jing knew that that question wasn¡¯t as easy as it seemed at first nce¡ªit was way moreplex and deep-rooted.


    But even though he was well aware of that, he was unable to give a better answer.


    That disparity really made Qi Jing anxious¡ª


    ¡°Little fe, don¡¯t you really need him as well? If it was you, how would you convey it to him?¡±


    ¡°Mew?¡±


    Little Return Date couldn¡¯t possibly understand his words, so it continued happily practising rolling about on Qi Jing¡¯sp; allzy and without a care in the world once its stomach was filled.


    Qi Jing somehow started to feel envious of the cat¡¯s mentality.


    After they got back home, there was no difference in Shen Yan¡¯s behaviour aside from his silence. First, he went over to Little Return Date¡¯s nest and ground up some kibbles to mix with a sweet and fragrant milk, feeding it to the little fe who kept meowing from hunger. Then, he sat at its side in silence and scratched it behind its ears, making the little guy close its eyes from pleasure.


    He watched Little Return Date stuff itself with food, and Qi Jing watched him.


    Seeing the kitten enjoy the care he was giving him, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips. Perhaps that emptiness he felt, that need to ¡°be needed¡± was fulfilled at least a tiny bit, but it was still far from enough.


    ¡°I will go prepare lunch.¡±


    After a long while, Shen Yan finally stood up.


    Even his only sentence that broke the silence was proving the same point. What¡¯s more, he still didn¡¯t look at Qi Jing when he spoke.


    I¡¯ll help¡ªQi Jing wanted to say at first.


    But when he thought of how Shen Yan spoke of wanting to make Qi Jing need him more, he actually wasn¡¯t sure if his wanting to help would have the opposite effect. After some deliberation, he finally swallowed back the words he was about to say and stayed by himself in the living room to y with Little Return Date. It¡¯s just his gaze would keep straying towards that lonely figure bustling in the kitchen.


    ¡°Is it because I said that the cast can be taken off next week, making him realise that I might need to leave here for some time, that¡¯s why he felt uneasy?¡±


    Little Return Date pricked up its ears innocently, staring with its big, moist eyes looking at its owner, not knowing why its owner would keep furrowing his brows while talking to himself, making it itch to pull them apart with its fluffy paw.


    ¡°Or perhaps he thinks... that I¡¯m not dependent enough on him?¡± Or at least that¡¯s what a literal interpretation of his words would indicate. But what exactly made Shen Yan think so?


    Little Return Date became drowsy from listening to him, so it dozed away into a nap.


    For that little guy, aside from being sleep-inducing, Qi Jin¡¯s soft sighs had no other use. That¡¯s why it stretched its small body, got allfy, and buried itself under his clothes to have a warm nap.


    Suddenly a loud clunking noise came from the kitchen, it sounded like a knife falling against the countertop.


    Qi Jing jumped at that sound¡ªhe sat up in hurry, bringing a disaster upon the sweetly sleeping Little Return Date who rolled on the ground from his action, immediately curling in a fluffy ball.


    ¡°Meow¡ª¡± It stood up, guileless, and shook its fur,ining in a tiny voice about the rash movements of its owner.


    But its owner had no more time to look back at it, and thought only of getting to the kitchen as fast as possible,


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s anxious voice was heard before the man himself entered the kitchen.


    From where he stood, he could only see that man¡¯s back, his shoulders tensed up as he looked down with his head lowered, holding his other hand.


    Qi Jing could basically guess what this posture meant right away.


    As he expected, when he came over in strides, he saw a knifeying on the countertop, its de stained with blood, a bloody trail of droplets covering the white tiles as well as the edge of the chopping board. Qi Jing gasped at the sight, ¡°Did you cut your hand? Quick, let me take a look¡ª¡±


    Shen Yan slowly turned his head over.


    His expression was weirdly unbothered and calm, as if he didn¡¯t feel any of the pain in his finger. He only looked at a loss, seemingly unaware of what had just happened as he held his left hand with his right without any intention of stopping the blood flow. Qi Jing was extremely worried¡ªhe grabbed the other man¡¯s injured hand, semi-forcibly pulling it closer to take a better look.


    Thank goodness... the cut isn¡¯t too deep.


    Anxious, Qi Jing just lowered his head and took the finger in his mouth without a second thought. He pressed his tongue gently against the wound, the taste of blood spreading in his mouth in an instant. That metallic taste made him knit his brows.


    This action of Qi Jing seemed to have finally brought Shen Yan back from his daze; he called hurriedly, ¡°Qi Jing, I¡¯m fine...¡±


    He wasn¡¯t listening at all, all that was on his mind was to get rid of all the blood.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡±


    When Shen Yan called him for the second time, his voice sounded much more raspy than before, its sound able to soften a person¡¯s heart. Being called by him so, Qi Jing subconsciously let go of his finger.


    Shen Yan took out his finger at that moment. Qi Jing lifted his head up, about to ask ¡°How did you cut yourself¡±, but that hand moved over without any sign, taking a hold of his chin. Qi Jing was taken aback¡ªhe didn¡¯t have time to see the emotions in Shen Yan¡¯s eyes clearly, his subconscious gasp of astonishment was already silently sealed.


    Of all the kisses they¡¯ve shared thus far, this was one of those very few, kisses initiated by Shen Yan.


    Although the time and ce were a bit unexpected, it didn¡¯t matter. Qi Jing could feel the feelings contained within withplete rity¡ªpersistent and strong.


    ¡°Mn...¡±


    He panted a few times, closing his eyespliantly as he slowly returned the kiss.


    Shen Yan pressed his entire body on Qi Jing.


    Qi Jing had no way of retreating any further, his lower back pressing against the edge of the countertop. His right hand wandered up Shen Yan¡¯s sleeve, then he subconsciously held on to that sturdy shoulder.


    The pot of soup on the oven was already simmering slowly for half an hour, releasing wafts of white steam, filling the whole kitchen alongside the bright light. A pot lid was being pushed up slightly as the soup boiled inside, its nking drowning out the sound of their hurried pants.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± Qi Jing reminded hurriedly in the short moment between their kisses, ¡°Your wound, it still hasn¡¯t...¡±


    Been taken care of.


    He didn¡¯t manage to finish his sentence asShen Yan leaned over and stopped him from continuing¡ªthe moist lips touched once again, entangling in his faint panting.


    He still could feel the astringent taste of blood, making him subconsciously avoid letting the kiss deepen, but Shen Yan still invaded his mouth.


    Shen Yan can probably taste it as well...At loss, Qi Jing opened his eyes a bit, quietly observing that man from a close distance.


    They were too close, which ended up making it harder for him to see.


    He only knew that it wasn¡¯t the face of someone immersed in pleasure, quite the opposite even... It looked more like he was in pain.


    ¡°Meow?¡±


    Little Return Date, who came over after hearing the disturbance, looked at its two dads, its tail swaying to and fro.


    The mews of the kitten by his leg made Qi Jinge back to his senses at once. His face flushed red, he finally made up his mind to gently push Shen Yan away.


    ¡°I told you that your wound still needs to be tended...¡±


    He said while panting, then pulled over Shen Yan¡¯s still bleeding hand.


    Shen Yan appeared less gloomy now, he had already recovered a bit of his reason. He silently observed Qi Jing cleaning the wound for him, looking as if he wanted to say something.


    After a long while, he suddenly leaned over, weakly burying his head in the crook of Qi Jing¡¯s neck.


    Qi Jing was taken by surprise and asked in a low voice, ¡°Are you feeling unwell...? Maybe we should just eat outside in the afternoon?¡±


    There was a nasal tone to Shen Yan¡¯s voice that sounded as if he caught a cold. ¡°It¡¯s fine, the food will be ready soon. I¡¯ll go find something to disinfect the wound and stop the bleeding, you take Little Return Date back... There¡¯s a lot of things here in the kitchen, can¡¯t risk getting it injured as well.¡±


    Qi Jing turned his head over to see how he was doing¡ªonly when he saw that he was rtively normal now he nodded his head with hesitation.


    Qi Jing¡¯s favouritemp in Shen Yan¡¯s house was that white hangingmp over the dining table. It was because the light shining from it was all-epassing and warm¡ªsitting below it made one feel much morefortable with sharing their true thoughts.


    There was something that he wanted to say ever since he entered the house, and under thatmp, he finally said it.


    ¡°Can I apany you at work when you go back for your afternoon shift?¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s hands holding the bowls trembled minutely.


    There was a band-aid on his hand, it had been stered there just a while earlier.


    Just the existence of that band-aid more or less undermined the convincing power behind Shen Yan¡¯s following words, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m fine... It¡¯s better for you to stay at home and have a good rest.¡±


    ¡°How can I not worry?¡± Qi Jingughed bitterly.


    For someone as careful and meticulous as Shen Yan to be so out of it that he cut his finger; how could Qi Jing not be worried? He kept his calm and found another excuse to support his original n. ¡°Well, I¡¯m just idling my time away at home anyway. You do you, I won¡¯t bother you during work, I can just chat with nurse Pang for a bit. And in case she¡¯s busy, I will take my notebook and browse the inte in your office or something.¡±


    Shen Yan fell silent for a moment.


    But even though he fell silent, Qi Jing could still hear his irregr breathing in that silence, more hurried than normal, but also more heavy.


    ¡°No, Qi Jing.¡± In the end, Shen Yan still shook his head and said hoarsely, ¡°Today... it won¡¯t do.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± The reason behind it was exactly what he wanted to know the most.


    ¡°That¡¯s because... I¡¯m really a bit unwell today, so I might not perform the best at work.¡± And so, I don¡¯t want you to see that even more.


    After saying that, he sighed even before Qi Jing could.


    Qi Jing had once said before that his working attitude was what he respected and admired the most¡ªhe couldn¡¯t let that image be ruined by his current disappointing self. The him now wasn¡¯t capable of any thoughts other than trying to calm himself by working and digesting his negative feelings by himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can get over it myself. Besides, it¡¯s your first audition, right? You¡¯d better stay at home and prepare yourself for it.¡± Shen Yan gave him a soft smile, albeit a little forced.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll only apany you for an hour. It should be fine if it¡¯s just an hour?¡±


    At that time, Qi Jing surprised him with that question.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t expect that he would still bargain over it. He was taken aback by it, but in the end, he was unable to convince him otherwise, so he could only agree.


    When they were leaving home, Qi Jing decided to bring Little Return Date along.


    After all, that little fe was already so big, but he hadn¡¯t had an asion to y with other animals, so maybe he would be able to meet a ymate.


    Maybe it was because of that kiss, but Shen Yan wasn¡¯t as silent as before; on their way to work, he would sometimes reply shortly to Qi Jing¡¯s chatting.


    After they got to the clinic, Qi Jing didn¡¯t forget to go and greet the head nurse, Ms Pang.


    It seemed as if she mistook Qi Jing as Shen Yan¡¯s neighbour and hence didn¡¯t feel surprised at all seeing them appearing at the same time. She kept remarking that she found it quite coincidental, saying that they had to be fated in some way for living so close to each other. Just as they were exchanging pleasantries, a younger nurse came in and said to Shen Yan who had just put on his whiteb coat, ¡°Dr Shen, it seems like the puppy we operatedst night had made it through the critical phase, may I get you to go over to verify its recovery.¡±


    Qi Jing heard that it was the patient fromst night¡¯s surgery and got concerned, so he asked hurriedly, ¡°Can I go take a look with you?¡±


    Shen Yan nodded his head lightly.


    He led Qi Jing to the isted ward for the hospitalised animals. After opening the door, there was only a two, three months old mixed-breed, ¡°China-special¡± puppy to be seen inside the room. Most of its body had been wrapped with a soft quilt, with only its fluffy little head sticking out. Its fur was very light¡ªashen gold, reminiscent of wheat that could make one feel cozy just from looking at it.


    The puppy¡¯s ears were drooping weakly and it had its eyes shut. Only when it heard their footstepsing over did it open its eyes just a peep.


    But its body remained still.


    ¡°It was hit by a car and was sent to us with an internal trauma, as well as a severe internal bleeding.¡± Shen Yan exined in a low voice.


    Even just hearing him say so left Qi Jing shocked¡ªit was easy to imagine that the puppy¡¯s appearance at the time was even more disturbing. Thinking so in his heart, he came over, trying to tread as lightly as he could, and had a closer look at that puppy.


    At that time, Little Return Date popped its head out of his hold and looked straight at that pup as it called, ¡°Meow~¡±


    The other animal didn¡¯t respond, so Little Return Date brandished its paw with vigour, reaching out in midair, wanting to scratch that pup¡¯s drooping ears. ¡°Shh... Don¡¯t make a fuss, the puppy is sick so it needs to recuperate.¡± Qi Jing took a quick step back, so as not to let Little Return Date startle the dog.


    ¡°Meow meow meow!¡± Little Return Date pawed his arm in protest, feeling wronged.


    Strangely enough, when the puppy heard Little Return Date meowing loudly, it finally opened its eyespletely. Its ck irises were plenty peaceful, looking calmly at two men and one cat before it.


    Shen Yan gently put his hand on its body, petting the top of its head. His fingers stroked back and forth, filled with utmost gentleness.


    It kept looking at them for a while before finally closing its eyes once again, going back to sleep.


    ¡°It¡¯s already gotten through the most critical phase and there¡¯s no trace of the inmmation, but it¡¯s still best if we kept it for a while to observe it.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing suddenly thought back to the interview he had done before, its main topic being the concern about the arrangements for the animals after undergoing a surgery, so he asked, ¡°When it¡¯s recovered, its owner wille to take it back, right?¡±


    At that time, Shen Yan froze suddenly.


    Qi Jing noticed the changes to his expression... And it was absolutely not for the better.


    Realising that he could have said something wrong, Qi Jing intended to lead the conversation away from that topic, but Shen Yan said slowly, ¡°... No, the one who sent him here was a kind passerby. They said that its owner thought that there was no way it¡¯ll make it, that even if it was rescued, it wouldn¡¯t live too long, so... They didn¡¯t need it anymore.¡±


    A/N:


    To be honest, I saw thements under the previous chapter, and the more I look, the more I feel like... Is my view on morality so abnormal? (kneels) The scale of indignation of the mob exceeded my imagination, so really... Is it like, every time I write a character from the other side of things, will it always incite a dispute like this? (facepalms)


    I really didn¡¯t forget it¡¯s a healing novel! *sobs*


    T/N:


    Luci: *chants* keep calm and pet the pupper, keep calm and pet the pupper...

 Chapter 75

    <h4>Chapter 75</h4>


    <i>partially edited</i>


    After Shen Yan said that, he lowered his eyes and said no more. He just took out a pen from his pocket and jotted down notes on the medical card ced in front of the pupper¡¯s bed with his head bowed. When he was done writing, the ward was still dead silent; only then did he realise that Qi Jing hadn¡¯t said anything all this while either.


    ¡°Keke.¡±


    When Qi Jing finally opened his mouth again, what came out was a self-deprecatingugh. Thatugh stunned Shen Yan and he lifted his head slightly to look at the other party.


    Qi Jing stood straight as a die. There was no hint of a smile anywhere in his eyes, if anything, the only ce that even remotely resembled a smile was the slight tugging at the corner of his lips.


    ¡°My father also said something simr back then,¡± He said, his voice calm, t and monotonous, as mechanical as if the words flowing out of his mouth were typed out with an old-fashioned typewriter, as if he was talking about someone else. ¡°He felt that his son couldn¡¯t be ¡°corrected¡± and even if he were, he would surely go back to his old ways... So it¡¯s better to just throw him away altogether.¡±


    After saying that, the slight curve on Qi Jing¡¯s lips also slowly pulled straight. Expressionless, he quietly brought Little Return Date to the nape of his neck, buried his head into it and nuzzled against it.


    Seeing this, Shen Yan¡¯s face fell, his lips parted slightly but could not say anything.


    Just then, Qi Jingughed again, but this time, it was a real, genuine and frank one, ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter anymore. This pupper will definitely find a new owner in the future... And I... already have you. I believe everything will gradually get better.¡±


    Little Return Date seemed to have understood what Big Return Date was saying as it followed suit by meowing loudly.


    Shen Yan¡¯s eyes appeared a little shaken as he silently watched Qi Jing for a long while. With a slight movement of his fingers, he inadvertently brushed against the band-aid he had put on his hand earlier that afternoon and it reminded him of the time when Qi Jing also had a wound on his hand and had also put such a band-aid on it. Noticing this simrity they shared, breathing suddenly became much easier for him.


    ¡°...We should let the puppy have a good rest now. It just had surgeryst night and is not in the best state to properly interact with us.¡±


    Shen Yan slowly pressed the injury on his hand. After a moment of silence, he went back to the original topic of their conversation. As he said that, he reached out and patted Little Return Date¡¯s furry little head, smiling weakly.


    ¡°Bring this little one over to y with the puppy after it¡¯s recovered some more. Otherwise... this little fe might think that the puppy is ignoring it and feel sad.¡±


    When Qi Jing heard those words, something shed across his eyes and he stared fixedly at Shen Yan for a long while in some kind of realisation. He only blinked after a long time before subtly tightening his hold on Little Return Date.


    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll be heading back first,¡± Qi Jing blurted. He vetoed his own n to stay at the hospital to watch Shen Yan for an hour. ¡°You¡¯re right... I still have apetition tonight, I need to prepare well at home.¡±


    Shen Yan was slightly stunned but did not show too much surprise, and instead stared unmovingly at Qi Jing.


    ¡°Come back when you are done with work.¡± Qi Jing smiled faintly at the other man, not giving any exnation for the sudden change of n. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting at home for you.¡±


    Then, without waiting for Shen Yan¡¯s reply, he brought Little Return Date close to the doggo once more and coaxed gently, ¡°Come on, say bye to puppy; tell it you¡¯lle back to y with it when it gets better.¡±


    The clueless Little Return Date was held up in midair by Qi Jing and when it realised that wheat-coloured fur was close at hand, it couldn¡¯t resist the itch in it¡¯s little paws tounch a w at the head. However, it¡¯s attempts were foiled by Qi Jing and after a few corrections, Little Return Date finally understood what it had to do¡ªit gently stretched out a paw pad out to the top of the dog¡¯s head, patting it soothingly.


    ¡°Good boy, that¡¯s it.¡± Qi Jing looked down and rubbed his face hard against Little Return Date¡¯s ear as a reward.


    ¡°Meow!¡± Little Return Date was beyond excited and in it¡¯s exhration, it gave the pup another light pat.


    The puppy never opened its eyes throughout the entire thing, except for the slight twitch in its closed eyes, it slept peacefully.


    ¡ªI¡¯ll be back when I¡¯m done with work.


    That was what Shen Yan said when he saw Qi Jing off at the gate of the hospital. Although the words were the same as he said before, the meaning was different.


    Qi Jing¡¯s heart was heavy as he walked home alone with Little Return Date in his arms.


    His feet were walking on a path and so was his heart.


    The difference was that the road in his heart had just seen a little light which barely illuminated the path for a few metres, but beyond that, no more light could be found, only pitch darkness. He did not know what was at the end of this road, but he had a very bad feeling about it, a feeling that he shouldn¡¯t advance rashly. At least not when Shen Yan himself still refused toe out to light the way.


    Just then, his phone rang loudly.


    Qi Jing¡¯s thoughts were thus interrupted by it and he could only put Little Return Date down for the time being. When he took out his phone and saw the words ¡°Xiaoxiao¡± on the caller ID, he trembled reflexively. For whatever reason, every time Ning Xiaoxiao called, there was never any good news, and especially now, since the mishap happenedst night.


    Qi Jing deliberated for three seconds before deciding to ignore the call.


    They were still out on the streets and it wouldn¡¯t be good for him to just leave Little Return Date on the side. Hence, he muted his phone, put it away, picked Little Return Date back up, and hurried on their way back home.


    In the short time from when he first received the call to when he stepped foot into the house, in that short five minutes, by the time he put away the keys, settled Little Return Date, before going back to deal with the phone, the number of missed calls had already shot up to eleven. Qi JIng had no choice but to answer the twelfth call that came in.


    ¡°Hello? Xiaoxiao, what¡¯s so urgent?¡±


    ¡°Se&#k2014;nior&#k2014;¡± A very udylike roar came from the other end of the line, expressing the indignation she felt at his dy in answering the phone. But that indignation quickly gave way to her thirst for knowledge. ¡°Senior! Is that person you!¡±


    Ah... as expected, it wasn¡¯t any good news.


    Qi Jing took a deep breath and had to pretend to be confused. ¡°What person is me? What are you talking about?¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s voice was so loud he had to hold his phone at about ten centimetres from his ear. ¡°Well, that person from the ¡®Bai Ke¡¯ auditionsst night!¡±


    ...Crap. He whispered internally.


    ¡°I did listen to those auditions,¡± that was the truth, but the next line was obfuscation, ¡°But I didn¡¯t sign up for the role of ¡®Baike¡¯ so... who exactly are you talking about?¡±


    With the distraction he threw at her, the volume of Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s voice dropped several notches and calmed down a little. ¡°You... were just a listener?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Although I identally spoke up nearing the end. Qi Jing muttered to himself.


    ¡°Uh, could my ears have really gone bad...¡± Her mumblings put Qi Jing on the edge, for fear that she might see through something. ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to watch it livest night so I used my lunch break today to listen to the recording... Then I got a shock when I heard theter part of the recording¡ªthere was someone who sounded just like you, Senior!¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, just which contestant are you talking about? I don¡¯t seem to recall anyone like that.¡± Indeed, there was no one who sounded simr to him amongst the contestants, so it wasn¡¯t cheating to say that.


    ¡°Geez, it¡¯s not the contestants.¡± Then she paused and her voice suddenly perked up, ¡°Senior, you should remember the ID ¡®Kitty ¤Î Papa¡¯ right? That¡¯s an ID that¡¯s never been heard of before in the online voice acting circle, but his performance in thepetition of¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·is simply... Everyone is talking about him now.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± You¡¯d have a heart attack if I were to tell you that you¡¯ve actually met him in person, ¡°but our voices don¡¯t sound anything alike.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao seemed to havee to the conclusion that he was an outsider in this situation and happily went on about it, ¡°I¡¯m not talking about him, I¡¯m talking about that tmate of his. You must¡¯ve heard it when you were spectating right? The person who asked the MC to wait.¡±


    Qi Jing listened silently to his junior¡¯s ount of his dark history and mourned his dead IQ of that time.


    ¡°I heard...¡±


    ¡°Right, right, isn¡¯t it really simr?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Because it is. Qi Jing silently looked to the sky and shook his head.


    ¡°Please, it¡¯s very simr, okay!¡± Ning Xiaoxiao waspletely oblivious to his inner turmoil as she continued gossiping, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, everyone¡¯s been talking about the identity of that roommate on the forum and some are already trying to investigate if it is you. To be honest, I don¡¯t think it is... but I¡¯m still anxious alright, so I immediately called to check with the person himself.¡±


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t hear anything else other than the line ¡°some are already trying to investigate if it is you¡± which hit him like a thunderbolt and it sent his head ringing.


    Already?


    Although he had mentally prepared himself for it, he didn¡¯t expect to already be exposed on the second day¡ª


    ¡°Just let them do what they want, don¡¯t go sticking your nose in.¡± Qi Jing neither admitted nor explicitly denied; he decided to simply give Ning Xiaoxiao a vague response.


    Ning Xiaoxiao felt bad because when she had tried to defend Qi Jing during the¡¶Trap¡·drama, she ended up attracting more haters for him so she didn¡¯t dare trudge forward rashly without his permission this time.


    Right now was currently during normal work hours of most offices and Ning Xiaoxiao had secretly snucked this call, so they didn¡¯t talk long before the call was hurriedly ended. Qi Jing put down the phone in a torn mood, immediately went into his room and opened hisputer, then, he headed straight to the forum thread discussing the¡¶Order to End the Heavens¡·Competition.


    After so many days ofpetition, that thread had be one of the most popr threads at the moment, with eight whole pages ofments¡ªand thements were only increasing like nobody¡¯s business.


    Thepetition fromst night seemed to have be the talk of the town and thest contestant ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± was unashamedly the keyword for it.


    ¡°The tmate of Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± was also a subject of much chatter.


    ¡¾Comment 2082¡¿:


    I dare say I¡¯ve definitely heard that ¡°roommate¡¯s¡± voice somewhere before!!


    I was so caught up with listening to the auditions that Ipletely forgot about it... But now in retrospect... Holy heck, I really wanna know if ¡°roommate¡± is also part of the circle!! Is he some CV!! (Do I have to go back and listen to all the audio dramas I¡¯ve watched all over again... Isn¡¯t that too painful ¨“¨Œ¨“)


    ¡¾Comment 2083¡¿:


    The roommate¡¯s speech was too fast... I couldn¡¯t actually quite catch it. But if Kitty¡¯s Papa joined thispetition and this roommate knows about it, he¡¯s probably not a stranger to the voice acting circle. And even if he¡¯s not familiar with it, he at least wouldn¡¯t be adverse to it... In fact, he might also be a CV? (For such a beautiful voice, it¡¯d be such a shame if he doesn¡¯t voice act)


    Anyway, Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s ¡°Baike¡± just couldn¡¯t get any better¡ªthat one-man show totally made my heart stop! Goodness! I never thought he would be so good as a bad guy! Uwuuuuu This is totally the start of my transformation into his brain-dead fan... When he got his score deliberately lowered and what not by the organisers, all I can say is ¡°keke¡±. But it¡¯s okay, I believe the roommate willfort him~


    It would be perfect if the two of them were to star in an audio drama together! ~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~


    ¡¾Comment 2084¡¿:


    Pffffft. Although I was also starting to waver thanks to thement above... How can there be so many coincidences in the world?


    The reality is that there are many good voices in the world, the online voice acting circle is so small, maybe it¡¯s just a situation of there always being someone better out there? Amongst the people I know, there are many with amazing voices but have nothing to do with thismunity.


    Besides, just having a nice voice doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯ll be good at voice acting (though of course I admire Kitty¡¯s Papa, but if we have to say the same about his tmate, that¡¯s a bit...)


    ¡¾Comment 2085¡¿:


    I agree with what the girl above said.


    I think people are getting too excited, that person might just be a normal roommate, just with a good voice, and you¡¯re all making him out to be a CV in the circle... Don¡¯t y¡¯all think all this spection is too baseless.


    ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡¯s¡± performance was really amazing!! But if the organisers had to say that he was cheating, I can only... ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    I think we should all ce our focus on the contestant himself, and not on that roommate. Those who say that the roommate¡¯s voice sounds like don¡¯t know who who who¡ªit¡¯s probably just all in your head.


    ...


    ...


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t have said it better, Ms 2085!¡± Qi Jing was basically filled with the urge to click on that thumb and give her a like.


    However, any hint of relief he felt when he saw this was instantly ruined by the nextment to the point that not even a speck of relief remained.


    ¡¾Comment 2086¡¿:


    Even if it¡¯s just all in my head... I just want to say: this ¡°roommate¡± sounds a little like <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>.


    So... it... was... you...


    At that moment, Qi Jing felt his breath get caught and he choked on his own breath.


    Since Comment 2086 first brought up this thought, there soon appeared others who echoed this notion. What made Qi Jing feel conflicted about was that most of those who agreed were loyal fans who loved him silently.


    ¡¾Comment 2091¡¿:


    Ah!! Someone finally said it!! Comment 2086 totally took the words right out of my heart!!


    And here I thought I was the only one... ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    I¡¯ve listened to every single one of Return Date¡¯s dramas at least three times, even if he only had one line I listened to it intently!! I was listening to thepetition livest night but the moment that roommate opened his mouth, I thought I had transmigrated!! It¡¯s really so alike! If my ears aren¡¯t broken and there wasn¡¯t any change in sound quality due to the equipment, it¡¯s virtually like Return Date himself talking!! (a die-hard fan quietly covering her face)


    ¡¾Comment 2092¡¿:


    Thement above, you¡¯re not alone...


    Actually, I¡¯ve been F5-ing this thread this whole time, silently contemting whether or not I should voice my suspicions, but I was also worried it might bring the CV unnecessary trouble. However, since someone has already mentioned it then I¡¯d like to also raise a tiny hand in agreement¡ªI too, think that voice really sounds like <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>.


    Although I¡¯m not a stan of Return Date, he could be considered a CV I really like and I¡¯m quite confident in my hearing so I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any way I could be wrong about a voice that recognisable... Unless, there really exists someone who has a simr voice as him, otherwise... (Uwuuu Actually, I just hope he could work with Kitty¡¯s Papa just once. If that happens, it¡¯ll really be a godly development, don¡¯t you think!)


    ¡¾Comment 2096¡¿:


    What? That person is Return Date?


    AHAHAHHA That¡¯s simply delightful news, isn¡¯t it!! ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨s


    When I was listening to Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s performance, just like another girl in thements above, I waspletely drawn into the story (speaking of which, that one-man show is really too godly, I still can¡¯t calm down ahh). At that time, I didn¡¯t really have the capacity to ponder if Roommate-kun is a CV or not, but now that I see you guys talking about it...


    My! Blood! Is! Boiling! With! Excitement!


    The more I think about it, the more usible it sounds... Quick! Someone tell me whether or not this is real!! Once I¡¯ve opened that door, I can¡¯t handle it (rolls around)


    I¡¯m not going to admit I¡¯m a fan of Return Date!


    I¡¯m not going to admit I¡¯ve recently fallenpletely in love with Kitty¡¯s Papa!


    I¡¯m not going to admit that I¡¯m suddenly strongly expecting these two to actually have a rtionship!


    ...


    ...


    Given this development, was he going to have to be like those crazy stories that fill the... go up and say with a loving gaze, ¡°Thank you, we¡¯re actually already together.¡±?


    Qi Jing¡¯s face became that of a hardened warrior as he closed his eyes to the screen before him.


    Aside from the gratitude he felt for the support of his fans, he currently felt no different than a prisoner awaiting his execution. To be honest, no matter how much people gossip on the forum, it had no direct effect on them. But after knowing the existence of <i>Jade Butterfly</i> and the shady business within the organisers, he could foresee the consequence after Shen Yan gets involved with him. Especially for<i> Jade Butterfly</i> who personally said that Shen Yan ¡°sounded upright¡± and she would ¡°like to work with him¡±; it wouldn¡¯t make sense for her to just sit back and watch.


    In times like this, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a deep sense of respect for his antis. This has to be the first time someone is so happy to be hated on.


    Here were a few examples...


    ¡¾Comment 2103¡¿:


    ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q Is <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s</i> auditioning up soon? I took a quick nce at thepetition schedule and that really is the case... Is that why his fans can¡¯t wait toe up to hype things up for him? Can¡¯t you guyse up with something new? Isn¡¯t it getting tiring that you people always try to tie others up in a CP with him?


    This is not some conspiracy theory I¡¯m saying. Fans, ask yourself this: how many scandals have popped up around <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>?


    First, <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>, then<i> Crossing the bridge noodles</i>¡ªthese are all popr CVs in the circle... And now this Kitty¡¯s Papa who¡¯s just gaining attention has also be his target without even doing anything? I only have three words for you guys: have some shame.


    ¡¾Comment 2104¡¿:


    ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q RT every single word thement above said.


    Just because of some simrities in the voice and you people immediately insist that it¡¯s <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>? The superiorityplex of Return Date fans is really strong huh...


    Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t even know he actually had so many fans; here I thought he was just a nobody (picks nose). I went to check out his Weibo and found that he only has a few thousand followers. I guess he only knows how to create scandals with the Great Gods to get to the top, but doesn¡¯t really know how to voice act huh, that¡¯s quite scheming of him.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>-sama, why don¡¯t you go act in¡¶Empresses in the Pce¡·; I have really high hopes for you~


    ¡¾Comment 2105¡¿:


    Moss fan running away with Bronze Sparrow and Little Noodles!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Why do you have to involve them!! They must be feeling so helpless!! I hate <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>!! Not only did he attempt to break up our official CP, he¡¯s also a two-timer! And now, he¡¯s even having an affair with a third party... Hmph!!


    ...


    ...


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who feels helpless, alright...¡± Qi Jing didn¡¯t know whether tough or to cry at thements; he¡¯s already given up trying to reason with them.


    There¡¯s nothing he could do about it. The high recognition of his voice had always been his Achilles¡¯ heel.


    Even if they didn¡¯t figure out it¡¯s him today, there¡¯s tomorrow, the day after the next, and even the day after that... Someone would surely have dugged out his identity, it was just a matter of time.


    Just when he had resigned to his fate with no excuse to get himself out of it, ament from a neutral party suddenly opened the doors to the new world for him.


    ¡¾Comment 2108¡¿:


    Uhh... Cutting into the heated discourse above...


    Tbh, as unique as <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s</i> voice is, that ¡°roommate¡± could really be someone else. Don¡¯t try to throwbels at me, I¡¯m neither a fan nor an anti, I simply saw your discussion on his voice... and suddenly thought of someone in the circle with a simr voice to him.


    I¡¯m not sure if anyone shares the same thought as me: <i>Sleek horses run fast</i>. There are definitely people who remember this ID, right?


    A/N: Sleek horses run fast¡ªI¡¯m sure not many people remember this ID... except the experts with foreshadowing... _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_ It¡¯s ok even if you don¡¯t remember, there¡¯ll be a proper introduction in the next chapter.


    PS: Thest chapter was about a dog involved in a car ident and today, I saw the body of a dog that had been hit by a car on the side of the road. Unfortunately, it had already died. Even the colour of the fur was simr to what was written... I suddenly feel so pained... TAT

 Chapter 76

    <h4>Chapter 76</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    <i>unedited</i>


    Sleek horses run fast.


    Qi Jing remembered that ID very clearly.


    The god-level VA who had retired from the circle for many years already, the main life core of the producer who introduced him into the voice acting circle, Ninth Lady.


    As for why she called him her ¡°main life core¡± and not just ¡°life core¡±, it was because Ninth Lady¡¯s was pretty liberal with her love, resulting in her having quite a few of other VA life cores. But her ¡°main life core¡± was her all time favourite, which just went to show how highly regarded he waspared to the others.


    And as for the reason for Qi Jing¡¯s especially deep impression of that person... Well, there was a reason behind that as well.


    When a person just enters the circle and is constantly told that ¡°your voice sounds pretty simr to so-and-so¡±, then this person will naturally retain the memory of the said so-and-so.


    And that was exactly the case with him and Sleek horse run fast.


    Back when he was still a little newbie VA, Ninth Lady found a few background characters to practise acting. When those audio dramas got released, Sleek Horse¡¯s fans immediately fell into uproar. That was because at that time, Sleek horses run fast had already retired from the circle and his voice being of quite a unique type, the fans couldn¡¯t find any substitute for him. Hence, those numerousmitted fans could only keep cry bitter tears, until out of sudden, in their time of despair, they discovered a VA with simr voice type¡ªthey were all on cloud nine.


    ¡°Little Sleek Horse¡±, ¡°Younger version of Sleek Horse¡±, and ¡°Sleek Horse¡¯s little brother¡± were basically the nicknames everyone called him before the ID of ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡± got popr.


    Later on, his individual style has been slowly recognised, then familiarised with by the people in the circle, but it couldn¡¯t be denied that the already retired great god had indirectly brought him a lot of attention.


    It was to the point where it could be said without any exaggeration that the first fans of ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡±, at least half of them were or have always been, Sleek Horse¡¯s fans.


    Getting to the bottom of it, the reason behind Qi Jing getting roped into the circle was also because of Ninth Lady¡¯s ¡°love them, love their dog¡± attitude.


    At the present, it has been over three years since he entered the circle and over four years since that great god had retired... Although the fans of that retired great god had gradually fallen silent, he was still a legend in the hearts of the masses, his influence still present in the circle.


    Because he wasn¡¯t mentioned as often anymore, Qi Jing initially had troubles remembering that person, even not expecting that this person could be used to dodge the bullet.


    Still, it was good enough to move away from being in the eye of the storm¡ª


    ¡°Sorry, Sleek Horse-sama.¡± Qi Jingughed bitterly.


    Jade Butterfly would certainly get a huge jumpscare if she got to know that he lived together with Shen Yan, then used her connections with Northwest Road to tamper with those two finals Shen Yan had already qualified into¡ªthat would be bad. But, if they used an already retired and unreachable great god as their shield, then she would probably be left with no reason to retaliate.


    Under those circumstances, as long as he decided to not speak up, the rumours would die a natural death with the course of the time.


    As the 2108thmenter¡¯s spection, the former Sleek horses run fast¡¯s fans couldn¡¯t hold back and started appearing one after another, every one of them with hot tears bursting from their eyes.


    After all, the return of their male god was akin to an unattainable dream.


    It was fine even if it was an assumption, after all, there was no harm to letting them dream for a moment.


    ¡¾Comment 2111¡¿:


    ¨“¨Œ¨“ ... The gal from 2108, you bastard... Why did you have to mention that ID!! WHY!! (bursts out crying)


    Before his retirement, he was my absolute favourite VA!! It¡¯s been so long since he left us... He also had so works, so I can only listen to those few on the loop (copses). Iment the fact that the circle was only starting to take off at that time so there was both ack of audio dramas and people to listen to them, but once more people got into it after all that time, he suddenly retired from the circle...


    ¡¾Comment 2112¡¿:


    ¨“¨Œ¨“ Is thementer above another me?! Pleased to meet you!


    To be fair, some really popr staff members from the circles are all Sleek Horse-sama¡¯s fans, so if he were toe back, he would surely take the online voice acting circle by storm, getting popr in and out of the circle! (Ah, but he¡¯s already popr enough...)


    Also also, I think that his and Return Date¡¯s voices are kinda simr too... That¡¯s why I really like Return Date, hehe~ >///<


    ¡¾Comment 2114¡¿:


    I¡¯ve always been a fan of Sleek Horse-sama... My heart has never changed......


    But he really is a god of hiding, probably only the insiders know his QQ; all that¡¯s been revealed to the public is his weibo ount. Since his retirement from the circle, he has only posted twice on weibo... Only two posts in the span of years!! £¨¨s£­£ß£­£©¨s¨k¨k


    ¡¾Comment 2115¡¿:


    ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò I didn¡¯t think there¡¯s so many Sleek Horse¡¯s fans in the forum... *sobs* I¡¯m not alone anymore...


    Are you guys as miserable as me? Even though I know he has only posted twice since his retirement, I still can¡¯t help but check his page every day.


    ...


    Qi Jing had also checked Sleek horses run fast¡¯s weibo ount before out of curiosity.


    Unfortunately enough, by the time he checked it, all of his previous posts were alreadypletely deleted, leaving behind only news of his exit from the circle. To this day, it had already been reblogged over twenty thousand times by his fans whose number was nearing six digits; the amount ofments was also staggering, most of them consisting of tearful cries of regret and unwillingness to let Sleek Horse go.


    That deration of retiring from the circle had been posted four years ago.


    Since then, Sleek horses run fast surprised his fans by posting twice more: one post was simple ¡°I am sorry¡± from two years ago, then the second ¡°What to do¡±, posted a yearter.


    Both of those times there was a crying emoji added at the end, letting everyone¡¯s imagination run wild.


    Both of those times, it was only three words, but the amount of reposts andments naturally exceeded that number by far.


    Those few years, getting verified on weibo became a thing, so the loyal fans of his got taken by surprise as they did their daily refresh of his page and saw him get a ¡°verified¡± mark to his ID as well. It proved that in fact, he still kept logging into that ount¡ªjust this made them mad with joy.


    Seeing them mention it now, Qi Jing instinctively opened weibo.


    Immediately as he logged in, a couple of DM notifications popped out in the lower right corner of the window, flickering without a break.


    Qi Jing could more or less guess the content&#k2026; Most of them were asking him to rify the matter of him being ¡°Kitty &#k306R; Papa¡¯s tmate¡±. Of course, after he opened them, quite a few staffs he was close with flocked over stealthily to ask him, but he yed dumb by answering with a single ¡°?¡± to all of them.


    But there was a certain person, one Qi Jing couldn¡¯t fool even if he tried, that guy wouldn¡¯t buy it with a simple question mark...


    ¡ïFive¡ï: ... You guys already live together?? That ¡°tmate¡± has to be you, right?? Tsk tsk tsk...


    As expected from someone who knew of him and Shen Yan knowing each other, he was closer to the truth than any other person.


    Qi Jing tried his best to keep calm.


    Honestly, it didn¡¯t matter¡ªas long as the other party didn¡¯t see him residing with Shen Yan with his own eyes, as long as he didn¡¯t admit it, the other party would have no way of proving anything.


    Thinking this, after a while of consideration he decided on a simple ¡°That¡¯s just your guess, right¡± then sent it.


    After a short while, ¡°Five¡± went online to continue the conversation.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: £¨¦á¦ä¦á£©... It is indeed my guess, but I got it right, huh?


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Since it¡¯s a guess, then you shouldn¡¯t use phrases like ¡°has to be¡±. To jump into conclusions before the matter gets proven, this habit truly is bad, so bad...


    ¡ïFive¡ï: £¨£þ¦á£þ£© Of course I have a basis. That tmate¡¯s voice is incredibly simr to yours~


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: You shouldn¡¯t assume too much when ites to people with simr voices...


    ¡ïFive¡ï: No, no, no, your voice is very distinctive, it¡¯s very rare to find someone with such a voice. What¡¯s more, your rtionship with him is so good; aside from you, who could it possibly be?


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: How did you know that my voice is distinctive? Did you hear me talking?


    ¡ïFive¡ï: I listened to your audio dramas. ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: .......


    ¡ïFive¡ï: I¡¯m not lying okie~ I specially searched through the dramas you starred in and listened to all of the longer ones,l. ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Then I¡¯m really honoured... Then, what did you think of my works?


    ¡ïFive¡ï: Your voice acting is fire, really. It¡¯s a pity you don¡¯t have many roles as the main lead, otherwise...


    ¡ïFive¡ï: No, wait wait wait...


    ¡ïFive¡ï: Phew, I almost got sidetracked by you!! £¨¨s¨F¡õ¡ä£©¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø


    ¡°Aiya,¡± Qi Jing clicked his tongue in disappointment, ¡°I almost managed to sidetrack him.¡±


    That guy really was more vignt than he thought.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: £¨¦á¦ä¦á£©A moment of carelessness and I was almost lead away from the topic by you. You really are a crafty man¡ªI won¡¯t get fooled by you anymore.


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ......


    ¡ïFive¡ï:£¨¦á¦ä¦á£©Now be good and answer the question, are you that tmate or not?


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I already said, it would be rather reckless to assume it¡¯s me just on the basis of some simrity in voice...


    ¡ïFive¡ï: And I also already said, there¡¯s nearly no person with a voice simr to you, it¡¯s too distinctive.


    ¡°Five¡± seemed to be dead set on this point about simr voice qualities.


    At that time, Qi Jing suddenly thought of those conjectures from the forum and decided to make a good use of the inspiration those girls gave him to stump that ¡°Five¡± guy.


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Who told you there¡¯s no one like that? You go and look at the forum yourself, those girls had already dug out that guy¡¯s ID.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: Oh? Who would that be?


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: You should know that person¡ªSleek horses run fast himself.


    At that moment, the conversation in the chat box stopped suddenly.


    Qi Jing waited for the whole sixty seconds without seeing the other¡¯s reply¡ªonly then he froze, realizing that something seemed to be wrong.


    After a long while, ¡°Five¡± who kept the silence for all that time suddenly sent a string of ¡°heh¡±¡¯s, as ifughing, but also not¡ªthe sheer look of it made Qi Jing feel weirdly unsettled.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: Heheheheh.


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: What¡¯s wrong...


    ¡ïFive¡ï: You ah, you really are a dumbass.


    He also added an emoji with its tongue stuck out at the end.


    Even though his wording was derogatory, it was apparent that he wasn¡¯t really cursing him out, although there was a bit of a mocking tone to his words. Qi Jing was hence quite at a loss for a spell.


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ... Why would you call me a dumbass?


    ¡ïFive¡ï: Because that person couldn¡¯t possibly be Sleek horses run fast. And you using him as a meat-shield only further ascertains my conclusion.


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: It¡¯s not like you were present, so how would you know that?


    ¡ïFive¡ï: Hehe... It¡¯s exactly because I wasn¡¯t present that I knew that.


    At the first nce, that reply had no logic to it.


    But thinking carefully, Qi Jing suddenly lost his breath; he covered his mouth in shock as he stared at the other party¡¯sst words on the screen.


    There was an implication there¡ªa clue like a fine spider thread, the truth floating on the water yet hidden between its ripples; invisible unless one looked hard enough.


    Perhaps it was because he didn¡¯t reply for too long, but the other sent him an invitation.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: Return Date, you go and enter that ¡°chitter-chatter¡± channel on YY now¡ªI will wait there for you.


    Suddenly, Qi Jing felt a huge pressure weighing over him.


    Spurred by that pressure, his fingers mechanically moved the cursor slowly, beyond his control, and clicked the YY software¡¯s icon, entering that ¡°chitter-chatter¡± channel just as that guy told him.


    There was basically no other channel member online at that time, after a single nce, there was only a lone ¡°¡ïFive¡ï¡± on the online list.


    Coming over to YY must have meant that they would be using the voice chat...Qi Jing put on his headphones without being prompted; just as he turned the ¡°voice activity¡± mode, ¡°Five¡± moved him to a separate locked room.


    They were in apletely one-on-on situation.


    Just like this, that intangible sense of pressure got even more severe.


    Just as he hesitated whether he should speak up first, the indicator light my ¡°Five¡±¡¯s ID suddenly flickered.


    A man¡¯s slightly amused voice entered his ears.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Return Date.¡±


    At that point of time, Qi Jing could hear his own gasp¡ªan especially awkward one.


    Impossible.It¡¯s impossible...


    ¡°Impossible...¡± Thatst ¡°impossible¡± slipped through his mouth without his thinking, the word blurted out in a daze traveled through the mic and all the way to the other side. The other partyughed gleefully upon hearing it, then sent a link in the chat.


    ¡°That¡¯s the weibo page of the person you are talking about.¡± The other party exined leisurely.


    Qi Jingposed himself and clicked it open without saying a word.


    It was indeed that long-since-abandoned Sleek horses run fast¡¯s weibo page, still as cold and deste, still with just those pitiful three posts on it.


    But his breathing quickened out of a sudden and he subconsciously moved his hand to press F5 a couple of times, refreshing that page.


    Because he had a really strong premonition.


    A premonition that the fourth post was about to appear there¡ª


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Asked the voice in his headphones, the smile in his voice still clear as day, ¡°That person is going to scold you on his own page.¡±


    At the same time as that sentence ended, Qi Jing¡¯s finger pressed on the key once again, causing it to click as the page refreshed.


    At that time, a sudden change appeared on the page.


    A new post popped out on the screen.


    ¡¾CV-Sleek horses run fast: Dumbass.¡¿


    There was a small emoji with a tongue stuck out at the end, exactly the same as those he had just seen a while before.


    Qi Jing took a deep breath as he massaged his throbbing temples, his expressionpletely defeated.


    He was a dumbass.


    An utter dumbass.


    ¡°Sleek Horse-sama... ¡° He smiled bitterly as he said, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    Sleek horses run fast bursted outughing¡ªit took him a whole half a minute before he calmed down.


    At the same time, Qi Jing kept reflecting upon himself as he sat dejectedly before his desk, deeply analyzing how far his IQ dropped.


    ¡°To be fair, Return Date, you almost got me there.¡± That manughed slyly, ¡°As long as you hadn¡¯t tried to use me as a meat-shield, I¡¯m afraid I would really get fooled by you.¡±


    ¡°... I never would¡¯ve expected to meet the real deal under those circumstances...¡± Qi Jing¡¯s voice was nowpletely weak.


    ¡°Hmm? Are you surprised by me?¡± That man said with a low chuckle.


    ¡°I am indeed very surprised.¡± On the one hand, speaking with that guy was virtually like talking with a long-lost brother¡ªtheir voices were really simr, it¡¯s just the other party¡¯s voice had a bit more of a brighter, honest-sounding quality than his. The other reason stuck in Qi Jing¡¯s throat for a long while before he finally vocalised it, ¡°You¡¯re too... different from what I had imagined.¡±


    ¡°For example?¡± Sleek horses run fast¡¯s tone as he spoke reminded Qi Jing of an old scheming fox squinting its eyes.


    ¡°For example...¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s lips twitched a bit as he opened the weibo DMs window, opening his and ¡°Five¡±¡¯s¡ªthat is, Sleek horses run fast¡¯s¡ªchat records to copy all the kaomojis the other had used and paste them into the YY chat.


    For example stuff like this ¡°¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q¡±...


    And stuff like that ¡°(¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å¡±...


    ¡°No matter how I look, it¡¯s apletely different image from what your voice would suggest...¡± Qi Jing once again facepalmed. Damn it, it was so roast-worthy that he didn¡¯t even know how to start roasting it.


    The other man keptughing,ughing to the point he started to wheeze.


    ¡°What would my voice suggest?¡± He obviously asked this while knowing the answer; Qi Jing could feel his wickedness.


    What would it suggest?


    How could the voice regarded by his numerous fans as ¡°the total gong voice¡± be associated with those kaomojis?


    It wasn¡¯t his first time to realise the deceptive nature of a voice, he met too many people like that to count, but with such a discrepancy to appear on the man who had always been titled as the ¡°original¡± of his voice type, he really didn¡¯t know where to start dissing.


    If one only looked at their voices, Sleek horses run fast and him belonged to the same category¡ªeven in terms of characteristics they were really simr, so a person who wasn¡¯t able to distinguish voices as well could easily mistake them as a ¡°pair of brothers¡±. Sleek horses run fast¡¯s voice was a bit more deep inparison, not as frivolous or clear as his, but there was still a strong sense of dominance to it¡ªhe wouldn¡¯t necessarily lose out even inparison with a subwoofer-like voice like that of Bronze Sparrow Terrace.


    What¡¯s more, both of their voices had the same kind of suave quality to them.


    Qi Jing¡¯s voice quality was frivolous and crafty, well-suited for the antagonists as its rity added an edge to it.


    Sleek horses run fast¡¯s voice quality was more suited for the protagonists, confident and easy¡ªjust as his name, it evoked a sense of chivalry and gentleness.


    It¡¯s just, it seemed like their personalities were swapped...


    ¡°Sleek Horse-sama...¡± Qi Jing furrowed his brow as he tried to speak as tactfully as possible¡ªafter all, it was his senior, ¡°Why did you choose to go for the cute route with your speaking style...¡±


    For such a noble and imposing gong voice VA to give off this kind of silly and bubbly feeling in private... It couldn¡¯t get any more incongruous.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± The person himself seemed to have already gotten used to being questioned like that, and said while giggling, ¡°That¡¯s why each and every one of the fans and staff members that contacted me in private got disillusioned in the end.¡±


    ¡ªCan I say that I got disillusioned as well...


    ¡°All of them said, ¡®I always thought Sleek Horse-sama is the reliable, elite type¡ªI didn¡¯t expect you to be like this¡¯.¡±


    ¡ªTurns out your fans and I are in the same vein.


    ¡°Butter they would say, ¡®To be fair, this Sleek Horse-sama is also really moe¡¯.¡±


    ¡ªLadies, wake up!


    ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you think that I¡¯m in fact very cute?¡±


    When he asked that question, the man deliberately used his most mature, most manly total gong voice as he chuckled.


    Qi Jing did his best to endure and finally managed to not spout that ¡°Why would you give up on getting treatment¡± that was about to leave his lips.


    ¡°Before... I¡¯ve been called ¡®Little Sleek Horse¡± and stuff like that for the longest time. I always hoped that this OG ¡°Big Sleek Horse¡± would be at least a bit reliable.¡±


    If he had known this was how this guy carried himself any earlier, he would surely vomit blood in a corner.


    ¡°How am I unreliable?¡± Hearing his words, Sleek horses run fast immediately changed his tone to that of a poor little wronged wife, but Qi Jing just knew that he surely had a smile stered on his face¡ªAnd that¡¯s precisely what¡¯s unreliable!


    Qi Jing sighed, then murmured, ¡°People outside all say how our voices are simr, to the point where there are people who would think of you when listening to me speaking...¡±


    Saying this, he froze, jerking his head up as if he suddenly remembered something.


    ¡°You... Do you perhaps know a voice actor called Crossing the bridge noodles?¡±


    Sleek horses run fast stopped for a moment, seemingly stumped by his question; but after a while, he resumed that merry bearing of his as he said calmly, ¡°Why would you ask this?¡±


    A/N:


    The deceiving nature of a voice is real... Yeah.


    Writing this chapter was really fun... Yeah.


    PS: I heard that yesterday¡¯s november 8th was ¡°journalists¡¯ day¡±, fortunately enough it¡¯s still 8th for the time-diff gang, so I thereby wish our fellow Qi Jing happy journalists day~ ^ ^


    (Dr Shen, please don¡¯t carelessly offer yourself, pffthaha)


    T/N:


    Luci: Sleek Horse, you¡¯re being so gay in more than one meaning of that word... Tsk tsk tsk, you¡¯re getting your junior so disillusioned!


    We missed the november 8th by a bit, but still, happy journalists day to our Big Return Date! And this day also marks the half of our way through tranting the project~ Thank you so much for reading EROVA so far guys, it¡¯s always so gratifying to read yourments <3 (Yes, I read each and every one of them, MWAHAHAHAHA)

 Chapter 77

    <h4>Chapter 77</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    <i>unedited</i>


    It wasn¡¯t ¡°Who is that¡±.


    It wasn¡¯t ¡°I don¡¯t know him¡±.


    It wasn¡¯t a denial, quite the opposite even¡ª¡°Why do you ask¡± definitely had an underlying affirmative tone in it.


    ¡°So it was you¡ª¡± This sudden realisation dawned on Qi Jing.


    Sleek horses run fast didn¡¯t give anyment to those words and simply chuckled lightly, making Qi Jing even more certain of his guess.


    ¡°I think I finally got it now.¡± He said to himself, his expression turning into a textbook example of ¡°dead fish eyes¡± in front of the screen. All of this caught him off guard, but it was also within reason, ¡°At the time, I only thought of IRL, so Ipletely overlooked your existence in 2D... I really missed the most obvious answer by thinking too much.¡±


    He should have thought of this person way before.


    He should have realized who could have that ¡°simr voice¡± description alluded to.


    At that time, Sleek horses run fastughed, ¡°To be honest, when I first learnt of your ID... It was because of him.¡±


    Qi Jing was stunned, he adjusted his sitting posture slightly and straightened his back¡ªhis natural reaction when a topic he was particrly interested in was brought up in a conversation.


    Sleek horses run fast continued talking, ¡°At first, I just wanted to see for myself how much the voice of this so-called substitute¡¯s voice was to mine. When I heard the first of your audio dramas, I was actually really surprised... But after listening more closely, I could still spot an essential difference.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help his curiosity, ¡°And where did that essential difference lie?¡±


    The other replied with a sly smile, ¡°I¡¯m way cuter.¡±


    Qi Jing moved the mouse toward the upper right corner of the channel window, trying to control the urge to click that red close window button. Perhaps Sleek horses run fast guessed his thoughts, because he begged for mercy whileughing, ¡°I¡¯m joking, I¡¯m joking¡ª... But to be fair, my voice is pretty distinctive, so it¡¯s nearly impossible to find someone with a simr voice type. That¡¯s why as long as my fans hear someone with even a tidbit simr voice, they would immediately start saying some stuff like ¡®you remind me of that XYZ¡¯ to them and use them as substitutes.


    Indeed... He had experienced it when he first entered the circle.


    Qi Jing nodded his head subconsciously.


    Sleek horses run fast said unhurriedly, ¡°To put it bluntly, it¡¯s just them tricking and convincing themselves. What¡¯s more, your usual voice is pretty different from the one you use when voice acting... It only makes the difference even more obvious.¡±


    ¡°Noodles also said that it was audio dramas that he listened to. I didn¡¯t notice any particr reaction from him when we talked.¡± Qi Jing admitted.


    He had read a fair deal of psychology cases when he was doing research for the news articles. Once a person loses something they really loved, when they find something that resembles itter¡ªeven if the two items were only slightly simr¡ªthey will gradually develop this illusion that the new item was bing ¡°more and more simr¡±, and ultimately they would move onto the new item


    Still, there was a prerequisite for such a psychological suggestion¡ªlove.


    ¡°That¡¯s because your fans love you.¡± Qi Jing hesitated; he was unsure whether his next words would be appropriate, so he lowered his voice, ¡°... Noodles too.¡±


    For a rare moment, the man on the other end of the line fell silent.


    After a long while, he answered in a serene voice, ¡°Mn, I know.¡±


    Qi Jing was about to say something, but the other suddenly added another word, ¡°But...¡±


    It was rarely a good sign when this ssic turn of phrase appeared in a conversation. Qi Jing temporarily put the words he was about to say off, preparing to hear him speak to the end. But Sleek horses run fast wentpletely quiet for a moment, then just chuckled faintly.


    ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s not talk about that.¡± He dismissed the topic briefly.


    There could be two reasons for such a situation: one when the person didn¡¯t want to talk about the topic, and the other when the person didn¡¯t know how to approach the topic. Qi Jing could hear a mix of both in the subtle change of the other person¡¯s tone.


    This kind of Sleek horses run fast felt way more real, more rtable than that skittish dude from a moment ago.


    Qi Jing pondered for a moment, then opened another chat box smoothly, ¡°There¡¯s one matter I didn¡¯t know if I should mention to Noodles. Sleek Horses-sama, you¡¯re a veteran of the voice acting world, so you¡¯ve probably seen no small amount of dramas in the circle, so there¡¯s something I want to ask you about. When ites to someone deliberately sowing discord between me and Noodles¡ªhow should I handle it?¡±


    The other party was seemingly caught by a surprise.


    This time, the smile in his voice was gone without a trace, even bing more sombre as he asked, ¡°Who?¡±


    Qi Jing briefly gave a recap on how he was ¡°asked¡± to leave by multiple production teams, then told him a part of the conversation between him and Jade Butterfly, using this to observe his reaction.


    At first, Sleek horses run fast listened to him without saying a word, but once he heard the ID of ¡°Jade Butterfly¡±, it was as if he got reminded of something¡ªhe scoffed with a ¡°hmph¡±. But didn¡¯t exin that reaction at all and just continued to listen in silence until Qi Jing finished. All that time, Qi Jing could hear the sound of him turning left and right on his chair¡ªit was easy to imagine him sitting on the chair pondering over something.


    ¡°Still, maybe this girl didn¡¯t lie to me, and Noodles might really be bearing some grudges against me and plotting something... That exnation of us having a simr voice kind of sounds like an excuse.¡±


    As he was finishing talking, Qi Jing deliberately tossed out such a statement.


    This statement was immediately dismissed by Sleek horses run fast, ¡°He¡¯s not that type of a person.¡±


    Qi Jing piqued his brow as his lips curled up, ¡°Oh? Then what kind of person is he?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not that petty and he doesn¡¯t have time to malevolently scheme against others all day long.¡± The other guy said those words with utmost calmness, no trace of doubt in his tone, ¡°If he really felt revulsed by you, then he wouldn¡¯t even speak a word to you and ignored youpletely instead.¡±


    At this point of the conversation, it was as if the tables had been turned slightly.


    The one who wasughing and the one who wasn¡¯t, exchanged ces.


    Qi Jing poked fun at him, his eyes narrowing cheekily from smiling, ¡°Eh? Sleek horses-sama, so you will go to such lengths to speak for him... It seems evident that you care quite a bit about him.¡±


    The other man probably realized Qi Jing¡¯s intentions and the voice in his headphones faltered for a while.


    When he was heard again, he had already resumed that reproaching tone of resentful little wife, ¡°You¡¯re sounding me out on purpose? So~ mean~¡±


    Once the other party started using this kind of cloying sweet tone, there was nothing Qi Jing could do about him again.


    ¡°But I do remember the woman you have just mentioned.¡± At that time, Sleek horses run fast had already recovered his initialposure and chuckled lightly, ¡°She¡¯s also a pretty famous VA, you know? Although she¡¯s not as famous here, on the BL side, she¡¯s pretty big within the BG circle, and even dabbled in professional voice actingter in her career. Moreover...¡±


    At that time, he paused for a moment, then said the line that momentarily made Qi Jing choke.


    ¡°She also has pursued me before.¡±


    ¡°Pursued... ¡° Qi Jing couldn¡¯t believe what he had just heard. There was a long spell of nk silence before he tried to confirm it once again, ¡°You mean, the romantic type of ¡®pursuing¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Mhm...¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± He asked without even thinking.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m too cute.¡± Sleek horses run fast suddenlyughed cheekily in a low voice. Qi Jing¡¯s fist clenched instinctively before he took a deep breath, moving his mouse over to the exit channel button for the second time.


    ¡°I will p myself if I ever talk with you again on YY...¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, don¡¯t be like that~ I will speak seriously from now on.¡±


    Even though he knew that this former god would continue with his silly antics, Qi Jing still lost to his curiosity, so he restrained his temper and continued asking, ¡°Why would she pursue you, doesn¡¯t she know that you¡¯re bent?¡±


    ording to Jade Butterfly¡¯s attitude towards gays, if she knew about that, she would most probably not even think to get close to him.


    Hearing him say so, Sleek horses run fast went silent for a moment, hesitating whether to speak.


    ¡°I¡¯m... not.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Qi Jing immediately jerked his head up before the screen, his lips moving silently in a sudden realisation.


    But, in this moment, he had no idea what to say.


    ¡°Actually, I am not. I¡¯m not bent.¡± That man¡¯sugh heard through a mic didn¡¯t reveal too much detail, as if it was passed through a filter that prevented the deepest emotions from flowing out, ¡°At least I wasn¡¯t before...¡±


    At least he wasn¡¯t before?Then was he now or was he not? And if he was, would he ¡®unbend¡¯ in the future?


    Qi Jing stood up from his chair with a jerk¡ªapletely subconscious, instinctive movement.


    He stood there for a couple of seconds, then, as he slowly sat down, he suddenly had a strange adverse reaction to looking at his own reflection because he must have a terrible expression on his face at the moment.


    ¡°Sleek Horses-sama,¡± He did his utmost to make his voice appear calm and rational, but he couldn¡¯t help the chilling tone from seeping into each and every of his words, ¡°As a person who¡¯s had a simr experience, I only wish to give you a warning¡ªif you have no intention of changing yourself from the start, please don¡¯t mess with those who are truly bent.¡±


    Qi Jing finished saying it in one breath and immediately felt much better.


    Just now, for a moment, it brought back memories of that man who had once made him struggle for so many years and he couldn¡¯t contain his anger, making him forget his manners for a moment. Still, he didn¡¯t regret speaking up.


    Sleek horses run fast listened to him in silence, not at all upset at the underlying criticism in Qi Jing¡¯s words. He didn¡¯t even refute him, onlyughing bitterly when he finished talking, actually agreeing with his point of view, ¡°Return Date, You¡¯re being absolutely right: if one doesn¡¯t have a conviction to follow through with their decision from the start... Then they shouldn¡¯t take that first step.¡±


    With the other being so frank about it, Qi Jing instead felt that his tone was too harsh and regretted it a bit.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I just got reminded of my own dark history.¡± He slowly sorted his emotions out, closing his eyes as he calmed his breath.


    ¡°Do you mind talking a bit in detail about your dark history?¡± Surprisingly enough, that guy¡¯s inquiry was quite sincere, not at all as if he was digging for gossip and more like he was asking for help and advice.


    ¡°Honestly, there¡¯s nothing particrly special about it, it¡¯s just the same clich¨¦s everyone from the gaymunity has heard of.¡± Qi Jing replied ndly. If it was previous him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to even talk about it, but since he told it to Shen Yan, he had already let it go, making it much easier to bear, ¡°When I was young, I fell in love with a straight guy, he agreed, so we dated for a while. In the end, he still got married, had a son and now he lives happily ever after.¡±


    What¡¯s more, he even had an intention to go for a quickie when we met once again...But Qi Jing didn¡¯t even want to recall that memory, not to mention speaking about it. He only scorned it coldy in his heart, leaving it unsaid instead.


    ¡°I see...¡±


    The other man muttered softly, before going silent, as if he had fallen deep into his thoughts.


    Between the two of them, no one had spoken for a while.


    Suddenly, Sleek horses run fast said, ¡°So, Return Date... to you, it¡¯s better to end it decisively at the very beginning?¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback.


    Looking back at it now, it was indeed how he felt now. But how could he at the time know how it would end?


    Not waiting for him to think of a rational answer, Sleek horses run fast himself spoke first, ¡°Ah, right, if you didn¡¯t move on from your ex to this day, then you would miss Shen Yan.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing stared at the screen wide-eyed.


    ¡°You just said Shen Yan...¡±


    ¡°At this point, there¡¯s no need to hide it anymore,¡± Sleek horses run fast chuckled, ¡°You certainly are that ¡®tmate¡¯ and your rtionship with him is no doubt beyond the regr. What¡¯s more... to think he¡¯d willingly let you stay at his ce¡ªthat¡¯s not easy. By simply taking a guess, I just feel thatpared to you two being friends, you¡¯re more likely his boyfriend.


    Their rtionship being seen through was already inevitable, butpared to that, Qi Jing was more surprised with another detail, ¡°No, Sleek Horse-sama... You, you just called him by his real name.¡±


    Even if Don¡¯t ask for my return date knew Geese fly north and Geese fly north knew Don¡¯t ask for my return date, only after knowing them IRL would someone use ¡°Qi Jing¡± and ¡°Shen Yan¡±, those two names.


    ¡°And from what you¡¯re saying, you seem to know what his home means to him.¡± Otherwise why would he use wording like ¡®to think that¡¯, ¡®that¡¯s not easy¡¯.


    The other man also seemed to be taken by surprise, then bursted outughing.


    ¡°Return Date, you really are something¡ªyou¡¯re virtually just like those tabloid reporters out there.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡± Qi Jing choked at once. Even his upation identally guessed right, although he didn¡¯t specialise in gossip, but news.


    After he finishedughing, Sleek horses run fast admitted magnanimously, ¡°I do have some understanding of his real life circumstances.¡±


    He only said one sentence, but the teasing tone in his voice already faded away.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I really don¡¯t know why he would go for the ¡®Marquess Shunyang¡¯ role...¡±


    Qi Jing had a particrly deep impression of that role name; not because Bronze Sparrow Terrace was listed among other contestants for this role, but because Shen Yan mentioned a few times that he chose it to ¡°ovee¡± something.


    But he didn¡¯t expect Sleek horses run fast to mention it as well¡ªhe clearly knew the story behind it.


    Although he already knew that they were old friends, there was still this great sense of disparity Qi Jing had to face¡ªa kind of uneasiness that made Qi Jing feel as if he was in a pitch-ck darkness, only able to rely on his two hands and feeling his way around to make small steps with a great difficulty. Especially under the circumstances where he knew that there was another person with a torch in their hand out there.


    Feeling a bit sour, he couldn¡¯t help but continue pursuing the matter, ¡°That role... Is there some special meaning to it?¡±


    The other party got taken aback, as if he didn¡¯t expect him to ask this. He called ¡°ah¡± in a low voice, then sucked in a breathful of air, appearing as if he made some serious mistake in a moment of carelessness.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I thought that...¡± he already told you.


    ¡°Sleek Horse-sama?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask,¡± Sleek horses run fast lowered his voice a bit, his tone imploring¡ªa tone he rarely ever used, ¡°If you don¡¯t know the meaning of what I just said, then please, treat it as if you didn¡¯t hear anything at all. Please.¡±


    Hearing that the other wanted to move on from that topic, Qi Jing got even more anxious instead, ¡°If I don¡¯t know anything, then how can I even help him?¡±


    Today, Shen Yan¡¯s behaviour gave him a vague sense that the situation was far from being simple, but Shen Yan didn¡¯t say a thing, so he had no way of doing anything about it.


    At the present, it seemed as if he found a clue, but the person who provided that clue was also unwilling to share anything more.


    All that remained was a stalemate...


    ¡°You can¡¯t help him,¡± After a long while, Sleek horses run fast said slowly, breaking that deadlock, ¡°Only with this matter... No one is able to help him.¡±


    A/N:


    So I believe that everyone knows what¡¯s the deal with Sleek Horses and Noodles already, en. (To be fair, whether Sleek Horses is a scum or not depends on the details, his and 2Yan¡¯s ex situations are still two different things)

 Chapter 78

    <h4>Chapter 78</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editor: <i>unedited</i>


    Qi Jing recalled the day he first arrived at the provincial capital.


    He got off the train alone, an old edition of ?City Guide? in his hand. But although it¡¯s only been three years since that edition was printed, the train station was new, built in a development area that reced a former wastnd. This meant that there were no marks on the map¡ªno marked metro station, no marked bus stop, no road to follow.


    Just like that, everything became unfathomable, leaving him at loss of what he should do.


    To keep himself from getting lost, he needed to buy a new map and familiarise himself with this ce once again.


    That was also the case at the present.


    As he pieced together the puzzle called Shen Yan he came to the sudden realisation of the shocking truth that he didn¡¯t have all the puzzle pieces¡ªif he wanted toplete it, then those pieces he had at hand simply weren¡¯t enough...


    ¡°Are you getting off work soon?¡±


    Shen Yan was currently writing down the microbiological examination report with his head lowered in theboratory. When he suddenly heard Qi Jing¡¯s voiceing from the entrance, he got startled and thought he was hearing things¡ªonly when he turned his head back did he realise that he wasn¡¯t hearing things. Qi Jing really stood there, leaning against the doorframe as he watched him.


    ¡°Why are you...¡± here. Due to this surprise, both Shen Yan¡¯s speech and movement became a tad slow from the shock.


    ¡°I came to pick you up.¡±


    Qi Jing said casually as he strode over with a light smile on his lips, then found a chair to sit down. He didn¡¯t hurry Shen Yan, only signaling him to keep working at his own pace.


    Shen Yan finished writing the examination report in silence, disposed of the petri dishes, turned off the microscope, and finally when he walked over to the sink to wash his hands, he couldn¡¯t help but ask Qi Jing again, ¡°It¡¯s ten before five now and you have apetition at six... Why did you go out of your way toe here?¡±


    ¡°I just felt like it,¡± Qi Jing simply chuckled, but his gaze never strayed away from him, ¡°Either way... If I stayed at home, I¡¯d just be idling away; I¡¯d rathere over, have a chat with you and ease my nerves.¡±


    It was just an excuse.


    But it was a very good excuse, since Shen Yan didn¡¯t continue inquiring about it.


    Even though he said he came over to chat, the two of them didn¡¯t in fact speak to each other, quite tacit in keeping the silence. The room waspletely quiet, with only the sound of flowing faucet water to be heard. And just like during the time when they weremunicating through the inte, the moment of silence between them was, in most cases, actually ratherforting, intimate.


    And there were bound to be intersections between nks, so there was no need to choose any particr topic to talk about.


    Outside the window, the leaves of a parasol tree had almost all fallen, leaving only barren branches. The sky was overcast, making it look like a giant canvas covered in grey mould and the branches were the painting, only ck, white and grey colours intersecting on its surface¡ªthe more one looked, one could feel the nearing of winter.


    When I was feeling my very first heartthrobs for this man, the leaves outside the window were still half green, half yellow, yet now they were actually all gone. Qi Jing thought to himself, silently recalled the time captured under this parasol tree.


    He kept getting attracted.


    He kept getting closer.


    But today, just when he felt they were already so close, a sudden sense of distance hit him all at once.


    Just as when he used to look at the things he liked at the disy windows when he was a child¡ªhe could see it, yes, but he was still kept apart from it by the window ss.


    ¡°If only, I could get closer to you...¡± He said without thinking too much. Not at all caring if Shen Yan heard him, or if he understood him.


    But Shen Yan should have heard that, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t lift his head up at this moment as bewilderment shed across his eyes.


    Qi Jing just chuckled, ¡°Would you mind if I approached you now?¡±


    ¡ªOn the surface, he was just talking about physical distance.


    Hearing this, Shen Yan shook his head slowly, so Qi Jing stood up and took a couple of paper towels in passing, taking those two, well-defined hands in his to wipe off the water for him.


    At that time, Qi Jing saw the band aid on Shen Yan¡¯s left hand. When he was washing his hand just now, Shen Yan took care to avoid getting water on it. He chuckled in a low voice, ¡°Your state now seems much better than during noon... Otherwise, with you acting so muddle-headed, you would have washed all of it away, the band-aid included.¡±


    With his head lowered, Qi Jing focused on wiping, while Shen Yan lowered his head to focus his gaze on him instead.


    ¡°Are you still worried?¡±


    Qi Jing hesitated, then smiled bitterly, ¡°Not really...¡±


    Rather than being worried, he was reflecting upon himself, upon how he currently knew nothing and could do nothing to prevent the problems toe.


    He knew that even if he spread his hand to its fullest, with only one viable hand, it was impossible for him to think of holding both of Shen Yan¡¯s hands¡ªlikewise, there was a limit to what one could do under limited conditions.


    ¡°I just feel like I¡¯m no good, and can¡¯t help you in any way.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t use your hand, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s your fault.¡± Shen Yan replied. He thought that Qi Jing was talking about how he couldn¡¯t take care of cooking, indirectly causing him to cut his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about this.¡± Qi Jing said, shaking his head with augh, then continued his still unfinished work.


    No one can help him¡ªSleek horses run fast had said so before.


    But, he didn¡¯t want to be part of those people, part of the ¡°no one¡± he mentioned.


    He wanted to break the ss before his eyes, to be a ¡°special one¡±¡ªhe wished that when the next yeares and the parasol tree grows new, tender leaves... That he would still be able to walk by that man¡¯s side just as before.


    Once they finished clearing everything up, it was just about the time to get off work and the two of them left the hospital together.


    On their way back, the small streets and alleys were all full of people, especially the lively food market in the neighbourhood. The puffs of white steam spiralled above the street food stalls, sending the delicious scent of food wafting all around, both the look and scent of it making one feel warm. The sounds of store owners hawking, people bargaining, the rush of bicycles weaving through the street all made up the unique scent of life.


    ¡°Let¡¯s cut through the small side alley.¡± Qi Jing proposed. The liveliness of a food market had it¡¯s charm, but it didn¡¯t really suit the atmosphere for a talk during a walk.


    Shen Yan nodded his head.


    Taking a detour around that sea of people, they left the busy streets behind them, entering a rather peaceful alleyway.


    Autumn was ending, so the branches of two persimmon trees at both sides of the alleyway were heavy with brilliantly red fruits, their colours festive and looking like a plentiful of small rednterns from afar. Looking from a closer distance, those persimmons were also covered in a thin, whiteyer of frost, much like the bits of snow found on thosenterns at the end of the year.


    ¡°The persimmons are ripe.¡± Qi Jing looked up with slightly narrowed eyes, his voice sounding quite happy. Then, he suddenly took a big step forward and was no longer going side by side with Shen Yan, going ahead by himself.


    Shen Yan had been silent throughout their stroll¡ªonly when Qi Jing left his side did he seem to wake with a start, his eyes following closely at the back of that figure.


    At that time, Qi Jing had already gone almost five meters ahead of him, only slowing down under the persimmon tree.


    Shen Yan also stopped subconsciously.


    Qi Jing turned over and couldn¡¯t help butugh at the sight of him instinctively stopping those five meters away, stopping down as well, ¡°Shen Yan, do you want to take a bet?¡±


    Shen Yan hesitated, only asking after a long while, ¡°What kind of bet?¡±


    Qi Jing leaned back against the persimmon tree¡¯s trunk, bending one of his knees to also support his foot on its bark. He turned his head sideways and met Shen Yan¡¯s eyes, his posture rxed and leisurely¡ªjust as his gaze.


    ¡°In the next fifty minutes, I will be having my firstpetition.¡± First, there was an opening statement.


    ¡°Mn.¡±


    ¡°Do you still remember my initial goal for taking part in it?¡± Qi Jing asked with augh, then took the lead to answer his own question, ¡°It was to change everyone¡¯s opinions towards my voice, to win that round against the great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace.¡±


    ¡°Mn.¡± Shen Yan still remembered it all.


    ¡°Then...¡± Qi Jing stopped talking for a moment, then continued after taking a deep breath, ¡°Let¡¯s say that if my total score in thispetition exceeds Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s score, and I win¡ªyou would have to promise me something.¡±


    With virtually no hesitation or dy, Shen Yan nodded his head immediately.


    Qi Jingughed in spite of himself, and instead offered to let the other man think it over, ¡°Why did you agree so quickly? You can still take your time considering it.¡±


    Shen Yan answered truthfully, ¡°Because I think that I would certainly agree.¡±


    Hearing those words, Qi Jing straightened back his slightly inclined head to look at him, something in his gaze growing soft. So soft that it was about to turn into water and spill all around¡ªhe had to quietly look away, so as not to truly let it spill.


    ¡°Then you listen closely,¡± Qi Jing said slowly, word by word in a low voice, ¡°If I really fulfil my end of the promise and beat Bronze Sparrow Terrace in overall score, winning against him in that round... Then I would like you to tell me something, something I still don¡¯t know about you.¡±


    Shen Yan was stunned.


    Qi Jing continued, the tone of his voice raised for a bit.


    ¡°If it¡¯s something you¡¯ve always wanted to tell me, but didn¡¯t have the chance to... then it would be even better.¡±


    Only when he finished saying that he found some courage to meet the other party¡¯s gaze.


    He didn¡¯t know if there was a shock on Shen Yan¡¯s face just a moment ago, but he was sure he did hesitate. Because as he looked up, he realised that Shen Yan was still looking down with his head lowered, even taking twice as long time as he did.


    During that time, he kept waiting patiently.


    Finally, Shen Yan¡¯s pursed lips opened just a bit and only after another moment of silence he actually spoke up, ¡°If in reality... those things weren¡¯t something you would wish to know, would it still be ok?¡±


    ¡°What you want to say is what I wish to hear, didn¡¯t I tell you before?¡± Hearing him getting so close to yielding, Qi Jing secretly felt unbearably happy, and hurriedly pushed forward lightly, not letting this opportunity slip, ¡°I promise that no matter what you say, I will ept it all, and that no matter what you say, there will be no change to our rtionship.¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s lips gently closed shut again.


    At this moment, Qi Jing¡¯s heart was just like the branches of the persimmon tree above him, the plentiful persimmons weighing down heavily, their burden too big, making each movement of the branches strenuous and difficult to bear.


    ¡°With the motivation, I would get a lot of encouragement when I¡¯mpeting.¡± He didn¡¯t forget to coax Shen Yan patiently in a roundabout way.


    Shen Yan seemingly wanted to say something, but he didn¡¯t open his mouth in the end.


    ¡°My own voice isn¡¯t really suited for that role, so it¡¯s the most challenging one for me, but you... Are you not willing to give me some form of reward?¡± He once again changed his approach, this time going for the rascally, spoilt tone.


    Hearing him speak like that, Shen Yan¡¯s lips curled up a bit into a smile as ifpletely weak against Qi Jing.


    Catching that change in his expression, Qi Jing immediately left the persimmon tree and came over to his side, grasping his hand and murmuring in a low voice that made it hard to refuse, ¡°Hmmm? How about it?¡±


    How about it?With this tone, this kind of question, how could he bear to say no.


    ¡°Ok...¡± Shen Yan heaved an inaudible sigh. But the colours that filled his eyes as he watched Qi Jing were soft and warm, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the results of your firstpetition toe out, then we¡¯ll talk.¡±


    Qi Jing had never been more excited for his ownpetition.


    Before, he had treated it as something unimportant to him, he wouldn¡¯t be bothered by what score he would get. But this time, he had to do his best¡ªvowing to crush Bronze Sparrow Terrace.


    Whether he wins or not was already irrelevant to him; what really mattered was to fight that opportunity for the two of them to have a heart-to-heart talk.


    At least that¡¯s what Qi Jing thought.


    But Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans didn¡¯t think so at all, including Jade Butterfly whose rtionship with the great god, albeit unknown, was certainly not simple.


    On the other hand, not even an hour after the long since retired ¡°Swift horses run fast¡± had made a new post on weibo, the news had already spread far and wide on the forum, causing an uproar. In a mere few hours, his fans had already opened several new threads dedicated to discussing these news.


    The topic of the discussion was, of course, the meaning behind that single ¡°dumbass¡± from their idol¡¯s post.


    Since his ID had just appeared in the discussion thread for ?Order to End the Heavens?, it didn¡¯t take long forizens of the online voice acting circle, famous for their god-level brain holes to let their imagination go wild, all of them reaching the conclusion that maybe the great god was giving his reply to that situation. After all, he had already disappeared for so long and the time of his appearance was way too coincidental, making one instinctively link it with the whole incident of ¡°Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s tmate¡±.


    And as for the precise meaning of that ¡°dumbass¡±, the opinions differed.


    One side argued: It certainly means ¡°You¡¯re all dumbasses, how could it possibly be me¡±.


    The other side refuted: This must mean ¡°You¡¯re all dumbasses, how could it be Don¡¯t ask for my return date, of course it¡¯s me¡±.


    All the bickering could only be considered a pandemonium.


    But no matter which side¡¯s arguments received recognition, at least the objective of using Sleek Horse as a distraction had been achieved.


    Qi Jing made full disy of his signature style from his times as a ¡°god of ying dead¡± and was slow in dering his stand. What¡¯s more, Sleek horses run fast was way more of a popr topic in the circle, so the public opinion was hence slowly directed away¡ªeveryone was more enthusiastic about discussing the possibility of the return of the legendary god.


    Some of those who were fans of Bronze Sparrow Terrace and also Qi Jing¡¯s haters¡ªhad also joined the discussion. Their reactions further assured Qi Jing that he was slowly getting rid of the suspicion of his identity as ¡°the tmate¡±.


    ¡¾Comment 2542¡¿£º


    ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q As I was saying, how could it possibly be Don¡¯t ask for my return date? Bouncing back and forth between my darling Bronze Sparrow and Little Noodles like that, I couldn¡¯t stand him from the very beginning.


    So seems like it really is as some have spected before and it was the already retired great god~


    I can understand it if it was him, the god¡¯s friend surely followed the god¡¯s guidance, so there¡¯s no wonder that his performance was superb. Still, it will be my family¡¯s Bronze Sparrow who will perform the best during tonight¡¯s ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± audition!! Even though so many people keep their eyes on Kitty¡¯s Papa, I also feel he wouldn¡¯t outdo Bronze Sparrow... Fine, in fact I really liked his acting, but after all, life core is a life core¡ªBronze Sparrow will always be my No.1 Love!! (¨q£þ3£þ)¨q


    ¡¾Comment 2548¡¿£º


    <(£þ¦á£þ)> Shaking 2542¡¯s paw through the inte! Seems like there¡¯s plenty of Sparrow fans here, hehehe... Although I have a good opinion about Kitty ¤Î Papa but just as thementer from 2542 had said, I can support him for a bit if he goes against anyone else, but when he¡¯speting with my life core... No hard feelings, but my vote is still for my life core, sorry.


    As for Don¡¯t ask for my return date... To be honest I don¡¯t feel especially strong about him... I prefer the royal gong type of voice, while in ?Trap?, Don¡¯t ask for my return date was really shou; I¡¯m not a fan of that. I can¡¯t reallyment about him as a person. I guess I neither like nor hate him, but basically, as mentioned before, my life core willpete against him, then I won¡¯t support him. This is a principle! A principle!


    ¡¾Comment 2550¡¿£º


    ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q What?? Don¡¯t ask for my return wants topete with our Bronze Sparrow for ¡°Emperor Chang¡± with that weak shou voice of his? In any case, the character itself is an emperor, I sure hope he doesn¡¯t turn the character into an empress (pffthaha).


    That¡¯s why people always say that it¡¯s most important to have self-awareness. No matter how much hype he creates around himself, what he hypes up is simply above his actual abilities. I¡¯ve seen a lot of people discussion some case of Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s roommate¡ªbesides Bronze Sparrow¡¯s audition, I didn¡¯t listen to anything else, so I don¡¯t know what is it actually about, but after taking a nce it seems like Don¡¯t ask for my return date tried to pass himself as a retired god, trying to hype himself as Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s tmate, resulting in him getting face-pped by the said god himself?


    Hahahaha, really, he had thating... I can¡¯t wait to listen to tonight¡¯s first audition and see how this weak shou will make a fool of himself under everyone¡¯s eyes!!


    ¡¾Comment 2552¡¿£º


    Although Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s and Sleek horses run fast¡¯s voices are indeed a bit simr, when ites to their characters, the godly status speaks for itself! There¡¯s certainly a guarantee of credibility when ites to people worthy of being titled as a god!! (That¡¯s right, I¡¯m indirectly praising my family¡¯s Bronze Sparrow-sama and Noodles-sama =£þ¦Ø£þ=£©


    Just look at it, our god hade out to do the facepping, but he was polite enough to only softly curse him with a single ¡°dumbass¡± and didn¡¯t inconvenience him in any way. If it was Return Date, he would probably burst into profanities and start smearing people¡¯s reputation, pupupu...


    This case is simply a failure of self-hyping and in a way, it¡¯s also a model case of clowning yourself.


    Good luck Bronze Sparrow-sama!! Put this death-courting Shou back in his ce in thepetition~ (¡«o£þ¨Œ£þ)¡«o


    ...


    ...


    My antis truly love me dearly¡ªQi Jing eximed to himself. He started to seriously consider if he should demandpensation from Sleek horses run fast for defamation.


    He was really curious what those people would think if they knew his rtionship with Shen Yan, Sleek horses run fast and Crossing the bridge noodles. Still... Those things couldn¡¯t be mentioned during thepetition, especially since he was about to take part in his first audition¡ªit would be for the best for him to stay as far as possible from the centre of the drama.


    On the other hand, only after opening QQ he realised that Jade Butterfly actually sent him over a dozen messages.


    She left her messages at different points in time, so when Qi Jing went through them all at once, he could see clearly the change in her thought process throughout that day and its sight itself was plenty entertaining.


    ¡¾Morning¡¿


    Jade Butterfly: I saw the rumour on the forum... Return Date, so you¡¯re actually ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡±¡¯s tmate?? Come online right now!! I need an answer!!


    Jade Butterfly: I can¡¯t believe it, really... Return Date, you really are too good at deception¡ªwhen I mentioned him to you before, you actually made it seem as if you didn¡¯t know him, yet you¡¯re actually his tmate?? You¡¯re a homo, so your roommate would be your partner in bed?? Impossible, he¡¯s obviously a straight guy... You seduced him first, didn¡¯t you? That must be the case, right??


    Jade Butterfly: Youe online quickly, give me an answer right now!!


    Jade Butterfly: And I actually wanted to reach out to him to coborate... If he¡¯s a homo then how am I supposed to voice act with him, how awkward would it be!!


    ¡¾Noon¡¿


    Jade Butterfly: I seem to have misunderstood you, so it wasn¡¯t you??


    Jade Butterfly: Return Date, there¡¯s someone on the forum who says it wasn¡¯t you, but the already retired Sleek horses run fast. I know him, his voice is indeed very simr to yours, but well, he sounds more manly and not so promiscuous...


    Jade Butterfly: Anyway, I may have misunderstood you on this matter. Don¡¯t take it to heart, I hope we¡¯ll have a nice cooperation in the future as well~


    Jade Butterfly: Poke me when you¡¯re online, I need a word of assurance. I need to know if it was you, or was it Sleek horses run fast.


    ¡¾Afternoon¡¿


    Jade Butterfly: Sleek horses run fast actually posted on weibo... So it really was him??


    Jade Butterfly: Then I really misunderstood you. Ah, sorry for turning you into coteral damage in the mess, forget it please.


    Jade Butterfly: Hehehe, Sleek horses run fast is a 100% straight dude, so ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± is a straight guy as well, two straight men renting out an apartment together is probably for the convenience sake, I just thought too much... And here I thought he had something going on with you.


    Jade Butterfly: Sleek horses run fast, huh... To be fair, your voices are really simr, I used to love this type... Still, that incident with a female fan of his got really big, haha... He also took advantage of quite a few of his fans, so he can be deemed quite sensible for leaving the circle quickly before he lost the entirety of his reputation. This kind of man has to be straight, there¡¯s no way can he be a gay. I¡¯m relieved then.


    ...


    ...


    ¡°¡®That incident with a female fan¡¯?¡±


    Qi Jing stared at it for quite a while and only this bit of gossip made him react, his eyes widening.


    With Sleek horses run fast having leaked such allegations from the woman who had once ¡°pursued¡± him yet unable to confirm whether this gossip was true or false, Qi Jing felt a need to light him a candle and offer three minutes of silence¡ªthat was precisely the remaining time before the begin of thepetition.

 Chapter 79

    <h4>Chapter 79</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    <i>to be edited</i>


    Qi Jin had voice acted emperors before, and so has Bronze Sparrow Terrace.


    But since their voice types were worlds apart, the roles Qi Jing would receive were those of flirty and passionate emperors, born with a silver spoon in their mouth, elegant and graceful, with most of the scripts following the ¡°loved not the country, loving a beauty instead¡± route. Meanwhile, Bronze Sparrow Terrace would often y arrogant and imperious emperors who inspired awe of the world, united the nations, and were also able to keep their beloved securely in the palm of their hands along the way, quite a few of them being pretty obsessive lovers.


    But ¡°Emperor Chang¡± from ?Order to End the Heavens? was unlike any emperor the two of them yed before.


    He was a failure of a ruler; despite being in a prime age, the overdose of immortality pills made him a gloomy wreck of a ruler with constant mood swings, listening to the ill-intended confidants and sowing death among his subjects of high character. He was the main viin of the original novel¡ªthe ¡°Heaven¡± to be ended by the ?Order to End the Heavens?.


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans were a bit disappointed by the fact that their idol wanted topete for the viin role, but once they recalled that this audition was just a warm-up for their god, they quickly cheered up again.


    What¡¯s more, the viin role like ¡°Emperor Chang¡± was far from being as appealing as the protagonist character like ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± or the male lead ¡°Qin Tuo¡±. ording to thepetition rules, if a contestant managed to advance with all three of the characters they¡¯vepeted for, they would have to forfeit one of them, so if one had to make this kind of sacrifice, the viin role would be the first one to go.


    Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao guided a vigorous publicity campaign these few days, spreading the news that Bronze Sparrow Terrace would take part in both of the auditions today, inviting the fans toe and vote on him. The number of people in the official VIP group and five lower rank knock-off fan groups added up to maybe two, three thousands. What¡¯s more, there was also a series of promoting activities on weibo, to the point where some of the Little Pinkies. CVs enamoured by Bronze Sparrow Terrace also encouraged their fans to go and vote. It could only be described with one word¡ªimpressive.


    Under Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s influence, the number of online participants actually rose to eighteen thousands, shocking even the MC Yang Chunqu. Thepetition had yet to start, yet she was already sighing to herself, ¡°The amount of people present at today¡¯spetition... is really... amazing.¡±


    Yang Chunqu was the representative of thepetition organisers and didn¡¯t know much about the online voice acting circle, so she couldn¡¯tprehend why the role of an ipetent and muddleheaded character such as ¡°Emperor Chang¡± would bring in so many listeners.


    But she understood the reason behind it soon enough.


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans often listened to his karaoke on his YY channel and took part in the discussion sessions organised by Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, so they knew YY like the back of their hands. Soon enough, they arrived at the official channel of thepetition and piled together,menting in the chat ecstatically.


    When Qi Jing went into the channel room after logging in and took a nce at the chat, almost all of thements were about some Bronze Sparrow Terrace-rted topic; those few who weren¡¯t would quickly get flooded.


    Audience 1: (/¨R¨Œ¨Q/)(/¨R¨Œ¨Q/)(/¨R¨Œ¨Q/) Bronze Sparrow is finally about to start his first audition! I¡¯m so excited, what to do! I¡¯ve never entered other channels, always staying in our Bronze Sparrow¡¯s nest... I¡¯m so unused to the feeling of being outside, our home is still morefy~


    Audience 2: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä It¡¯s also my first time in the outside channel, but it doesn¡¯t matter! I¡¯m always by Bronze Sparrow-sama¡¯s side!!


    Audience 3: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä I¡¯m always by Bronze Sparrow-sama¡¯s side!! +1


    Audience 4: Last week I missed Bronze Sparrow¡¯s karaoke meeting on YY *sob*... Did any of my sisters record it? Begging for shares! ¨i©n¨i


    Audience 5: Sister Da Qiao already sent thest week¡¯s recording to the group email, it also got shared, so you can download it. If you¡¯re not added to the group, then remind me after thepetition ends, I¡¯ll DM it to you, haha.


    Audience 6: Does anyone know when is Bronze Sparrow¡¯s birthday? I want to send him a scarf to warm him during winter days, tehe~ <(£þ¦á£þ)>


    This scene looks so familiar...He massaged his temple in silence.


    It was about the same during the PIA for the first episode of ?Trap?, but at that time, it was in Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s private channel, so it was fine for them to have their way, but to act like that even now, during the openpetition... It was a bit preposterous.


    Crossing the Bridge Noodles also had quite a substantial amount of fans, but outside the first moments of the ¡°Liu Suyu¡± audition, when some of them got a bit loud, they were pretty good at containing themselves during the rest of thepetition¡ªit was probably because they were usually managed well.


    This kind of situation, where the fans turned in in full strength flood the chat with thements about their contestant were pretty umon.


    Thinking about this, Qi Jin suddenly remembered a certain person.


    Went off with a bang.The fans of that overbearing ¡°Uncle Bang¡± from the ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡± audition Shen Yan took part in¡ªhis fans could be said to belong to the same ilk as Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans, maybe they were learning from each other or something.


    ¡°If those two were to appear together, then I don¡¯t know how messy that scene would be...¡±


    Just as Qi Jing had mumbled to himself so, his gaze suddenly wandered towards the contestants list on the official site, the sight making his lips twitch¡ªhe almost got choked on his own words.


    No. 13: Went off with a bang


    No. 16: Don¡¯t ask for my return date


    No. 25: Bronze Sparrow Terrace


    Qi Jing immediately felt a strong need to change the ce of his ID in the line-up.


    He kinda had a premonition that&#k2026; The contestants between those two would be all drowned in both of their fans trash talking, ignored, and then trampled over mercilessly as the cannon fodder.


    But the reality proved that half of his premonition was right and half was wrong.


    He was right with the trash talking part.


    But the wrong part was, the trash talking unfolded way before he had imagined. Once Went off with a bang lead his army of fans into the channel, both sides couldn¡¯t reach the conclusion over the supremacy in the public chat. What¡¯s more, this kind of back and forth dispute really looked as if someone was cursing out themselves, so the scene had quite aedic value.


    Audience 1: £¨¦á¦ä¦á£©=͹ What¡¯s up with those fans getting noisy in the chat, don¡¯t you see that there are also other contestants present?? Do you really think you¡¯re all at home here?? Sigh, shameless, so shameless~


    Audience 2: ... Thementer above, who are you, name your contestant! I want to see my Bronze Sparrow wipe the floor with your contestant!


    Audience 3: If you say so, then I will, but I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t seed? Our family¡¯s Went off with a bang is thest year¡¯s runner-up, how about your guy? Did he take part in anypetition? Did he get any ce? Hehe, considering your ignorance, I will be lenient and let you off with a simple apology. ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    Audience 4: Pfhahaha, WHAT?? A mere runner-up! Our Bronze Sparrow is a material for a champion, who would care about your runner-up?? It¡¯d be better for you to not think too highly of yourselves, hope you won¡¯t be too embarrassed when the scoreses out, hah ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    Audience 5: o(¨Ro¨Q)o o(¨Ro¨Q)o o(¨Ro¨Q)o WENT OFF WITH A BANG!! WENT OFF WITH A BANG!! WENT OFF WITH A BANG!!


    Audience 6: (*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨q(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨q(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨q COPPER SPARROW TERRACE!! COPPER SPARROW TERRACE!! COPPER SPARROW TERRACE!!


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date, Don¡¯t ask for my return date, Don¡¯t ask for my return date!¡± Qi Jing cheered in a low voice, mimicking them before the screen¡ªwhen he finished, he couldn¡¯t keep himself fromughing. The cheek of those brainless fans were really something else, he couldn¡¯tpare to them.


    He shook his head while feeling relieved at the fact that he didn¡¯t have this many fans and that they wouldn¡¯te in droves.


    Just as he thought so, a string of words flickered on the constantly refreshing chat¡ªit was no different from what he was chanting just now.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: ~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~ DON¡¯T ASK FOR MY RETURN DATE! DON¡¯T ASK FOR MY RETURN DATE! DON¡¯T ASK FOR MY RETURN DATE!


    Although those words were quickly pushed away by Bronze Sparrow Terrace and Uncle Bang¡¯s fans¡¯ments and only stayed on the screen for mere two seconds, Qi Jing still got absolutely choked by their sight.


    ¡°What is that guy doing...¡± He didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry¡ªit seemed like Sleek horses run fast was there today as well.


    If the people from the online voice acting circle knew that this legendary great god was in the middle of ying a fanatical fan cheering him on, their jaws would certainly drop to the floor.


    But objectively speaking, Went off with a bang¡¯s foundation wasn¡¯t half bad, and Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s voice was superior to his, so it was hard to say what would be conclusion to today¡¯spetition. As long as there was no major tampering behind the scene, he should be able to achieve something. What¡¯s more, it was hard to say if some unexpectedly amazing contestant would appear... Going for the first ce sounded unrealistic, so as long as he could win against Bronze Sparrow Terrace, he would be content.


    ¡°Good evening to all of our listeners, it¡¯s currently five past six of the Beijing time; we had a minor technical problem, so thepetition starts five minuteste, we¡¯re sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you foring to the seventh round of semi-finals of ?Order to End the Heavens?petition!¡±


    Yang Chunqu¡¯s voice interrupted his thinking, cutting short the trash talking in the public chat as well.


    ¡°This round, the role the contestant willpete for is ¡°Emperor Chang¡±. Contestants are asked to remember about changing their nicknames to the one you registered with, so that you can be given ess to the voice chat ording to your ce when the timees.¡±


    Qi Jing was already familiar with this course of action, so he got everything ready when the fans were still arguing.


    What he was concerned about were the lines chosen by the organizers that were to be published after Yang Chunqu announced the rules.


    He was in the middle of waiting patiently, when suddenly someone sent him a private message in the channel.


    He lowered his head to look¡ªit turned out to be ¡°Five¡±.


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to ¡¾You¡¿: ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sCongrats, congrats, the rumours about you seem to have already disappeared~


    ¡¾You¡¿said to ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿: Indeed... Everyone says that I got my face pped by you... ©V_©V


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to ¡¾You¡¿: Huhu, it¡¯s fine~ Just take it as a joke~


    ¡¾You¡¿said to ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿: ... ©V_©V


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to ¡¾You¡¿: Fiiiine, I just came to tell you that there shouldn¡¯t be any big movements during today¡¯s audition, and even if there are any, then it wouldn¡¯t be anything major, so you can be at ease. Good luck~ (¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å


    ¡°Oh...?¡± Qi Jing lifted a brow in surprise.


    Although he didn¡¯t know why Sleek horses run fast would say that, since he was a veteran of their circle, then he certainly had his connections¡ªmaybe he had contacted Northwest Road in private? Either way, he could stop worrying about the scores as much.


    After he left the private messages box, Yang Chunqu had just let the organizers publicize the lines for three scenes for this round.


    Qi Jing took a look at the lines.


    Those lines weren¡¯t half bad¡ªthere were both tense and more calm scenes, all of them worth listening to.


    The more peaceful lines were for the scene of ¡°Emperor Chang¡±¡¯s dialogue with a minister in the morning court; the more dramatic ones included two scenes during the re up of emperor¡¯s drug addiction¡ªone of them was of him with his beloved ¡°concubine Shu¡± in the harem and another was a scene with the main protagonist ¡°Qin Tuo¡±.


    The change in the mood between the scenes was too big which demanded a higher level of voice acting skills¡ªand that was what he wished for.


    The higher the threshold, the more opportunities there would be to stand out from other contestants.


    ¡°Then, thepetition will officially start... I will ask the contestant...¡± Yang Chunqu only said half a sentence before stopping, as if he received some message. After stopping for a moment, she finally found words to exin the situation to the audience, ¡°Ah, just now I got a message from the organizers asking me to make an announcement first.¡±


    This so-called ¡°message from the organizers¡± instantly started a hubbub.


    Probably having learned after the happenings during the ¡°Bai Ke¡± audition, the audience was collectively worried whether the official side won¡¯t pull off another dubious move.


    But then, they heard Yang Chunqu say, ¡°Today, the organizers had receivedints from the listeners saying that the judgment of the scores is biased and that there¡¯s too big of a disparity between the scores given by the judges. So thepetition officials had stated that the scores presented by each judge is their personal opinion and is unrted to the standing of the official side. But if an extraordinary situation was to ur, the organizers would keep the right to make the final decision about the candidates.


    Qi Jing was taken by surprise.


    Really, a standard excuse of allmercialpanies...


    What was an ¡°extraordinary situation¡±? When could the right to ¡°make the final decision about the candidates¡± be used? With the conditions left undefined, the organizers could in fact say anything and it would still make sense, so in the end, they still held the upper hand.


    Still, this kind of intervention from the organizers didn¡¯t necessarily mean anything bad... If the ¡°intentional suppressing of the scores¡± or ¡°intentional boosting of the scores¡± could be regarded as an extraordinary situation, then the consumers¡ªthat is, the listeners¡ªcould use that pledge made by the organizers to raise objections and put an end to the score bias.


    Funnily enough, this ¡°message from the organizers¡± quickly became an excuse for the fans to attack each other.


    Audience 1: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q The organizers have the final say, so that great who-was-it of yours better not try any tricks~


    Audience 2: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q That¡¯s exactly what we wanted to say, ok? If I remember correctly, that Uncle Bang got second ce in thestpetition only thanks to the score bias?


    Audience 3: Lies!! The judge fromst season clearly had vendetta against our poor Bangbang, which prevented him from getting first ce! To have the ignorants like you criticize him now, it really drives me crazy!! £¨¨s¨F¡õ¡ä£©¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø


    Audience 4: Good luck Bronze Sparrow! Don¡¯t let those ignorants look down on you! ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã


    Audience 5: That¡¯s right, Bronze Sparrow-sama, you don¡¯t have to lower yourself to their level, you will get that first ce for sure! ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã


    Audience 6: Huhuh, those into BL voice acting really are all conceited, that whole thing of man screwing another man should better be kept under a rug. I used to admire him when he was still voice acting in romance audio dramas, but it seems that since BL is more popr, the man himself thinks nothing of his dignity, ptui! Thepany should reconsider if they really want to use someone like that~


    When Qi Jing saw thestment, a certain detail suddenly appeared in his head.


    He quickly opened the browser and searched the voice acting club ¡°Went off with a bang¡± was in. As expected, that club was a famous anti-BL group in the online voice acting circle¡ªthe members of this club would only take on the BG works, or those no-CP dramas targeted at the wider audience. Very rarely, someone from the club would take on one or two BL dramas, but those cases were getting fewer and fewer.


    Qi Jing found the list of members of this club and looked through the ID list, then he suddenly locked onto two words, ¡°Northwest Road¡±.


    His position wasn¡¯t low, he had once held the position of president of the club for a period of time.


    And Went off with a bang himself was also a backbone of the club, so with the two of theming from the same organization, their way of thinking shouldn¡¯t be much different.


    ¡°Hahahaha,¡± Qi Jing once again connected it with what Jade Butterfly had said before, his mind suddenly clear, andughed for a moment in a loud voice, ¡°I get it now, I get it.¡±


    No wonder Northwest Road would make things hard for ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± out of nowhere, it was probably because of how the episode with the ¡°tmate¡± caused the audience to let their minds wander in an ambiguous direction, which happened to trigger that guy.


    ¡°So it turns out I¡¯m the indirect cause here...¡± Qi Jingughed downheartedly, a bit ashamed to face Shen Yan.


    But he wasn¡¯t at all ashamed of being a BL voice actor, and even less ashamed of being gay.


    ¡°Bronze Sparrow Terrace-sama, turns out there is a time where we¡¯re on the same boat.¡±


    He tapped his fingers on the desk with glee, unable to keep himself from looking forward to see what would Northwest Road choose between his so-called normal ¡°integrity¡± and the deal he had with Jade Butterfly, and what score would he give to Bronze Sparrow Terrace. After all, not only did Bronze Sparrow Terrace dabble in BL audio dramas, he also had quite a few scandals with men in the circle, including Crossing the bridge noodles and himself.


    Northwest Road didn¡¯t issue any direct statement, but Went off with a bang¡¯s statement before his performance was basically a tldr of their club¡¯s mission.


    ¡°During thest round of auditions, Teacher Pu had said that ¡®justice will always prevail¡¯, and I believe that everyone knows what justice and integrity is referring to. ?Order to End the Heavens? is a product targeted at the normal audience, so the voice acting cast should also be made of people with moral integrity, the kind that won¡¯t get earn the consumers¡¯ contempt. This I, Went of with a bang, can guarantee! Everyone, please grant me your support!¡±


    He spoke here about Teacher Pu, there about integrity, his words both self-righteous and self-assured.


    Meanwhile, Qi Jing could only facepalm in silence.


    It seemed that the saying that fans were birds of the same feather as their idols was notpletely unfounded¡ªat least when ites to the audacity and shamelessness, this bunch would provide good evidence for research.


    Despite the beef between them of Pu Yuzhi giving him a score of 1, he acted so unbothered and gracious, to the point he could be said to have stayed properly respectful, quoting her words even in thepletely unrted moment... Could he get any more obvious with the boot-licking?


    Fortunately there weren¡¯t many roast-worthy points in Uncle Bang¡¯s voice acting, as he still had some skill.


    ¡°We really don¡¯t understand. The country prospers, the people live in peace and favourable weather brings bountiful crops¡ªwhy are there still rebels causing trouble? Is it to inconvenience Us, or to inconvenience the people of thisnd?¡±


    The start of Uncle Bang¡¯s performance always made everyone¡¯s eyes light up, mainly because he had a very good grasp on the sense of age. To be fair, his original voice was best suited for the roles of males in their thirties. What¡¯s more, the bass of his voice was his strength, making the domineering aura of an emperor really stand out; that one question was delivered very impressively.


    The prompt for the background provided in this scene was ¡°discussion during the morning court¡±, so it was easy to think of the grand scenery, somon in the TV period dramas.


    Uncle Bang was emphasizing his diction right now, his manner of speaking very upright, as if he was actually ordering the ministers around from the high-up the dragon throne, looking down on thend under Heavens.


    Next, there was a prompt for the action: reading a memorial submitted to the emperor.


    So, Uncle Bang said his lines as if he was reciting the document, ¡°Just listen, all of you¡ª¡¯The government office of the provincial capital of Tongzhou had been burnt down by the rebels, causing over hundred casualties among soldiers; the government forces had retreated to the peripheral city of Rao. The provincial treasury had been robbed, the loss totaling in twelve thousand and seven hundred taels, and the grain reserves had been opened; ignorant vige folk raided and looted the entirety of the reserves, leaving not a grain behind¡¯¡ªit¡¯s clearly a rebellion, rebellion!¡±


    Then, heughed coldly.


    ¡°Marquess Shunyang, you shall take two hundred of soldiers and leave immediately to quell the rebellion in Tongzhou!¡± Once the imperial edict fell, his voice stopped, then he looked down on the minister below, asking, ¡°You¡¯re one of Our most trusted generals¡ªyou should be able to handle it well?¡±


    He acted the scene out without a single hitch. Compared to the contestants before him, he had an upper hand.


    Besides the fact that just as the rest of the contestants, he misread the ¡°Yao¡± in Yao city as ¡°Rao¡±, there was no blemish in his enunciation. It was about the same as many of those emperors in the works targeted at the wider audience; Uncle Bang probably yed plenty of those normally, so he was rather adept at it¡ªof course, his fans were also very excited about this.


    Audience 1: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Good!! Just like this!! Bang Bang is super emperor-like!!


    Audience 2: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä He¡¯s so good at those types of lines~ Nothing sounds out of ce when he reads the lines stylized for the historical roles~


    Audience 3: ¨q(¨s^¨t)¨rHmph, Bronze Sparrow can also do this much, don¡¯t get too excited too early!


    Audience 4: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q No matter how good he is at voice acting, he already went for acting shows of a man screwing another man, there¡¯s no way thepany would want someone like that~


    Audience 5: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q You¡¯re saying this as if our Bangbang didn¡¯t voice act a BL... I just went to search for a moment, and he did appear in a BL work, hah~ p yourself, just keep pping yourself.


    Audience 6: (picks nose) We will broaden y¡¯all horizons in the next two scenes!


    Indeed, the next two scenes were the highlight of the audition, with an intense conflict unfolding. ying it well would make one stand out easily, but doing a bad job at voice acting could also easily ruin the whole effort.


    Qi Jing had read the original novel and he already had a clear picture of how he wanted to go about it, but listening to Uncle Bang¡¯spetition could also count as a means to distract his attention.


    Three more people left.


    Only three more people, and it will be my turn.


    Qi Jing finally experienced the disparity between the mental toll on an observer and on a participant. At that time, the amount of sweat at the palm of his hands only increased as the contestants¡¯ numbers approached ¡°16¡± one after another, so distracting his attention was necessary.


    A/N: Because our dear 2Yan¡¯s voice sounds noble, he had been captured to voice act as an emperor more than once or twice, and s, it was always as a gong... (pffthaha)


    On the other hand, I feel like it would feel weird for Kitty¡¯s Papa to voice an emperor... (*falls silent*)


    PS: ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q Five¡¯s been peddling his sense of presence quite a lottely...

 Chapter 80

    <h4>Chapter 80</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    <i>unedited</i>


    ¡°Impudent¡ª¡±


    The furious bellowing from the headphones could shake one to the core.


    Went off with a bang¡¯s depth of voice wasn¡¯t half bad, so even when he shouted the lines out, his voice didn¡¯tck in power.


    It was a scene between ¡°Emperor Chang¡± and ¡°Consort Shu. Whenever ¡°Emperor Chang¡±¡¯s addiction red up, he would get furious and irascible. This time, it was just as he would be staying in ¡°Consort Shu¡¯s¡± pce for the night when she sparked a dispute by bringing up the matter of naming a crown prince again.


    ¡°Ournds are Ours, and as for which of Our sons is to be made a crown prince... ¡ªThat is for Us to decide!¡±


    Those lines were also roared out.


    In the background information prompt, it was written that: At the time, much was brewing underneath the surface in the imperial court for the establishment of the heir to the throne . The previous empress was of humble origins and after her death, there was no support left to back up her son. Meanwhile, ¡°Concubine Shu¡±¡¯s family kept growing in power and riches; her father was a powerful personage within the imperial court, so most court ministers sought good rtions with him, joining his camp, certain that soon enough ¡°Concubine Shu¡± would be officially titled the new empress and her son would naturally have the highest chances of bing the crown prince.


    As the previous line ended, leaving only the sound of ragged breaths in the headphones, as if the signs of torment brought by the drug addiction.


    Qi Jing gave him a like of approval in his heart.


    This Uncle Bang might not be much character wise, but he was still the type to take the evaluation of his voice acting to his heart¡ªthis time, he took note of the details and showed quite an improvementpared to his performance during the ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡± audition. This, on top of the fact that he had a pretty good foundation made his performance slowly get even more life-like, bringing it to another level.


    ¡°We are not nothing without the Yan family¡¯s support... We are the emperor... THE EMPEROR!¡±


    There was no speech prompt for that line; Uncle Bang continued with the previous atmosphere of the scene and bellowed furiously.


    After the end of the line, there was a small prompt about ¡°Emperor Chang¡± falling after breaking a flower vase. ording to this train of thought, anyone woulde to the conclusion that the character was venting his fury by smashing things around him.


    But Qi Jing only listened, stayingpletely silent.


    The next line was the crucial point of this scene, while also being a crucial point of ¡°Emperor Chang¡±¡¯s character.


    Speech prompt: Trembling.


    And so, Uncle Bang cursed between pants in a trembling voice, ¡°We are clearly the monarch of the country, the ruler of thend under Heavens, so why... Why do We need to listen to others when considering those matters? We don¡¯t care, We don¡¯t care! We don¡¯t care what Our father-inw has to say, We absolutely... Do¡ªnot¡ªcare.¡±


    Thest three words were basically squeezed through his clenched teeth.


    From the rtionship between the characters, it could be assumed that it was ¡°Consort Shu¡±¡¯s father who held the true power in the court and ¡°Emperor Chang¡± had to give in in spite of his wishes. This kind of limitation wasn¡¯t something any emperor could bear with for a long time¡ªthat¡¯s why for this part, the tone Uncle Bang chose to go with made perfect sense.


    ¡°But I won¡¯t perform it like this.¡± After praising Uncle Bang in his head, Qi Jing smiled and leaned over the desk to support his chin on a hand, cocking his head craftily before the screen. He agreed with the other man¡¯s choices, but not entirely.


    He had his own, different understanding.


    Hence, he would show a different performance.


    At that time, Uncle Bang had already started the third scene.


    Thest scene took time near the very ending of the story¡ª¡±Emperor Chang¡± had been pushed back into the corner of the pce by the main character ¡°Qin Tuo¡±, with no way of retreat left. The two of them had a few lines of dialogue as they stood face-to-face.


    ¡°You are here to kill Us, aren¡¯t you? That thing in your hand, is that not the token you rebels call the ¡®Order to End the Heavens¡¯?¡±


    A person at the end of his rope would still throw that final struggle, even knowing that they won¡¯t have a good end. It was very on point of Uncle Bang to use this kind of tone at this juncture. He made good use of his baritone voice, making his angryughter sound like it was reverberating through his chest, ¡°Every single one of you are rebels, each and every one pushing Us to this extent! ¡®End the Heavens?¡¯ Hahahaha-!! Is the Heavens something anyone can end? What you are doing is not ending the Heavens, it¡¯s rebelling against the will of the Heavens!¡±


    After saying this, he gasped a couple of times, thenughed eerily.


    ¡°Hah, We know... You rebels want to make that Marquess Shunyang the emperor... But Marquess Shunyang is nothing more than a dirty bastard spawned outside by the previous emperor! It is Us who were titled the only true crown prince by the previous emperor!¡±


    And that concluded Uncle Bang¡¯s performance of the third scene, using the remaining dozen of seconds to thank the audience and the judges, ask for support, and only then all of his follow-up activities wereplete.


    After listening to so many auditions, he could already say that apetitor with this level of skill could be counted as an excellent, so his score certainly wouldn¡¯t be low.


    Of course, if the person¡¯s moral standing wasparable to his capabilities, it would be even better&#k2026; Unfortunately that wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°But considering your improvement in voice acting, I¡¯ll still give you a vote.¡±


    Qi Jing had never been stingy with giving votes to hispetitors. Besides, he was already used to the fact that moral quality and the skill of a person should be viewed as twopletely separate things, so there was no need to haggle about a little vote because of some personal grudge.


    Just as he expected, Went off with a bang¡¯s final score was pretty good¡ªenough for his fans to gloat about it for a while;


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿: 4.0£¬3.5£¬4.5£¬average score 4.0


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿: 3.5£¬3.0£¬4.5£¬average score 3.67


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿:4.0£¬3.0£¬4.5£¬average score 3.83


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿£º3.5£¬2.5£¬4.5£¬average score3.5


    Judging panel¡¯s evaluation: 4.0+3.67+3.83+3.5 = 15.0 points


    Additional audience vote points: 65.7% voting ratio = 0.657 points


    Overall score: 15.0+0.657 = 15.657 points


    Upon closer analysis, this score would reveal something interesting.


    Pu Yuzhi was the most strict among all three of the judges, but ording to her strict judging criteria, this score was already nearly ideal. Perhaps she took note of how Uncle Bang had improved in his handling of the tone of his voice.


    And Northwest Road¡¯s score was still all kinds over the top, but it wasn¡¯t as exaggerated as before; not as suspicious.


    As for the additional vote points, it was calcted ording to the ratio of ¡°the number of live votes sent in divided by the total number of voters¡±. The fans from both sides started hurling curses at each other before thepetition even started, so with the overbearing amount of Bronze Sparrow Terrace fans likely refusing to vote on that ¡°enemy¡± of theirs, it naturally resulted in lower votes for his performance.


    But despite that, Uncle Bang still ranked first with the highest overall score so far, making Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans see red from fury.


    ¡°Haa...¡±


    Qi Jing took a deep breath and patted his face with his hand, pulling himself together.


    Contestants had only two, three minutes of time each, so from Uncle Bang¡¯s exit to his turn to step on the ¡°stage¡±, it would probably only be just enough time for him to get up and fetch a ss of water.


    But this time, what he got wasn¡¯t in water but a thick sugar mixture made bybining granted sugar with water¡ªafter drinking a mouthful, his throat immediately became cloyingly sweet, as if something clung to his oesophagus. Someone unused to this kind of concentrated solution would find the feeling in the throat hard to bear, wanting to rinse it with some clear water.


    ¡°Cough cough cough...¡± He pressed the area near his vocal cords and coughed lightly a few times. But he didn¡¯t rinse his throat.


    Since he took the sip until now, his voice had already be a bit more hoarse.


    His natural voice was really clear, in no way suited for a role of someone like ¡°Emperor Chang¡± who gulped down immortality pills on a daily basis. His sense of age was also not up to mark¡ªhe could do a man in twenties, but a role of a man in thirties was already too much for him. Still, he didn¡¯t want to pinch his voice cords to make up for that, because that would greatly reduce the quality of the performance.


    A simr method of using hard liquor would give better results, but Shen Yan definitely wouldn¡¯t let him do that, so he chose a rtively milder method.


    There was another reason he did not want to drink shaojiu and that was his father.


    He still remembered clearly how his father¡¯s voice became more and more hoarse as his alcoholism progressed, as well as his face when he would be temperamental and aggressive after drinking¡ªit was all kind of simr to this character he was about to perform. That thought appeared in his mind out of nowhere, making Qi Jing furrow his brow a little as he couldn¡¯t stop the memories of his past in the family home from surfacing.


    ¡°Heh.¡± Qi Jing snickered self-mockingly.


    People always said that a VA would sometimes rte their real life experience on the role, but he never expected that the experience he would rte would be this.


    I wonder what father is doing right now... If his habits didn¡¯t change during those years, then he should be watching the news at this hour.


    Ironically enough, he also worked in a TV news channel.


    He didn¡¯t know if his father would remember him whenever he watched daily news, or if he would remember the son he had long since disowned...


    ¡°Contestant No.16, Don¡¯t ask for my return date.¡±


    Suddenly, Yang Chunqu¡¯s call interrupted his thinking, he woke up with a start from his contemtion and instinctively sat up straight.


    ¡°Contestant No.16, please prepare your equipment, I will soon move you to the first ce of the mic sequence.¡± Yang Chunqu said smilingly, her bearing still as formal and elegant as before.


    But as she called his ID, a small uproar started in the public chat, filling it up with trash talk.


    Audience 1: (¡Ñ o ¡Ñ) Isn¡¯t that Don¡¯t ask for my return date?? That Don¡¯t ask for my return date who yed in ?Trap???


    Audience 2: Heck!! He showed up! That Don¡¯t ask for my return date who¡¯s been making so much noisearound himself actually showed up!! To give up on staying low, even attending apetition, he truly is daring... And he¡¯s evenpeting with Bronze Sparrow for a role, really, so daring...


    Audience 3: (£¾©n£¼) To be honest, I really like Don¡¯t ask for my return date, what to do, what to do, what to do... (shyly pointing fingers together)


    Audience 4: Is thementer above blind? You actually like this kind of despicable snake that would deliberately drive a wedge between Bronze Sparrow and Little Noodles? That Bang-something from before was still passable¡¾still not as good as our Bronze Sparrow tho¡¿, but Don¡¯t ask for return date barely has any voice acting skills toment on. Imma have some popcorn and wait for the clownery to start, humph.


    Audience 5: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q He¡¯s here, he¡¯s here! Let¡¯s see how this weak shou will handle acting out an empress!¡¾Note that I said ¡°empress¡±, not ¡°emperor¡±¡¿


    Audience 6: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q We are all ears to listen to Her Majesty, the Empress¡¯ imperial decree! The kind from ?Empress in the Pce?! Hahahaha


    ...


    ...


    His antis have also arrived huh... Very well, very well.


    Qi Jing made a ¡°thumb up¡± gesture before the screen before unmuting the mic with utmost calmness.


    ¡°Contestant No,1, can you talk now? Please try to say something to your mic to test your equipment.¡± Just as Yang Chunqu had said her routine lines, a very maic voice of a young man could suddenly be heard.


    ¡°Why is there such amotion, whence the propriety? What does it make of the host before Our esteemed presence?¡±


    ¡°Pfft...¡±


    Yan Chunqu was originally worried about that noisy discourse in the chat, thinking that Qi Jing was also a ¡°problematic contestant¡±, but she didn¡¯t expect him to make such a humorous opening remark¡ªthat royal pronoun really suited him well. With this, in that moment of confusion,ughter actually slipped out identally.


    But as an MC, adapting to all kinds of situations that coulde her way was her strong suit.


    Hence, Yang Chunqu teased back in the same manner, ¡°Your Majesty, the people outside are waiting for Your Majesty¡¯s performance¡ªmay I ask Your Majesty to check the microphone.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s but a mere mic¡ªWe had already ordered for it to be tested well, so there¡¯s no need to worry, host.¡± Qi Jing said with a chuckle.


    That was the deepest he could go with his voice, as well as the most mighty way of talking he could manage.


    Adding to that the slight hoarseness to his voice, the confidence and steadiness in his speech trained through the news reports training, he soundedpletely different than him from ?Trap?...


    Audience 1: ...


    Audience 2: ... Just now...


    Audience 3: ... Just now, it was actually Don¡¯t ask for my return date??


    Audience 4: That¡¯s a scam, Don¡¯t ask for my return date can¡¯t be this gong... Maybe it¡¯s another VA with the same username? It has to be!!


    Audience 5: With this voice, it can¡¯t possibly be him!! The audacity to actually have someone else to stand in for him during the officialpetition, can this guy be any more shameless?? Organisers, organisers, it¡¯s a textbook example of cheating. Please, you guys must not condone such shamelessness, investigate it well!!


    Audience 6: Hahahaha, thementer above, I advise you to not clown yourself! Who¡¯s the shameless one, tell me?? As a small Return Date fan, I say it now¡ªthat¡¯s his original voice¡¾it¡¯s kinda more gong than before, damn it... I like this type the most >///<¡¿If you didn¡¯t listen to his previous works, then don¡¯t spout shit here, hah~ ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    ...


    ...


    The reaction of the audience was within his expectations.


    Qi Jing wasn¡¯t surprised at all. Today was not a day where others would surprise him, but the day of him surprising others¡ªthoroughly.


    ¡°Hmm, I apologize, I got too deep in the character just now,¡± He chuckled gentlemanly, still in the same voice as before. He was neither boasting nor depreciating himself, only saying steadily, ¡°Next, I¡¯d like to introduce myself once again¡ªI¡¯m Don¡¯t ask for my return date. I have never changed this ID since I started voice acting three years ago, and I don¡¯t intend to change it, use fake ounts, or find people to stand-in for me.¡±


    He spokepletely at ease, to the point where the public chat seemed to freeze in silence for a moment, as if everyone got stumped by both his voice and his statement. Speaking so frankly was tantamount to openly giving a certain group of people a tight p to the face, and it was a painful p; so painful in fact, that they started behaving even more preposterously, throwing tantrums, still hell-bent on proiming him a liar, even spamming the chat with the ¡°organizators, investigate this¡± line.


    Yang Chunqu had been put in an especially awkward position. From the standpoint of the organizators, as long as the person taking part in thepetition was the same throughout the whole event, it didn¡¯t matter under what identity they participated or what ID they used.


    As for the continuous pleas for the ¡°investigation¡± in the channel... From her perspective as an MC appointed by the organizators, they had no meaning beside being a meaningless provocation. But keeping the order during the event was also one of her duties, so she couldn¡¯t justpletely ignore it.


    She could only say, ¡°Dear listeners, the contestants¡¯petition usernames are bound to their national identification numbers but does not involve the confirmation of other usernames the contestants may have. This matter doesn¡¯t fall under the organizators¡¯ jurisdiction. If you have any doubts, then everyone can send an email to thepetition client service¡ªwe will sort all of them out. Now, contestant No.16, please prepare for the performance.¡±


    Qi Jing thanked courteously, ¡°Thank you, host.¡± Then, he thanked just as courteously to all of his fans, antis, as well as the general audience, ¡°Thank you everyone for being so interested in this ID, and I hope that you will pay just as close of an attention to my following performance.¡±


    The antis got stumped.


    After the chat went back to normal, all sorts of ¡°Tom, Dick and Harry¡± passersby appeared, expressing their interest and appreciation for his approach.


    Audience 1: As a mere passerby who knows nothing about what¡¯s happening, I say... I really like that No.16! Both his words and his style are all so sharp! ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨s


    Audience 2: Just as ^^^ said. This round ofpetition is so weird, so many people make so much noise; so god damn annoying. I¡¯ve been feeling quite ufortable with that since the start but held back and didn¡¯t say a word. Those guys who have been spamming ¡°investigate¡± just now really made my IQ drop. But after hearing what this contestant said, it really feels damn good!! This type of surprising sharp tongue and what not really makes whatever good impressions I have of him break through the roof!! I¡¯m with you~


    Audience 3: Hahaha, someone dabbling in online VA passing by... I want to say that I had heard the name ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡± before and it seems like he had really few main roles?? But I have listened to one of his works where he voice acted as a supporting character¡ªhis acting skills were great and his voice is also quite pleasant, very distinct.


    Audience 4: £¨//////ÆH//////£©Ah... Can I beg you for a hookup...? It¡¯s my favourite voice type... A noble gong type, or you know...¡¾Ahhhh, I¡¯m getting embarrassed¡¿


    Audience 5: Another insider of the online voice acting circle here. I¡¯m not anyone¡¯s fan, I just listen to the audio dramas without interfering into anything, but I really like listening to gossip... Return Date, I had observed the drama you got into from the sidelines and to be honest, I feel that you¡¯re quite innocent hahahaha. It¡¯s just a coboration with a great god but it brought an unexpected disaster onto you. I don¡¯t remember any gossip about you appearing before you starred in ?Trap?, you¡¯re a very respectable and dedicated VA. All the best!


    Audience 6: Replying to the one above, I also noticed that. Some haters really think everyone¡¯s IQ is zero and just keep happily kicking up a fuss, but usually I just treat their words as a joke. ¡°Found a stand-in¡±?? That joke really made meugh out loud¡ªeven telling the guy to go act in ?Empress in the Pce?... You¡¯re the ones who truly embody the loyal watchers of ?Empress in the Pce?, so proficient in cat-fights. ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    ...


    ...


    When he saw thosements, the pent-up emotions in his heart had disappeared without a trace, leaving him unbothered and rxed.


    There were almost twenty thousand listeners present; being able to convey what he had to say, to receive a response from so many people, had far exceeded his imagination.


    Although his and Shen Yan¡¯s situation werepletely different, at that very moment, he felt as if they shared this experience.


    The next 120 seconds of the countdown would be his response to these people.


    To those who supported him.


    To those who ndered him.


    To those who observed him curiously, to everyone.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Qi Jing heard his own voice travelling from the mic to his headphones, now a bit hot.


    A/N:


    _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ I also don¡¯t know why would I stop here... Probably because I don¡¯t want to get ahead of myself with the word count, and it was just right where I stumbled on a writer¡¯s block, en... So I just cut it there. (Oi) And to be fair, as I kept writing, I actually kinda started shipping ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± and ¡°Emperor Chang¡±, what to do??


    I didn¡¯t want Kitty¡¯s Papa and 2Yan¡¯s character to always turn out ambiguous ahhhhhh!! ...Maybe they have a special quality of making all of the characters they y ambiguous (staring in silence). Although I feel like thest line for the ¡°Emperor Chang¡± by 2Yan would be an arrow in Shen Yan¡¯s knee... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    T/N:


    Luci: Guess who overslept and didn¡¯t upload the chapter? CoUlDn¡¯T Be Me...


    But, but, but! Guys! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas! Thank you so much for reading EROVA and for staying with us to this day! Love ya~

 Chapter 81

    <h4>Chapter 81</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: Mashiro


    The number 120 appeared on the counter, then it started decreasing with each passing second.


    No one in the audience could hear anything in their headphones.


    It was dead silent.


    Until suddenly, a weary voice with a hint of impatience could be heard sighing¡ª


    ¡°Ha...¡±


    It was a faint and weak sigh, but since it was just by a mic it could be heard especially clearly.


    Those who had headphones of a higher quality could even feel that breath getting into their ears, slowly creeping deeper.


    ¡°We really don¡¯t understand...¡± This line made it sound as if a man had just woken from his stupor, his voice a bit hoarse¡ªit was as if one could see an image of a disheveled man slumpedzily over the dragon throne.


    Next moment, the man on the dragon throne seemed to reluctantly straighten up his posture.


    He had alreadye topletely, but his tone became even more irate.


    ¡°The country prospers, the people live in peace and favourable weather brings bountiful crops¡ªwhy are there still rebels causing trouble?¡± His pitch kept getting higher and higher with each word, like a blunt bamboo that was sharpened and violently stabbed into the ground, he questioned angrily, ¡°Is it to inconvenience Us, or to inconvenience the people of thisnd?!¡±


    After those two furious queries, seemingly already exhausted, he huffed and puffed for a while before eventually calming down.


    Qi Jing¡¯s voice was quite youthful, so even after making it sound a bit more hoarse, he still sounded like someone in their early thirties.


    But he made his voice sound a little bit old, like an overworked middle aged man, making it sound as if his health wasn¡¯t at its best.


    ¡°Just listen, all of you...¡± He read the content of the memorial while catching his breath, ¡°¡¯The government office of the provincial capital of Tongzhou had been burnt down by the rebels, causing over hundred casualties among soldiers; the government forces had retreated to the peripheral city of Yao. The provincial treasury had been robbed, the loss totaling in twelve thousand and seven hundred taels, and the grain reserves had been opened; ignorant vige folk raided and looted the entirety of the reserves, leaving not a grain behind¡¯?¡±


    His voice was trembling because of his rage, and the more he read, the faster his reading had be¡ªbut, he didn¡¯t forget to get the correct pronunciation of ¡°Yao city¡± that so many previous contestants mispronounced.


    The TV reporters fared much better at Standard Mandarin than an average person, and Qi Jing also got the 1-A grade during the Putonghua Proficiency Test, so it was his forte.


    Obscure words, characters with multiple pronunciations, ancient and ssical scripts¡ªnone of those posed any difficulty to him.


    When he read it all, a coarse breath escaped his throat and he cursed, ¡°Rebellion... It¡¯s clearly a rebellion! Rebellion!¡±


    It was different from Uncle Bang¡¯s outburst of fury.


    His fury was neurotic, sounding a bit deranged. After a moment, he seemed to have remembered something and started shouting nervously.


    ¡°Marquess Shunyang... Marquess Shunyang... Marquess Shunyang!¡±


    That person within the court probably had already answered him many times, but he still called him multiple times, as if only calling him more would appease him.


    ¡°You shall take two hundred soldiers and leave immediately to Quell the rebellion in Tongzhou.¡± After he gave an order, his royal bearing suddenly disappeared as he mumbled imploringly, as if he was clutching at hisst trace of hope, ¡°You¡¯re... One of Our most trusted generals, you should be able to handle it well?¡±


    The ¡°Emperor Chang¡± from the original novel was someone extremely insecure¡ªto describe it in modern terminology, he had a form of ¡°persecutory delusion¡±.


    The symptoms depended on whether he was clear of mind or under the influence of the drug, and their degree also varied.


    The dialogue during that morning court session had urred when the uprisings had just started cropping up in different regions, and the attack on Tongzhou government office was a small climax of the story. At that time, ¡°Emperor Chang¡± had yet to realise that ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± was his half-brother from a different mother. He only knew that although ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± held military power in his hand, he wasn¡¯t like those who would use all kinds of excuses, unwilling to take action without some kind of profit¡ªhe was like a driftwood among the fierce gales and towering waves.


    He could speak while looking down upon any other of his subjects.


    But when it came to his only hope, ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±, he would only be reliant on him.


    The people in the audience listened, not even daring to breathe, and even his antis disappeared temporarily without a trace. During Qi Jing¡¯s performance, there was only one reaction in the public chat.


    A particrly coordinated and uniform reaction&#k2014;


    Audience 1: Eh&#k2026;


    Audience 2: Eh eh eh&#k2026;


    Audience 3: Eh eh eh eh eh&#k2026;


    All of them looked about the same.


    Only after the first scene concluded did people remember that besides saying ¡°eh¡±, there were also other words that could be used to express their feelings.


    Audience 1: I, I don¡¯t know how to describe it, but just now, I¡¯ve been sitting curled up like a hamster with my paws on my chest as I listened...¡¾What the hell am I saying, facepalm¡¿ What I want to say is, I really got into it!!


    Audience 2: So an emperor could also be yed like that... I kinda feel like I just had a moment of enlightenment! ¦²(¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ That right, Emperor Chang was supposed to be sickly... Huge kudos for those neurotic parts of the performance!


    Audience 3: ... Give me back that noble, refined, amorous and graceful Return Date! GIVE HIM BACK!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò ¡¾Ah... It¡¯s mainly because this role is so different from his usual roles, I find it hard to take in right now, but on the other hand, it also proves that his voice acting is just so realistic!!¡¿


    Audience 4: £¨¨s£­£ß£­£©¨s¨k¨k If in the future anyone tells me Don¡¯t ask for my return date is a weak shou VA, I¡¯ll make them eat their words!


    Audience 5: £¨¨s£­£ß£­£©¨s¨k¨k Flipping the table together with thementer above! What¡¯s with that ambiguousness I heard between Emperor Chang and Marquess Shunyang?? Isn¡¯t this story targeted for a normal audience?? To actually make me start shipping those two brothers, I really am doomed!! But just now, when I heard him keep calling ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±, it was as if my heart had suffered a hit... Hurray for younger tops!!¡¾Oi¡¿


    Audience 6: I¡¯ve been reading the lines while listening and got so moved... Only to suddenly realise that calling ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± multiple times is what No.16 hade up with himself, it only appears once in the original lines. Haha, that was an amazing way to handle it! II can totally feel that ¡°you¡¯re the only one I can rely on¡± mentality... Hooowl-! After all this talking, basically I also started to ship the younger top brother x brother ship... (covers face)


    As the public chat was still buzzing withments, Qi Jing suddenly bellowed coldly. ¡°Wanton¡ª!¡°


    An emperor was, after all, an emperor, so a scene of outburst of royal fury was necessary.


    The explosiveness of his acting wasn¡¯t half bad, but it was quite a pity that he was born with a rather clear voice, as the deepness of a voice could add to the sense of impetus brought by the explosive acting.


    But Qi Jing intended to y up his strengths while hiding his shorings.


    He utilised his clear voice to bring in the shrill and jarring quality of ¡°Emperor Chang¡±¡¯s voice during a withdrawal, bringing the listeners¡¯ attention to the current ¡°sickly¡± state of the character instead of simply going for a shout for the sake of it. When he finished, he slightly coughed twice to make it appear more realistic.


    ¡°Our¡¯snd¡ª... Is Ours!¡± He uttered intermittently while coughing.


    ording to the descriptions from the novel, it was around that time when the symptoms of Emperor Chang¡¯s drug addiction was bing increasingly obvious. Qi Jing¡¯s voice had also started to shift from sharp to muffled as he mumbled, as if to himself, ¡°And as for which of Our sons is to be made a crown prince...¡ªThat is for Us to decide!¡±


    Suddenly, there was an instant where Qi Jing noticed that he¡¯s been subconsciously imitating his father from when he had fallen in a drunken rage.


    The same messy state of mind.


    The same difort.


    The same aggressiveness.


    Everyone would make him angry, everyone would make him irascible, and it didn¡¯t even matter if it was his beloved consort¡ªno matter how fine and lovable a woman she was, the moment she mentioned something he didn¡¯t want to hear, it would only spark a cruel urge to crush this beautiful flower of a woman.


    In the past, when his father had had a little too much to drink, their home would be filled with shouting and screaming, and he would even try to hit his mother.


    Whenever that happened, he and his brother would desperately hold onto him from either side, letting their sister run away with their mother to hide behind the door and wait until father¡¯s drunken rage passed... It didn¡¯t happen a lot and a long time had passed since then¡ªat least it used to happen before he went to college¡ªbut it was still vivid in his mind.


    Strange.So strange.


    Was it because of that simrity... He actually got reminded of some insignificant memories of the past, making him almost break out of the character.


    Qi Jing got a bit distracted during that moment, but then he shook his head and continued acting out the following lines.


    ¡°We are not... nothing, without the Yan family¡¯s support,¡± But that was exactly the case, and it was this understanding that made him feel indignant and distressed ¡°We are the emperor... The emperor!¡±


    The way Uncle Bang delivered the furiousness was incredibly well done¡ªbut it was monotonous.


    If the fury was always portrayed the same, then it would appear unrefined.


    In the previous scene, Qi Jing added in a bit of madness, but this scene on the other hand had that kind of misery to it. Thereby making the ¡°fury¡± in the two scenes sound different, making them distinct from one another.


    Next, there was that movement prompt for breaking the flower vase and falling to the ground.


    This was where his and Uncle Bang¡¯s understanding differed the most¡ªUncle Bang thought that the character shoved the flower vase himself in a fit of anger, then tripped and fell on the ground in a moment of carelessness. Qi Jing, on the other hand, took it as the result of the effects of the drug getting too strong¡ªit made him unable to keep bnce and knock the vase down before he fell to the ground.


    This train of thought was inspired by the documentaries about drug rehabilitation he had brought home from the office. Before the start of thepetition, he had studied those recordings for the research, going through them multiple times. He noticed that during re-ups, a lot of those drug addicts would start to sway back and forth and their limbs would start to twitch, their movements often unable to follow the brain¡¯s control. If ¡°Emperor Chang¡± of that time was still able to shove the flower vase, then the symptoms of his illness shouldn¡¯t be too obvious and thus wouldn¡¯t possibly lead to his falling.


    This would go against his description from the original novel, the onset of ¡°Emperor Chang¡¯s illness was rapid, his person crazed and deranged.¡±


    The other detail a person who didn¡¯t read the original novel wouldn¡¯t think of was the role of the person ¡°Emperor Chang¡± faced during this scene.


    ¡°Consort Shu¡± was surnamed Yan¡ªshe was precisely the eldest daughter of the ¡°Yan family¡± that had been mentioned in the previous line.


    Because of the fear ¡°Emperor Chang¡± felt towards her father, he would usually let her have her way and kept doting her, always treating her like a symbol of the Yan family. In the original novel it was mentioned that after ¡°Emperor Chang¡± fell down, ¡°Consort Shu¡± had hurried over to help him up, but the hallucinations caused by the drug contained in the ¡°immortality pill¡± made her look like a demon in his eyes¡ªa reflection of the fear and hate he often felt towards the Yan family.


    ¡°Ugh...¡±


    Suddenly, Qi Jing started gasping spasmodically with a whimper as if he was in a dream, his voice even tinted with a sobbing tone¡ªso simr to how when those in the middle of a drug addiction re-up would suffer from an emotional breakdown.


    Hating timidly, cowardly...


    ¡°We... are clearly the monarch of the country, the ruler of thend under Heavens...¡± He mumbled intermittently between his rapid breaths, ¡°Why, why do We still need to listen to others, when considering those matters?¡±


    Then, Qi Jing suddenlyughed. Thisughter was muddled, rising from the very depths of his throat, making one¡¯s hair stand on ends.


    ¡°He, hehehehe...¡±


    He could very well throw caution to the wind, just who is afraid of who?


    ¡°We don¡¯t care, We don¡¯t care!¡± Only under the influence of a drug would he dare to say such words, only then would he dare to tantly go against the powerful minister, dare to try acting like a real, authentic emperor for that one time. Even though he was only lying to himself, at that moment, the character¡¯s tone should be unweighted by any worries, ¡°We don¡¯t care what Our father-inw has to say, We absolutely do not care¡ª!¡±


    After it finished, Qi Jing fell silent for the moment where the lines ended, then once again sighed gloomily, just like at the beginning of the first scene.


    But contrary to the previous time, this time it was a sigh of liberation.


    ¡°We don¡¯t care...¡±


    This repetition was something Qi Jing improvised. Without changing the content of the lines, he would sometimes add or sometimes cut down the repetitions in the lines, creating the final effect ording to his own understanding.


    If it wasn¡¯t an onlinepetition, but some real-lifepetition at some venue, then the venue would probably be so silent, even a dropped pin could be heard.


    Because all of the listeners froze.


    The only person moving was the one on the mic, and it wasn¡¯t only his voice that he moved, but also the whole scenery behind that voice.


    Before everyone could extricate themself, the scenery had already changed along with the setting.


    A grim atmosphere loomed.


    The joyful sigh from just before had suddenly be a panicked panting of a cornered man. But the trademark insanity of ¡°Emperor Chang¡± could still be seen in his lines. Even though the man himself had stopped, his panting voice didn¡¯t. ¡°You... You are here to kill Us, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The first line still had a trace of optimistic hope that the other would answer ¡°no¡±, butter, he saw the decree and he quickly lost all hope, drowning in despair. But that in turn made him unafraid. ¡°Hehe, that thing in your hand... is that not the token you rebels call the ¡®Order to End the Heavens¡¯?¡±


    He was now not only unafraid, but also flew into the reckless rage as if he didn¡¯t care any more after having hisst hope quenched.


    ¡°Every single one of you are rebels! Each and every one, pushing Us to this extent!¡± He suddenly roared out. Since the character was of a clear mind, his roar was also much stronger, his speech clear and powerful, ¡°¡®End the Heavens?¡¯ Ha, hahahaha... Is the Heavens something anyone can end? What you are doing is not ending the Heavens¡ªit¡¯s rebelling against the will of Heavens!¡±


    His body was already in a seriously bad state, so after cursing for so long, he didn¡¯t have enough breath for the next words, after the yell he could only pant.


    But for him, who was the direct lineage of the emperor¡¯s blood, to lose to that bastard little brother of his; and he used to gullibly believe him unconditionally¡ªhow could he bear to die just like that?


    ¡°He, hehe...¡± Heughed twice eerily, his voice chilling to the bone.


    ¡°We know... You rebels... Want to make Marquess Shunyang the emperor. But Marquess Shunyang, hehe...¡± Saying this, his face suddenly became chilling as he yelled viciously, ¡°Marquess Shunyang, he¡¯s nothing more than a dirty bastard spawned outside by the previous emperor! It is Us who were titled... The only true crown prince by the previous emperor!¡±


    At that time, the number on the counter had counted down to ¡°5¡±.


    Qi Jing quickly took a deep breath, dispelling all of the atmosphere of the scene and delivered his short curtain call in a crisp voice, ¡°The end. Thank you everyone¡ª¡±


    Without waiting for the MC to act, he left the mic sequence on his own volition.


    His activity indicatormp became grey right away.


    Audience 1: ... Eh...


    Audience 2: ... Eh, it¡¯s finished??


    Audience 3: That¡¯s how you ended the performance?? What about the promised love-hate between Emperor Chang and Marquess Shunyang!!¡¾There was no such promise¡¿¨“¨Œ¨“


    Audience 4: £¨¨s£­£ß£­£©¨s¨k¨k Douchebag, I was so into it and you ended it like that!! This feeling of getting my pants off yet not getting the satisfaction is driving me crazy??


    Audience 5: £¨¨s£­£ß£­£©¨s¨k¨k The metaphor by thementer above took the words right out of my heart!!


    Audience 6: £¨¨s£­£ß£­£©¨s¨k¨k Don¡¯t ask for my return date, if you don¡¯t continue then I will hate on you every day on the forum!! I¡¯ll hate on you!!


    Yang Chunqu, to whom the mic sequence got returned, was also stupefied, and also blurted out a single, ¡°Eh?¡±


    But when she heard her own voice in the headphones, she finally realized what was happening and quickly recovered her professional MC visage.


    ¡°Ah...We¡¯vee to the end of contestant 16¡¯s performance. No.16 Don¡¯t ask for my return date, performing as ¡®Emperor Chang¡¯!¡± She made the routine announcement for the entire audience with a smile, ¡°Next, we¡¯ll share the voting window, dear listeners, please leave your votes! At the same time, we¡¯ll ask the three judges to proceed with the scoring behind the scenes.¡±


    A/N:


    _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ In fact, I feel like Qi Jing ying a deranged character is especially attractive... (covers face)


    Then, this, during writing I really started getting into the love-hate brothers couple... ?Order to End the Heavens? is about to be destroyed by me continuously unable to stop headcanoning stuff...


    And I guess your emotional state after Qi Jing¡¯s performance is about the same as that of the audience... or is it?


    T/N:


    Luci: I stan, I stan, I stan 2Yan ying deranged characters, but please, be careful with the angst around Uncle Yan QAQ


    Mashiro: eh....all the 3 acts were over just like that?........I feel that I amgging somewhere (¡Ñ . ¡Ñ)

 Chapter 82

    <h4>Chapter 82</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    <i>unedited</i>


    After giving himself a vote of self-encouragement, Qi Jing released the mouse and slowly turned his right hand over.


    When he lowered his head to look, his palm was still covered in ayer of sweat.


    And his fingers still couldn¡¯t stop shaking...


    ¡°Hu...¡± After a moment, he exhaled slowly and sprawled all over the desk as ifpletely drained out of energy, muttering, ¡°It¡¯s done...¡±


    No matter how one looked at it, it was in the end his first time voice acting before the audience reaching five digits, so it was impossible for him to not get nervous.


    It¡¯s just, when he got into character and immersed himself in a scene, he was entirely focused on acting and didn¡¯t have any mind to spare for stress or fear. But once he returned to reality, the physiological reaction caused by the stress appeared immediately.


    It was a ssic of the ¡°Qi Jing reaction¡±.


    He was the same during the TV shootings¡ªevery time when he was before the camera, he would look seasoned and full of confidence. The program directors would often praise him for being photogenic and for his great adaptability.


    But the moment the shooting ended, he would always rush to the cameraman¡¯s side first with his heart full of worries, and re-watch the recording of himself, even grabbing everyone around to ask them if he stuttered, if his expression looked unnatural and so on. There would be absolutely no issue with the shot itself, but he would always feel like something went wrong, and in fact, he would actually feel reassured if his colleagues were fussy and nitpicky¡ªthe director of the news channel always made it into a joke to tell the newbie reporters in their crew.


    Qi Jing opened and closed his fist a few times to steady his hand a little while his eyes were glued to the screen.


    The waiting time after the end of performance would always feel like forever, just like when student finished the exam and waited for the teacher to grade it, too anxious to even breath, each second a never-ending torture.


    In the past, when the news program he made his first appearance in aired, he also waited for the audience¡¯s feedback, feeling just like at that moment. As a person involved in the making, he was unable to judge whether his performance was good or bad and could only depend on the outsiders to make the judgement.


    There was a short ¡°ding¡± sound.


    It was a notification sound of the score window popping out.


    Even though he clearly had been looking forward to that moment, when it was finally the time, Qi Jing subconsciously closed his eyes, momentarily unable to find the courage to face it.


    He knew that this window would probably disappear after around five seconds.


    He struggled like that for three seconds, but at the fourth second, he finally couldn¡¯t bear it and hardened his heart, opening his eyes just a tiny little bit¡ª


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿£º3.5£¬3.5£¬3.0£¬average score 3.33


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿£º4.5£¬4.0£¬4.0£¬average score 4.17


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿£º4.0£¬4.0£¬3.5£¬average score 3.83


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿£º4.5£¬4.5£¬3.5£¬average score 4.17


    Judging panel¡¯s evaluation: 3.33+4.17+3.83+4.17 = 15.5 points


    Additional audience vote points: 70.8% voting ratio = 0.708 points


    Overall score: 15.5+0.708 = 16.208 points


    ¡°Eh...¡± Qi Jing was stunned, his barely opened eyes were now wide open in shock, presenting a textbook dumbstruck expression.


    Unfortunately enough though, the window quickly disappeared from his screen¡ªfive seconds had passed.


    ¡°Wait wait wait!¡± Qi Jing cried out anxiously, stretching his hand out and fumbled around with the screen as if to grab the vanished window back, grab it out and pull it in front of his eyes and take a good look at it again.


    Unfortunately the window would not reappear.


    He wailed, upset and full of regret that he didn¡¯t screenshot it while he still had a chance.


    But themotion in the public chat could temporarily rece a screenshot as an indirect proof of those numbers¡¯ authenticity.


    Audience 1: HOOOOWL~ His score has surpassed the first ce?? Although the difference isn¡¯t great, but... IT¡¯S HIGHER??


    Audience 2: Answering thementer above, it¡¯s indeed higher! As a small Return Date fan who could just keep watching as everyone hated on him, I can tell that seeing the whole process, my feelings were reallyplicated, but at this moment, I can only feel one thing, and that is¡ªI! AM! SO! HYPED! ~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~


    Audience 3: ... Oooh, the first contestant for this audition to get a score higher than 16 points... Is it because he¡¯s No.16?¡¾Pftt¡¿


    Audience 4: Holy crap!! I just witnessed Teacher Pu¡¯s 4.5!! ¦²(¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ


    Audience 5: Holy crap!! Teacher Pu actually gave out her highest mark for one of the criteria!! That¡¯s so awesome!!¡¾To be fair, I also feel that the performance just now was incredible¡¿


    Audience 6: (/¨R¨Œ¨Q/) I love that No.16 so much!! Can I confess my love?? No matter if it¡¯s the voice, the bearing or the acting, this contestant excels in all of those aspects. I might be a reader of the original novel who didn¡¯t really like Emperor Chang, hah... But your performance made me kinda like him that tiny little bit. And I even started shipping Emperor Chang and Marquess Shunyang; that younger top! What to do??


    ...


    By the time Qi Jing finally took it all in, he already pressed his fingers on his lips to prevent them from curling up too much, to not get too over himself.


    Yet he was so happy.


    He was truly, genuinely happy.


    He could proudly say that he didn¡¯t urge his fans to vote, didn¡¯t use weibo, forum, QQ groups or any public tform to ask for support, didn¡¯t try to lick the boots of the judges, much less, get a stand-in as his haters imed¡ªno matter if his score was high or low, it was all him.


    He was so overjoyed that even thepletely shameless statements of the haters that soon followed could not put him down but rather only served as entertainment for him.


    Audience 1: ¨r(¨s£ß¨t)¨q It has be that he pulled many of his fans into cheering for him? He really is something, even scaring the judges to the point where they were forced to give him a high score under the pressure...


    Audience 2: I don¡¯t get it, in what aspect he deserves such a high score... That performancepletelycked an emperor-like demeanor!! How can such an anxious and terribly silly acting be suitable for ying an emperor?? Why is his score higher than our Bangbang¡¯s, I don¡¯t get it!!


    Audience: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q Just give up, just which installment of ?Order to End the Heavens?petition doesn¡¯t discriminate our Bangbang, we all already saw through it.


    Audience:£¨¨s¨F¡õ¡ä£©¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø A perfectly fine story with a normal target audience, yet it was still made into a gaybait, even going in the direction of two brothers screwing each other, so sickening!! Bangbang, don¡¯t mind him, let¡¯s go home!!


    Audience 5: I already said that Didn¡¯t ask for my return date found a stand-in and you didn¡¯t believe me, but just look at it now. That fake¡¯s acting is different from the guy himself, he scored so high? How shoddy was the voice acting of that guy in his audio dramas yed in are, you¡¯ll see if you go and listen to them¡ªit¡¯spletely different from the acting here! You were all fooled!


    Audience 6: Don¡¯t ask for my return date wasn¡¯t this good previously, but after he starred with our sweet Bronze Sparrow in ?Trap? and the two of them acted together, his acting skills improved by leaps and bounds! It has to be thanks to Sparrow¡¯s hard work!! ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã


    ...


    ¡°Hmm, oh, I see, so everything is thanks to Great God¡¯s hard work.¡± Qi Jing piqued his brow, enlightened by thisment, then scoffed. He didn¡¯t have any energy left to refute every single one of thosements one by one.


    Compared to the pure outburst of hate of Uncle Bang¡¯s fans, the Bronze Sparrow Terrace fans were more proficient at changing tune in a matter of seconds.


    Before thepetition, they were saying that he was a small nobody with no fans, but after thepetition, his fans were already so numerous, they could pressure the judges, forcing them to give him a higher score.


    Before thepetition, they would say he found a stand-in to provide a voice, and after thepetition he suddenly also relied on other people with his acting skills.


    Before thepetition, Bronze Sparrow Terrace was his rival, yet afterpetition he suddenly became Qi Jing¡¯s careful instructor, a teacher who single-handedly taught and nurtured him?


    ¡°There is a person who acted with me in ?Trap?, then caused me to improve slowly,¡± Qi Jing said with an impassive sneer, ¡°But, that person isn¡¯t your great god.¡±


    He¡¯s nobody¡¯s great god.He¡¯s just a man who¡¯s used to voice acting silently in the background.


    No matter how obscure of a production team it was, how insignificant of a character, as long as there was a need for it, he would always provide the best quality recordings; a man who would always be there to help... He, who had stood in for the great god and spent hours on voice acting with him, but could not even be mentioned in the end, yet, he never said a word ofint¡ªthat man.


    Thinking this, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t sit still anymore.


    He removed equipment, temporarily putting it aside, and left the noisy ce of drama and tea to go and look for that person.


    ¡°Shen...¡±


    The overwhelming joy he felt dissipatedpletely the moment he pulled the door handle of the study¡¯s room. Because once he pulled it, it made a cking sound, but no matter how he pulled it, the door handle wouldn¡¯t move.


    Qi Jing¡¯s smile disappeared from his face and he blinked in confusion. When he tried once again, he was still unable to open the door.


    The door was locked.


    ¡°Shen Yan?¡± He called, a bit worried.


    For Qi Jing, it was his first time to see Shen Yan lock himself in a room since they started living together. Wherever Shen Yan was, the door would be always open for him, rarely even closing it, not to mention locking it, so Qi Jing gradually became used to that kind of intimacy, with nothing going between them¡ªbut today, this door suddenly got locked.


    ¡°Shen Yan?¡± When he didn¡¯t receive an answer after he called for the first time, he called one more time, even knocking twice on the door anxiously.


    ck.


    At that moment, the door finally got unlocked from the inside, then opened slowly. Qi Jing instinctively stretched his hand out, but when it plunged into the pitch darkness, he finally realised that the room waspletely dark. The only source of light were the scarce street lights from outside the window, enshrouding the person who opened the door in ayer of grey. It separated him from the pitch ck darkness, letting Qi Jing¡¯s hand reach him timely.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Maybe it was due to his anxiousness, but Qi Jing reached for the other man¡¯s arm and slowly made his way up to feel his face. Aside from a bit low temperature, there was nothing out of the ordinary about him.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just felt averse to the light...¡± He heard Shen Yan¡¯s voice, sounding as if he intended to chuckle lightly, but was unable to. When Qi Jing was taken aback when he heard him say that ¡°averse to the light¡±. He quickly scanned the room and realised that it wasn¡¯t only the light that was turned off, theputer screen was also ck.


    But the power light of theputer was still flickering, indicating that it was still running and only the screen had been turned off.


    ¡°Just now, you...¡±


    ¡°I was listening,¡± Shen Yan knew what he was asking about and answered in a hurry, afraid of letting him misunderstand, ¡°I did listen... It¡¯s just I didn¡¯t turn the screen on and only listened to it through my headphones, that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m asking about.¡± Qi Jing clutched at his sleeve, his brows deeply furrowed.


    His biggest concern wasn¡¯t whether Shen Yan listened, but the reason why he would feel averse to any source of light.


    When Shen Yan took part in his first audition before, he had also turned all the lights in the room off, turned his back to the screen, acting alone to his own shadow. Qi Jing worked hard for him to slowly start to get used to the light, leading him step after step towards the centre of the stage. But now, his action of turning off the screen was like suddenly taking ten steps back, he returned back to the pitch ck behind the scene, once again hiding himself away.


    He rpsed¡ª


    This made Qi Jing even more uneasy than if he just didn¡¯t move forward.


    ¡°Is there something you want to tell me?¡± Qi Jing tried to patiently guide him into speaking, but Shen Yan seemingly wanted to evade answering what Qi Jing was really asking about. He suddenly moved closer, wrapping his arms tightly around Qi Jing before Qi Jing could even react, his face rubbing against his cheeks before he nested it in his hair.


    Hair brushed against hair, and two of their body warmths mixed together.


    This warm feeling managed to bribe Qi Jing over and for the time being, he couldn¡¯t bear to break such an atmosphere with his words, he didn¡¯t dare to continue inquiring. He had no immunity against this show of weakness from Shen Yan.


    ¡°Just now, you performed amazingly, it was brilliant.¡± Shen Yan muttered in a low voice by his ear, ¡°I¡¯m... Really happy for you from the bottom of my heart.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t look happy at all.¡± Qi Jingughed bitterly.


    Although his heart was still relishing in this warmth, his mind was still sober, so he would say the words that needed to be said.


    Shen Yan couldn¡¯t see his own expression, but he could¡ªthat sort of expression couldn¡¯t possibly be described as ¡°happy¡±. Tired, but also dejected and at a loss, like a person who had lost something but couldn¡¯t find it even after looking for it for the longest time¡ªit was that kind of expression.


    Shen Yan probably also realised it, as he heaved a low sigh, ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m really happy for you, even though right now I can¡¯t properly express such feelings...¡±


    He muttered as he hugged him tighter.


    Qi Jing noticed his struggle and instinctively stroked his hair gently, wanting to relieve that pain, the source of which he didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Just now, you yed really well,¡± Shen Yan repeated himself, then said in a hoarse voice, ¡°And because it was so good, so life-like, after I heard it, I... Suddenly I didn¡¯t know how I should reply to you. That¡¯s why my heart is in such a mess right now.¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s words sounded a bit all over the ce, but upon closer consideration, it could be easily understood what he was saying.


    Qi Jing froze the moment he understood his meaning. ¡°You mean that... You don¡¯t know how you should answer myst line?¡±


    ¡°Marquess Shunyang is only a bastard spawned outside by the previous emperor, it is Us who were titled the only true crown prince by the previous emperor¡±... This line?


    Those lines were indeed linked to the ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± character that Shen Yan chose.


    Yet, Shen Yan didn¡¯t need to reply.


    Because that line was said to the main character ¡°Qin Tuo¡±...


    Was it because Shen Yan couldn¡¯t figure out the feeling for the voice acting that he became so distraught?


    Somehow, Qi Jing felt that that wasn¡¯t the only reason.


    But since that was what Shen Yan himself said, he could onlyfort him about that.


    ¡°That line wasn¡¯t said to ¡®Marquess Shunyang¡¯, it was only stating a fact, so you don¡¯t need to worry about not being able to reply.¡±


    As far as he remembered, there was no such line between those two characters, so even if in the uing audition, there was a scene between ¡°Emperor Chang¡± and ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±, Shen Yan didn¡¯t need to consider how to reply to it.


    But Shen Yang shook his head and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°No, I just thought that... If there was a person who would say something like that to me, how would I reply.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how to reply.


    Especially since it was in Qi Jing¡¯s voice, all of that pressure that oppressive performance brought made him instantly feel cold all over the moment he heard it.


    He didn¡¯t dare to consider it.


    He didn¡¯t dare to consider the possibility of it happening in reality.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Qi Jing,¡± Suddenly, feeling a little upset, Shen Yan pulled away from Qi Jing, putting a distance between them taking two steps back. He released his hold on Qi Jing¡¯s shoulders and covered eyes with his hands as he slowly took a deep breath, ¡°... Let me be alone in silence for a moment. For now, just leave me be, okay?¡±


    T/N:


    Luci: *feeling very not okay, very very not okay, very in need of someforting fluff*

 Chapter 83

    <h4>Chapter 83</h4>


    TLC:Lilies


    <i>unedited</i>


    Warmth can be shared.


    From the very beginning, all he¡¯s ever gotten from Shen Yan was warmth. That¡¯s why when the ¡°cold¡± sensation got passed to him for the first time, Qi Jing was a bit bewildered.


    Like the surface of ake covered in ayer of ice during winter.


    It was not only cold, but also hard¡ªno longer as easy to break...


    ¡°Do you... want toy down for a bit?¡± Qi Jing parted his lips and asked in a very soft voice.


    The way he spoke was also like a man threading on the ice, cautious about his bnce, threading forward step by step with utmost care.


    Shen Yan had let go of him.


    He let go, but he didn¡¯t push him away.


    It was a proof that he could still make some effort to soothe that man before leaving this room.


    Sure enough, Shen Yan gave him a weary nod. Qi Jing¡¯s eyes gleamed and he hurriedly took the other man¡¯s arm into a gentle hold, helping him over to that small bed in the study, ¡°Either way, I¡¯m already done with my audition, so you just have a good rest on the bed. I wille and call you when it¡¯s timeter.¡±


    All the lights were off in the study, so the two of them supported each other like a pair of blind people in the dark.


    However, as they walked, Qi Jing could feel the man beside him moving closer with every step, even reaching out his other hand and silently resting it on top of Qi Jing¡¯s hand that was holding his arm. This instinctive gesture made Qi Jing heave a small sigh of relief, gaining some form offort from it.


    ¡°Over here.¡±


    He sat Shen Yan down on the edge of the bed, then pulled up the corner of the duvet, watching that man slowly get under the covers. It was as if his heart had also been tucked into a warm and cosy ce, the chill he just felt going away for a moment. He also climbed into the bed and quietly squeezed under the duvet, pressing closely against Shen Yan¡ªit would always be easier for two people to warm up a bed.


    ¡°Sleep.¡± Shen Yan was lying down while Qi Jing was sitting, so when he talked, he deliberately lowered his head, pressing his lips against Shen Yan¡¯s ear.


    After whispering into Shen Yan¡¯s ear, Qi Jing naturally moved in to kiss the other man on his temple. Qi Jing¡¯s fingersbed slowly along Shen Yan¡¯s hairline, gently stroking his ck hair.


    Seeminglyfortable, Shen Yan¡¯s breathing slowly became even and the furrow between his brows smoothed out under Qi Jing¡¯s continuous stroking. He didn¡¯t move a single bit as hey with his eyes closed.


    But Qi Jing knew he wasn¡¯t sleeping¡ªhis eyelids would sometimes twitch a little, as if his heart was still in a turmoil, still struggling.


    What are you thinking about?To be honest, Qi Jing really wanted to ask him so, but since Shen Yan had asked to be alone for a while, then he probably wouldn¡¯t want to answer that question.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much.¡± That¡¯s why he could only manage such a line within his limited scope.


    ¡°Mn.¡± Shen Yan replied vaguely. However vague it was, a response was still better than nothing.


    Until the thickyer of ice is cracked, it would be hard for the person standing atop of its surface to hear the sounds of the undercurrents below it. For now, all there was was a deathly silence and he had to ept that reality.


    Qi Jing kept a silent watch on him for a long while. When the bedding was alreadypletely warmed up, Qi Jing got out of the bed just as he promised, tucking Shen Yan in without a word. Then, he left the room quietly to give Shen Yan a chance to sort out his emotions alone.


    When he went back to hisputer, the headphones that had been warm from his hold, had already cooled down, just as his heart did. The overwhelming joy from ten minutes ago was gone, as if it had been washed awaypletely with cold water. What was left was only that stifling feeling in his throat; not that it hurt, but it still made him feel like he had trouble breathing.


    ¡°I¡¯m... only ever this proactive for you.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s movements as he put on the headset were visibly weak,pletelycking in energy.


    If Shen Yan continued to remain silent, then it would be of no meaning for him whether he lost or won that night.


    Once that thought took root in his mind, no matter how high a score he got, it would still be an insignificant number for him.


    When that thought came to his mind, Qi Jing quickly shook his head, ¡°No&#k2026; I can¡¯t lose my morale. We promised that if my score ends up higher than that of Bronze Sparrow Terrace, then you will tell me something I didn¡¯t know about you.¡±


    Shen Yan, you will stay true to your words, right?


    He always kept his promises, so as long as he made a promise, then he will surely honour it...


    Qi Jing¡¯s expression turned grave as he slowly put his headphones back on. There were eight contestants to perform between his and Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s turns, and with twenty minutes having already passed, it should be about the time for his turn.


    At that time, contestant No.24 had just finished his performance and it was the middle of the scoring and voting segment and next in the line was none other than Bronze Sparrow Terrace.


    The impact Went off with a bang made was probably already diminished by Qi Jing¡¯s performance, so themotion his fans made was much less aggressive than at the beginning; they calmed down a lot. Still, the atmosphere at the scene was getting more and more heated and before contestant No. 24¡¯s score even got published, the public chat had already been flooded with cheering slogans from Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans.


    Audience 1: ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã Sparrow is finally going to go on the stage!! So excited!!


    Audience 2: ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã Good luck, Sparrow! Crush all the previous contestants! Show them the pride of a top Gong!


    Audience 3: ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã Sparrow-sama, I will love you the most forever, there¡¯s no doubt about that!!


    Audience 4: ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã Good luck, Sparrow-sama!! Although the scores of the previous contestants are indeed high, you will surely get the highest score!! We strongly believe in that!!


    Audience 5: ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã That¡¯s right! Go for it with all you¡¯ve got and make that noisy ignorant bunch shut their traps!


    Audience 6: ¡ã.¡ã(((p(¨R¡õ¨Q)q)))¡ã.¡ã I kept holding on to that vote without giving it out, all for the sake of Bronze Sparrow-sama¡¯s performance! I will only vote for Bronze Sparrow-sama and no one else! I didn¡¯t even vote for Don¡¯t ask for my return date! Humph! ¡¾Ah~ So shy~ So shy~~ I really am Bronze Sparrow-sama¡¯s loyal fan~¡¿


    ...


    ¡°Bring it on,¡± Qi Jing¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t stray away from the screen as he said slowly, ¡°Let me hear your, great god¡¯s, exquisite acting¡ªthe best of you.¡±


    Go ahead.Once the performance, the judging, the voting ends, it will be obvious at a nce who¡¯s better than who. That¡¯s all I could wish for.


    ¡°During this audition, I could care less about how the other contestants perform, the only thing I¡¯m interested in is thepetition between us.¡± Because this is a stake between me and Shen Yan. Besides that, you hold no other meaning for me.


    But it seemed like the Bronze Sparrow Terrace himself had a different view on that matter.


    ¡°Everybody seems to have some kind of misunderstanding about me.¡±


    That voice he didn¡¯t hear for a long time reverberated in his headphones; Qi Jing could still feel that assault of male hormones in his voice, the first impression just as during the PIA they agreed to do back in the day. Either way, it was an inborn advantage, the other party was born with superior voice conditions¡ªeven Qi Jing couldn¡¯t deny it, not to mention those little fans infatuated with this low subwoofer-like voice.


    ¡°In fact, I didn¡¯t intend to offend other contestants, and my fans also didn¡¯t have such an intention. They¡¯re all sweet girls, they mean no harm.¡±


    That was Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s opening remark.


    This confident disy of defending his fans without doubt made these ¡°cute girls¡± of his momentarily go crazy, making them immensely proud for choosing the right idol to follow.


    From his voice to the way he talked, all of it made Qi Jing think of that luxurious wrapping paper from the high-end stores¡ªit was so exquisite and dazzling, it could even make the buyer overlook the quality of the product wrapped in it. But he had to admit, that was also a kind of marketing technique and a rather sessful technique to boot, so he couldn¡¯tin much about it.


    ¡°Especially... Don¡¯t ask for my return date.¡± Suddenly, Bronze Sparrow Terrace mentioned his ID specifically; one could hear the smile and nonchnce in his tone.


    Hearing that, Qi Jing instinctively sat straight, wary of this man¡¯s next words.


    He didn¡¯t want to be a part of this packaging, a pattern on the wrapping paper.


    But it seemed like that was how the wrapping paper was clearly designed, ¡°My rtionship with Don¡¯t ask for my return date is very good; we practised voice acting together, yed in an audio drama together, and I also had invited him to the city I live in.¡±


    Qi Jing was stunned¡ªwhen he finally came back to his senses, a light scoff escaped his lips.


    It was true that they practiced together, but it was only a one-time thing. Moreover it happened partially because he had no choice and partially to cater to Bronze Sparrow Terrace.


    It was also true that they yed in an audio drama together, but it was only for one episode, and it was mainly him who shouldered all of the hateter.


    And as for the invitation...


    If it was about the weibo post that got reposted over three thousand times, in which Bronze Sparrow Terrace @-ed him, then it indeed happened.


    ¡°So if someone said that we¡¯re at odds with each other... Then it¡¯s surely a misunderstanding.¡± All in smiles, Bronze Sparrow Terrace rified the previous negative remarks that appeared in the public chat.


    ¡°Oh...¡± Qi Jing piqued his brow, then also smiled from behind his screen.


    They were both smiling. It¡¯s just, one smile was warm and the other was cold, a striking difference from one another.


    ¡°Then, contestant No. 25 Bronze Sparrow Terrace, if your equipment is ready, I will mute my mic now.¡± It was easy to catch one¡¯s heart with Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s voice, and even Yang Chunqu wasn¡¯t an exception. Qi Jing could easily hear a softer tone than usual in her inquiry, indicating her strong good-will.


    Just like this, the situation was already tilting in Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s favour.


    His urbane reply only improved his impression, ¡°Thank you, you worked hard, Ms host.¡±


    Qi Jing took a deep breath and waited silently for him to start the first line. The counter with 120 seconds on it appeared on the left corner of the window just as Yang Chunqu announced. But although the time psed between each second was the same, Qi Jing felt as if the numbers were moving down faster. His anxiety had been stirred by Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s opening remarks just now, affecting hisposure


    But there was no need to worry.


    It wasn¡¯t about what he thought, but rather about how the other party performed.


    But at that time, a faint sigh was heard in his headphones, ¡°Ha...¡±


    Almost at the same moment, Qi Jing felt a chill rushing up his spine and every single strand of his hair standing on its ends, the shudder of his hand almost knocking the mouse down from his desk.


    What...


    What the...


    That opening of the scene with a sigh... That¡¯s clearly¡ª


    ¡°We really don¡¯t understand...¡± Bronze Sparrow Terrace said those words in an ailing voice, then paused for a bit before questioning in an annoyed and shrill tone, ¡°The country prospers, the people live in peace and favourable weather brings bountiful crops¡ªwhy are there still rebels causing trouble?¡±


    By the time Bronze Sparrow Terrace finished the first line, Qi Jing was basically sure of it.


    From the tone to the speed of speaking, from the outline to the details¡ªeverything was hardly any different from his performance from not so long ago. Even the change of attitude from leaning on the dragon throne to standing up impatiently was no different.


    The difference was, the advantage of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s voice type was too superior¡ªeven though his grasp on the acting out the details didn¡¯tpare to Qi Jing¡¯s, his voice could to some extent overshadow those ws, shifting the listeners¡¯ focus to that deep and captivating bass, making it hard to catch the stiffness of his acting.


    And as for the reason behind that stiffness, was because he was imitating, and not performing.


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace, that guy... He intended topletely copy and paste his performance?


    All at once, Qi Jing shot up from his chair, unaware of how his hand that was shaking from anger almost plucked the headphone cord out. But he had calmed down a little, he realised there was little he could do, nothing he could stop, other than unplugging all the cables in front of hisputer in a fit of rage.


    Many noticed this situation as well, but few actually tranted it into words.


    And even if they did, they would surely get refuted.


    Audience 1: ... Is it me, or is No.25¡¯s performance very simr to that of No.16...£¨¡Ñ£ß¡Ñ£»£©


    Audience 2: It seems that just as some person in the chat said just now, No.25 seems to be No.16 mentor or something?? In a word, if there really is this type of rtionship between them, then they might have very well quietly discussed it in private, so using the same acting style wouldn¡¯t be that strange. No.25 himself had said before that he has a very good rtionship with No.16, right??


    Audience 3: So it¡¯s not only me that feels that their acting style is very simr... But I feel like it¡¯s No.25 that is copying No.16...


    Audience 4: Oi oi, don¡¯t go around using people of giarism, okay? Wasn¡¯t the performance of that whole Uncle Bang before simr to those of many other contestants? Why didn¡¯t you say that he is a copycat? ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    Audience 5: There¡¯s so many contestants taking part in this audition, what¡¯s so strange about two people¡¯s acting being simr, the character is still the same character, and the setting is still the same setting. If everyone¡¯s characterprehension is right, then their acting would also turn out the same!! What¡¯s more, Sparrow himself had said that his and Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s rtionship is good, so perhaps it was him who taught Don¡¯t ask for my return date, so what¡¯s so strange about a teacher and his disciple giving a simr performance??


    Audience 6: ~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~ In terms of the voice, I prefer this contestant...¡¾Aaaah, I¡¯m such a sucker for the absolute gong voices¡¿


    ...


    The situation unfolding before him was so absurd that Qi Jingughed in exasperation.


    To be honest, there was a speck of truth to those rebuttals¡ªbefore he performed, many contestants, Went off with a bang included, all used a very simr acting methods, just as the regal bearing of the emperor, the royal stylisation of the emperor¡¯s wrath, the way they handled the tone while acting out the lines... And so on, and so forth.


    But every single one of those people would perform different details in a different way, Went off with a bang counting as an outstanding contestant among them, his execution of those details remarkable. Under those circumstances, it couldn¡¯t be determined if someone was copying someone else.


    But Qi Jing¡¯sprehension of the characters waspletely different from that of the others, so his performance was naturally unlike any other.


    That sigh at the start, his irritability and neuroticism as the character was sitting on the dragon throne... All kinds of such details was what he thought nned through by him when he went over the lines while linking them with the plot of the original novel¡ªit could be said that it was one and unique ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return style Emperor Chang¡±. Unless there was a person capable of reproducing his thought process, there was no possibility of creating an identical ¡°Emperor Chang¡±.


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace didn¡¯t replicate his thought process.


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace directly reproduced the fruits of his work, picking up the currently best scored by the judges performance. The reason was simple enough¡ªif he intended to copy, then he would surely choose to copy what was by far regarded as the best by the public, otherwise there would be no meaning to it.


    ¡°Damn it...¡±


    Qi Jing looked as the headphones cord tangled into a ball in his hand, his voice shaking along with his fingers.


    At the beginning, he thought it was him being furious, but onlyter did he realise that he actually got overwhelmed by an immense fear.


    If he... was unable to prove that it was the other party that copied him, using him as a stepping stone. In that case, he would lose.


    With his disadvantage of having a less suited voice type, and the performance style being simr... He would probably lose. And it wasn¡¯t as easy as losing just this match¡ªhe would also lose that bet he had with Shen Yan.


    T/N:


    Luci: Although I don¡¯t know how such situations are regarded and resolved in the actual voice actingpetitions, that move from Sparrow... *closes eyes to chant mind-soothing sutras*

 Chapter 84

    <h4>Chapter 84</h4>


    Thank you so much SilentReader for the donation!


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: Whitere


    If Bronze Sparrow Terrace didn¡¯t think it through, then he would¡¯ve copied all of his performance down to a T without making any changes.


    But in the face of the doubts that had been appearing in the public chat, he made slight changes in thetter part of his performance. For example, he didn¡¯t choose to use the most unique part of Qi Jing¡¯s interpretation¡ªthat is, the repetition of the lines¡ªweakening the audience¡¯s impression that he ¡°copied contestant No.16¡±.


    And in the scene with the roaring part, Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s having a more suitable voice gave him plenty of the oomph needed while not having to bear the negative effects of pressing one¡¯s voice like Qi Jing, so it sounded much more natural.


    The whole process was just like drawing a picture.


    It¡¯s much easier to copy an already finished piece than to start from apletely nk canvas.


    Moreover, one could improve on the imperfections of the original while imitating it. That way, although it was just a counterfeit, it could still fool the eyes of plenty ofmonymen and could even be sold for a higher price.


    ¡°We know that you rebels want to make Marquess Shun an emperor... Hehehe...¡±


    Although the details had been tweaked, the overall tone of the performance still followed Qi Jing¡¯s interpretation with a clear difference from how Went off with a bang and other contestants like him had handled it before. After a coldugh, Bronze Sparrow Terrace used his most outstanding roar to finish his performance, ¡°Marquess Shunyang... He¡¯s only a bastard spawned outside by the previous emperor! It is We who were titled the only true crown prince by the previous emperor¡ª!¡±


    As he finished acting out the third scene, Bronze Sparrow Terrace had a bit more leftover time than Qi Jing and was left with ten seconds.


    During this time, Bronze Sparrow Terrace smiled gently at his excited fans and spoke in a seemingly humble and modest tone, ¡°That¡¯s the end of my performance, thank you everyone. Although my position is quite far behind in the line-up, making it a bit disadvantageous for me, I still want to thank everyone for staying till now and listening to my own performance.¡±


    When Qi Jing heard this, his expression changed instantly, as if he had a basin of icy water poured on him from head to toe.


    There was a double meaning to those words... That whole ¡°far towards the end¡± of his line-up made it ¡°a bit disadvantageous¡± for him¡ªat first nce, it appeared to be using Qi Jing of being the real copycat; only because of the line-up would everyone think that it was Bronze Sparrow Terrace that copied him and not the other way round.


    And that ¡°listening to his own performance¡± at the end only deepened such misconception¡ª


    What ¡®disadvantage¡¯.


    What ¡®his own¡¯.


    ¡°Ha, hahaha...¡± Qi Jin heard himselfugh mechanically. If it weren¡¯t for the tremble of anger in his voice, his next words would really sound like genuine praise, ¡°Bronze Sparrow Terrace-sama, I actually didn¡¯t know you were such a good actor.¡±


    He did so splendidly at imitating a wronged tone that it was hard to not take his side.


    If he used a tenth of the realism from just now in ?Trap?, then they wouldn¡¯t get scorned by the fans of the original novel as much after the first episode went live. It turned out that he was wrong¡ªit wasn¡¯t that this person couldn¡¯t act, it¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t care to put in the effort.


    Either way, online VA circle was just an online VA circle and even voice acting was non-profit, so since one could take it easy while casually garnering some publicity... Then why not?


    Voice acting in ?Order to End the Heavens? allowed one to step into themercial field, so the stakes here weren¡¯t only the poprity, but also the mary awards for those who managed to get a role. How could someone with amercial voice acting background like Bronze Sparrow Terrace not know that? It was much easier to understand his conduct once one thought of thispetition as a form of a bid for work.


    ¡°So your ¡®conscientiousness¡¯ is selective, huh.¡± Qi Jingughed with scorn.


    There were many VAs in the circle who only did it as a hobby in their spare time, like him and Shen Yan, and there were those like Bronze Sparrow Terrace, who treated it as a money-making tool.


    To be fair, it¡¯s none of his business whether other people used voice acting as means to make money, but it was apletely different matter when his hard work was being ¡°borrowed¡± to make that process faster and easier for someone else.


    Qi Jing coldly observed as the voting window popped out, then disappeared, sitting motionless on his chair with his back rigidly straight.


    He knew that even if he didn¡¯t vote, those fervent little fans of Bronze Sparrow Terrace would still enthusiastically cast their votes for him. This silent show of protest meant absolutely nothing to the great god.


    He wished that, after the score came out, the great god would receive a solid p in the face.


    But in the end, the one who was left with his face hurting was himself...


    &#k3010;Voice Quality&#k3011;&#kUU1J;4.0&#kUU0A;3.5&#kUU0A;5.0&#kUU0A;average score 4.16


    &#k3010;Enunciation&#k3011;&#kUU1J;4.5&#kUU0A;4.0&#kUU0A;5.0&#kUU0A;average score 4.5


    &#k3010;Foundation Points&#k3011;&#kUU1J;3.5&#kUU0A;3.0&#kUU0A;5.0&#kUU0A;average score 3.83


    &#k3010;Charisma&#k3011;&#kUU1J;2.5&#kUU0A;2.0&#kUU0A;4.5&#kUU0A;average score 3.0


    Judging panel¡¯s evaluation: 4.16+4.5+3.83+3.0 = 15.49 points


    Additional audience vote points: 72.3% voting ratio = 0.723 points


    Overall score: 15.49+0.723 = 16.213 points


    Despite having prepared his heart for this, the moment he finally saw the actual score, he felt as if an iron hammer hit his chest.


    It didn¡¯t hurt; he just had a numbing sensation gradually taking over his head.


    A difference of 0.005 points... Maybe it didn¡¯t look like that much of a difference in terms of numbers, but it was enough to open a gaping chasm in his heart.


    ¡°Huuu...¡±


    Qi Jing let out a deep sight, as if to clear his seemingly clogged throat, then slowly breathed in through his nose. Unusually calm, he took off the headphones and rubbed his face so that the continuously updatedments in the chat no longer looked as if he were reading them through ayer of frosted ss¡ªonly then had he controlled his emotions enough to take a look.


    With the score turning out like that, the audience had divided into two very distinct factions.


    One of them was more inclined to his favour.


    Audience 1: = = ...Oi oi, it happened again, an overall score with this big of a disparity...


    Audience 2: = = ... Great God Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s final score turned out higher than that of Don¡¯t ask for my return date... Fine, I admit I¡¯m kind of surprised...¡¾Speaking of which, will I get killed for admitting that I didn¡¯t give my vote to the great god just now¡¿


    Audience 3:£¨¨s£­£ß£­£©¨s¨k¨k It¡¯s clear as day that No.25 referenced No.16¡¯s acting style!! It¡¯s so obvious, so why does no one hear that!! Anyway, I can hear it!!


    Audience 4: Responding to thementer above, in fact, I also kept feeling so¡¾Although theter part wasn¡¯t as simr anymore, maybe he changed it on purpose? I don¡¯t know...¡¿Also, even though their acting styles were simr, I still liked No.16¡¯s acting more, it felt more realistic, more charismatic. The opinion stated before is only an opinion of a reader of the novel, so fans, please don¡¯t me me.


    Audience 5: I really don¡¯t want to point fingers... But as a small Return Date fan, I feel that Return Date is really disadvantaged for not having many fans, especially when ites to the voting section... *sobs*.


    Audience 6: A certain someone once again started to make some movements in the dark? *Sneers* I can onlyugh in contempt. Either way, justice will always prevail¡ªlet¡¯s just look at the scores Teacher Pu¡¯s and Longbow gave, I only acknowledge the two of them.


    And the other faction, of course, sided with Bronze Sparrow Terrace.


    Audience 1: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q It¡¯s really makes meugh: someone¡¯s actually setting a rule that different contestants have to give different performances? What¡¯s more, it¡¯s so obvious that those two performances were different from each other, I really don¡¯t know why some people are so selectively deaf.


    Audience 2: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q That¡¯s right!! I really have no strength to quarrel with those trolls... They¡¯re saying that Bronze Sparrow is giarising? Where¡¯s the proof? Have you been to court before? Don¡¯t just nder people as and when you like, okay? Performance is just a performance, who said that the contestants can¡¯t have a simr or identical understanding of the character? Many people can perform in this style, yet as long as you say it¡¯s yours, then it¡¯s yours? Did you apply for the national copyright licence?


    Audience 3: I¡¯m so infuriated!! The lines for that character had been issued by the organisators, so that noisy bunch who yells about giarism can as well go all ¡°Everyone¡¯s lines are identical, so everyone is giarising¡±!!£¨¨s¨F¡õ¡ä£©¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø


    Audience 4: ¨r(¨s£ß¨t)¨q Some people are just too jealous...


    Audience 5: ¨r(¨s£ß¨t)¨q Some people are just unreconciled with their failure...


    Audience 6: Too cool, Bronze Sparrow-sama is just so amazing!! Even with a simr performance, he still managed to win!! (/¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~


    ¡°Indeed, I am unreconciled.¡± Qi Jing muttered.


    Still, a loss is a loss, so there¡¯s no way of altering the already published score.


    The words in the public chat once again started to blur before his eyes. Qi Jing blinked instinctively and every time he blinked, those letters would clear up a bit for a moment, but it wouldn¡¯t take long for them to blur once again.


    Either way, with the way things were now, it didn¡¯t really matter where the public opinion was leaning.


    Qi Jing stood up in silence, then left the bedroom and headed to the study. In that study, there was a person he really wanted to see, but now, with him like that, he was no longer suited to face him. That¡¯s why he only silently went over to the door and sat on the floor, his back leaning back on the door gently.


    There was no sound to be heard from inside the room.


    He didn¡¯t know whether Shen Yan had already fallen asleep, but was ratherforting to not have Shen Yan witness him at his most embarrassing and frustrating moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being a disappointment.¡± He whispered under his breath. After a long while, once again he chuckled self-mockingly, ¡°How good it would be if I was just as amazing as you¡ªto have some overwhelming advantage;¡ªI would be able to leave no hole for others to exploit, make them unable to even try and imitate me.¡±


    After that chuckle, his lips pursed slowly, and he sat at the entrance with a nk expression.


    He sat very neatly, very upright, because he knew that he did nothing that would make him unable to stand with his chest out. He lost in terms of the points, but in terms of the principles... He had no intention of admitting defeat.


    Qi Jing sat on the floor for over ten minutes¡ªhis legs went numb, and slowly, so did his mind. As such, the process of epting reality didn¡¯t feel as ufortable, it even took him less time than he thought it would.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    He took a deep breath and said a word of encouragement to himself. Then, he shot up to his feet, patted his clothes clean and went back to theputer.


    By that time, the audition section had already concluded and thepetition was about to enter the highly anticipated feedback segment. The judge responsible for the feedback for this part was Longbow¡ªhe was a model example of mildness and always took the encouraging route. He wouldn¡¯t give too low of a score and hismenting style was also rather lenient, not as harsh as Pu Yuzhi with his remarks.


    However, he actually gave Bronze Sparrow Terrace 2.5 points in thest category, which was shocking enough in and of itself.


    Qi Jing really wanted to hear his feedback.


    Nevertheless, the voices of protest regarding that low score had already appeared among Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans. As a mildermentator, he was more adept at finding the positives than picking the faults. In the case that he couldn¡¯t provide a sound exnation of why he deducted the points, the fans would most probably not let him off the hook.


    Among the three judges, Longbow was the unspoken representative of the organisers of thepetition, so it would be really awkward if the situation was to get noisy.


    Moreover... No matter how he looked at it, Longbow didn¡¯t seem like someone who would start arguing with the audience.


    That point wasn¡¯t just Qi Jing¡¯s worry, there was also someone else who was worried.


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿£º...Godammit! Didn¡¯t we already agree, no funny business!! £¨¨s¨F¡õ¡ä£©¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø


    Sleek horses run fast¡¯s first words were exactly this.


    ¡°Pfttt...¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t contain hisughter. Although he didn¡¯t know what connections Sleek horses run fast had behind the scene, it seemed like the events didn¡¯t go as he wished. Still, this action of flipping the table did soothe his heart a little.


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿: I already did my best.


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿£º.......


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿: Doesn¡¯t matter, there¡¯s too many variables to thepetition, so such situations are hard to avoid. It¡¯s fine as long as my own conscience is clear.


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿£º... *facepalms in silence* Forget it, there¡¯s no use for talking about it now. About the stuff behind the scenes, I will go and have a conversation with some people, just don¡¯t take it to yourself. The only thing is, Teacher Longbow, he... I¡¯m really distressed for him... ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿: Why?


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿£º His heart is too soft and he doesn¡¯t have a sharp tongue... *sobs* I had really wished that at least during the feedback a certain person would get his face pped... ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿: ...


    If Pu Yuzhi gave off the feeling of a strict mother, then Longbow was the kind older brother next door.


    It could be heard from the first words he said to Qi Jing, ¡°Contestant No.16, your voice sounded as if you made it a bit more raspy... Did you do something to your throat?¡±


    Unexpectedly, Longbow didn¡¯t start off with a feedback, but asked him a question.


    ¡°Oh...¡± Qi Jing opened his eyes with astonishment and touched his throat subconsciously. Could it be that his little scheme of rasping his voice by drinking sugar mixture and upping his sense of age had been seen through by Longbow?


    ¡°Was it to make you sound a bit older? I feel like your original voice is of a more youthful and bright type.¡± Longbow continued with his reasoning.


    That¡¯s right...


    ¡°This time, you probably either drank alcohol, some juice concentrate, or sugar solution of some kind.¡±


    That¡¯s entirely right...


    After asking this, Longbow smiled gently, ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t misunderstand¡ªI just remembered the times when I just started voice acting professionally and would sometimes get assigned an older role, so I also hurt myself like this to perform it. These methods are indeed effective, but they can damage your voice with long-term use If you voice act a lot, then you need to be more careful in that aspect¡ªthe burden of damaging our throats is heavy for us voice actors, so it¡¯s still best to use your usual voice which is the least harmful to you.¡±


    So he was just reminiscing about his past experiences... Qi Jing thought that he exposed him to criticise this kind of voice acting as unnatural, but hearing this, he subconsciously heaved a sigh of relief.


    Compared to an educator like Pu Yuzhi, Longbow was speaking more from the voice actor¡¯s perspective as a voice actor himself, giving Qi Jing a more amiable impression than before.


    ¡°To be honest, I kind of regret giving contestant No.16 3.5 points in the ¡®voice quality¡¯ section...¡±


    Longbow suddenly cut straight to the main topic.


    Qi Jing got surprised by him speaking of such ¡°regret¡± and promptly focused on listening to the following exnation.


    He knew that his natural voice qualities were below that of Bronze Sparrow Terrace, but it seemed like there was more to Longbow¡¯s words, which aroused the interest of that ever-curious mind of his.


    ¡°¡®Voice quality¡¯ as described by thepetition organisators should ¡®urately reflect the character¡¯s temperament, personality, and age¡¯, and since the very beginning of thepetition I always judged the contestants ording to these criteria.¡± Saying this, Longbow sighed softly, ¡°My first impression when contestant No.16 spoke was that... His voicecked a sense of age a bit.¡±


    Just as expected.Qi Jing also thought that the biggest obstacle in embodying ¡°Emperor Chang¡± was his age, especially if it was supposed to match the in-game character design after it was created.


    ¡°Still,¡± At that moment, Longbow made a sudden turn-around, ¡°After listening to the first scene I realised that this voice had been altered. I reckon that contestant No.16 already knew of his shorings, so he used clever means to make up for it before the audition¡ªI don¡¯t condone this way of altering one¡¯s voice as it¡¯s damaging and unnatural, but this attitude of recognising one¡¯s own shorings, as well as trying to do one¡¯s best to make up for them during voice acting is something I respect and admire.


    Before he finished this long speech, Qi Jing didn¡¯t dare to move or even breathe; not until he heard the final word, ¡°admire¡±, when he finally exhaled with relief.


    Longbow continued, ¡°Not only that,ter, I also realised that... This way of changing your voice could also hold another meaning. As ¡®Emperor Chang¡¯ kept taking the drugged immortality pills all year round, his body was alreadypletely debilitated. Thinking carefully... A hoarse voice seems like a more fitting way to express this character¡¯s sickly condition.¡±


    At that point, the voice in his headphones hesitated for a moment, as if Longbow was deliberating something.


    ¡°It may be that I only realised that point after listening to contestant No.25¡¯s performance...¡± Longbow slowly said the crucial point, sighing vexedly at the same time, ¡°Because since those two contestants¡¯ performances were simr, only afterparing them I suddenly realised: ¡®So that¡¯s how it should have been done¡¯... I¡¯m sorry, I think I might have stripped you of points.¡±


    T/N:


    Luci: Great God Bronze Sparrow Terrace truly is godly, to think that he could cause even such a mild person as Longbow to say something this savage... As veiled as his savagery is xDD


    Whitere: I¡¯m so d that Longbow is speaking up!! Five is so funny in this

 Chapter 85

    <h4>Chapter 85</h4>


    TLC: Lilies


    Editing: <i>unedited</i>


    There are two types of face-pping in the world.


    One of them is to p ruthlessly, with no restraint, inciting their immediate rage and causing them to turn hostile right away as they burst into curses.


    The other type was one that didn¡¯t use much strength so it wouldn¡¯t hurt as much, yet strong enough to make the pped person boil with anger, but unable to snap back at you or throw a punch in retaliation.


    And Longbow was a perfect example of thetter type¡ª


    ¡°Heh...¡±


    By the time he realised that point, a mockingugh escaped Qi Jing¡¯s lips in a moment of carelessness.


    He didn¡¯t regard himself as a mean person, he wouldn¡¯tugh at other people getting humiliated. But today, he really couldn¡¯t hold himself from scoffing out loud.


    It was the first time during an officialpetition for a judge to apologise for miscalcting the score.


    If one also took into ount Longbow¡¯s identity as the spokesperson of the organisers, then this situation had all the makings of fine gossiping material.


    But at this point, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t care less anymore. Since he got involved with Bronze Sparrow Terrace in the ?Trap? audio drama, this ID of ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡± was already been forced into the centre of all kinds of gossips within the voice acting circle despite not doing anything. At first he found it ridiculous to the point of being hrious, then it gradually became a burden, but he had no way to run away from it, so he could only turn a blind eye and deaf ear to it. And now, the idea of stepping into the spotlight of his own ord has actually crossed his mind.


    Because the stronger the light, the clearer the shadows.


    As for whose shadow was straight and whose was crooked... He believed that the people with a discerning eye would see that clearly enough.


    Still, people with a discerning eye were often not too quick to judge, and those who rushed to make a racket would usually be those who are selectively blind, or actually blind.


    Audience 1: ... What is this judge implying? What does he mean by ¡°stripped of points¡±? Does he intend to overthrow the previous score? = =


    Audience 2: ... He wants the score to be recalcted? On what basis?


    Audience 3: Hehe, Don¡¯t ask for my return date sure is treated well, enjoying the privileges other contestants can¡¯t. ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    Audience 4: Hehe, he lost and still bribed the judges, I really don¡¯t know what to say. Turns out a certain XX is just this unreasonable~ ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    Audience 5: If judges dare to change the score, then I will go andin to the game developers!! (¨s¨F¡õ¡ä)¨s¦à©ß©¥©ß


    Audience 6: Just as the one above said!! I will refuse to ept this kind of unfair treatment!! (¨s¨F¡õ¡ä)¨s¦à©ß©¥©ß


    ...


    ¡°I never intended to change contestant No.16¡¯s score.¡± That was Longbow¡¯s response in the face of the ridicule in the chat, his exnation fair and reasonable, ¡°My criteria for judging all the contestants before contestant No.25 were all the same... If I were to change it now, then it would be unfair to all of those who had already performed.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Not only Qi Jing wasn¡¯t disappointed, he also approved of Longbow¡¯s way of handling this matter.


    If his score were to be changed, it would surely incur the discontent of the other contestants present. Although he wouldn¡¯t mind going under the spotlight to getpared with Bronze Sparrow Terrace for everyone to see, but that was something between them, it wouldn¡¯t be fair to make others suffer due to their personal conflict¡ªLongbow¡¯s decision was indeed quite wise.


    As expected, with just these words, all the people who would previously cry that ¡°thepetition is unfair¡±, or ¡°the judge is foul¡± were now nowhere to be seen, the effect instantaneous.


    At that time, Longbow suddenly spoke once again, ¡°Still... because contestant No.16¡¯s and contestant No.25¡¯s performances had a lot of simrities, I wanted to discuss them alongside each other.¡±


    Qi Jing started to really admire Longbow.This round of ps, no matter if it was their strength or skill behind them, could all be only described as ¡°wonderful¡±. He could almost hear the sound of Bronze Sparrow Terrace face getting pped.


    And so Qi Jing listened happily to that sound of a face getting smacked while still paying attention to Longbow¡¯s evaluation.


    But he was caught by a surprise, unlike his usual style of opening in a more veiled manners, Longbow went straight to the point this time, ¡°As a professional voice actor, I can¡¯t deny that during the stage of honing the basic skills, we would also imitate our senior voice actors¡¯ acting¡ªmany in fact had started out like that.¡±


    A single sentence made the atmosphere on the spot suddenly tense up.


    Even Qi Jing¡¯s smile disappeared.


    He would never expect Longbow to be so tant and use the word ¡®imitate¡¯; he thought that Longbow would maybe phrase it in a different way to leave Bronze Sparrow Terrace a bit of dignity... But his tone right now was that of proiming the already confirmed, undeniable truth.


    Qi Jing wasn¡¯t at all afraid of the truth getting revealed, because ultimately, he would not be the one who would be disgraced.


    What he was worried about was Longbow¡¯s stance¡ªif ¡®imitating¡¯ was a normal urrence in the voice acting circle, then wouldn¡¯t that indirectly imply that imitating was reasonable, and the imitator shouldn¡¯t be condemned?


    Just as everyone held their breaths in anticipation, Longbow finally went to the main point, ¡°So... A person who chose to imitate others is usually either a beginner, or someone who is aware of theircking fundamental skills.¡±


    A beginner¡ªp.


    Lacking fundamental skills¡ªp.


    <i>So that¡¯s how it was.</i>


    The listeners in the chat burst out withughter before Qi Jing could even do it himself.


    Audience 1: Hahahahahahahahahahahaha... A certain someone probably had his face pped silly? Does it hurt?


    Audience 2: Hahaha, Teacher Longbow, you¡¯re actually a natural airhead with a sharp tongue, aren¡¯t you! Iughed so hard my tummy started to cramp up!!


    Audience 3: ~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~ All of a sudden I started to feel that Teacher Longbow is so cute!!


    Audience 4: ~\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/~Such a cutie!! Such an airhead!!


    Audience 5: Oh Yeah!! Just like this!! As a Return Date fan, I¡¯m kneeling down for Teacher Longbow!!¡¾Oi¡¿Just now it was so aggravating to silently watch those fans bouncing around all over the ce!! And now I¡¯ve finally recovered!!¡¾Teacher, no need to stop now, go on~¡¿


    Audience 6: Huhuhu, I just knew that Teacher Longbow would have a clear view of this. As for stuff like copying... that¡¯s ultimately something underhanded. Only real emotions can move people! Good luck, Don¡¯t ask for my return date!


    ...


    Putting the scores Longbow gave Qi Jing and Bronze Sparrow Terrace side by side topare, it wasn¡¯t hard to say who, in his eyes, was copying who.


    If someone was toe out and try to distort the facts now, it would only result in them appearing less and less credible the more they would argue.


    The people who were trying to shift me onto Qi Jing, bombarding countercharges against him, saying that it was him who was a ¡°copycat¡±, disappeared without any trace, and the public chat suddenly cleared up.


    ¡°There are plenty of outstanding seniors in the voice actingmunity, I won¡¯t introduce them one by one, but everyone can look up the rted materials online if you¡¯re interested.¡± Longbow spoke in a steady voice, ¡°Among those seniors, many have something special to their acting, so there¡¯s always plenty of people who like to imitate them. Still, a person will always have their own understanding, so imitating those seniors may help you discover the good points of their technique and byparing, contrasting them, it can be the means to better your own skills¡ªbut it can¡¯t be ¡®yours¡¯.¡±


    Rather than going straight tomenting on Qi Jing¡¯s and Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s voice acting, unhurriedly borating on his point first, talking about it in more detail.


    Pu Yuzhi liked to start from the details, but Longbow was the opposite, and liked starting from the big picture first.


    ¡°I believe that everyone has simr experiences in your daily life¡ªa borrowed item isn¡¯t as handy in use as one¡¯s own, and that¡¯s also how it is with voice acting. Contestant No.16...¡± When he got to that point, Longbow hesitated for a moment before muttering, ¡°When I listened to contestant No.16¡¯s performance, I would imagine the movements of the character while listening and those images would link perfectly all the way until the end, with no interruption.¡±


    Maybe... that was exactly what it meant to be immersed in a character?


    Although Longbow said it in a different way, what he wanted to convey was probably a simr thing.


    His imagery wasn¡¯t interrupted, which meant that during that time, there was not even a moment for the listener to extricate themself from the experience. Qi Jing always regarded ¡°immersion¡± as his main objective whenever he voice acted, so recognition and approval from a veteran professional voice actor suddenly made his heart surge with feelings.


    ¡°Contestant No.16¡¯s rendition of ¡®Emperor Chang¡¯ was a bit different from the standard I had imagined, but aside from the sense of age being slightly off, I feel like No.16¡¯s overall skill is very high-level and unique in style.¡± Longbow chuckled softly, ¡°I had already said that when Imented on the previous contestants¡¯ acting¡ªmany of you focused on the wrong aspects, emphasising the conventional ¡®imperial¡¯ bearing or conventional rage of a ¡®foolish emperor¡¯... But ¡®Emperor Chang¡¯ is different from the emperors in typical novels or movies, so simply knowing he was a poor emperor without understanding the cause of him being an inapt ruler is simply not enough.¡±


    ¡°If we looked past the title of emperor in this character, what kind of person would we see? What was the state of the courts during his reign? What were the stakes between the emperor and his ministers? A person who doesn¡¯t understand those details would be unable to act out the changes in this character¡¯s emotional state.¡±


    At that time, he brought the topic back to Qi Jing.


    ¡°No. 16 still has room for improvement in the way he handled some of the details, but his grasp of the character settings is very urate, making a breakthrough in the acting style after the numerous contestants before him, which was a nice breath of fresh air. In apetition this big, doing somethingpletely different than so many people before you requires plenty of courage and confidence, since people tend to primarily seek stability when voice acting on the spot. Ones like No.16, who try to make a breakthrough, truly leave me amazed...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because my voice isn¡¯t as suited as the other peoples¡¯ by nature, so I can only try and make a breakthrough through my acting skills.¡± Qi Jing answered with a smile.


    This audition was a bet between him and Shen Yan, as well as a bet he made with himself.


    There is always a risk to a gamble.


    If you lose, you lose hard, and if you win, you win hard.


    The voices of agreement started to also appear among the audience.


    Audience 1: ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sAaah... Teacher Longbow hit the nail on its head! I feel like No.16¡¯s style ispletely different from the contestants before him, so listening to it got me really heated! And the difference in his acting didn¡¯te from nowhere, it made me feel like it got so much closer to the character himself than any of the performances before...


    Audience 2: ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sThe fan of the original ?Order to End the Heavens? novel here to say that Emperor Chang from the novel isn¡¯t your conventional emperor character~ As the saying goes, the hateful people all have their pitiful side. When I read the novel, I had a lot of pity for this character and I feel like it was the environment he was brought up in that made him be like that... With No.16 paying attention to that contradiction, it made this character much more lifelike~


    Audience 3: That one phrase from Teacher Longbow, ¡°Those images would link perfectly all the way until the end¡±¡ªI can¡¯t agree more!! I had no problems imagining a neurotic junkie emperor!! ¡¾Eh... Return Date-sama, that¡¯s me praising you, really...¡¿


    ...


    At that time, Longbow shifted the focus to Bronze Sparrow Terrace, ¡°To my surprise, this style of performance actually... Appeared once again among one of theter performances by another contestant¡ªI¡¯m talking about No.25 whose acting I found simr to No.16¡¯s.¡±


    As expected, before he could even finish talking, there was an immediate criticism from the Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans.


    Audience 1: Why the hell it has to be No.25 being simr to No.16, and not No.16 being simr to No.25?? The line-up is decided randomly, it¡¯s not like the VAs themselves decided upon it!! Even if they decided upon how they would like to perform, the contestants who are further towards the end are still at a disadvantage!!


    Audience 2: Exactly!! Deciding who is copying who on the sole basis of the order of performing is too arbitrary, too unreasonable!!


    Audience 3: I have no prejudice against Don¡¯t ask for my return date, I just can¡¯t watch some people keep bullying Bronze Sparrow-sama again and again... Everyone present knows about Bronze Sparrow-sama¡¯s level of skill, I¡¯ve worked with him before on a certain audio drama, and his voice acting was superb, and he himself is so considerate and courteous, so I don¡¯t know why he needs to get ndered? He¡¯s already well known in the circle, why would he go out of his way to copy a voice actor who is far less popr than him?


    ...


    ¡°I¡¯m indeed not as popr as him.¡± Qi Jing smirked coldly, ¡°But isn¡¯t deciding who is copying who on the sole basis of their poprity arbitrary and unreasonable?¡±


    Of course, the fans couldn¡¯t hear that.


    It¡¯s just that Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help himself from making a snarkyment to make himself feel a bit better, that¡¯s all.


    But Longbow who currently had the ess to the mic could answer directly, ¡°I¡¯m not saying it only because of the order of the performances¡ªwhat led me to thinking so is the flow of acting within the 120 seconds allocated to each contestant.¡±


    The so-called flow is an abstract idea.


    Still, Longbow exined this abstract concept with a concrete example. ¡°It¡¯s the same thing as when we listen to music. When I was listening to No.16¡¯s performance, it was like a consistent melody from start to the end; I might have not liked the melodypletely, but it was very smooth, with no ces that would appear incongruous in it. And as for the No.25... It was a weird-sounding tune, there were some parts that got close to No.16¡¯s melody, but there were also some parts that included different instruments. From what I was hearing, it sounded like there wasn¡¯t much harmony between the scenes and the whole piece appeared as if it was patched together.


    ¡°To be more specific, for example: Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven were all outstandingposers, no matter whose piece you would listen to on its own, they¡¯re all ssics. But if you took one part from each of their pieces and put it together, the final product wouldn¡¯t necessarily sound all that pleasant, even if the parts you chose were the most outstanding ones from the original work¡ªand that¡¯s because those three pieces put together don¡¯t have much coherence.


    ¡°As someone who had already spent nearly ten years doing professional voice acting, I think that flow is a very important aspect, especially in such a lengthy work as ?Order to End the Heavens?. When there¡¯s arge amount of lines for a character, a good flow can guarantee the unity of the character¡¯s image, as well as increase it¡¯s logicality and credibility.¡±


    Longbow¡¯s tone was serious, without even the slightest hint of joking.


    At first, Qi Jing just wanted to hear how he would p Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s face, but now he was truly focussed on what he had to say, listening to him intentedly.


    He didn¡¯t even feel as angryter when Longbow gave Bronze Sparrow Terrace a leeway.


    ¡°In fact, to be able to notice the shorings of No. 16 and improve on them, as No. 25 did, it¡¯s not something one can do without a fair amount of skill... But as I said just now, an item borrowed from someone else isn¡¯t as handy as one¡¯s own, so it¡¯s easy to make mistakes, and the final product can suffer greatly.¡±


    This way, Longbow indirectly exined why he gave Bronze Sparrow Terrace such a high score for the foundation points, but took away so many for the charisma criterion.


    ¡°I have something to tell, not only to those two contestants, but to all of you.¡± He said, ¡°Only emotionsing from your own heart can ¡®live¡¯ through your voice¡ªI hope that everyone will try and experience the characters on their own, sculpting those emotions by themselves.¡±


    For a moment, Qi Jing sat dumbstruck before the screen.


    Despite Longbow¡¯s words being clearly encouraging to him, he couldn¡¯t help but knit his brows.


    ¡°Losing might be karma, because I did yield and go against my will when acting once before.¡± After all, he didpromise for the first episode of ?Trap?. Once he thought so, he suddenly felt that this kind of ending was also pretty adequate, at least it could serve him as a sort of punishment. With this, he could feel the stifling feeling in his chest gradually dissipate.


    If he got another chance... He would have stuck to his thought process, to his understanding of the story.


    Either way, he had already offended the great god once today, so he was no longer afraid of repeating his offence.


    Qi Jing smiled with relief¡ªbut his smile had yet to disappear when suddenly, he suddenly heard an urgent notification sound that interrupted his thinking.


    ¡ªA QQ notification.


    An icon flickered in the lower left corner of the screen, and coincidentally, it was precisely the one for the ?Trap? production crew.


    ¡°But it can¡¯t be this coincidental, right...?¡± Qi Jing slowly sucked in a mouthful of breath, hesitating whether he should open the QQ messages. He knew that if there was movement from the production crew at this time, then it was without doubt rted to thepetition.


    The two main cast members had a falling out whilepeting for the same role and were even pointed out by the judge during the feedback section with a clear bias towards one of them, yet the other one had an invincible fanbase and unbeatable appeal. If the staff members of the production crew happened to listen to thatpetition, the results would be horrific.


    As an individual, Qi Jing could say at ease: Today made me furious, I don¡¯t like Bronze Sparrow Terrace and his conduct.


    But as just a part of the production crew, he couldn¡¯t say anything too harsh for now.


    A personal grudge was one thing, but he shouldn¡¯t involve the innocent staff members into it. As a voice actor, he could voice his personal opinion freely, but as for the right to make the final decision about the internal affairs of the production crew... remained in the hands of the producer.


    The producer of ?Trap? was the type who wouldn¡¯t step in until she had to.


    The first one to speak up in the chat would always determine the course of the events, but unfortunately, this time this person was none other than the loyal fan of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡ªtheir sound designer.


    Sound designer ¨C A Lifetime¡¯s Lock: ... Don¡¯t ask for my return date, you there? Come out and exin to me, what¡¯s your rtionship with that judge? You guys stirring shit up like that is disgracing our entire production crew, do you know that?


    Qi Jing took in a deep breath.


    It¡¯s not like he expected things to go this way. And to take a step back and think honestly, didn¡¯t Bronze Sparrow Terrace also not consider how his actions would influence the staff?


    Longbow still carried on with his feedback, and it was hard for him to reply by typing a message on QQ, so he hardened his heart and didn¡¯t reply.


    But even without him replying, the bad atmosphere in the chat continued to escte along the course of the conversation.


    Xiao Qiao of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s harem: Don¡¯t ask for my return date!! Show yourself!!


    Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s harem: I¡¯ll just scoff and not say anything.


    Sound designer ¨C A Lifetime¡¯s Lock: Don¡¯t you think that you can do whatever you want since Bronze Sparrow-sama isn¡¯t added to the group! We¡¯re still here! Don¡¯t ask for my return date, it doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re lurking or ying dead, you¡¯d better show yourself ASAP and give an exnation, otherwise I will quit the production, forget about me doing the remaining two episodes!


    Scriptwriter ¨C Puppet Show: ... What¡¯s wrong, what is happening...


    Sound designer ¨C A Lifetime¡¯s Lock: You go and ask him yourself -¡£-


    Xiao Qiao of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s harem: You still dare to ask what happened!! Don¡¯t ask for my return ganged up with the judge and bullied our Sparrow before so many people!! Unforgivable!! (¨s¨F¡õ¡ä)¨s¦à©ß©¥©ß


    Sound designer ¨C A Lifetime¡¯s Lock: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷¡ã|||)¦õWha, what judge?? I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about...


    Xiao Qiao of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s harem: The ?Order to End the Heavens? voice actingpetition!!


    Scriptwriter ¨C Puppet Show: Oooh, that one, uh... I¡¯m not really keeping up with that, what happened??


    Seemingly annoyed by the out-of-the-loop scriptwriter, the sound designer didn¡¯t feel like exining and just tossed a single sentence.


    Sound designer ¨C A Lifetime¡¯s Lock: Either way, there¡¯s no use telling you¡ª Don¡¯t ask for my return date, mark my words, you¡¯d better apologise to Bronze Sparrow-sama pronto, only then might this situation be salvageable.


    T/N:


    Luci: Just as we got some crumbs of satisfaction from Longbow...QAQ


    And way to mess things up, gals @[email protected] (Although I feel like Big Return Date is just a walking ma for all kinds of messy dramas, should we me him? After all, when in doubt, me the cat :3 *am deliriously spreading the catboy Qi Jing agenda to cope*)


    Lilies: I saw ament on JJWXC that perfectly expressed my thoughts about A Lifetime¡¯s Lock: ÄÔ×ÓËäÈ»³¤µÄÏñ´ó³¦µ«²¢²»Òâζ×Ŷ¼¿ÉÒÔÓÃÀ´×°Êº°¡Ð¡¹ÃÄï. Just because your brain looks like arge intestine doesn¡¯t mean it can be used to hold shit, little girl.

 Chapter 86

    <h4>Chapter 86</h4>


    Many thanks to Belegdae and the anonymous donator for the generous kofis!


    Editor: Whiteres


    Apologise?But if I really apologise, wouldn¡¯t that be the end of me?


    At first, Qi Jing didn¡¯t intend to reply, but seeing that message, heughed with exasperation, but suddenly, an idea sprouted in his head. It wasn¡¯t that good of an idea, it could even be called ridiculous, but... it was just about the right reciprocation to Bronze Sparrow Terrace and his fans¡¯ ridiculousness.


    Either way, Jade Butterfly had said before that Bronze Sparrow Terrace had already been decided on behind the scenes.


    Since that was the case, there was no harm in going for broke and giving it a try.


    CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Fine.


    Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s harem: !!


    Xiao Qiao of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s harem: !! Don¡¯t ask for my return date, are you for real??


    Sound designer ¨C A Lifetime¡¯s Lock: ...Huh-uh, aren¡¯t you surprisingly well-mannered. But since that¡¯s the case, then what¡¯s the matter with those dealings today?? You go and apologise to Bronze Sparow-sama as early as possible and to all of the listeners too. Admit that you ndered him and everything will go back to normal. ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Fine.


    Xiao Qiao of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s harem: Just your word is enough!! When are you going to apologize?? Give us a precise time~ £¨¦á¦ä¦á£©


    CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Tomorrow, when we will both be taking part in thepetition, I will talk to everyone when it¡¯s my turn to get ess to the mic.


    Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s harem: Don¡¯t you go back on that.


    Sound designer ¨C A Lifetime¡¯s Lock: Don¡¯t you go back on that. +1


    CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date: See you tomorrow.


    After sending thest three words, Qi Jing closed the production crew group chat and leaned against the back of the chair to carefully think through what he would say the next day.


    Tomorrow, during the semi-finals for the main male character ¡°Qin Tuo¡±, was his and the great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s second confrontation. Since Bronze Sparrow Terrace could use foul means even during the audition for an NPC, he would surely be even more careful when it came to the main character. Even if he already had that role guaranteed, he still wouldn¡¯t let any mishap happen.


    ¡°The more he¡¯s like that, the better the final oue.¡± Qi Jingughed, his plot already taking shape in his mind.


    The line-up for ¡°Qin Tuo¡± audition was: Bronze Sparrow Terrace as No.10, him as No.12. Such a line-up was just perfect for this n.


    He was thinking it through while tapping on the desk with his fingers when, once again, a private QQ message notification could be heard. He lowered his head to look¡ªit turned out to be the scriptwriter, Puppet Show, who had stayed silent from trepidation in the chat before, too afraid to even say a word.


    Puppet Show: /(¨Òo¨Ò)/~~ Return Date-sama...


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I¡¯m sorry for inconveniencing you just now.


    Puppet Show: /(¨Òo¨Ò)/~~ Although I don¡¯t exactly know what had happened, but seeing them talk like that made me worry about you, so I came over to ask.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Mn, thank you for your concern. You didn¡¯t follow thepetition, so you¡¯re not in the know with the situation, but to be honest, there¡¯s no need to get into that. Don¡¯t be afraid, the production of the audio drama will go as it¡¯s supposed to. ^_^


    Puppet Show: ...


    Puppet Show: ...


    Puppet Show: ... If I need to be honest, after the first episode got released and I read all of the reviews, I felt that our production crew did you a huge disservice...


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I know what you¡¯re implying, but don¡¯t me yourself too much. At that time, I didn¡¯t stand my ground, so it serves me right.


    Puppet Show: /(¨Òo¨Ò)/~~ I can¡¯t help it, the more you¡¯re like that, the more I me myself!!


    Puppet Show: To say it bluntly, I regret that Rouge agreed to let Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao enter the group chat... The great god himself isn¡¯t even there, so that¡¯s even more the reason to not let the uninvolved people in... But Rouge had said that inviting the great god to the production crew was only thanks to their connections, so she felt bad refusing them and the sound designerdy is also one of the great god¡¯s close supporters... It was theck of consideration on our, the staffs¡¯, part that led to such an awkward situation. I¡¯m so sorry.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Mhm, I can understand this. ^_^


    Puppet Show: That¡¯s so strange... This time they¡¯re making a ruckus to make you apologise, but I feel like you did nothing wrong. Sigh... It¡¯s probably because I feel like you were always well-tempered and behaved properly, so I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s you who¡¯s to me...


    Qi Jing was taken by surprise, the furrow between his brows smoothing out without him realising, ¡°Haha&#k2026;¡±


    At least when it came to his image, he wasn¡¯t losing out to the great god.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Thank you Puppet, I won¡¯t give up and will keep waiting for the second episode toe out from the oven together with everyone. ^_^


    Puppet Show: ...About the second episode... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: What¡¯s wrong?


    Puppet Show: After the first episode got published, I worked quickly to finish writing the script for the second episode, so after I examined it with other staff members and modified it a few times, I sent it to you and the great god. Rouge contacted the great god and said she wanted to do another PIA since the general feedback for the first episode contained a lot ofints from the original novel¡¯s fans. She wanted the two of you to act together for a bit to correct the general style of the acting, but... she got refused... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ...


    Puppet Show: The reason was, the sound designer and DaXiao Qiao thought that the first episode was very good, and since we already did PIA for the first episode, there was no need for another one; the great god also said so.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ...


    No wonder there was no PIA arranged for him and Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡ªturns out that this was the reason...


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s stance had already been very obvious from his behaviour after the first episode got released; he thought that an audio drama was a ¡°secondary franchise¡± and didn¡¯t need to stay true to the original work¡ªit was fine as long as the listeners found it pleasing to the ear. Since he gained a further understanding towards this person today, Qi Jing was now even less hopeful about him actuallymitting to analysing the script and improving his understanding of the character.


    Rouge Flower was probably afraid of the two of them getting into a fight and stayed silent about the truth, so she used an excuse of ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the two of your usual schedules can¡¯t be matched up¡± and made him record on his own toter pass the feedback to each of them through the director.


    Speaking of which, it had been a long time since he sent the dry recordings for the second episode, but he didn¡¯t know how the progress was.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: It¡¯s fine if they think there¡¯s no need for it. Either way, I feel like I¡¯m morefortable when recording by myself... But now while we¡¯re at it, it¡¯s been a long time since I sent the dry recordings, so has the post-production started already?


    Puppet Show: It hasn¡¯t... Seems like the great god is very busy and didn¡¯t have time to record yet. _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ...


    Puppet Show: /(¨Òo¨Ò)/~~ That¡¯s even more the reason for me to feel like we¡¯re doing a disservice to you aaahhhhh!!


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: It doesn¡¯t matter, let¡¯s just wait for a bit longer.


    Puppet Show: /(¨Òo¨Ò)/~~ Return Date-sama, let me tell you... There are times when my brain suddenly ponders a certain particrly dangerous thought¡ªif at first it wasn¡¯t Bronze Sparrow Terrace that Rouge invited to star as a lead gong, but Geese Fly North, how good would that be...


    The moment he saw those three words, ¡°Geese Fly North¡±, the light in his eyes flickered, the tremble seemingly caused by a conditional reflex.


    Even his heart skipped half a beat.


    Only in the next moment to start pounding madly without stop¡ª


    <i>That¡¯s right...</i>


    At that time, it was none other that Puppet Show who invited ¡°Geese Fly North¡± into the ?Trap? production crew, resulting in that one evening, that one makeshift PIA which barely anyone knew about.


    Now, when a third person mentioned that topic, all kinds of memories from that time started to flood into his mind, changing those white and ck pages of the script into scenes from the story. They were so lifelike¡ªin a moment, Qi Jing lost himself to the daze, once again getting immersed in the story.


    ¡¾I knew from the very beginning that everything you did was a scheme against me.¡¿


    The low, exasperated voice.


    Its pained, conflicted tone.


    Even though he had clearly listened to it who knows how many times, he still couldn¡¯t forget the astonishment he felt when he first heard it... Both his hearing and mind got utterly entranced.


    Qi Jing felt a slight heat spreading in his ears and couldn¡¯t help rubbing them.


    Recalling those lines easily made him remember how that man used to murmur by his ear in a low voice.


    He used to think that since he¡¯d been with Shen Yan for so long, he could already handle his voice pretty well, that he got used to his low timbre when he talked. But ¡°like¡± was quite a stubborn feeling. It wasn¡¯t a matter of getting used or not¡ªonce it sprouted, its roots would stretch deep into one¡¯s heart... and that¡¯s why, no matter how many times he heard it, the feeling he would get would always be ¡°like¡±.


    Qi Jing remained silent.


    Puppet Show stayed unaware of the turmoil in his heart and continued to chatter away.


    Puppet Show: But that¡¯s impossible, if we decided upon a person then that¡¯s it. What¡¯s more, Uncle Yan also doesn¡¯t ept the main roles...


    Puppet Show: About Uncle Yan, he really is so kind-hearted... It clearly wasn¡¯t even his role, but he was still so diligent during the PIA. And he would also always send the recordings quickly and in high quality... Nowadays VAs like him are so hard toe by.


    Puppet Show: But I couldn¡¯t contact him for the longest time... It seems like he had retired from the circle?


    Puppet Show: /(¨Òo¨Ò)/~~ I kinda miss him...


    Seeing this message, for some unknown reason, Qi Jing suddenly typed a few words, sending it before he could even think twice.


    ¡¾Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Me too, I also miss him.¡¿


    Miss him.He missed that Geese Fly North who quietly listened to his most intimate thoughts; he missed that Geese Fly North who held his hand tightly, not letting him go.


    Only a single wall separated them, yet he still so missed... he so wanted to find the man who had taken him out on that cold and rainy day, to find that intimate moment when, after the door closed slowly, two people¡¯s hearts were at their closest as they embraced.


    ¡°Hiss¡ª ¡± The moment he realised that his fingers had just typed out those words, Qi Jing immediately woke up with a start, his cheeks gradually turning red.


    Crap...Crap... What the hell am I saying to a youngdy?


    Puppet Show: ¦²(¤Ã¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã...


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Ah! Nonono, please ignore what I had just said!


    Puppet Show: ¦²(¤Ã¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã... It seems... like I just got to hear something I wasn¡¯t supposed to know...


    Puppet Show: Return Date-sama, wasn¡¯t it that your impression had always been very good... I remember that you used to talk about him a lot with me, asking me about his situation...


    Puppet Show: Eh, eheheh?? Can it be, can it be that the meaning behind those words is about the same as I used to headcanon?? Holy!!


    ¡ªAnd what were you headcanoning, huh, Ms Puppet?


    Qi Jing facepalmed in silence, wanting only to find a hole to bury himself in. Digging his own grave... That¡¯s straight up digging his own grave, his IQ and whatsoever had probably already been gnawed and gulped down by Little Return Date.


    Girls in the circle had an extraordinary sensitivity to gossip, yet even though he was in the circle for so many years, he still hadn¡¯t learned his lesson.


    Suddenly, Puppet Show cried out loudly.


    Puppet Show: AH!!


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ??


    Puppet Show: Right, right!! There¡¯s one thing you would never expect, Return Date-sama!! (rolls around)


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: What would I not expect...


    Puppet Show: Did you know, thest time I interacted with Uncle Yan on QQ, it was actually him who initiated the conversation!!


    This took Qi Jing by surprise.


    For Shen Yan, who had never been good atmunicating with strangers, to actively start a conversation with an unfamiliar girl like Puppet Show¡ªhe really would never expect that.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Why did he look for you?


    Puppet Show: Because he wanted to know your QQ number, so he came to ask me!! Holy, now that I think of it, how did I not think of it!! That¡¯s unscientific!!


    Puppet Show: ...Eh, wait a minute...


    Puppet Show: ¦²(¤Ã¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã I gave him your QQ number at that time, so did he never get in touch with you?? I¡¯mpletely baffled...


    Puppet Show: Did you get in touch did you get in touch did you get in touch didyougetintouch??


    ...


    ...


    As for the content of the rest of the interrogation, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t remember any more of it.


    And that¡¯s because the moment he saw that ¡°wanted to know your QQ number¡±, his thoughts were already away from the content of the screen. It was as if the words on it started to wash away under the pattering rain from back when the two of them chatted separated by the inte¡ªthey grew blurry, his emotions starting to sink in together with the trails of rainwater.


    Qi Jing subconsciously reached out his hand and closed theptop.


    After he moved the hand away, the glossy surface of theptop reflected his face¡ªand only then he saw clearly the expression on his face. It was for sure no different than during that day, when he received a QQ friend invitation from Geese Fly North¡ªa bit dazzled, but also a bit disbelieving.


    Yet... It was also impossible for him to say that he didn¡¯t rejoice in it.


    ¡ªAre you okay?¡ªI¡¯m fine, thank you.¡°And you?¡±


    After such a long time, he suddenly realised that he should have ended it with two more words¡ªonly then would this exchange be trulyplete.


    Only like this it would be a whole, and only then they would be able to go on.


    After a short spell of silence, Qi Jingughed twice¡ªbut his smile was somewhat bitter.


    It didn¡¯t actually matter what the reply would be, what mattered the most was letting that man know that he cared about his reply, whether it were good or bad, as each reply would mean a move forward. It was thanks to that person who so patiently, so devotedly approached him that they were able to arrive at each other¡¯s side.


    Shen Yan let them reach each other. And he... he wanted to let them keep walking by each other.


    Qi Jing turned on the deskmp in the study.


    The warmth of thatmp¡¯s light was just right, quite simr to the sunlight at the start of the winter¡ªslightly infused with warmth yet not too hot.


    ¡°Shen Yan... Are you okay?¡± He asked with a faint smile as he sat on the bedside, then gentlyid half of his body on the duvet, only quietly staying by the other man¡¯s side with no intention to pursue the question.


    It was so strange¡ªjust now, he was still so filled with anger, but once he turned hisputer off and let go of all these trifles from that side of the inte, returning to reality, he suddenly realised that it wasn¡¯t really worth it to get angry about these kinds of people. Instead of continuing to struggle with Bronze Sparrow Terrace and his fans, Qi Jing would rather spend some more time apanying Shen Yan.


    It didn¡¯t even matter if it was a time spent in silence.


    Each minute, each second he spent here was far more precious than a couple of hours wasted on those people.


    ¡°Is it finished?¡± Shen Yan cracked his eyes open, his voice a bit hoarse.


    He could see that Shen Yan probably fell asleep for some time, but his sleep had to be very shallow, as the fatigue on his face had yet to recede. Qi Jing stared at him from above, his scrutinising eyes full of the hesitation whether he should honour the bet. Then, he suddenly chuckled.


    ¡°I lost.¡± Qi Jing said as heughed, as if he was appeasing the other man.


    He clearly had a hard time epting that oue half an hour before, but at this moment of time, he could already say it with ease.


    Shen Yan was clearly surprised,ing topletely in a blink of an eye, ¡°...You lost?¡±


    There was no trace of being upset to be found in Qi Jing¡¯s expression¡ªhe was still smiling faintly, lowering himself to put his chin on Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder, contentedly iming its warmth in a child-like manner, ¡°Mhm, I lost, my score was lower than Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Why...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± His voice became muffled from burying his face in the other man¡¯s shoulder. But his tone wasn¡¯t stifled with any hard emotions.


    For a moment, Shen Yan couldn¡¯t think of anything to say.


    Back when he was listening from the sides, he didn¡¯t think Qi Jing could have possibly lost, he at least could overthrow Bronze Sparrow Terrace with no obstacles. That¡¯s why, as heid on the bed, he tried to make a mental preparation for the longest time, but he was unable to think of what to say. Flurried and distraught, in the end, he was unable toe up with a way toe clear to Qi Jing about his past.


    Now, with Qi Jing having lost, he was in turn even more dazed about what to say.


    ¡°I...¡±


    Qi Jing interrupted him gently, repeating those words, which were also the very first greeting from their beginning. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s throat bobbed a little, only managing to reply with a muffled ¡°Mhm¡± before Qi Jing burst outughing.


    ¡°At first you were bold enough to ask other people for my QQ number, yet now, howe you¡¯re not bold enough to be honest?¡± He raised his brow a bit, his gaze sweeping over the face that was just a few inches from his own as he asked in a low voice.


    A/N:


    I also missed Kitty¡¯s Papa, hence...


    T/N:


    Luci: Hence... ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ


    I wish people on the inte also spent some more time with their loved ones instead of getting frustrated and frustrating others online...


    Whitere: Ahhhh the snuggles at the end were so soft and warm¨Clike burrowing into ones favorite person/nket...

 Chapter 87

    <h4>Chapter 87</h4>


    Editor: Whiteres


    Trigger warning: painful first time


    Being close has plenty of advantages, one of them being leaving little space to look away.


    Shen Yan¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, his expression a bit uneasy. It was easy to see that he was intending to look away, yet Qi Jing moved closer, insisting on staying within his line of sight.


    ¡°I talked with Puppet Show the scriptwriter from ?Trap? on QQ. She said that at the time, it was you who asked for my QQ number.¡± He said in a low voice, his tone as if he was maybeughing, or maybe not. He hooked his fingers on Shen Yan¡¯s cheek, rubbing the slight pale stubble on his chin with his knuckles, ¡°Is that true, Dr Shen?¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t reply at first.


    He took a while observing Qi Jing¡¯s expression¡ªit was the one he was so familiar with, eyes narrowed into half-crescents and corners of his lips curled up as he chuckled silently. It waspletely unrted to rebuke of any sorts.


    Seeing this, he sighed softly. ¡°Yes.¡±


    Qi Jing was surprised. He only intended to tease him for a bit, but he didn¡¯t expect Shen Yan to give such a conscientious reply, so he couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile. He adjusted his sitting posture, moving his weight a bit before he leaned on Shen Yan¡¯s chest, the ear pressing against it catching his heartbeats clearly.


    ¡°What were you thinking at that time?¡±


    ¡°What was I thinking...¡±


    Shen Yan repeated his words in a murmur, as if ascertaining the question he was asked, but also as if searching through his heart for the answer.


    Qi Jing stayed snuggled in his embrace for a while, then suddenly said, his voice hoarse, ¡°At that time... I had already left that message, intending to say goodbye to you and disappear from your life like this.¡±


    When he said that, Qi Jing felt his arm being grabbed by Shen Yan, as if he felt theteing of fear, the fear of him suddenly disappearing.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t struggle, only smiling as he continued narrating that turbulent part of his life in a calm, observer-like voice, ¡°That email you sent me... At that time, I didn¡¯t even have the courage to reply to it, so I just pretended that I didn¡¯t receive it in the first ce. At first I wanted to delete it, but I couldn¡¯t harden my heart to do that. Silly, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s voice was hoarse. With half of his face against Shen Yan¡¯s chest, Qi Jing could feel its movement bing more rapid.


    ¡°Later, I got into a car ident, ending up like this.¡±Qi Jing took off the arm sling, cing his left hand covered in the cast in afortable position by his side. During the appointment, the doctor had said that his bones had already more or less recovered and that he could now make some small movements with it, so it was now much less inconvenient to move. ¡°Although now, my recovery is going smoothly... the moment the car crashed, I was really so afraid.¡±


    Really, so afraid¡ª


    Afraid that his life woulde to end between that metal wreckage and the shards of ss. There was still a message in his mailbox he had yet to reply to, its sender still so vivid in his mind, leaving him unable to forget.


    ¡°If I happened to... die at that ce, I would never get a chance to reply to that message of yours.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s voice lowered.


    Because once the pain and shock receded, that terrifying thought genuinely shed through his mind. The moment of the world spinning in the car, the view of the ss shattering and caving in¡ªneither of those had as big of an impact on him as this thought.


    It took him living together for days and nights, getting used to this calm and beautiful life, before he could look back at this moment¡ªonly like this would he not wake up from the nightmares at night.


    Talking about it now, he was actually already more calm than Shen Yan, as if he was narrating a storypletely unrted to him. After finishing it, he looked sideways at the listener at his side; Shen Yan¡¯s face was a bit pale, holding onto him without any movement.


    ¡°That¡¯s why,¡± Qi Jing stopped for a moment, slowly revealing a faint, clear smile, ¡°if the time was to flow backwards, I would certainly not avoid you anymore, I wouldn¡¯t avoid my true thoughts.¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s hold on his wrist loosened a bit, but he didn¡¯t let go.


    Qi Jing propped himself up, looking him into the eyes, guiding him patiently with a question, ¡°And you, at that time, why did you want to keep in touch with me?¡±


    Why?What was he thinking at that time? Perhaps he never thought deeply about it.


    ¡°At that time... I only thought of one thing.¡± No matter if he thought through it or not, his heart had already made a choice in his stead, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to miss out on you like that¡ª¡±


    He couldn¡¯t forget.


    Couldn¡¯t give up.


    By the time he realised, his hand had already reached out, holding that man tightly in his arms with no second thoughts.


    ¡°Pft...¡± Qi Jing¡¯s eyes were wet as heughed softly, ¡°That¡¯s the same for me right now, do you know that?¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything anymore, only staring at him without looking away.


    Qi Jing lowered his head, confessing hoarsely by his ear, ¡°Shen Yan, I have no regrets having fallen in love with you¡ª¡±


    No matter who you are.


    ¡°No. 22?¡±


    After calling this number for the second time, Yang Chunqu secretly broke in a cold sweat.


    No. 22 was ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡±.


    Having learned from the previous precedence, she checked for the presence of thepetitors at the start of the audition. But after realising that this contestant wasn¡¯t in the channel, she couldn¡¯t help but think of the happenings during the ¡°Bai Ke¡± audition. At that time, he couldn¡¯t get online in time, resulting in the organizators giving him a warning notice for a deliberate stalling for a time; even she, the MC, got involved.


    That¡¯s why this time, she was especially careful with how long she could wait. She couldn¡¯t dy for too long, so as not to feed the rumours.


    To keep such an incident from happening once again, Yan Chunqu helped the staff to check the attendance of the contestants present at the audition, so that no one could use an excuse of having problems with the equipment to stall for a time. Actually, this way of doing things wasn¡¯t targeted against ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡±, it was just a measure to keep the organizators from getting involved in case of an ident.


    ¡°Contestant No.22, contestant No.22, have you not prepared your equipment yet?¡± Yang Chunqu once again asked weakly.


    At the same time, the staff searched for this number among the channel members, but there was still no ID like that on the list. Hearing Yang Chunqu calling again and again, all of the listeners were shocked.


    Audience 1: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õKitty¡¯s Papa didn¡¯te?


    Audience 2: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õNo way... I only came here tonight for him...


    Audience 3: (crosses fingers) It can¡¯t be that something happened in thest moment making him unable to attend the audition?


    Audience 4: Commenters above, don¡¯t be in such a hurry, it might be that since it¡¯s not his turn yet, he doesn¡¯t want to go online ahead of time, that¡¯s all. Either way, he¡¯s 22nd in the line-up, so it¡¯s still very early for him.¡¾Waaaah, that¡¯s actually just meforting myself...¡¿


    Audience 5: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò I hope that there won¡¯t be any ident.


    Audience 6: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò I hope that there won¡¯t be any ident. +1


    ...


    ...


    Yang Chunqu looked at the discussions in the chat, her heart also growing apprehensive. But thepetition wouldn¡¯t wait for a person, even more so the time.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost 8:50 PM already. Staff, please proceed to prepare to announce the officially chosen lines.¡± She had no other alternative than to continue what she was supposed to do.


    Behind the screen, the sounds started to appear.


    And in the room, all sounds ceased.


    Until a snap could be heard.


    A white button flickered shortly under the light as it shot,nding on the floor before rolling a full circle.


    The lonely, broken threads hung from the shirt¡¯s cor, but very quickly, they were once again put into a disarray by the hands pulling the cor apart. Too much strength was used, so the cloth of the shirt was pulled taut on the neck, causing its owner a dull pain and leaving him with no other choice but to follow wherever it was pulled, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbing¡ªa sign of handing over all his rights to the other man.


    It was their first time... that man¡¯s behaviour couldn¡¯t be described as ¡°gentle¡±.


    Yet, it still made him feel fulfilled.


    The back of his head was just against the wall, but it didn¡¯t hurt¡ªthat man¡¯s hand was behind to protect it. Still, the wall was nothing but hard, having one¡¯s back pressed against it didn¡¯t feel that good. He was just about to move away from it, but a hand caressed his face, passing by the line between his ear and hair, fingers spreading wide as it held his head in ce.


    The man before his eyes moved closer.


    Qi Jing instinctively closed his eyes, gasping quickly as he epted the kiss, one that could easily scald him.


    The bed in the study was already narrow in the first ce, so with two men entwined on it, the ce left was even more scarce¡ªthey could only try to tangle together tightly.


    Shen Yan¡¯s hand on the back of his head plunged into his hair, pushing it closer strongly as he kissed him with savagery. His other hand had already felt its way to the second button, the pulling still as ruthless but not to the point of snapping the button off, only crumpling up the shirt on Qi Jing¡¯s body into an utter mess.


    A faint whimper escaped Qi Jing¡¯s lips.


    His head was a bit dizzy from theck of air, so he had to rest his forehead against Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder. Completely stripped from all of his strength, he curled up in that man¡¯s embrace.


    Shen Yan¡¯s kisses were erratic, like those couple of raindrops at the beginning of the rain¡ªthey left him wet, but not drenched, only fueling his thirst.


    ¡°...Ngh...¡±


    At first, he was still leaning forward, but gradually, his body grew soft and his back slowly leaned weakly against the wall.


    All of it was just like an ailment of some sort. At the beginning, he could still muster some strength, but then, he wentpletely feeble, the heat rushing to his head burning his mind into the ashes, leaving his head nk.


    Qi Jing felt as if he was antern made of paper¡ªthe fire within zed stronger, brighter, the paper just on the verge of burning, scalding to the extreme.


    He tried his best to stick to the wall, the wall could at least cool a person off.


    But Shen Yan pulled him over, holding him tightly into an embrace. As they entwined intimately, their breaths sounded just like a paperntern being lit¡ªthe tongues of mes started their dance, slowly brushing the ces where their bodies met. He couldn¡¯t help a muffled groan escaping his lips.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± Only when he called that name he realised how hoarse, how burned his voice had be, ¡°Shen Yan... I don¡¯t regret.¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t reply.


    He only lowered his head, once again biting his lips.


    The kisses before were like the beginnings of the rainfall, but now the rain got stronger, falling continuously with force.


    As if he had already waited for too long, his throat parched beyond extreme, causing him to seek for a way to quench his thirst. Just touching their lips was far from enough, so he also moved his tongue to join in this rain.


    First, they touched each other¡¯s lips.


    A moment, a while as they couldn¡¯t bear to part, not until they remembered the taste¡ªonly then they pulled back, just to go seek deeper the next moment, with more vigour, prying the other¡¯s lips and plunging inside. The sweetness even more strong than before assaulted their senses, rich, mellow and longsting, just like that of an aged wine.


    ¡°Huu...¡±


    After having held their breath for so long, they atst started panting shallowly¡ªeven the feeling of suffocation was as if they were amidst the heavy rain.


    It was that same feeling of restlessness when one¡¯s clothes clung tightly to one¡¯s body as they dried in the wind after being drenched.


    Before he could even realise, his hands were already on his clothes, stripping them oneyer after another.


    ¡°It¡¯s so hot.¡± Qi Jing found an excuse. For himself, but also for Shen Yan, ¡°...We¡¯d get sweaty.¡±


    It was a terribly clumsy reason, not at all believable when said during the first days of the winter.


    Probably because he knew that it wasn¡¯t all that convincing, his voice was very quiet. It¡¯s just, because the two of them were so close that even their noses touched, whenever one of them spoke, their hot breath would easily assault the other.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say a word.


    His hand on Qi Jing¡¯s nape slowlybed through his hair, their pitch ckness twining between his fingers with a soft rustle. The soft sensation made him think of a cat basking under the sunlight during the winter, its furfortable to stroke¡ªbut other than that, he was nothing like a cat.


    For example, if he moved his hand lower, he would feel Qi Jing¡¯s neck.


    And if he were to continue wandering even lower, he would arrive at the ce where his nape connected to the back. The feel of the skin was also nothing alike, a bit cold in the night air, but also so fine... so beautiful.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡± He called in a hoarse voice.


    Inpliance to that call, Qi Jing opened his eyes, one of his shoulders still leaned limply against the wall, his clothes in a disarray as he threw him a sideways nce.


    Shen Yan slowly moved his body over, pressing his knee closer. The boards of the narrow bed creaked inaudibly, but Qi Jing only watched as he pressed closer, opening his mouth as if wanting to say something¡ªyet once he saw the look in Shen Yan¡¯s eyes clearly, he couldn¡¯t say anything anymore.


    Because there was already no need for the words¡ªShen Yan probably didn¡¯t know how strong the desire was in his gaze when he looked at Qi Jing.


    Qi Jing lowered his eyelids a bit, then suddenly, he clutched the cor of Shen Yan¡¯s shirt, pulling him down as heid back on the bed.


    Shen Yan gasped, unprepared for that. Just as he was about to get back up, Qi Jing held tightly to the hem of his shirt, not letting him move. It was only when he made sure he no longer intended to sit up that Qi Jing slowly released the hold on his shirt, circling his arms around his shoulders, once again holding him in a tight embrace.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything,¡± He was no longer using his voice to speak, but to breathe, like a feather teasing an ear, ¡°...show me.¡±


    The temperature gradually fell at night.


    Outside the window, the bodhi tree rustled, like a whisper of a couple in the dead of the night.


    Inside the apartment, the light covered the ces stripped of the clothes like a thinyer of honey, that lustre of the unblemished warmth leaving one wanting to take a gentle bite¡ªand Shen Yan had indeed done so, opening the shirt that didn¡¯t even have a full set of the buttons anymore, his fingers slowly caressing the two cor bones whose lines were so distinct under the light¡ªbefore he lowered his head to leave his mark.


    Qi Jing let him have his way, let him take whatever he wanted.


    The hickeys from thest time have still to fadepletely... This time, probably even more will be left. He thought dazedly as he gasped.


    Many of the thoughts of this kind hovered on the verge of his consciousness¡ªhe thought them, but only fleetingly.


    For example the audition.


    Audition... It has probably already started?


    He didn¡¯t remember to ask Shen Yan if his ount was online in thepetition channel all that time.


    He didn¡¯t remember to ask Shen Yan, just what this audition meant to him.


    He didn¡¯t remember, he had no way to¡ª


    He only remembered that very moment, only Shen Yan before his very eyes. Unrted to anything else, unrted to any outsider, a man belonging to him only.


    ¡°You¡¯re mine only...¡±


    Without him thinking, these words fell from his mouth; it was even when his voice was the most sensual.


    Hearing him say so, Shen Yan lifted his head with a pant, moving his hand to Qi Jing¡¯s ck hair spilled on the pillow. At the same time, he reached his body forward, his nose tracing slowly up the line of Qi Jing¡¯s throat, moving towards the back of his ear before he slightly opened his lips to nibble at the soft part of his earlobe.


    Qi Jing¡¯s ears blushed very easily, but earlobes are usually the least warm part of a human body, so once the cold and warmth met there at the same time, they merged into an unique vour.


    That was Qi Jing¡¯s weak point.


    Once bit, he wouldn¡¯t be able to even flinch, going soft from head to toe.


    Shen Yan had kissed Qi Jing¡¯s earlobe before, hence he knew that this was his weak point. That¡¯s also why he didn¡¯t think twice as he nibbled along its curve, feeling it slowly be flushed and frail, emitting a kind of scent that no words could describe, a very pleasant one. In a moment of passion, Shen Yan bit stronger, gnawing and sucking, causing a moist sound to arise from time to time.


    Qi Jing¡¯s breathing became heavier.


    So much so that he could hear the breath scraping his throat as it flowed hurriedly, both parched and hoarse. ording to the voice acting standards, it didn¡¯t sound all that good, but it was very passion-inducing between the sheets.


    Such a voice, once used to seduce a person, couldn¡¯t possibly be met with a decline, ¡°...Touch me, will you?¡±


    The man on him made a soft, nasal ¡°mn¡± in response, taking back one of his hands to feel his way down, finding the zipper of his trousers and undoing it clumsily. Perhaps it was because his fingers were trembling, but the chain of the zipper kept stucking. He couldn¡¯t undo it for a while, the thick cloth stretched slightly having been pulled along the zipper, rubbing against the underpants below time and time again, the friction causing an ambiguous noise.


    Qi Jing bit his lip as he chuckled, stretching his arm to hold Shen Yan¡¯s hand, correcting the position of the zipper in the right direction and sure enough, it let go.


    As the teeth of the zipper chain went undone one after another, the sound it made mixed with their violent heartbeats, especially crisp among the both of their panting.


    He had already taken a shower and changed his underwear, so the cotton material was soft to touch after having warmed up on his body.


    Not at all difficult to strip.


    Shen Yan unzipped the fly of his trousers and let go, his two hands slowly tracing along his waist to the back. Then, he moved upwards, under Qi Jing¡¯s messied shirt, stopping at the dimples of his lower back, pulling him into his embrace. Qi Jing moved along with him, holding Shen Yan¡¯s shoulders tightly in his arms, his feets pressed against the bed as he did his best to put his body in the most convenient position for those hands to move.


    The trousers slipped off his feet, half of it on the floor, half still hanging off the bedside.


    Having shed the clothes, Qi Jing shivered a bit.


    Because of his messy work and rest routine these years, his constitution wasn¡¯t that good, so his limbs would easily lose warmth during the coldest days, and even at that moment his knees felt cold.


    Shen Yan seemed to be aware of that, his hands stopped for a while as it slid down to his knees, rubbing there lightly twice. No matter whether it was for strength or warmth, those hands gave him an indescribablefort, his legs gradually rxing, bending them bing much easier; even his toes curled involuntarily from that man¡¯s warmth.


    At that moment, Shen Yan lowered his head, nting a silent kiss on his knee. Qi Jing gasped quietly, shrinking his leg back from the embarrassment, but Shen Yan caught his ankle, his thumb right on the small dimple under the bone. As if his weakness had been grasped, Qi Jing shuddered slightly and fell back limply onto the pillows.


    He couldn¡¯t see a single thing aside from the dazzling light enveloping the room.


    He couldn¡¯t think of a single thing, aside from this man.


    As this man¡¯s tongue traced a wet line on the inside of his thigh, a numbing current rushed up his spine, his heart as if held tightly in those firm and strong hands, beating rapidly. The impact of his blood rushing was too big, making him feel as if he was about to lose consciousness.


    Lose not only his consciousness¡ªthe restlessness of deliberating each move, the pain of remaining vague, as well as the sense of alienation.


    All of it was gone in a moment.


    Their first time had no adjustment and no aids, just a body against body, invading silently.


    ¡°Ngh...¡±


    Even though he grit his teeth, he still couldn¡¯t help a painful groan from escaping.


    It hurts¡ªHe wasn¡¯t at all prepared and there was no warning either, only the pain.


    He didn¡¯t know when that man started breaching him, by the time his brain reacted, he was already halfway in. But because he waited for it for so, so long, what he felt first wasn¡¯t the pain, but... fulfilment.


    A very, very intense fulfilment.


    His whole body was stretched taut, he didn¡¯t know what posture could possibly lessen the pain, but his arms hooped tightly on the other, not letting go as the immense pain momentarily made tears gather by the corners of his eyes, flowing down into his hair. He heard himself sob and buried his face in Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder, crying.


    A/N:


    I also cried... But no matter what, let me congratte the two of them a little.


    I don¡¯t want to think about whether it¡¯s their 0.5 or first time anymore... (flops)


    I was stuck with this chapter fromst year to now, so in a sense it counts as 13/14 new year chapter, very suiting... Taking the time difference into ount, it¡¯s Xiaohan today. Within the three five-day long periods of time of Xiaohan, one of the periods is ¡°Geese Fly North¡±. I don¡¯t understand the logic behind it all that well, but it is said that during these days, although the air is still cold, for some reason the yang energy starts to act up and the wild geese fly to the north. Uncle Yan, you truly are... ¡°yang energy acting up¡±... Is 2Yan delicious??(*`ÆH`*)


    Also also... Please remember to always prepare lube so it doesn¡¯t end up painful... (silently lights a candle for the two of them)


    T/N:


    Luci: Definitely... definitely always use lube and do all the preparation when needed... *bonks Shen Yan and Qi Jing with a bottle of lube*


    But I need to say that aside from the fact that their first time is biting the pillow (sigh), the descriptions are just so sensual!


    Whitere: SY, you really needed lube... you didn¡¯t even attempt to prepare him! Bad goose, bad goose! (Definitely sensual though)

 Chapter 88

    <h4>Chapter 88</h4>


    Editor: Whitere


    Proofreader: Mashiro


    Trigger warning: painful intercourse


    Shen Yan opened his eyes dazedly. The sob from the man on his shoulder was like a soft prickle, stabbing him in his heart.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry...¡± He said in a hoarse voice. His body felt too hot¡ªit was as if his throat was full of embers zing slowly, each word bathed in burns.


    As he said so, he gently held the back of Qi Jing¡¯s head with his hand, pulling him closer to himself. He heard Qi Jing answer with a soft ¡°mn¡±, the face pressed on his chest rubbed against him twice. But Qi Jing¡¯s shoulders were still trembling¡ªhis right hand almost pleadingly scratched his back, causing him a fiery pain.


    Shen Yan furrowed his brows and panted heavily for a moment, still holding Qi Jing¡¯s nape as he sheathed himself deeper with restraint.


    It felt almost like an iron chisel being pounded into a block of wood inch by inch with an iron hammer...


    Very hard, but also very blunt.


    Very blunt, but also without leaving a single bit of leeway, unyielding in filling the entirety of him.


    ¡°Agh...¡± Qi Jing already had a hard time thinking clearly, gasping as if he was suffocating.


    But it wasn¡¯t only pants that escaped the depths of his throat¡ªthere were also some other, intermittent sounds he had never heard before. It was as if each sound floated up from the depths of water, both moist and turbid, its effect addictive like an anaesthetic.


    ¡°Shen Yan...¡±


    His mind right now was unable to tell whether that call was supposed to refuse or to invite.


    But his body was plenty honest.


    Whenever a person let their instinct react to the pain, they would always push the source away, yet he kept tightening his embrace, even biting his lips to keep himself from sobbing and slowly spreading his legs in an invitation for that man. Despite the fact that, without any prior preparation, all of it would be extremely hard for him.


    Shen Yan had to stop for a moment; he shut his eyes and only kept panting.


    He leaned down, the line of his back like a steel bar bending slowly, revealing the tension and pressure he was feeling. Qi Jing¡¯s hand could feel the rapid undtion of his shoulders clearly. He was probably hurting too¡ªhis breathing was erratic and even his back was covered in a thinyer of sweat.


    Qi Jing thought hazily and instinctively started to shift his body around, trying to find a posture that would make it hurt less.


    With that movement of his, that thing buried in him also got affected.


    Qi Jing gave a full-body shudder and briefly, his mind cleared.


    Having realised that he was taking in the other man inside his body, his toes curled up and he instinctively wanted to close his legs, wishing for nothing but to bury the shame he felt deep in his heart. But that thing below impaled him forcibly, its invasive sense of presence unignorable. His entire spine felt as if he had been zapped with electricity, even those deeply throbbing veins seemed as if they were carved out with knives, slowly rubbing against him.


    ¡°...Ah...¡± His heart was beating so hard that his chest started to ache dully and blood rushed to his head. Qi Jing¡¯s face instantly became burning hot and he instinctively curled up in this man¡¯s arms, his fingers tightly gripping onto his shoulders.


    Shen Yan was hence pulled down, gasping heavily as he buried himself all the way in.


    ¡°Aah¡ª¡± He still couldn¡¯t stop himself from crying out, even though he tried to suppress the pain as much as he could.


    Qi Jing gasped, gulping in mouthfuls of air with every breath. He turned his head sideways as if deprived of everyst bit of energy, his eyes shut tightly. The contours from his ears to his vicle quivered under themp light, the sheen of sweat colouring his silhouette gold. Looking from above, he seemed like a stranded fish struggling under the clear sunlight reflecting from the waves at dusk.


    ...Did it hurt? Of course it did.


    Shen Yan reached out with his hand, stroking that face gently. ¡°Qi Jing,¡± His voice was hoarse; only at that moment did he finally manage to string together aplete sentence, ¡°...If you wish to push me away, then do it now.¡±


    He said that very slowly, each word a torment for him&#k2014;just like the sweat droplets falling from his hair one after another, they fell on Qi Jing¡¯s body, leaving behind a salty and bitter taste&#k2014;the taste of pleading.


    Hearing him inquire so, Qi Jing slowly cracked his eyes open, their gazes fixing upon each other.


    His eyes were still red, their corners still wet, and on his face, the pallor from the pain had yet to fade, but at that moment, he suddenlyughed in a low voice.


    That pair of eyes curved into crescents, creating two serene yet beautiful arcs. With this movement, a pea-sized tear rolled down his cheek and fell soundlessly between Shen Yan¡¯s fingers. The light reflected in his moist eyes also flowed down his hair along with that tear, overflowing just like their currently surging feelings.


    There was still a band-aid on Shen Yan¡¯s finger. That tear burrowed under its edge, the salt in it gradually seeping into the wound and causing a slight sting of pain.


    At that time, Qi Jing turned his face and rubbed his cheek against the surface of the band-aid, his lips brushing over Shen Yan¡¯s wrist, then the palm of his hand and his fingers. At the end, they found their way to the knife cut from before and like a catpping on a wound, he traced the knuckle below the band-aid with the tip of his tongue.


    ¡°If you wish, to continue... then do it now.¡± He replied after releasing Shen Yan¡¯s finger.


    The answer was as clear as day¡ªin fact, it was already clear the moment that man made his way into his heart.


    All that so-called willpower, reason, patience.


    They held no meaning anymore.


    Shen Yan took a deep breath.


    He put his hand on Qi Jing¡¯s forehead, brushing his hair back, pushing his head back on the pillow.


    Qi Jing followed his movement byying back and arching his back a bit. At that moment, Shen Yan pressed down and held him tightly, supporting Qi Jing¡¯s hips as he rocked his body, doing his best to control his strength as he started to move.


    With his head pulled back, Qi Jing¡¯s Addam¡¯s apple was clear to see under the light¡ªevery time he swallowed slightly due to his extremely dry throat it would make that ce bob up and down. Without a word of warning, Shen Yan lowered his head to take a bite, using a force much stronger than any previous time, to the point where Qi Jing groaned¡ªmaybe from pain, or maybe from something else¡ªas he leaned back on the pillow, gasping heavily.


    But Shen Yan was already a step ahead of him¡ªwith his hand holding strongly onto the edge of the bed, his body followed as his body followed Qi Jing¡¯s, continuing to press in closely.


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s head became empty and he saw white before his eyes¡ªall of his senses gathered in the ce where the two of them were connected. His right hand slipped off Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder and fell heavily on the bedside, all the bones of his body filled with numbness that made him lose all resistance, leaving him only able to grip tightly onto the corner of the pillow.


    That pain from the beginning was already fading, what came next was the distinct, sharp feeling of being prated by a man.


    It still hurt, yes, but he wanted to be taken even more thoroughly by him


    He was still crying, too, but the tears of pain had already dried and the sobs escaping his throat also ceased. His eyes were stinging just a bit; a light spun inside them, imprinting unconditionally the man before him within¡ªthe look in them seemed much more poignant than the tears he had shed.


    ¡°Shen Yan...¡± He suddenly called that name in a hoarse voice between the thrusts.


    Shen Yan responded by lifting his gaze, his breath heavy as he moved closer to kiss the space between his brows. Kissing particrly tenderly.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± he said, ¡°I, love... you.¡±


    His words were scrambled from the entangling of their bodies, but they were more entrancing than ever before. Shen Yan didn¡¯t reply, only groping about with his left hand to grab his hand, which was clinging tightly to the pillowcase, prying open his fingers. When they released their holdpletely, he held his hand, interlocking their fingers together.


    The lives of the two of them seemed to tangle together tightly along with that interlocking of their fingers.


    During the still early winter night, everywhere was quiet and even the smallest of movements could be heard with utmost rity¡ªnot to mention that the two of them were both sensitive to the sounds in the first ce.


    Their quick and heavy gasps, the rubbing of the sheets, even the faint creaking of the bed frame rocked by their movements¡ªall of these sounds ovepped as if having gained a hundredfold in rity. The bed sheets looked as if a battle urred between them, leaving them in a terrible mess, but every crease and fold was proof of the first time they urgently wanted to give all of themself to another.


    After shedding his clothes, Shen Yan¡¯s body showed the sturdiness of an adult man¡ªhe was more built than Qi Jing had ever imagined.


    Sweat trickled down his strong contours, streaking between them like a straight ray of light, one drop after another falling onto Qi Jing¡¯s body, only to get milled in between the entanglement of their limbs. Even his hair became damp.


    His scalp was already soaked with perspiration, the light gilding his hair. When the other man ran through it slowly, that damp mix of ck and gold spun around his fingers like strands of silk, like they were covered in a fineyer of wax, giving them a bewitching lustre.


    Shen Yan buried his head in Qi Jing¡¯s nape, so his hair kept brushing by the skin in that ce¡ªit happened every time he sheathed himself deep inside Qi Jing. With every thrust of his, that jet-ck hair would sweep by Qi Jing¡¯s throat, each strand fanning the fiery lust wherever they touched. The fire soon became a sea of mes.


    For Qi Jing, there was another sea besides the one that was full of mes.


    That sea was of a different kind.


    In it, he dazedly became a ship running up against the rocks, unable to advance yet also unable to retreat. Whenever the tide surged violently, it would hit the sides of the ship with all its force, tossing it onto the reef, causing him a dull pain. He had no strength to struggle and could only drift with the waves and follow the flow, as if rolling on the curved wave peaks in exhaustion, following them up and down.


    Yet he felt no fear.


    Instead, he was aware deep in his heart that... it was this sea where he belonged.


    As thest tide rolled with all its strength, the ship finally shattered under the powerful strikes of the sea waves, opening itself up¡ªthe seawater surged inside, filling what used to be a ship to its fullest. Only then did he experience that the gradually calming sea turned out to be sofortably warm, seething even, gradually flooding the very depths of the ship.


    After the tide receded, the shipwreck slowly sank into the seabed, bing one with it. Everything reverted back to calmness.


    Because of the difference in temperatures between his front and back, Qi Jing shivered slightly. Only at that moment did he realise that his back wasn¡¯t nestled in soft sea sand, but buried in the messy bed sheets.


    The process of the two of them parting felt like a video in slow motion, from Shen Yan¡¯s releasing of his hand, through his stroking of Qi Jing¡¯s waist, to propping him on his own body, all of it felt so slow and considerate. Before pulling outpletely, Shen Yan lightly thrusted in onest time, making a vague groan escape Qi Jing¡¯s throat. He moaned, then slowly softened in his embrace.


    The gaze that stayed unfocused throughout all that time focused once again, the dazzling light on the ceiling reverting back to rity, silently returning to its ce on the wall.


    At that time, the two of them were wet all over, a faint saltiness covering their bodies, not unlike two people who just got fished up from the sea.


    Qi Jing gasped for breath as heid pliant on the bed, reaching out his hand to gather Shen Yan in his arms,ying that man¡¯s head on his chest without a hint of awkwardness. The two of them tangled together like pieces of damp cloth, momentarily loathe to part, without leaving any gap where they could be pried apart.


    The stinging pain in his bottom diminished and dulled, no longer as clear, yet his heart suddenly filled with a stifling sense of loss.


    ¡°...Shen Yan.¡±


    There was no reply.


    ¡°...Shen Yan.¡± He called once again in a hoarse voice. His throat was too parched, it felt ufortable when speaking, but calling this name would make him feel at ease.


    He didn¡¯t hear a reply even after so long, so Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help lift his head, wanting to take a look at him.


    At that time, something cold and wet suddenly fell on the crook of his neck, taking him by surprise. At first, it was only two drops, but they only became more numerous with time and only then did he finally realise that Shen Yan was crying.


    Perhaps because he was trying to hold back himself too much, the sounds escaping his throat were a bit sharp and intense, choked sobs mixing in between the stifled whimpers. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but was unable to say even one word and could only hold onto Qi Jing¡¯s arm tightly, unwilling to let go of him. Qi Jing felt a pang of pain in his chest and couldn¡¯t help gathering him as close as possible to himself, giving him a sense of security akin to that of getting a shelter from wind and rain in his embrace.


    ¡°It¡¯s clearly me who is in more pain?¡± Qi Jing murmured by his ear half in a joke, half in constion, not a hint of reproach in his voice.


    From beginning to the end, Shen Yan didn¡¯t say a word; only his hand that held onto Qi Jing¡¯s arm moved a bit¡ªafter releasing his hold, it slowly encircled Qi Jing¡¯s back, giving him a hug heavy with feelings.


    The quirked up corners of Qi Jing¡¯s lips slowly smoothed down; no longer smiling, he suddenly returned the strong hug. Shen Yan¡¯s shoulders tremored, and only then, as if he received some sort of permission, he embraced the man before him with all his strength. At the same time, a dam holding back his tears broke down¡ªmost of the time he made no sound, only his shoulders would tremble every now and then. He buried his head in the crook of Qi Jing¡¯s neck, kissing it somewhat shakily.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t do anything, only silently stroking his hair and waiting just as silently.


    When the shivering of that man¡¯s body gradually calmed down, Qi Jing inquired in a soft voice, ¡°Better now?¡±


    ¡°... Mn.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s emotions were now stable and only his throat felt dry, his words still a bit indistinct among his quiet sniffling, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Qi Jing shook his head with a chuckle,ying a kiss on his forehead as he continued to patientlyb through his damp hair.


    Having just gained both physical and emotional release, both Shen Yan¡¯s body and mind were fatigued. His whole person felt empty, as if he had given the entire living part of his being to the other, only leaving ashes for himself. With a perplexed expression, he slowly leaned over, his skin close against Qi Jing¡¯s.


    ¡°I... feel kind of empty.¡± He said in a low voice. Perhaps it was because he had just cried out his pain, but his throat was incredibly hoarse¡ªif it wasn¡¯t for the closeness between them, it would be almost inaudible.


    ¡°You mean hollow?¡± Qi Jing stroked his hair, burying half of his face in it to take in a deep breath of the familiar shampoo fragrance.


    ¡°No,¡± Shen Yan murmured mechanically in response, ¡°...it kind of feels like... I have escaped.¡±


    It was kind of as if, after escaping somewhere, there was only emptiness before him, leaving him at a loss at where he should head next. But at the very least he knew that he was free, hence he was much at ease and calm...


    ¡°Escaped? Who says that?¡± Qi Jing chuckled like an indolent cat, hooking his fingers lightly to pull Shen Yan¡¯s hand on the ce on his chest, his index finger following that thin and long love line on his palm. Then, his lips moved, no further than a centimetre from Shen Yan¡¯s, ¡°Now that you¡¯re already my man, don¡¯t you think of escaping in this lifetime.¡±


    It was clearly him that was in the position of being taken, yet he still had a gall to tease him like that.


    Shen Yanughed faintly, lowering his eyes as he said softly, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Qi Jing froze at first¡ªwhen he got back to his senses, he murmured a taunting ¡°dummy¡± by Shen Yan¡¯s ear. But his heart was thrashing around from happiness¡ªonly at that moment did he get to know the bliss of possessing another thoroughly. Unlike Shen Yan¡¯s feeling of emptiness, he himself felt as if he was finallyplete.


    When Shen Yan entered him, it was as if the pieces he was missing for all those years had finally returned to his body,pleting him during their mutual iming¡ªit was probably also the case for Shen Yan.


    His puzzle.


    Shen Yan¡¯s puzzle.


    Turns out that only when those two puzzles werebined would he be able to see the bigger picture of those previously confusing mazes and find the exit he saw .


    But Qi Jing wasn¡¯t in a rush to leave¡ªhe was more inclined to savour the tender moments of searching for the path together.


    There was no sound to be heard outside the window.


    Time stopped for what felt like an eternity as they didn¡¯t part, and the narrow bed also gave them a fine excuse for sleeping while embracing each other, eagerly sticking to the other¡¯s body, listening to the steady and strong rhythm of the hearts beating in their chests. Almost all of the residual warmth had faded, but Qi Jing¡¯s bones were still sore and numb. Yet, there was also a sweet and soft feeling, like the taste of just half-melted sugar.


    ¡°I will carry you to the shower...¡± The tone of Shen Yan¡¯s voice reverted back to his usual gentleness and he stroked Qi Jing¡¯s face dotingly with his fingers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Qi Jing shook his head and closed his eyes, drilling into his embrace as he said in a low voice, ¡°I like having the taste you left on me. At least... let me wait until before tomorrow morning, okay?¡±


    His tone was both pleading and coy at the same time.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say a thing in response, silently moving his hand from the back of Qi Jing¡¯s ear into his hair, lowering his head to kiss him for a long time. Still, although Qi Jing was saying so, the bed the two of themy on was a bit too narrow¡ªthey didn¡¯t pay it any mind during the moment of passion, but only now as theyy at it together did they realise that point.


    So he made a proposal, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the bedroom to sleep.¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t answer, only muttering a soft ¡°mhm¡± while buried meekly in his arms, only to stay there unwilling to budge for the longest time. Shen Yan also didn¡¯t hurry him, apanying him in silently listening to the time flowing by.


    Until suddenly, Qi Jing opened his mouth to ask, ¡°What... time is it now?¡±


    Whitere: SY, SY... Just because you revert from your beast state right afterwards doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ll forgive you!


    Luci: *suffers from this unexpected betrayal* Grandpa Yan, are you really my Grandpa?? Howe???

 Chapter 89

    <h4>Chapter 89</h4>


    Editor: Whitelfare


    Proofreading: Mashiro


    ¡ªWhat time is it.Qi Jing¡¯s question didn¡¯t touch upon anything specific, but Shen Yan still understood what he meant.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Shen Yan replied unhurriedly, his voice deep and calm, as if those three words meant about the same as ¡°I don¡¯t care¡±.


    He indeed didn¡¯t care; at that point of time, his world only consisted of what little was in his arms. It was there where the person he wanted to embrace with all his heart and soul was, so he didn¡¯t care about the concept of the time.


    Qi Jing lifted his head, rubbing his nose against Shen Yan¡¯s chin, shifting closer toy a kiss on his throat.


    The voiceing from that ce belonged to Shen Yan, one and only of its kind. Qi Jing loved it more than anyone else¡¯s, missed it more than anyone else¡¯s¡ªto the point where missing even a single opportunity to hear it felt like a great pity to him. ¡°You gave up already?¡±


    Shen Yan smiled in silence, not saying a word for quite a while¡ªonly the hand around Qi Jing¡¯s hand tensed without him realising, holding the other even tighter.


    ¡°Do you mind it?¡± He asked in return.


    ¡°I do,¡± Qi Jing¡¯s reply caught Shen Yan by surprise, the look in his eyes faltering a bit. But at that moment, Qi Jingughed in a low voice and finished the sentence, ¡°I mind it because I feel like... if you were to give up from the very beginning, then even if you say that you don¡¯t care, in reality, you would still recall this memory every once in a while. But right now, I¡¯m very selfish¡ªI can¡¯t bear to see anything other than myself in your heart.¡±


    He paused for a bit, taking back his teasing tone to speak with utter sincerity.


    ¡°I¡¯m joking. To be honest... I just wanted to let you sleep peacefully, with nothing weighing on your mind.¡±


    For him to not worry, to leave the troubles behind, to not be weighed down by any ¡°it would have been better if I had done that then¡±, these sorts of regrets¡ªat least for that night, he wanted to let the man before him leave all his burdens behind, to spend it with him, protecting and relying on each other as they waited for a dawn. After all, his mental state wasn¡¯t that good for quite a while.


    Having heard his reason, Shen Yan fell silent for a moment.


    After a long while, his gaze finally shifted toward a clock on the desk.


    It had been almost an hour already... He didn¡¯t know if he would still manage to make it in time. The only thing he knew was that the second arm of the clock wouldn¡¯t slow down in favour of his hesitation¡ªit still moved on and on, and with each full circle it made, the room for him to make a decision shrunk for that one minute.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± He sighed in a low voice and gently supported his head on Qi Jing¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I will be done in five minutes...¡±


    Qi Jing chuckled as he watched him.


    ¡°One minute.¡±


    Shen Yan was stupefied; after being at a loss of what to say for a moment, it took him quite a while to continue, ¡°...Uh, will four minutes do?¡±


    Qi Jing kept himself fromughing, but the corner of his lips kept curling up higher and higher, ¡°That won¡¯t do. I will give you at most two minutes.¡±


    At that time, Shen Yan finally noticed that he was teasing him and he lowered his eyes helplessly as heughed, ¡°I will wrap it up as fast as I can, just give me four, five minutes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m toying with you, I¡¯m not this petty,¡± Hearing how earnest Shen Yan was with his plea, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help butugh. He hooked his hand around Shen Yan¡¯s neck to pull him closer and nibbed at his earlobe as he said in a low voice, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how long it takes you, just do it at your own pace. But after you¡¯re finished, the rest of your time tonight... will be mine alone.¡±


    As he voiced his selfish wish, it wasn¡¯t just hollow words.


    Knowing this, Shen Yan smiled faintly as he heard his words, then agreed with a low hum.


    Qi Jing really wanted to continue snuggling with him, but worried about the time, he still slowly let go of Shen Yan, saying somewhat unwillingly, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be waiting for you back in the bedroom.¡±


    Surprisingly, Shen Yan suddenly asked him in a low voice, ¡°Qi Jing, during this audition... I want you to listen to all of it. Is that fine?¡±


    Qi Jing had a vague feeling that there was some deeper meaning to his words, so he didn¡¯t hesitate long before nodding his head in agreement, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything else, sitting up from under the duvet, with Qi Jing following him closely.


    After a spell of passion had passed, the chilly winter air once again took over the room. With the sweat on their bodies having yet to dry, the two of them shivered the moment they left the bedding.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get up for now, I¡¯ll look for the clothes for you to put on.¡± Shen Yan said.


    Clothes¡ªsuddenly, the meaning behind this word became so ambiguous that Qi Jing froze for a moment, and by the time he came back to his senses, his face and ears had already blushed deep red as he responded with a vague, soft hum.


    The wardrobe was in the bedroom, so there was no clean change of clothes in the study. The reason why Shen Yan had to ¡°look¡± for them was because they were strewn all over the bed, with some even falling on the floor, so gathering them all would take a moment.


    Qi Jing looked away as Shen Yan bent over to gather the clothes, too shy to look straight at that naked body under the dim light.


    ¡°Wear this for now.¡± Shen Yan picked up the shirt Qi Jing wore originally¡ªit was already all crumpled and wrinkled, half of it drenched in sweat, with a still lingering scent of lust on it. Qi Jing blushed, letting Shen Yan put it on for him in silence. From time to time he would sneak a peek on him, only lowering his head contentedly after he saw that there were indeed his kiss marks left behind on Shen Yan¡¯s body.


    ¡°About this one... do you need my help with it?¡± Shen Yan asked in a low voice with Qi Jing¡¯s underpants in his hand.


    This time, Qi Jing blushed red for real, his voice so low that it was almost inaudible.


    ¡°...No...¡±


    Either way, it was only getting from one bed to another. What¡¯s more, having Shen Yan do that to him would be too much for his heart.


    Shen Yan chuckled and didn¡¯t speak anymore, also getting clothes and pants for himself to put on in silence. Just as he was about to lift Qi Jing up from the bed, he saw the light reflecting off something on the floor at the corner of his eye. As he looked down to take a look at it, it turned out that it was the button that had snapped off before.


    The broken thread that used to keep it in ce was still hanging below the cor of the shirt¡ªit made it obvious how much strength he used at the time.


    Qi Jing followed his gaze andughed a bit as he saw the button, leaning against Shen Yan¡¯s arm as he muttered, ¡°From this day on, this shirt shall have one button less.¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say a thing as he picked it up.


    ¡°Can I keep it?¡± He suddenly asked.


    Qi Jing was taken by surprise at first, then he lowered his eyes and bit his lip as he chuckled quietly, ¡°...What do you want to keep it for?¡±


    Shen Yan alsoughed softly, a smile barely showing on his lips, ¡°To remind myself of you.¡±


    Without waiting for Qi Jing to respond, Shen Yan already bent over and lifted him up in his arms.


    No matter what, Qi Jing was an adult man, so without a doubt carrying him was a bit strenuous.


    It was his first time to be bridal-carried by someone as a grown man, so his face burned red. He wanted to get up and go by himself, but his knees were still soft as if his bones were gone, to the point where he had no strength to even stand up on his own.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Shen Yan warned him in a low voice by his ear, his tone gentle but leaving no room to refuse.


    Qi Jing could only behave, letting Shen Yan take him back to the bedroom andy him on that spacious bed. But although it was spacious, its bedding was still cold¡ªQi Jing couldn¡¯t help a shiver the moment he sat on it. The next moment, Shen Yan had already tucked himself in by his side, silently pulling him into a tight embrace.


    The two of them stayed in the bed for a while, until their body warmth warmed the duvet into a cosy temperature. Then, Shen Yan released his hold and tucked him back under the duvet, fetching Qi Jing¡¯sptop and headphones to put them on the bedside before he kissed him on his forehead.


    ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Mn.¡±


    Shen Yan got up, but he still lowered his head to look silently at the button in his hand for a while. He hid it in his pocket, then quietly closed the door of the bedroom.


    Qi Jing patted his face in hope for the warmth there to quickly disappear as he opened theptop.


    Hisptop wasn¡¯t closed, it had only entered sleep mode. Once he opened it, the previously opened windows were still there, including the YY channel of thepetition.


    Qi Jing was in a hurry to know what stage the audition was on, so quickly entered the channel, but suddenly, he was assaulted by a string of private message notifications.


    ¡ªIt was from ¡°Five¡±.


    For some reason, that guy had already sent him a string of private messages¡ªwhat¡¯s more, he used the blood red caps, making it impossible to ignore. Seeing this, Qi Jing had an awfully bad premonition.


    As expected, the first message from Five made him tense all over.


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: RETURN DATE RETURN DATE RETURN DATE RETURN DATE!! Get here right now, listen to me!! Don¡¯t let Shen Yan join the audition for ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±!! Quickly go and stop him, DO IT NOW!!


    At that moment, his first, subconscious response was to tense his body up, to want to flip from the bed and drag the man who had just left back.


    But once he remembered what Shen Yan said¡ª¡°wait for me¡±¡ªthat strong urge vanished; it cleared his mind up, like a basin of cold water being poured over his head.


    No.


    He shouldn¡¯t be this rash, he should have faith in Shen Yan¡¯s promise, right?


    His tense body rxed slowly and he sat back by the head of the bed, no longer moving¡ªeven though all the subsequent messages from ¡°Five¡± were swaying his resolution by a lot.


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: ...The lines for this audition had already got published... (holds head)


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: ...Those lines are really...


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: That¡¯s bad, he really can¡¯t do this, quick, go stop him or else... ¨“¨Œ¨“


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: Return Date, Return Date, where the heck did you go?? I see you online on this channel but you¡¯re not saying a thing, I don¡¯t know what the situation is like, you quicklye and reply to me!! Waaaaah... ¨“¨Œ¨“


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: You should be with Shen Yan, right? If you can¡¯t stop him, then there is really no one who could do that...


    Stop him?But why?


    Without thinking, Qi Jing moved his hand away from theptop and reached it towards the half-open cor of his shirt in dismay, putting it on the ce where the button used to be¡ªas if this simple touch could let his fingers take hold of that man¡¯s hand.


    Just a few mere minutes ago, they were still lying together, so inseparable in love and affection that even this little distance from study to bedroom felt ufortable.


    If it was the Shen Yan from earlier that morning, he would probably dread letting him take part in the audition by himself.


    But... This Shen Yan was different.


    Qi Jing kept staring at the messages from ¡°Five¡± over and over, and finally, his gaze stopped on the word ¡°lines¡±. His eyes shot open, as if he had suddenly realised something, and he quickly took a look at the lines for the three scenes thepetition organizators had long since published in the public channel.


    Shen Yan slowly raised his eyes and looked at the published lines for three scenes for ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±.


    He was actually pretty lucky.


    By the time he sat down, the contestant before him had just finished his performance, so he still had about a minute to analyse those lines. He could still do it in time, but the time he spent staring at those lines was longer than for either of the previous two roles¡ªso long that it seemed to have stopped.


    He remembered each of the lines he saw as he had read the source novel.


    But as for him voice acting them himself... It was a different matter altogether.


    He took a deep breath and opened the timer on the right corner of the screen, looking at the second arm on it turning a full circle, just as he turned a button in his hand. Keeping it within his scope of view made the passage of time much less stressful for him.


    ¡°Next, we¡¯ll have contestant No.22.¡±


    The MC Yang Chunqu was also looking at the time. It had to be said that theck of response when she was calling the contestants¡¯ numbers made her feel quite disappointed.


    ¡°Contestant No.22? May I ask if you¡¯re present?¡±


    It was about the same as when the question she asked before the beginning of the audition, even her nervous tone was no different.


    She hasn¡¯t seen ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± being listed on the channel and during the audition, she kept mulling over what to do when the timees as she hosted the event; the worst possibility would be that she would have to announce that No.22 had lost the qualification to take part in thepetition.


    Still, as one of the people who had a good impression of him, she really didn¡¯t want to see it end like this.


    The other fans of Kitty¡¯s Papa were also anxious to the extreme.


    Audience 1: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Kitty¡¯s Papa still hasn¡¯te... It¡¯s finished, it¡¯s really finished...


    Audience 2: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò I, I won¡¯t abandon the hope until the very end!!


    Audience 3: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò What thementer above said +10086!! Even if you¡¯re not prepared for the audition, at least say a word about it to us, let me kill the remnants of my hope!! Being left in a limbo here is way worse than if you told us directly!!


    No.22-¡¾Kitty ¤Î Papa¡¿: I¡¯m here.


    ...


    ...Wait...


    The crying kaomojis that were spammed in the chat suddenly disappeared and after a moment of deathly silence, one after another, the listeners cried out loud.


    Audience 1: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã Crap!! Kitty¡¯s Papa!! Quick, read the ID above mine!! ¡ü¡ü¡ü¡ü¡ü


    Audience 2: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã Kitty¡¯s Papa!! MC, look above quickly! ¡ü¡ü¡ü¡ü¡ü


    Audience 3: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã Kitty¡¯s Papa!! MC, look above quickly! ¡ü¡ü¡ü¡ü¡ü +1¡¾If I could use a hundred of arrows, I would hecking use a hundred arrows, bastard¡¿


    Audience 5: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!! Is it the real deal?? Is he the real one or not!!¡¾Crap, I¡¯m about to cry... ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò¡¿


    Audience 6: Help meeeeeee-! Kitty¡¯s Papa, you finally showed up, I¡¯m so emotional now! And so happy! Tonight¡¯s wait finally paid off!¡¾What to do, I¡¯m already sobbing! Asking Kitty¡¯s Papa to send me tissues!¡¿


    ...


    If thepetition was live streamed in the video format, then probably everyone would be able to see the MC covertly wiping a cold sweat.


    ¡°That¡¯s great news, then I¡¯ll ask the staff to give contestant No.22 the right to unmute the mic.¡± Although her movements couldn¡¯t be seen, her audibly more relieved tone could be heard through her mic.


    That naturally resonated with Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s fans, but it also caused a lot of dissatisfaction among Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans.


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace was No.14 and had already performed before, and without much surprise, he held the highest ce on the ranking so far.


    First,pared to ¡°Emperor Chang¡±, a drug addict with a sickly voice, Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s powerful subwoofer-like voice was much more applicable for ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±, a character with a martial background.


    Second, in terms of voice acting, it was hard to find someone more capable than a professional voice actor like him among the amateur contestants.


    If one said that the incident with ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡± was just an ident to Bronze Sparrow Terrace and his fans, then ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± was doomed to be an eyesore.


    And it was mostly because of the relentless publicity of Kitty¡¯s Papa by his ardent fans on the forums.


    ¡°I like Kitty¡¯s Papa more than the great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace, what should I do?¡±


    ¡°Kitty¡¯s Papa will surely win against the great god, right?¡±


    ¡°I feel like there¡¯ll be no suspense to this audition!¡±


    Once opinions like this started amassing, even though the two people involved didn¡¯t interact in person, it was still enough to trigger a feud...


    Remembering that she was the official representative, and couldn¡¯t show any sign of bias towards any contestant, Yang Chunqu quickly coughed to clear her throat.


    ¡°Cough, then, may I ask contestant No.22 to check the equipment? If there¡¯s no problem, then...¡±


    ¡°No need to.¡±


    Three, quiet words could be heard from the person on the mic, his voice lower and more husky than how everyone remembered it. For the audience, it sounded as if it was the problem with a mic, as if there was a noise that distorted his voice.


    ¡°No need to do anything,¡± His other sentence was even lower than the first one, ¡°let¡¯s start right away.¡±


    A/N:


    To be fair, the two of them really sh their PDA... And they don¡¯t even realise that...


    The already shed blind author silently hugs Little Return Date and turns off the light while on her way out...PS: Five, the God of Peddling Sense of Presence is mad hahaha


    Mashiro: Ah another cliffhanger!!! I always like to read about thepetition. Bet the next chap is going to be interesting due to the warning messages of Five.

 Chapter 90

    <h4>Chapter 90</h4>


    Editor: Whitere


    Proofreading: Mashiro


    ¡ªBeginning...In the beginning, where was I, what was I doing?He thought in a daze.


    Just like before, he turned all the light sources in the room off, with only the screen glowing faintly with a cold light. The words strung together into the lines of dialogue were like wet traces of ink on a paper sheet, blurring one after another between the rays of light, gradually turning into an indiscernible mess of ck and white.


    He raised his hand on the table a bit, letting go of the button he kept in his palm.


    Then, he moved his hand away¡ªas if to keep himself from instinctively reaching for that button¡ªbefore he slowly curled it into a fist.


    The light before his eyes submerged him like a tide rocking up and down. His consciousness was stored in a small boat, drifting back to the beginning of his memories¡ªthe beginning he always chose to keep sealed in the depths of his memory. Now, he made a choice to open it back up.


    At the very beginning, there was that rented apartment.


    The upper side of the entrance was covered in rust, a reversed ¡°fortune¡± character taped on the door. Inside, he was sitting with that woman.


    He was ying while sitting on the floor, and the woman sat on the wooden chair before him, her expression numb, two dried out traces on her cheeks. The receiver of the phone hadn¡¯t been properly put in ce after the call that had just ended andid crookedly on the side¡ªone could still hear the long beeping tone of the ended call.


    Each month, there would be a few days like this, and each time, the woman wouldn¡¯t say who called¡ªbut he knew.


    Was it dad, he asked.


    The woman¡¯s eyes shifted a little, looking down on him, the corners of her pursed lips suddenly turning up. That smile was wretched and miserable.


    It was dad, she replied. That reply made his eyes light up momentarily.


    ¡ªWhen will hee back.


    ¡ªHe won¡¯te back...¡ªWhy.


    ¡ªBecause...


    Suddenly, the voice of the woman he had met once again today rang by his ear, ¡°Shen Yan, he never wanted you.¡±


    At that moment, the time on the screen suddenly jumped from ¡°120¡± to ¡°119¡±.


    The jump of this one second made him shiver all over, and he instinctively pressed his fingers on his throat¡ªit was as if it was being choked by the hands of that woman, stopping not only his voice, but also his breathing.


    118.


    117.


    There were three seconds of utter silence.


    His hands were trembling minutely. He opened his mouth¡ªhe could hear the rapid breathinging from his own mic. It was still very quiet and could easily go unnoticed if one didn¡¯t listen attentively. There was a moment where he wanted to grab that button, but he endured, his hand curling tightly into a fist on the desk.


    He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.


    The moment the voice appeared was like waves breaking the water surface, yet hearing it was like sinking underwater.


    Qi Jing also felt himself sink along with it.


    Shen Yan¡¯s voice was like an icy iron hook, immediately catching his hearing, submerging his whole person.


    ¡°...What do you want to know?¡±


    It was half a breath, half an actual voice.


    The former was formless, thetter tangible, but also a bit hoarse, creating a very unique quality. Just like the muddy bottom of the pond upon getting hit with a stone, the sedimented mud slowly rising from the bottom of the water, swelling up and obscuring the view.


    The water was also rmingly cold¡ª


    Then, the man suddenly quietlyughed once in his headphones. It was just that one sound, but it was already full of the hollowness of the living deadman.


    ¡°During his life, the emperor&#k2026; he had never mentioned me, because he didn¡¯t want the people to know of my existence,¡± He said, his speech very slow, like a person walking in the water, each step forward beyond heavy, ¡°Me and my mother wandered about outside for over ten years, we have never even&#k2026; taken a single step inside the capital.¡±


    <i>¡°Gasp¡ª¡±</i> At that moment, Qi Jing subconsciously took a sharp breath, like if he didn¡¯t do so, he would really drown.


    He shivered all over, a strong chill rushing up his arms, making him cover them with his hands. Before Shen Yan finished the first line, he felt as if he kept sinking down the deep, ck waters.


    Sinking without reaching the bottom.


    Since there was no bottom to reach.


    Even the ¡°Bai Ke¡± audition didn¡¯t make him feel this way.


    His only simr experience was when, after going back from the hospital, he looked into Shen Yan¡¯s eyes, wanting to understand from them what he was thinking. The alienation in his expression at that time was no different than now, like a pitch-ck sea, depriving one of the courage to throw oneself into it.


    And that ¡°what do you want to know¡±, it sounded just... as if he was directly replying to the question that he had asked at the time.


    But as a matter of fact, these words were indeed from the lines for ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±.


    The person he spoke to was an old minister who had followed the previous emperor everywhere since before he got enthroned and knew about the secrets of the past. He knew of ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡¯s¡± origin, so he sought him in private, risking death to beg him to reim his identity as a member of the royal family. He wanted to rebel against the current emperor in Marquess Shunyang¡¯s name as the emperor¡¯s blood brother, putting an end to the incapable ruler.


    This part of the dialogue was ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± reminiscing about his past from when he was a child.


    But...


    ¡°But that¡¯s not right...¡± The tone wasn¡¯t right and emotions even more so¡ªall of it was amiss from the very beginning,pletely wrong.


    Qi Jing muttered, feeling a chill rushing through his whole back.


    It was clearly written in the speech prompts,¡¾Bitter chuckle, but his tone is calm andposed¡¿


    As described in the novel, although ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡¯s¡± childhood had been rough, after growing up, he received a lot of support from kindhearted people. After the hardships of the past, he began a new, better life and after entering the army, he became widely known as a man of wisdom and bravery¡ªa steady and impressive leader. He had a military background, so his bearing was unlike that of an usual aristocrat, always impressing people around him with his fortitude.


    The image Shen Yan had just created had this impressive fortitude in it, but its nature waspletely different.


    The fortitude of ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± was like a midday sun, bright and dignified.


    Yet Shen Yan¡¯s fortitude... was as if the sun had already burned out, leaving only ashes behind with no warmth left to spare. It was like a bone-chilling cold, like a midwinter river pricking one¡¯s body with its frosty bites.


    ¡ªShen Yan, just why are you like this?


    Audience 1: ...Just why is Kitty¡¯s Papa like this...¡¾ kneels ¡¿


    Audience 2: ...What kind of joke is that, Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s tone isn¡¯t only different from other contestant¡¯s, itpletely disregards the published acting prompts!! He missed it all the way through!!¡¾silently joins in kneeling¡¿


    Audience 3: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò It can¡¯t be... Kitty¡¯s Papa, what happened... Why would you make such a rookie mistake??


    Audience 4: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò There¡¯s no rescue from this kind of mistake anymooooore...


    Audience 5: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Why like this! I didn¡¯t wait for so long for the sake of a performance like this!


    Audience 6: Kitty¡¯s Papa had reached the end of his capabilities at this point... (lights a candle)


    ...


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t stop himself from reading those worriedments in the chat; his heart was just as anxious, leaving him on tenterhooks, and theirments only made his anxiety spike.


    Reached the end of his capabilities?


    Nobody is perfect, that¡¯s a matter of fact¡ªeven though Shen Yan had skill, he couldn¡¯t give an absolutely perfect performance. But Qi Jing would never think that Shen Yan could possibly make such a grave mistake,pletely missing the right direction.


    Under unusual circumstances like that of apetition, some contestants would choose to win favour by using unexpected means, striving for a high score by giving a novel performancepletely unlike the others.


    But novelty could only win so much, in the end, everything had to match a certain general outline to make do.


    Shen Yan had always been loyal to the source material, to the point it became his ¡°trademark¡±, so why would he choose to give apletely different performance than the others and insist on deviating from the original? Why would he go against his interest?


    That¡¯s just too unthinkable...Qi Jing started to regret not listening to Five¡¯s advice and stopping Shen Yan beforehands.


    ¡°Not only that...¡± If you¡¯ve set the scene with the acting of your first line, then what are you going to do with the remaining lines?


    Qi Jing fixed his gaze at the official lines.


    ¡¾What do you want to know? During his life, the emperor had never mentioned me, because he didn¡¯t want the people to know of my existence¡ªme and my mother wandered about outside for over ten years, we have never even taken a single step inside the capital. He might have really been a man who abandoned his wife and child, but the way I see it, he was a merciful ruler.¡¿


    ¡°There¡¯s no way you can pull off thatst line, Shen Yan.¡± Qi Jing said with a heavy heart.


    ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± loved his home country, so even having experienced a difficult childhood, he could still attach more importance to the big picture. He left behind the personal grudges, praising his royal father¡¯s rule as wise. And the prompts in the official lines pointed that out even more clearly; the emotions portrayed through thatst line should be ¡°sincere and full of esteem¡±¡ªbecause for him, the bygone resentment was nothingpared to the country and its people.


    Qi Jing had read the original novels, and Shen Yan did as well, even taking longer while analysing its subtleties.


    In the novel, ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡¯s¡± emotions were indeed portrayed as such. If he still remembered that, then it should be even less likely that Shen Yan would forget it.


    At that time, he heard a faintugh in his headphones.


    Compared to theugh before, it was more like a cold, jarringugh, one that would precede an emotional breakdown. That man¡¯s voice at that time had already emerged from the depths of his memories, the grief in his tone washed away as the water surface broke, now reced with an iceberg¡ªhaving reached the freezing point, the waters solidified into an ice.


    ¡°He might have... really been a merciful ruler,¡± At that point, his voice rose mockingly, finishing off with a sudden, cutting edge, ¡°But the way I see it, he was a man who had abandoned his wife and child.¡±


    Ah...Qi Jing¡¯s mind momentarily went nk¡ªhe felt as his heart skipped a beat, then started racing wildly.


    So that¡¯s how it could be done.It could actually be done this way!


    He didn¡¯t add or skip a word of the line, he didn¡¯t even change a single bit¡ªby only exchanging their position in the sentence, he could deliver the previous emotions smoothly all the way to the end.


    Audience 1: ...!!!!


    Audience 2: ...!!!! He changed the line! No, that¡¯s not right, it¡¯s more like he changed the position of the lines! So now he can finish it without changing a word, so cool!


    Audience 3: Waaah, suddenly I started to really hate the previous emperor!! That¡¯s right, what about him being a merciful ruler, from Marquess¡¯s standpoint, he was just a man who abandoned his family!! This kind of performance actually is so convincing. After having been treated like that, how could he be without any resentment... QAQ


    Audience 4: To be honest, when I heard him doing the first line, I really thought he made a mistake, but after hearing thatst line... I think that he did so on purpose, not by ident.¡¾Thumbs up, it¡¯s really amazing¡¿


    Audience 5: I think that he did so on purpose +1 Hepletely disregarded the script, to the point of going against the original novel, but I... Shame on me, I actually got into it!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Audience 6: Me too... If I were Marquess Shunyang, I would certainly reminisce in the same tone as Kitty¡¯s Papa¡ªbecause the previous emperor was such a scum of a father!! Although this kind of performance certainly won¡¯t get epted by thepetition organisers... I¡¯m so worried, so worried: will Kitty¡¯s Papa manage to pass to the next stage?? (cries)


    ...


    Just as everyone waited while holding their breaths, that man slowly hid away his edge.


    After all, he was a learned man who already knew to look at the big picture, so when he realised he forgot himself, his already habitual self-control wouldn¡¯t let his wounds continue bleeding¡ªat least not where other people could see.


    Even though what he had to say next was just as sorrowful.


    ¡°When mother was approaching her end, she didn¡¯t say anything else, only repeated one thing over and over... and that was to keep that a secret till my death.¡±


    He said that slowly, then his voice hesitated, as if continuing with that reckless behaviour would make him unable to contain his emotions. Qi Jing heard that man rough breathing just by the mic, each inhale and exile making his wounds hurt. After a long while, he continued, ¡°So only by bing a mute... was I able to live to this day.¡±


    A mute.


    That word suddenly cut into Qi Jing¡¯s chest, just like stepping onto ss shards beneath the mud after having walked in it for a long time. He couldn¡¯t possibly guard against it as it cut his skin and flesh.


    In that instant, an inexplicable illusion arose in his mind.


    He felt that it wasn¡¯t ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±, but Shen Yan himself.


    Because that word, mute, linked them together.


    Once the two of them ovepped, he once again experienced this character¡¯s grudge and hate towards his father, then the bitterness of being unable to even mention it for so many years, all those mixed feelings¡ªall of it made his heart hurt so much.


    But what made him the most distressed was thest line of this scene.


    ¡¾That being the case, if I were to tell you that I really don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m pitiful, would you believe it?¡¿


    In the original lines, after reminiscing about the past, ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± confessed to the minister that he had no grudge against the former emperor. He was speaking his sincere feelings from long ago, so at that time, his tone should be both a bit frustrated, but also a bit gratified, as if he had got rid of a heavy burden.


    ¡ª¡±Even if all of you don¡¯t believe me, it¡¯s fine; I really think I¡¯m not pitiful¡±, this kind of meaning.


    But it was different for Shen Yan.


    When Shen Yan read those lines, his voice was full of constrained emotions; even without seeing him, one could tell that he was clenching his fists so hard that they trembled.


    ¡°That being the case... If I were to tell you that I really don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m pitiful, would you believe it?¡±


    He stressed thest four words.


    He made a calm deration into a rhetorical question, one that would make one shake one¡¯s head in a hurry, with no way to retaliate or even query¡ª¡±If I said that I don¡¯t feel I¡¯m pitiful, would you believe? Of course you wouldn¡¯t, how would you even believe it¡ª¡±


    Audience 1: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò I don¡¯t I don¡¯t I don¡¯t!!!¡¾ SCREAMS ¡¿


    Audience 2: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Marquess aaah, it hurts so muuuuuch¡ª Quickly let the emperor brother heal you!!¡¾eh¡¿


    Audience 3: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Although I really want to join thementer above, but I¡¯m already holding my heart from pain... I have no strength left to ship the younger top brother x brother ship¡¾oi¡¿...There is only pain in my heart now...


    Audience 4: Hepletely overthrew the original work... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Audience 5: Even though he overthrew the original work, he can still deliver the emotions smoothly, with nothing out of ce... I got convinced. _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Audience 6: ...I... I actually like this Marquess Shunyang more...¡¾I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m ashamed to admit that I¡¯m a reader of the novel... I should be criticising him, I¡¯m not fit for the og readers party, I might be more suited to be Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s brainless fan...QAQ¡¿


    ...


    That¡¯s right.


    Shen Yan¡¯s acting didn¡¯t follow the original at all, but the feelings in it were still genuine.


    Or perhaps it could be said that... This way of expression was actually more genuine.


    Compared to ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±, that optimistic and so noble that he was almost selfless character from the novel, this man right now was everything but perfect, everything but lofty¡ªbut he was also so much closer to a normal human being that could get hurt, could feel pain¡ªin terms of realism, he was much more persuasive.


    At that time, Qi Jing suddenly froze as if he had remembered something, then covered his mouth.


    T/N:


    Whitere: The start of this chapter gave me whish... poor SY! Who else wants to give him hugs?


    Luci: *raises hand in a speed of light*


    Mashiro: Although that change was almost wless, I am not able to be in awe. Instead I am so sad for SY.

 Chapter 91

    <h4>Chapter 91</h4>


    Editor: Whitere


    Qi Jing thought of a gravestone.


    Shen Yan¡¯s grandpa¡¯s gravestone.


    He remembered how that day when Shen Yan took him to sweep his elder¡¯s grave, he took a look at the inscription on the gravestone. The names of all the family members were inscribed on it... but the only one missing was ¡°Shen Yan¡±.


    He also thought of the photo album.


    There was no photo from Shen Yan¡¯s early childhood in it.


    In the photos that were there, there was only an elderly man beside the young Shen Yan and from beginning to end, a smile had never appeared on the face of that boy.


    ¡ªWhen I was a kid, my environment... wasn¡¯t very good.¡ªI want to ovee something.¡ªIf in reality those things weren¡¯t something you would wish to know, would that still be ok?


    Suddenly, he understood it all.


    ¡°Ah...¡± A soft gasp escaped Qi Jing¡¯s lips and by the time he realised, something already fell from his eye, falling on the back of the hand covering his mouth.


    That man¡¯s low, muttered plea once again reverberated in his ears; his voice distraught, its uneasiness almost ignoble.


    Qi Jing, don¡¯t go.Qi Jing, what should I do... to make you need me more?Qi Jing, during this audition... I want you to listen to all of it¡ª


    ¡°Because only this...¡± is theplete you. His voice broke from the sadness, leaving him unable to finish this sentence.


    Thest piece of a puzzle, one he was the slowest to ce, the most unbearable piece¡ªin the end, that man himself chose to entrust it to him.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t say even a word more.


    He finally understood why.


    He finally understood why, even when they were the closest, that man still wasn¡¯t able to leave behind his worries.


    The unspoken past hidden between the words dug into Qi Jing¡¯s heart like the cuts of a knife. The ss wall between him and Shen Yan copsed¡ªhe could now reach his hand to grasp that man, but he first had to experience the pain of ss shards cutting into his skin.


    Turns out that since the very beginning, the ¡°audience¡± of this audition was only him¡ªShen Yan wanted it to let himselfe clean to Qi Jing.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Unable to catch a breath, Qi Jing choked back a sob, his shoulders still shaking as he pressed down even stronger with his hand, doing his best to not let that person hear him sobbing. Now, as he got to know the deeper meaning behind these lines, the misery Shen Yan had just shown cut into him like an awl, prying apart the gates on his feelings, leaving him unable to stop his tears from flowing more with each moment.


    It was just like when he watched a film in a media ss in a college.


    The plot of the film was dark and heavy and watching it only made him feel down and depressed, but it wasn¡¯t to the point where he felt miserable. But when heter got to know that its plot wasn¡¯t a fiction, but a real life documentary, the tremendous pain he felt was indescribable, like a vicious hit to his chest.


    Now.


    Two people, one fictional, one real, the two of their stories merged into one through those lines, and the weight of this... he was unable to shoulder.


    Tears were only a way to vent that crushing weight.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough...¡± Shen Yan, that¡¯s enough. ¡°I understand already, so don¡¯t continue...¡±


    Qi Jing begged quietly in a hoarse voice, hoping for this show to conclude at this point.


    But the performance went on.


    ¡°Brother,¡± He heard a cold and stern voice in the headphones¡ªunlike the usual calm andposed ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±, it was like a double-edged sword, able to hurt others while also hurting its wielder, ¡°You misjudged me.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Qi Jing opened his eyes wide subconsciously.


    Since he had yed ¡°Emperor Chang¡±, he was pretty sensitive to the pronouns used in the lines.


    That was even more the case since this dialogue was one of the few ones in the original novel, the scene of ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± finally showed his brother his real feelings¡ªthe final overthrowing of the emperor. The previous son of the Heavens was left with no way out, losing his mind in the face of his younger brother who appeared supported by the rebels, shouting and cursing him and his low-born mother who bore him.


    ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± only listened to his curses in silence with his brows furrowed.


    ¡°Emperor Chang¡± was already at hisst breath, he had only shouted curses for a moment but was already unable to catch a breath, having to stop for a moment. At that point, his wrath got reced by sorrow and he turned from cursing his brother to cursing himself, hating himself for letting this bastard spawn abandoned by the previous emperor among peasants deceive him for so long and so thoroughly.


    ¡¾...We actually believed you, that you were loyal to Us, wouldn¡¯t disobey Us, not to mention betraying¡ª¡¿


    ¡¾Brother, you misjudged me.¡¿


    In the novel, it was the first time for ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± to disrupt the emperor¡¯s words.


    The insults from just before had evoked the old and bitter memories he had hid away deep in his heart. Ten years of honing himself in the army and devoting himself to the state had buried his childhood pain for too long, so long that after growing up, he almost couldn¡¯t remember those gloomily grey sentiments of the past.


    After so many years, when those feelings got dug up by his blood brother, he was shocked to realise that the grey had already festered into ck, ck to the point it was almost sinister.


    At that time, the lips beside the mic curled up a bit, letting out a shortugh, but one deprived of the brightness of a true smile.


    ¡°In fact, you know nothing of me¡ª¡±


    In terms of the tone, those two lines matched well with the first scene he had altered.


    Just as cold.


    Just as hateful.


    But matching was not always that good of a thing.


    Maybe because of this point, a certain line suddenly appeared in the chat that had stayed silent for all that time: ¡°...Honestly, I can¡¯t agree with Kitty¡¯s Papa.¡±


    The one to speak up was a veteran fan of the original novel. As an avid reader of ?Order to End the Heavens?, she was more then well-versed in the lines of those two characters for this scene and knew the changes in their mentalities throughout the novel like the back of her hand.


    After she spoke up, many same-minded fans of the original novel also started to speak up timidly.


    Audience 1: ...Honestly, I can¡¯t agree with Kitty¡¯s Papa. _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Audience 2: ...Honestly, me too... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Audience 3: Originally, as a fan of the novel I really loved how Kitty¡¯s Papa yed the previous characters and thought that sticking close to the original was his biggest forte and appeal. But at this point, I also want to say that I kinda regret supporting the changes he made to this character¡¯s emotions. ¨“¨Œ¨“


    ...


    For some listeners who didn¡¯t read the novel and only came to appreciate the voice acting show, such opinions almost didn¡¯t make any sense.


    For the first time, a sh urred among ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡¯s¡± supporters.


    Audience 4: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õFriends from thements above, why are you saying that?? I think that the emotions here and the change in the first scene link up very well, and the first scene was so realistic, so immersive!!


    Audience 5: Right right right, although it doesn¡¯t follow the novel, but it moved me so deeply... ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Audience 6: But well, this kind of handling is sure going to be controversial...


    Audience 1: The problem isn¡¯t with the immersion, and it¡¯s not entirely because of being different from the novel. The problem is, there should have been a great reversal after the first scene, but he chose to keep up with it in the second scene, so it feels like there was no change to the character... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Audience 2: Tearfully seconding thement above!! Marquess¡¯ feelings in the beginning and towards the end of the novel are different, they developed along the progression of the plot, so once this change is gone, there¡¯s no way to convey the gradual process of his change!!


    Audience 3: Sigh, the ¡°coldness¡± and the ¡°hatred¡± should have only appeared at this juncture in the first ce. Kitty¡¯s Papa changed it altogether in the first scene, so now there¡¯s no way to make aparison between those two attitudes. All of it is a major taboo of the voice acting, really... Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s performance today really is so disappointing¡¾I agree with what someone had said earlier: the first scene is very immersive, but it only sounds good when listened to alone. If one listened to those two scenes together, it would be impossible to experience the changes in that person¡¯s life.¡¿


    ...


    Qi Jing suddenly remembered that at this point of the scene, ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± would make a move¡ªhe grabbed ¡°Emperor Chang¡± by hispels and mmed him against the wall.


    Such a well-mannered figure like Marquess Shunyang, to do something like that¡ªit really showed that he was close to losing it.


    And then, he heard the single ¡°THUD¡±.


    It wasn¡¯t really something being mmed against the wall, but that man¡¯s hand pping the table heavily. Although it was a bit away from the mic, it was both loud enough and heavy enough, making him shudder all over, momentarily forgetting how to breathe.


    When Shen Yan¡¯s fistnded, it was just by the side of the button.


    But his tightly gripped fist didn¡¯t touch it at all, even the tiniest bit.


    ¡°You, who grew up deep in a pce, surrounded by nothing but luxuries... Can you understand what being alone, impoverished, and with no roof over one¡¯s head means?¡± His voice was trembling slightly as he asked.


    Or rather than calling it asking, it would be more suitable to describe that tone as ¡°forcing an answer¡±, each word stern and full of threat.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but recoil back. It was a subconscious reaction; it didn¡¯t matter that he knew that these lines weren¡¯t directed against him¡ªthe vicious oppression in those words still assaulted him straight on, leaving him unable to budge as he sat stiffly on his chair. Probably no matter if it were ¡°Emperor Chang¡± or any other person, when hearing such an inquiry, no one would be able to avoid wavering in their hearts.


    From the beginning of the second scene until now, everyone present seemed to be walking on a knife¡¯s edge.


    The stronger the hatred in that voice, the deeper the de sank into their feet as they stepped towards its tip, guided by that sound.


    The moment Shen Yan unsheathed that oppressive tone, everyone seemed to slip towards the knife tip, not knowing when the knife would rise up to deal them a fatal blow¡ª


    Yet Shen Yan stopped. He began to gasp rapidly, as if he was painstakingly trying to suppress his emotions.


    Thus, he said nothing for two, three seconds.


    Even though there was a difference of opinions before, the listeners were still captivated by the tension of such a performance; everyone held their breaths for fear of missing out on even a single moment.


    Qi Jing¡¯s heart was also pounding in his chest and his fingers trembled a bit.


    ¡°Shen Yan... Hurry up.¡± His gaze was focused on the steadily decreasing number on the timer, unable to spare even a single thought to wipe the half-dried traces on his face as his temples became covered in ayer of cold sweat.


    Probably not many had realised that because of how Shen Yan had changed the overall tone of the first scene, slowing down his speech to embody that sense of sorrow, the lines that could originally be concluded early took quite a long time. That¡¯s why when he arrived at the second scene, he was already very short on time, so if he kept dying like this...


    ¡°Your time won¡¯t be enough...¡± His heart aplete mess, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but say that out loud.


    But to everyone¡¯s surprise, at this time, Shen Yan suddenly let out a long breath, a bit like a sigh, but also a bit like a sob.


    The overbearing oppression from just now suddenly started to crumble, like piled up sand slowly caving in¡ªthat man finally began losing the strength to bear with it all.


    In a moment, the feeling of walking on a knife¡¯s edge was gone¡ªthe listeners¡¯ feet were back on the ground, as if they were rid of heavy shackles and everyone subconsciously breathed with relief.


    ¡°Can you understand... how it feels to never be able to recognize your flesh and blood?¡±


    His voice was very low and downcast; having cried miserably, it became hoarse, sounding even more bitter when he was talking, especially with how hesitant he was when saying this sentence.


    But even though it was so simr to the previous line.


    Even though it was still an inquiry to the other man.


    The hatred was gone now. Or rather than hatred, it was more like a sense of defeat now, him wanting to hate but being unable to, as well as... some sense of liberation.


    Qi Jing was momentarily unable to feel his own heartbeat. It disappeared, frozen between that man¡¯s quiet sobs in his ears.


    It got changed.


    All of the lines reading prompts for the second scene once again got overturned.


    ¡¾You, who grew up deep in a pce, surrounded by nothing but luxuries... Can you understand what being alone, impoverished, and with no roof over one¡¯s head means?¡¿(questioning tone)


    ¡¾Can you understand... how it feels to never be able to recognize your flesh and blood?¡¿(questioning tone deepens with increased sharpness)


    Later was¡ª


    ¡¾You¡¯re clearly my only family in this world, but deep in my heart, I utterly detest you¡ª¡¿


    The tone in all of those three lines linked with each other, clearly heading towards ¡°progression of hate¡±.


    But Shen Yanpletely overturned it.


    ¡°I clearly... deep in my heart, I utterly detest you...¡± His voice was trembling just like his fist on the table; when it couldn¡¯t be any more hoarse, he suddenly opened his hand, feeling for the button on the side, hurriedly taking it into his palm as if grabbing onto his salvation. Only then, he finally chuckled bitterly, ¡°But, you¡¯re... my only family in the world.¡±


    ¡ª¡±That¡¯s why, I¡¯m still unable to take my revenge against you, abandon you without any care.¡±


    That was his overturn.


    One could see the ominous clouds of the uing tempest dispelling slowly, scattering to the sides to let the sun in.


    Silence fell upon the audience.


    Qi Jing heard himself taking a long breath and he blinked in dismay. Springtime came too abruptly and it was as if something in his eyes thawed, melting quicker with each second, as if about to everflow.


    At that time, he heard that man¡¯s soft chuckle in the headphones, calm and quiet.


    More surprising than this overturn were that man¡¯s next words.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, I¡¯m stopping here¡ª¡±


    Stopping here?What does he mean by stopping here?


    This sentence finally broke the silence of the chat, shocking it thoroughly.


    Audience 1: QAQ!!!


    Audience 2: QAQ ...What ¡°stopping here¡±...


    Audience 3: QAQ You¡¯re gonna say something like this as my eyes are full of tears here! Kitty¡¯s Papa!


    Audience 4: QAQ... My eyes hurt so much... I couldn¡¯t stand the second part... My face is full of tears...


    Audience 5: QAQ Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s overturn was too unexpected, it was brilliant!! I didn¡¯t expect that at all!! Don¡¯t stop!! I beg you!!


    Audience 6: QAQ Dooooooon¡¯t, don¡¯t stop thereeeeee!!


    ...


    ¡°I know that I don¡¯t have enough time,¡± Shen Yan¡¯s voice reverted to its most natural state, it¡¯s just this time, it sounded more like a beach touched by the warmth of an ocean, indescribably calm and gentle. ¡°And from the beginning I only intended to finish the first two scenes.¡±


    Just these two first scenes are enough.He lowered his eyes, looking at the hand holding onto the button.


    ¡°I nned to give up on this role from the very beginning¡ªmy apologies, I¡¯m forfeiting.¡±


    Everyone present was momentarily dumbstruck, and by the time they came back to their senses, the scene fell into a disarray.


    Audience 1: ¨“¨Œ¨“ NOOOOOO!!!


    Audience 2: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Forfeit??? Kitty¡¯s Papa, don¡¯t be like this!!!


    Audience 3: ¨“¨Œ¨“ My heart instantly broke, I feel so bad now!!!


    ...


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Shen Yan apologised in a low voice. Yet, he still didn¡¯t intend to change his resolve, ¡°I know that I went against the acting prompts, went against the original novel¡ªit¡¯s a taboo in the voice acting world, so I have no right to carry on.¡±


    Saying this, he chuckled faintly instead.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, just for this one role... I want to ask everyone to pardon my selfishness and let me be selfish just this one time. Just this time, I¡¯m acting only for myself, performing for myself, abandoning the most fundamental rules of voice acting and everyone¡¯s expectations for me... But I don¡¯t regret it.¡±


    The scene gradually calmed down, everyone listened to him talk with mixed feelings.


    Since he gave up early, he still had a little bit of time. Shen Yan lowered his head to stroke the button in his palm with his finger; illuminated by the light of the screen, it flickered quietly.


    ¡°There¡¯s a person,¡± He said suddenly, ¡°A person who... let me make the first step, let me ovee the fear and sign into thispetition. They¡¯re also here today.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s lips parted slightly, but unable to say a word, he choked on a sob instead.


    At that time, Shen Yan had already directed his words towards him, ¡°Are you here? I know you are, because you¡¯re always by my side.¡±


    ¡°Mn...¡± Qi Jing bit his lips and replied muffedly to theputer.


    The previously curbed tears once again slipped out of his control, continuously rolling down his cheeks, falling one after another on the keyboard.


    Shen Yan said in a low voice, ¡°I want to tell you that without you, I wouldn¡¯t even be here, not to mention having courage toplete those two scenes ording to my wish. I think that you have already guessed... the reason for me to do so. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, and I also don¡¯t dare to.¡±


    He hesitated, his voice getting even lower, even more hoarse.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll be very disappointed, maybe you¡¯ll regret being with me... or something. But¡ª¡±


    Qi Jing stopped breathing, not daring to budge.


    The time on a timer was already approaching its end and thest five seconds began to pass.


    ¡°But,¡± Shen Yan¡¯s deep and hoarse words came from the headphones, each word full of emotions within, ¡°please stay with me and apany me to the end.¡±


    He lowered his head, raising his hand at the same time, his lips pressing on the button in a pious kiss.


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    A/N:


    ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò I really want to hug Kitty¡¯s Papa, but I¡¯ll still leave him to 2Yan to hug.


    And I also don¡¯t regret creating a plot like this.


    T/N:


    Luci: And I might regret giving my whole heart to this story, because now it¡¯s all tied into a tight knot... *shakes fist tearfully*


    Whitere: AHHHHHHH MIC DROP QAQ

 Chapter 92

    <h4>Chapter 92</h4>


    Editor: Whitere


    Those three words were also a conclusion for the audition.


    He had no score, as he didn¡¯tplete all the required lines and didn¡¯t even qualify for appraisal.


    He had no position on the ranking because he forfeited himself.


    He clearly had nothing, but he gained so much more than with any of the performances before. In his heart, he had already added the final full stop¡ªthere was no need for any finishing touches, it wasplete.


    Qi Jing blinked his eyes and the haziness before his eyes was momentarily gone, but his vision quickly blurred once again.


    Every time he blinked, there would be something wet spilling from his eyes, falling down his cheeks.


    Yet heughed.


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Hisugh was soft and quiet, but the more heughed, the more his tears would flow.


    He slowly, calmly took off the headphones, separating the rowdy sounds of thepetition from the reality, going back to that peaceful apartment.


    During the early winter time, it was even easier to offset this warm cosiness.


    He took a few deep breaths in silence, then lifted his hand to try to wipe his tears. Before he left the channel, he caught a glimpse of the messages ¡°Five¡± sent him.


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: ...


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: ...


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: ... Really, I didn¡¯t expect that...


    ¡¾¡ïFive¡ï¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: ... I have said previously that with this, no one can help him, but it seems like I was wrong. Return Date, you really are amazing... Thank you.


    ¡ªNo, I¡¯m not amazing at all. It was his own strength that got him here.


    Qi Jingughed as he looked down, closing theptop.


    At that time, he heard the quiet sound of the door being opened.


    The door opened, but the man himself stood by the doorside, hesitant toe in. The corners of Qi Jing¡¯s lips curled up a bit as he deliberately spoke in a t tone, making himself sound very serious.


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    There was no modtion to his voice, so it was impossible to judge whether he was happy or angry.


    The man outside the door froze for a moment, but he still made a step inside and slowly made his way towards him.


    He didn¡¯t say a thing, didn¡¯t turn his head, only sitting silent on the bedside as he listened to that man walking from the door to his side. Even when the man already stopped within the reach of his hand, he still showed no reaction, his expression unfazed¡ªonly his lowered eyes contained a mellow smile the other man couldn¡¯t possibly see.


    ¡°...Qi Jing,¡± That man finally called, his voice stifled and rough from suppressed feelings, ¡°Are you angry?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m angry.¡± Qi Jing didn¡¯t deny.


    Shen Yan¡¯splexion instantly paled.


    But before he could even step back, Qi Jing suddenly moved closer, opening his arms as he held his waist in a tight hug. He breathed in that calming scent almost greedily,ughing quietly as he spoke, ¡°Do you know how many tears you made me shed tonight? My eyes will certainly swellter, so of course I¡¯m angry.¡±


    Shen Yan trembled slightly, like a man who just heard a verdict deeming him innocent, letting him free. His knees got soft as he slowly kneeled on the bed, as if deprived of any strength.


    His hands fumbled around Qi Jing¡¯s back for a while until he made sure that what he was touching was the real Qi Jing¡ªonly then did he breathe a sigh of relief and close his eyes, leaning over to tightly hug the person before him.


    But the tremor in his voice wasn¡¯t gone yet. ¡°I thought that... you were angry because I kept this kind of unsightly past from you, and that you... couldn¡¯t forgive me.¡±


    The hands on Qi Jing¡¯s back tightened their hold, fingers digging into his shirt twisting together with its cloth into a sorry mess.


    Qi Jing could clearly feel the hesitation and lingering fear in his heart.


    Influenced by those emotions, Qi Jing buried his face even deeper into their embrace, muttering in a hoarse voice, ¡°Dummy... Only those who did something wrong need to be forgiven. What did you do wrong?¡±


    ¡°I... deceived you.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t deceive me.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t clear with you...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not deception, deception is built upon lies.¡± Qi Jing corrected him slowly, ¡°You haven¡¯t said anything before... But when you spoke, each of your words were true.¡±


    At that time, he asked once again.


    ¡°So, what did you do wrong?¡± Nothing at all.


    Shen Yan couldn¡¯t even say a word anymore, his breathing rushed as he tightened his embrace even more, kneeling still before him.


    Qi Jing said nothing, just gently pulling his elbow to get him under the duvet to cuddle, waiting patiently for his breathing to calm down.


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± After a while, he spoke hoarsely, ¡°I¡¯m, a...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it,¡± At that time, Qi Jing hastily pressed a finger on his lips, not letting him use that derogatory term. At least, it was still derogatory in current society. ¡°No need to say that, I have already guessed.¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s eyelids twitched and he blinked twice, as if he wanted to get rid of the stinging pain in his eyes yet was unable to.


    Qi Jing lifted his hand, covering his eyes gently to make him close them, then quietly moved his fingers away toy a kiss on his eyelids. Like a tired child, Shen Yan leaned on the bedhead, leaving all the initiative to him, giving in to his movements.


    Qi Jing felt that his eyelids weren¡¯t twitching as much anymore, only then supporting his head on Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder with a sigh, ¡°To be honest, I had that inkling before.¡±


    Shen Yan shook, then asked in a low voice, ¡°...From when?¡±


    Qi Jingughed bitterly, ¡°There were many clues along the way, but all of them were very vague, so... I never thought much of it. It was only on the day when we went to sweep your grandpa¡¯s grave and I saw that your name wasn¡¯t on the gravestone that I realised something. But at that time I just thought that you were an adopted child of that family, so only during your performance just now I...¡±


    He stopped there. He didn¡¯t say anything more, there was no need to.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± This time, it was Qi Jing who apologised in a quiet voice. If he was only an adopted child, some clues wouldn¡¯t make much sense upon careful consideration&#k2014;he really was too slow.


    Shen Yan shook his head in silence.


    The two of them fell into a spell of a tacit silence, warming each other up in their embrace in silence.


    Until Shen Yan spoke.


    ¡°...That ¡®auntie¡¯ we met in the hospital today... In fact she¡¯s... my biological mother.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyes shot open and he lifted his head in shock. Shen Yan onlyughed bitterly, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her for almost ten years since she remarried.¡±


    At that time, he stopped for a moment then corrected himself in a heavy voice.


    ¡°No, I shouldn¡¯t say ¡®remarried¡¯... Because she and my biological father were never spouses in the literal sense. Before I got taken in by my grandpa, I was just a kid with no identity who had no real connection to the ¡®Shen family¡¯ besides the surname.¡±


    Qi Jing frowned slightly, pulling on the hem of his clothes in silence to pull Shen Yan closer to himself.


    Shen Yan followed this movement by hugging him tighter into his arms and lowering his head, rubbing it against him a few times as he tried to bury the pain in his voice under the t, narrating tone, ¡°I was born in a small town, my mom¡¯s birthce. It was a very small ce and people there were very conservative, including her family. She grew up in that environment... But since she was much better at learning than other people, she also knew a bit more and wished to see the world outside that town.¡±


    ¡°And my father was a local who grew up in this city. His family circumstances were pretty favourable, so after graduating from college, he got assigned to work in my mom¡¯s town for a period of time and so they got to know each other... then, they got me.¡±


    The longer he spoke, the lower his voice became, so low even that he had to stop for a moment, unable to continue.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t hurry him up, only stroking his back in silence, giving him a bit offort¡ªeven if it was only temporary.


    ¡°When my mom got me, she was still unmarried. At that time and ce, if it got out, it would bring her great humiliation, she would be gossiped about and looked down upon for the rest of her life. But my dad... he didn¡¯t want to marry my mom, because at that time, he had already agreed to another marriage that got arranged for him by his superior.¡±


    The man from his memories was always d in a dark suit, with an immactely smooth shirt and a well-ironed cor, as if carved with a knife.


    The man¡¯s eyes were cold, his face rigid, an utter realist from his looks to his deeds.


    The woman hid the child him behind herself. When he looked stealthily from behind her skirt, there were some thoughts in the gaze the man gave him. But in his thinking, there was only the answer, but no consideration¡ªonly the final result triggered by the issue, with no emotional toll of processing it.


    The man was born in a good family from the provincial capital and the woman was from a small county town. They were not meant to be since the very beginning, their backgrounds didn¡¯t match.


    The man worked in civil service and as a proper civil worker, his name and reputation was his everything.


    The man had been recognized by his superior, and marriage was only means to pave him a better future, it had nothing to do with feelings.


    The man felt that the woman didn¡¯t understand him.


    The man felt that the woman didn¡¯t sympathise with him.


    The man felt that the woman did a needless thing, and the child was exactly that ¡°needless thing¡±, a foolish thing even.


    ¡°My mom¡¯s way of thinking when she was young was very simple. She thought that as long as she had me, he would one day change his mind.¡± Saying this, Shen Yan gave a faint, wretchedugh, ¡°But he didn¡¯t.¡±


    He moved his forehead down from where it was pressed into Qi Jing, leaving briefly, only to bury it silently by Qi Jing¡¯s vicle.


    ¡°Because he... never wanted me.¡±


    That emphasis on ¡°never¡± made Qi Jing¡¯s hurt lurch painfully.


    Shen Yan continued narrating the details of his past intermittently.


    Most of them were already like the days they came from, old and blurry in his memory, but still as real¡ªnothing could change the stifling feeling as they weighed on one¡¯s heart.


    As for the things Shen Yan had said, Qi Jing more or less had heard them from other ces.


    He was a news reporter, so in reality, he would see incidents like this almost every other day; it was nothing new to him and it could be said that once you saw one case like that, you¡¯ve seen it all. Many of his colleagues could treat those stories just as decent material for an article in the factual channel, thinking it like mere letters printed in ck and white, but he couldn¡¯t do that.


    He knew that behind each of those recordings, there was always a scar, or perhaps many of them...


    ¡°Shen Yan. Shen Yan...¡±


    Qi Jing would at times call his name so, waking him up from recollecting the past, reminding him of his presence, not letting him sink helplessly into the quagmire of memories or struggle all on his own.


    And as he spoke, Shen Yan kept hugging him, never letting go.


    ¡°Later, my mom and I moved to this city, but my father still didn¡¯te.¡± He said, his gaze as if mixed with an ashen gloom, ¡°My mom fell into alcoholism and would often break things when she was drunk. There were times when she would go crazy, and the worst time... she almost suffocated me in aforter.¡±


    Qi Jing shot up from his embrace in shock.


    Shen Yan just chuckled bitterly as he shook his head, supporting his shoulders as he continued, slowly and crudely, ¡°At that time... I really was too scared, and escaped. After neighbours got to know about that, they almost notified the police, but maybe because she was my only family member and she wasn¡¯t sober at the time, they ultimately didn¡¯t call the cops, making a call to my father instead.¡±


    He stopped for a moment.


    As if distrait, at that moment, his narration sounded more like a query, as if he himself didn¡¯t really believe what he was saying, ¡°At that time, my father came¡ª¡±


    At that time, the man realised that he should cut short the woman¡¯s hope, and the woman realised she should abandon her hope.


    At that time, the elders got to know about their son¡¯s affair for the first time and about the existence of the grandson they never met as well¡ªthat was the turning point of his life.


    ¡°After that ident, my mom broke downpletely and took me back to that county town. Later... She married another man in a marriage arranged by her parents. As for me, they intended to give me back to the Shen family.¡± He took a long breath in, and finally, a bit of warmth appeared in his voice, ¡°Although my father didn¡¯t take me, when my grandpa got to know about that... he agreed to take me in and raise me. He will always be my benefactor.¡±


    He lowered his eyes, smiling faintly.


    ¡°The reason why my mother gave me the surname Shen was because that was the surname of the man she had loved, but that¡¯s not why I kept it. For me, ¡®Shen¡¯ is ¡®my grandpa¡¯s surname¡¯ and not ¡®my father¡¯s surname¡¯... Isn¡¯t this kind of thinking silly?¡±


    Qi Jing resisted the pain he felt and shook his head hastily.


    No one who heard his recollections would be able tough at it.


    ¡°Before, I thought that ¡®Marquess Shunyang¡¯ was very simr to me, but I was wrong.¡± Suddenly, Shen Yan mentioned the audition from a moment ago. He said, as if muttering to himself, ¡°We¡¯re not the same at all. He could abandon his personal grudge for the state, but I¡¯m unable to, I really... Hated my father so much.¡±


    Shen Yan loosened his hold, not to let Qi Jing leave his embracepletely, but to just let some space in between them to take out that button, holding it in his hand.


    ¡°Perhaps, I¡¯m not as magnanimous as him, but I have something he doesn¡¯t.¡±


    Qi Jing followed his gaze and looked down. The light flickered on the button; upon closer look, he could see the small version of his face reflecting on its surface.


    Surprised, he lifted his head once again. Shen Yan wasn¡¯t looking at the button anymore, observing him in silence instead.


    With the man himself there, the substitute lost all of its allure¡ª


    ¡°When the first scene started, I kept reminding myself to not touch this button¡ªbecause it would remind me of you and of how fortunate I am now,¡± Shen Yan pulled Qi Jing¡¯s hand closer, putting it in his own. With their hands sped, the button was just between them, like a rite of some oath. Shen Yanughed, puzzled, ¡°I could even forget that I used to be miserable.¡±


    If it came to that, he would no longer be able to re-enact those feelings.


    At first, Marquess Shunyang was a very bright and positive figure, but as the plot progressed, he became more and more gloomy and towards the end, the negative feelings still broke him... like a candle me reaching its end.


    ¡°At the time when my grandpa had just passed away, I also felt like this. My mother bore me, brought me up, but still chose to abandon me; my grandpa raised me and watched me be an adult, but he still left me in the end... I thought that my life was just this kind of sinking, that anything good I had would ultimately get taken away from me.¡±


    But the moment he touched the button, those thoughts would cease to exist¡ªhe would only remember that his heart was full, so full that it was overflowing.


    He would only remember that he was being loved, and was loving.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I chose the opposite direction to his.¡±


    For thest few lines, he had to put down the burden in his heart to face it calmly, that¡¯s why he held the button once again, as if he was holding onto Qi Jing¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Shen Yan...¡± Qi Jing discovered that his voice was somewhat shaky, just like his fingers were.


    On the contrary, Shen Yan was particrly calm.


    Even when his words shook Qi Jingpletely, he could still keep the unperturbed tone, ¡°My mom... She has been diagnosed with a brain tumour. The examination results will onlye out tomorrow, so at the moment, it¡¯s still unknown if it¡¯s malignant or benign.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s face paled instantly, ¡°No way...¡±


    Shen Yan lowered his head as he finished his words in a quiet voice, ¡°When she told me her diagnosis, I... I actuallypletely forgot about everything she had done to me in the past. The only thought that remained in my mind was, ¡®I need to help her¡¯. Maybe it¡¯s because I had my grandpa and you, so I had a footing¡ªI no longer felt any impact from the memories of her hurting me. I was already... unable to hate her.¡±


    After that, Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Qi Jing also remained silent as he looked at the man before him with mixed feelings, keeping himpany as they sat together for a dozen or so minutes.


    Probably feeling cold, Shen Yan changed his position, drawing him closer into his arms¡ªa gesture of seeking warmth. Of course, Qi Jing didn¡¯t refuse him, but two men hugging together could only warm each other for so long, it couldn¡¯t fend off the winter from outside the apartment.


    And he didn¡¯t wish to limit himself so.


    He wanted to reach the true end of winter.


    ¡°Can I have a talk with your mom?¡± Qi Jing suddenly said.


    The abruptness of those words was even a level above him saying that his mother was sick just now¡ªShen Yan lifted his head quickly, staring at Qi Jing in surprise. And the gaze Qi Jing met him with was undoubtedly steady and sincere.


    ¡°Can I have a talk with your mom?¡± He didn¡¯t get a reply, so he repeated in a soft voice. But despite asking the second time, he didn¡¯t get Shen Yan¡¯s immediate response.


    The two of them looked at each other; Shen Yan didn¡¯t find even a trace of wavering in Qi Jing¡¯s eyes, making him frown. His first reaction of refusal was halted by Qi Jing¡¯s gaze¡ªhe swallowed it down, seemingly wanting to say something but unable to.


    ¡°She...¡± doesn¡¯t even want tomunicate.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Even though Shen Yan didn¡¯t say it, Qi Jing still knew what he meant. The corners of his eyes curling up in a smile, he rubbed his nose against Shen Yan¡¯s cheek, saying in a low voice, ¡°Did you forget about my profession? I¡¯m a reporter, I know which questions to ask and which to not. I¡¯m even highly praised in my news channel crew¡ª¡±


    There was a slight joking tone to his voice, so as to disperse the gloomy atmosphere a bit.


    After hearing this, Shen Yan finallyughed helplessly, then sighed.


    ¡°Fine,¡± If his most important person didn¡¯t mind it, then he didn¡¯t need to fear anything. But he still needed to warn him beforehand, ¡°But she might not want to talk at all, so don¡¯t push her too hard.¡±


    ¡°I will act reasonably, but I also won¡¯t step back easily¡ªafter all, interviewing is my specialty.¡± Qi Jing smiled, calm and confident.


    Shen Yan stared at him fixedly, the light rolling in his eyes, flickering in the silence. The flickers in his gaze were like the winter sun shining upon the calm waters of a sea¡ªnot as radiant as the summer sun, but it made the warmth even more precious.


    ¡°You said that interviewing is your specialty.¡± Shen Yan suddenly repeated his words from just now.


    ¡°Mn?¡±


    ¡°Then, when will you have a proper interview with me?¡±


    It was hard to tell if this sentence was a joke or a real question. Their rtionship offline started off with a work coboration, but in that news report, Shen Yan had always been behind the scene, never showing in the camera¡ªeven in the manuscript, he was only referred to as ¡°Dr Shen¡±¡ªQi Jing really had never interviewed him face-to-face.


    Hearing him ask this question, Qi Jing was stumped for a moment. When he finally came back to his senses, he lowered his head, unable to help a chuckle.


    He turned his head over, leaving a gentle bite on Shen Yan¡¯s throat.


    From it came a low hum of either pain or pleasure. But when Shen Yan lowered his head to kiss him, Qi Jing stopped him with a finger¡ªkeeping him away with that one finger, Qi Jing sighed, their lips just by each other, ¡°I had interviewed many people as a reporter, so interviewing you once more from that position wouldn¡¯t be as memorable... If one day I really became a news presenter and got my own programme, I will let you be my first honourable guest¡ª¡±


    At this time, he took back his finger and as his lips touched Shen Yan¡¯, his remaining words became unclear.


    ¡°But even if I manage to get promoted this time, I will only be a co-presenter... For me to properly get independent, I would have to wait another two or three years... you need to... wait for me.


    ¡°I will wait.¡± Shen Yan promised in a low voice¡ªthose three words couldst for countless days and nights.


    No matter if it¡¯s three years, four, five, or maybe ten, twenty, thirty... I will wait for you.


    When Qi Jing woke up the next day, it was as if nothing had changed, but also as if... everything became so novel.


    He couldn¡¯t remember how many times he woke up in Shen Yan¡¯s embrace.


    What he saw upon waking was no different than before, it was only his feelings that had changed. The casual and small furnishings of the room now appeared strangely more familiar¡ªhe finally realised that he belonged to this ce, belonged to this home, to this man.


    He smiled slightly, then closed his eyes to snuggle back into the warmth.


    He didn¡¯t know if he had be more prone to hibernation¡ªalthough clearly already awake, he was too lethargic to move. The chest of the man before him was like aforter warmed up to a just right temperature, enveloping him whole, so that sleeping with it made him veryfortable.


    ¡ªIf it wasn¡¯t for his body, all sore and weak.


    Qi Jing supported his head on Shen Yan¡¯s chest as heughed quietly. It seemed like at least some descriptions from the novels weren¡¯tpletely unbased.


    Shen Yan also hadn¡¯t changed. At least, he didn¡¯t change at the surface.


    Shen Yan had a habit of kissing him before getting up, sometimes on the forehead, sometimes on his eyes¡ªusually, there was nothing sexual about it. But today, that kissnded on his lips, resulting in their dawdling in bed for twice as long as usual.


    Just as always, Shen Yan got up first, letting him doze off for a little longer, but that day, he started off with a shower. Water in a shower took a long time to heat up during wintertime, so he showered first for it to warm up, then let Qi Jing shower next.


    As usual, Shen Yan prepared him breakfast. He would do that everyday, but that day... The breakfast was evidently too sumptuous.


    ¡°Like a young wife who just got married off¡±¡ªQi Jing almost said so to toy with him, but when he thought about how this ¡®young wife¡¯ would be him, his face blushed and he coughed quietly, not saying anything.


    The two of them still behaved like every domestic couple, it¡¯s just this time, there was a bit of newlywed feeling to their day.


    Moreover, aftering clear to each other, their conversations got a lot more unrestrained and natural.


    During breakfast, they even chatted contentedly about small daily trifles, but when they cleared the table and prepared to change the clothes beforeing out, Shen Yan suddenly stopped talking.


    Silent, he helped Qi Jing put on a coat, taking care of it from its cor to the buttons before he couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°...You¡¯re really going?¡±


    Qi Jing put the breakfast leftovers into a small lunch box, putting it into his bag as he raised his head with a smile, ¡°What, are you still worried?¡±


    Shen Yan neither agreed nor denied.


    Saying ¡°I¡¯m not worried¡± wouldn¡¯t sound believable, so he¡¯d rather not say that¡ªnot to mention that the man standing before him was Qi Jing, a seasoned news reporter.


    After a long time, he sighed softly and cupped Qi Jing¡¯s face in his hands, moving it closer as he urged him in a low voice, ¡°Go. Don¡¯t take a bus, it¡¯s rush hour now, so it won¡¯t be safe with all that pushing and shoving, remember to hail a cab.¡±


    All that time, Qi Jing was smiling faintly, pecking him on the corner of his lips when he finished as a sign of agreement.


    Just as Shen Yan advised, Qi Jing hailed a cab to the provincial people¡¯s hospital, but about a kilometre from it he asked the driver to stop, wanting to walk for the rest of the route.


    It wasn¡¯t because he wanted to cut down on the taxi fee, but to leave himself some time to make a call before meeting his ¡°interviewee¡±.


    Qi Jing walked at a slow pace, moving forward as he followed the long, grey street wall as he fished out his phone. He slowly entered a string of numbers, one he didn¡¯t actively call for many years already, but stopped before pushing the call button. He looked up and took in a mouthful of winter morning¡¯s chilly air.


    With this cold air as a cushioning, he shouldn¡¯t get frostbitten when the timees.


    At that time, the call went through, then a drowsy, not yet fully awake voice could be heard.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    That tone was no different than usual.


    He probably really has just woken up and didn¡¯t have time to check the iing number, that¡¯s why he sounds so calm¡ªQi Jingughed with a hint of self-mocking, but he didn¡¯tugh long.


    ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± He answered calmly.


    As expected, the man on the other end of the call got caught by a surprise, waking up immediately. There was a four, five second gap in the conversation, reaching the point where the silence almost made the man himself awkward, so he finally tossed in a stern voice, ¡°...What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to call home and ask about how you¡¯re all doing.¡± Qi Jing also felt mystified¡ªto think he was actually able to continue the conversation with such calmness.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about.¡± His little brother Qi Zhe spoke just as coldly as before.


    The meaning was, he wanted him to end the call himself.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t do that, continuing instead, ¡°Then get dad to the phone.¡±


    Although muffled, he could still hear the indistinct sounds of the morning radio broadcast¡¯s music in the background¡ªit was his father¡¯s habit to turn on the radio after getting up and listen to the old, nostalgic songs as he washed, shaved, ate breakfast, and wore those ck presbyopic sses to slowly read yesterday¡¯s newspaper.


    He stuck to this habit for many years, and it seemed like it didn¡¯t change even years after he left the home.


    Since the radio is on, then father should already be awake¡ª


    But Qi Zhe refused him coldly, ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to talk with you.¡±


    That reaction was within Qi Jing¡¯s expectation, so he also replied tly, ¡°You didn¡¯t even ask, so how do you know?¡±


    At that time, his father¡¯s voice could be vaguely heard from the speaker, seemingly asking ¡°who is calling¡±. Qi Jing¡¯s breath stagnated¡ªhe didn¡¯t have time to say anything before Qi Zhe cut in the word he was about to say, ¡°We all know that¡ªenough, don¡¯t call us anymore!¡±


    Then, a sudden ¡°ck¡± could be heard.


    Next, he heard the robotic ¡°du¡ªdu¡ªdu¡ª¡± sound of the call getting hanged, just like his trembling fingers as they tapped lightly at the phone¡¯s screen.


    Indeed, he should have already known how this would end. Qi Jing slowed down his nearly disarrayed breathing and closed his eyes, leaning against the wall for a moment with his head flung back before he gathered strength to once again head for the hospital.


    Just as he was about to put the phone back into his pocket, it suddenly started ringing.


    ¡ªIt was the ringtone of an iing call.


    He shook slightly and his hand froze for a moment, but then he slowly turned the phone screen back, lowering his head to take a look. The number on the screen was the same as the one he called just now.


    As if he sensed who the caller was, his throat became a bit dry, his voice shaking a bit as he answered the call, ¡°...Hello?¡±


    The man from the other side of the call didn¡¯t say a thing.


    Qi Jing also remained silent, just waiting.


    What he finally heard was words no different than before, and it was just the speaker¡¯s voice that sounded a bit older. Probably because its owner had yet to start drinking today, it sounded much more sober than usual. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    A/N:


    After the wedding night¡ª


    2Yan: The ugly daughter-inw is going to see mother-inw. (Although he still needs to pay obeisance to his maiden family)


    Uncle Goose: ...The daughter inw is very pretty...


    2Yan: >///<


    Five: ...You¡¯re both too much (shed blind by their PDA)


    _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ Although it¡¯s only one chapter, but the word count is worth two chapters... Maybe it¡¯s the newlywed¡¯s (?) blessing?? If just the amount ofments could get proportionally long, then... (look at my honest eyes!!)


    T/N:


    Luci: Among multiple factors that killed me those weeks, the length of this chapter is one of them... But it was so worth it! The healing part of this novel is definitely one I treasure the most and this chapter has plenty of it <3


    Whitere: ¡°I will wait.¡± Kyaaaaa! <3 I really adore how they heal together.

 Chapter 93

    <h4>Chapter 93</h4>


    Editing: Whitere


    Truly a father and son pair, even their lines are out of the same mould¡ªwith the rise of such a thought, the corners of Qi Jing¡¯s lips curled up, but the movement was neverpleted.


    After all, before his father, he has long since been unable to smilepletely.


    With that half-baked smile, Qi Jing repeated quietly, ¡°I just wanted to call home... ask about how you¡¯re all doing...¡±


    Even though his reply didn¡¯t change from when he talked to his brother, his tone became sour, as he scrunched his nose, and weaker, like a crumpled paper that couldn¡¯t get smoothed out no matter how one tried to press it. Qi Jing really wished his left hand hadn¡¯t got injured so that he could use both his hands to hold the phone, as now, he didn¡¯t know whether the uncontroble trembling of his hands would end up in him dropping the phone.


    The man on the other side of the call fell silent for about a dozen seconds.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about.¡±


    As expected, even their reply was the same. With the conversation going like this, they once again got stuck in a dead silence.


    As expected, he would also hang up.


    Qi Jing thought that he clearly didn¡¯t breathe enough cold air before calling¡ªhe could feel the bone-chilling cold in his chest, making even his shoulders start to tremble. He tried his best to not let his voice sound out of control, ¡°Fine... I got it.¡±


    The other once again didn¡¯t reply.


    Qi Jing¡¯s thumb hovered over the end call button, but during that moment, he still had no resolve to push it. Hurry up¡ªhe urged himself since that man was surely waiting for him to hang up.


    But at that time, his father suddenly spoke once again, ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    Qi Jing was speechless.


    At that time, the other party also hesitated, adding in a rather harsh voice, ¡°Could it be that you got dumped by some man again?¡±


    His father¡¯s words were without doubt alluding to that case of himing out of the closet for his ex, only for the other to choose to get married and start a family, tossing him aside to deal with the consequences. Those were clearly said to mock and hurt him, yet Qi Jing suddenly felt as if a huge stone fell off his heart.


    He somehow felt like... he could deal with this kind of conversation.


    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry to inform You that I¡¯m just as stubborn in refusing toe back to my senses,¡± He said, even purposefully quoting his mother¡¯s phrasing. When he mentioned Shen Yan, he also didn¡¯t bother to cover the gratification in his voice, ¡°What¡¯s more... I met a man who¡¯s very good to me, so we¡¯re spending each day very normally.¡±


    ¡°Humpf.¡± The other party snorted coldly.


    It was hard to tell if it was out of contempt, disappointment, or maybe surprise.


    Another spell of long silence.


    During that deep silence, the sound of musicing from father¡¯s radio sounded even clearer¡ªit was a very old piece, one Qi Jing used to hear a lot. The familiar notes seeped into his ears, as if someone was putting fragmented memories into his mind, making him vaguely remember the scenery he would see each time he woke up when he used to still live in that home.


    At that time, his sister Qi Xi had just graduated and worked in their hometown. In the morning, she would help mother cook eggs and filter the soy milk, meanwhile he would dress up and go to get his Qi Zhe out of bed to eat a quick breakfast before catching the bus to high school together. Father would often sit on that old-school rattan chair in the living room, rocking back and forth as he tapped on the chair arms to the rhythm of the music.


    He could even remember where the rocking chair used to be and what direction it faced, as well as the creaking sound it made as it rocked.


    His lips parted slightly, and he said without thinking, ¡°I don¡¯t know why, buttely... I keep thinking of You.¡±


    For example during that audition for ¡°Emperor Chang¡±. He would subconsciously recollect the past, mimicking the drunken rage behaviour of his father in the past. The more realistic his acting became, the more it proved that his impression of his father was still deeply buried in some drawer at the bottom of his heart. And those days, he kept opening that drawer more and more.


    ¡°Probably because I was away for so long, although I can¡¯t get back, I still keep remembering.¡±


    No matter if it was father, or home.


    After saying this, Qi Jing lowered his head in silence to think back of the way he spoke just now, hoping it didn¡¯t sound shaky, hoping that his tone was not much different than usual. But the air was just too cold out there, he couldn¡¯t help himself from sniffling.


    The one on the other side of the call seemed to want to keep silent all the way through and didn¡¯t say a thing in response.


    After a while, Qi Jing took an initiative to leave that topic to avoid making both of them unable to retain a way out of that situation, ¡°To be fair, I called today because I will be having an interview in a moment, so I wanted to practise a bit beforehand.¡±


    ¡°Practice? Six years as a reporter already, yet you really show no prospects.¡± It seemed like his father still remembered how long he was working for.


    ¡°That¡¯s because the interviewee is a certain mother,¡± Qi Jing stopped for a moment, not sure whether it was wise to continue speaking, but he already made up his mind. He took a deep breath in and said slowly, ¡°That mother, she&#k2026; abandoned her son in the past, so today I¡¯m going to ask her a few questions in her son¡¯s stead.¡±


    Without waiting for the other party¡¯s response, Qi Jingughed self-mockingly after a short pause.


    ¡°I thought that if I can calmly face my parents who abandoned me, then I will surely be able to face her calmly as well¡ªif I know what my parents think, then I would probably know what she thinks, too.¡±


    The breathing on the other end of the call suddenly sped up, forecasting the iing burst of rage.


    Qi Jing¡¯s fingers squeezed around the phone.


    It was as if his heart had received a strike of a whip, leaving it thrashing around in his chest, its impact pressing him to give up¡ªbut it had been years since this pair of father and son got to talk up to this topic, so he had to steel himself up and persevere, resisting the urge to push that end call button on the screen.


    The strange thing was, the other party actually wasn¡¯t so quick to hang up.


    As if it was a way to measure who could persevere longer¡ªthe atmosphere was tense with their emotions left just at the brink of exploding.


    ¡°Dad,¡± Qi Jing called him this already no longer familiar word, each of his words firm, ¡°What do you think, as a parent... Why would one abandon their own flesh and blood? Leaving them outside with no home toe back to, alone and with no one to rely on?¡±


    ¡°That has to be because her son had done something wrong.¡± When his father answered, his heavy and rough breathing could be heard loud and clear in the speaker.


    ¡°No,¡± Qi Jing cut in harshly, ¡°her son had done nothing wrong¡ªhe never did.¡±


    The two of them fell into a deadlock.


    After a long while, the other said icily, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because her son didn¡¯t realise that he had done something wrong.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jingughed coldly before pacing a few steps under the wall, only managing to restrain the outburst of emotions with much difficulty before he asked him back in a trembling voice, ¡°...So one¡¯s birth situation, one¡¯s innate disposition is actually them doing something wrong?¡±


    The person on the other end of the call seemed to have been stumped by his question and didn¡¯t reply immediately.


    But Qi Jing couldn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°Dad, is it because I was born gay that I deserve to get into an ident? That I deserve to almost die in a car wreck? That I deserve to break two bones and stay alone in a hospital with no one to visit me? That in my most miserable moments, I deserve to be unable to go back to my home, only able to work ceaselessly alone, running about on business trips until I get numb, that I deserve it all?¡±


    Having shouted out the questions he had suppressed for so many years, Qi Jing finally realised that he had lost control and gave a start as he got back to his senses, suddenly covered in a cold sweat.


    ¡°Pardon me,¡± He sighed quietly, apologising in a low voice, ¡°...I strayed away from the topic of our conversation.¡±


    What made even him surprised was that the call had yet to be ended, neither of them had hung up. If it was him from before those few months, he would have probably already ended the call. In other people¡¯s eyes, he had always been a very warm and sanguine person, only he knew that he was in fact obstinate to the core.


    Of course, his father also knew that.


    ¡°Hah...¡± Suddenly, he snickered bitterly.


    ¡°In fact, I know that having such an ¡®abnormal¡¯ son appear in your family made you lose your face.¡± He muttered numby into the speaker, ¡°Even so long after Qi Xi¡¯s marriage, she still never dared to mention me to her husband¡¯s family. And little Zhe and I used to be so close, he used to follow me all day long, yet now he won¡¯t even call me his brother. And as for You and mom...¡±


    ¡ªYou¡¯d also rather never have had a son like me.


    He wasn¡¯t able to finish the sentence.


    His throat tightened, unable to produce any sound.


    Qi Jing¡¯s gaze wandered absently on the ground before he looked up, staring at the lime wall before him. He suddenly thought that once one realised the height and width of a wall before them, standing under it would make them just so helpless. Even if he made up his mind to pass it, his resolve was simply not enough.


    ¡°Honestly, it doesn¡¯t really matter what the reason was¡ªwhat matters is that you don¡¯t want to let me go back and that I already have no way of doing that.¡± Benumbed, he took a deep breath as he closed his eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s why in a while, during that interview, I don¡¯t intend to implore that mother to acknowledge her son again or for them to reunite, because the harm has already been done and there¡¯s no way of making it seem as if nothing happened anymore. Today, I just want to ask her what she is thinking now and if she had ever regretted abandoning her own flesh and blood at that time, that¡¯s all.¡±


    With this, he had already said everything he wanted to say.


    ¡°Thank you. After our conversation, I think that I more or less understood the thought process of such parents,¡± Qi Jing¡¯s smile was dull, but his tone was very frank. His finger moved to the end call button as he said his goodbyes, ¡°...Dad, I¡¯m hanging up.¡±


    But to his surprise, his father suddenly spoke to stop him from doing so, ¡°Wait.¡±


    Qi Jing was speechless¡ªthe thumb that was just about to touch the screen froze in ce without pressing it.


    Through the speaker, he heard his father¡¯s weak coughing. He wasn¡¯t young anymore and it seemed like his body wasn¡¯t as healthy as in the past, so when he spoke, his voiceing from a throat ruined by years of smoking and drinking sounded especially hoarse, ¡°After you¡¯re finished with the interview, call me back... Tell me if she did.¡±


    If she did...If she did regret it? Is that what he means?


    Qi Jing was stupefied¡ªthis thought was even more startling for him than the fact that his father took initiative in asking him to make a second call home on the same day.


    He blinked in confusion as he replied subconsciously, ¡°...Okay.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even get to finish saying this as the monotonous sound of the ended call came from his phone. And he even still listened to it for quite a while before he slowly put it down.


    At that time, the hospital wards were quite dested. Since the mornings were the time of routine check-up patrols, the family members would be usually denied visits, and in the hallways, it was almost only the medical staff that could be seen going back and forth.


    Fortunately, Qi Jing had done a report in the provincial hospital before and hade in contact with the administration, so with his identity as a TV reporter, the hospital administrators wouldn¡¯t cause him any problems. Using the connections on this level to get into the hospital wards wasn¡¯t much of a problem to him.


    Without any effort, Qi Jing found the sick room the woman was staying in.


    But the woman wasn¡¯t in the room.


    The nurse responsible for doing the rounds told him that the woman would often go alone to sit at some secluded corner and stare nkly at the window for two, three hours at the time, and that she would rarely interact with nurses or other patients.


    ¡°I¡¯ve also never seen her familye to visit her.¡± The nurse said.


    Qi Jing was taken aback, thenughed bitterly in his heart¡ªMama Shen, I didn¡¯t expect you and me to have simr experiences.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± The woman was spacing out looking outside the window at the half-clear, half-murky sky when she suddenly heard a bright voice greeting her. Startled, she quickly turned her head.


    There was almost no oneing through this area at that time, even nurses and doctors walking by were few and far between.


    At that moment, there was only one young man standing quietly in the hallway.


    The young man¡¯s clothes were simple¡ªa in, neatly buttoned shirt, looking very intellectual, but also leisurely, seemingly quitefortable at a nce. His face wouldn¡¯t make one gasp at its sight, but his facial features appeared righteous and schrly, and even his posture seemed urbane with his slightly curled up lips like an early morning sunshine.


    Unfortunately, the broken left arm ruined the sight.


    A sling secured the thick cast on his left arm by his waist and only his right arm was inserted into the coat sleeve, while on the left side, he just covered his shoulder with the coat.


    Anyone who saw this disguise would know that his arm was broken, so it was a more than usible excuse for him to appear in such a ce at the hospital.


    But the reason the woman instantly paled wasn¡¯t because of that.


    It was because she recognised this person¡ªthe day before, when she met Shen Yan, it was precisely this person he stood beside, so he was clearly with Shen Yan.


    ¡°Ah...¡± The woman¡¯s face waspletely white as she froze all over, sitting motionless in the same ce like a block of stone.


    ¡°Auntie,¡± Of course, Qi Jing noticed that, but his face didn¡¯t change as he kept smiling gently at her, ¡°Such a coincidence, so Your room is also on this floor.¡±


    Saying this, he didn¡¯t give the woman any chance to stand up and live, taking the lead by pointing at the ce at her side.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take this seat if it¡¯s not a problem?¡±


    The woman appeared panicked and uneasy, but she couldn¡¯t think of any reason to decline, so she only lowered her head slightly as she shifted a bit to the side away from Qi Jing. As he was taking a seat without any hurry, her pair of shoes kept rubbing against the floor uneasily, as if she was anxious to wear down the passage of time as quickly as possible.


    On the surface, Qi Jing lowered his head to brush away the dust on the bench, but in reality, he kept observing her bodynguage.


    ¡°Auntie,¡± He called her softly once again, ¡°Have you eaten your breakfast already?¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t say anything, just shaking her head quickly.


    ¡°I can understand, the stuff from the cafeteria here really is unptable.¡± Qi Jing had personally experienced being hospitalised, so when he spoke, it really seemed as if he was still staying in this hospital.


    The woman still didn¡¯t say a thing.


    Shen Yan and the nurse really weren¡¯t lying, she didn¡¯t like to interact, so making her talk with aplete stranger like him would be even more of a challenge.


    At that time, Qi Jing lowered his eyes, then suddenlyughed weakly. Or rather than calling it augh, it would be more urate to say that he sighed. Probably surprised by hisugh, the woman looked slightly sideways at him, only to see his deste expression as he kept silently looking at the floor without a word, making her unconsciously keep gazing at him a while longer.


    ¡°Still... People like me, with no family to visit us, all we can do is to slowly eat up that vile food alone,¡± He said in a low voice, ¡°Because aside from that, what else is there for us?¡±


    Hearing this, the tightly gripped hand of the woman suddenly loosened, no longer gripping her own wrist.


    Loosening her hand also meant she had loosened her stance.


    If the fellow sufferers of the world could ever meet each other, then the hospital was the most probable ce for that. Sympathy had always been the best key to open one¡¯s mouth¡ª


    ¡°Your... family doesn¡¯t want to visit you?¡±


    Hearing her first sentence she took the initiative to say, deep in Qi Jing¡¯s eyes, something brightened a bit, but he covered it under a shadow so that the other didn¡¯t notice.


    ¡°Mn,¡± He muffled in reply, even lifting his hand to rub his nose slightly, ¡°I got into a car ident and broke both bones in my hand. The people at the ce of the ident all told me it¡¯s pure luck that I didn¡¯t die... And now, I¡¯m staying in the hospital alone, but none of my family members would visit me.¡±


    ¡°Car ident...¡± The woman¡¯s face paled and her voice trembled slightly as she repeated after him.


    It was apparent that for her, a car ident sounded like a terrible experience, moreover the injury Qi Jing had was very specific, making it even harder to believe that no one would visit him.


    While she whispered with her head down, Qi Jing nced at her.


    As he observed, he also seamlessly added the most important information, ¡°Even my parents... they won¡¯te.¡±


    The woman shook suddenly, falling silent for a long time.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t intend to continue speaking, as he had to wait. Wait for the woman to ask him the reason herself¡ª


    This really tested one¡¯s patience¡ªespecially in a situation where he wasn¡¯t sure if he really could make the other take an initiative to ask a question, such a wait was simply a kind of torture.


    Fortunately, this torture didn¡¯t go on for too long.


    ¡°Why?¡± The woman asked.


    Her voice exposed the intense struggle in her heart, as it trembled minutely.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t say anything, releasing a long breath.


    After a long while, he finally spoke, his expression nd, ¡°Because... They don¡¯t want me. Many years ago, I got abandoned by my parents.¡±


    A/N:


    Honestly,pared to Shen papa and Shen mama... Qi Jing¡¯s family appears more normal... =¡£= (what a terrifyingparison)


    So, Shen mama, you know you¡¯re talking with your inw, right?!!


    T/N:


    Luci: Despite the stuff she has done, I can¡¯t help but feel pity for Shen mama who clearly had problems with her own mental health...But I won¡¯t enter the discourse about whether she should be forgiven though, it¡¯s not for me to judge.


    Whitere: Hurt people hurt people. Big sigh. Proud of QJ for making that call back home though. Blurting everything out in a rush and then pulling back and being super polite when apologising is so real.

 Chapter 94

    <h4>Chapter 94</h4>


    Editor: Whitere


    Even without having to lift his head up, Qi Jing knew that at that instant, all blood left the woman¡¯s face.


    There was no need to look at her, only looking at her legs was enough¡ªthe shoes that had just been rubbing away on the floor suddenly stopped, the tendons and veins on her instep showing as her feet flexed, her whole body taut.


    Only after seeing this did Qi Jing decide to continue talking.


    ¡°These years I¡¯m basically all by myself, and I don¡¯t really call them anymore since either way they would hang up after a few sentences from me.¡± Even if it was to aid his ¡°interview¡±, what Qi Jing was saying was mostly true, just like his feelings. ¡°To be fair, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t fend for myself. I have a job, a sry, so I can provide for my food and lodging, I¡¯m not living poorly... It¡¯s just that during every New Year, when my colleagues go back to visit their families, it would be a lie to say that I didn¡¯t feel pain.¡±


    Saying this, his right hand rested on the cast on his left arm, reminding his listener of what had happened.


    ¡°You¡¯re also staying in the hospital too, so can you imagine how I felt when after waking up from a narcosis, I woke up on a hospital bed and none of my family came to visit me?¡±


    The woman¡¯s flexed feet slowly dropped, once again resting on the floor, as if she got captured by his words.


    Qi Jing lowered his head slightly and took a deep breath.


    When he recollected the experiences of that time, even though he did so with a purpose in mind, he still couldn¡¯t help his feelings from getting somewhat affected. He warned himself not to get trapped too deeply in his memories, to not go to the point where he wouldn¡¯t be able toe back.


    ¡°But I¡¯m still quite fortunate, because I had already graduated from college by the time I left my home. After all, I was an adult, so I could still take it, no matter if it were financially or psychologically.¡±


    At that part, he paused briefly, once again peering towards the woman¡¯s feet.


    ¡°Compared to the children who get abandoned by their parents at a young age, this sort of pain... it¡¯s not even that much¡ª¡± Qi Jing said slowly.


    The woman¡¯s legs jerked violently.


    If it wasn¡¯t concrete below her feet but mud, maybe one would see two deep marks gashed into the floor like the scars¡ªjust like how those words gashed the scars on the woman¡¯s heart.


    She turned her head away, gasping shallowly without pause, her two hands pulling on one of the knots of her hospital clothes, wrapping her fingers tightly with the cord.


    Then, Qi Jing suddenly smiled calmly, changing the subject as if nothing happened.


    ¡°Auntie, I have a spare breakfast here, would You like to have a bite?¡±


    The woman was still faltering, staring at him as if she lost her soul, momentarily forgetting how to string words together and thus unable to reply.


    Qi Jing stayed silent, only moving quietly to take out and open the lunch box from his bag.


    The instion of the lunch box wasn¡¯t bad, so the food inside was still warm. On the topyer, there were a few slices of egg roll, corn and mashed potatoes, as well as a few nutritional cereal biscuits, and under it, there was also half a box of congee with preserved egg and lean meat.


    He didn¡¯t wait for the woman to refuse, passing the box over with a smile as he said, ¡°I just ate a breakfast from a stall outside today. At that time, I didn¡¯t know my friend woulde over to bring me breakfast. I didn¡¯t touch the food here, it¡¯spletely clean, so it would be a pity for it to go to waste¡ªauntie, don¡¯t stand on courtesy, take a bite.¡±


    From his lengthy words, the one that the woman caught was ¡°friend¡±. Caught by a surprise, she lifted her head quickly to look straight at Qi Jing.


    ¡°Friend...¡± She repeated mechanically.


    Qi Jing met her eyes without any wavering, carefully analysing the feelings behind that stare.


    He couldn¡¯t judge exactly what feelings they were, the only things he could tell was that they were now in a great turmoil.


    ¡°Ah,¡± He suddenly eximed shortly, making a face as if he had just remembered something, ¡°That¡¯s right, auntie, You¡¯ve seen my friend, it¡¯s the one who helped you yesterday¡ª¡±


    The woman sucked in a mouthful of breath, almost letting the lunch box in her hands drop to the floor. She got hold of it with much difficulty, but her hands kept shaking.


    ¡°He... was here?¡± Even though he knew that she was in the hospital, and even came here, but still didn¡¯te to see her.


    ¡°Mhm, he came over.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change.


    ¡°When...¡±


    ¡°Probably some half an hour ago,¡± Qi Jing made up a lie ording to the situation, then added a few thought up details, ¡°But he was a bit strange today, he called me to see him at the entrance of the hospital, not wanting toe in himself. Moreover... hisplexion didn¡¯t look good, after passing over the things, he left right away.¡±


    ¡°Hisplexion didn¡¯t look good... what does that mean?¡± The woman¡¯s voice started to shake along with her hands.


    ¡°His state of mind appeared very bad,¡± Qi Jing frowned slightly&#k2014;this time, what he said wasn¡¯t a lie, but while narrating, he chose the details selectively, also adding some from himself, ¡°But I don¡¯t know what had happened. Ever since yesterday, he didn¡¯t want to talk and when I asked him what happened, he wouldn¡¯t answer. But&#k2014;¡±


    He intentionally stopped right there, as if unable to say his thoughts.


    ¡°But what?¡± The suspense worked very well; the woman quickly raised her head.


    Interviewing was both easy and hard; it consisted of only two things¡ªquestions and answers.


    It took great consideration to ask the right questions, and answers didn¡¯t necessarily have to be obtained as a result of the question itself¡ªthey could also be drawn out. The woman wasn¡¯t a person who would easily reply to questioning, so he had to change the method a bit, luring out the information he wanted to hear.


    Qi Jing heaved a long sigh. ¡°In the middle ofst night, he suddenly called me... He sounded drunk or something, his mind wasn¡¯t very clear. At first, I only heard him choking with sobs, thenter he began to cry hysterically. I got scared to death, but being in the hospital, I really couldn¡¯t do anything besides listening and trying to console him. In the end, he lost his voice from crying, but still didn¡¯t want to tell me what happened.¡±


    The woman sat like a figurine, moving stiffly as she lowered her head.


    When she actually heard him saying this, she didn¡¯t seem so agitated anymore, her gazepletely empty and hollow.


    Next, she did something Qi Jing hadn¡¯t expected at all¡ªshe took a part of the egg roll from the box, putting it with shaky hands by her lips, pushing all of it inside, as if afraid of wasting even the tiniest bit.


    Qi Jing was taken by surprise, for a moment unable to describe what he was feeling at the moment.


    He asked in a low voice, ¡°Auntie, does it taste good?¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t say a thing, only nodding her head slightly.


    Qi Jing noticed that the moment she nodden, something fell down, flickering in the midair beforending in the lunch box.


    He slowly breathed out, not knowing if in the end, he could say the rest with a clear conscience.


    ¡°It¡¯s very good, right? My friend, he... honestly, he¡¯s just like his cooking, a very good person. But You probably wouldn¡¯t believe that he had told me before that he went through the same thing as me. I really couldn¡¯t believe him at that time¡ªI couldn¡¯t believe, why would his parents have a heart to abandon such a good person? How could an abandoned child grow up into such a considerate person that would take others in, taking care of them instead?¡±


    Saying this, heughed and exined, ¡°Ah, he¡¯s a veterinarian and saved a lot of animals. He¡¯s verypassionate, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡ªHe even saved me.Remembering the past, the look in his eyes softened without him noticing.


    The woman slowly lifted her head, not at all bothered that Qi Jing would see two traces of tears on her cheeks, nor did she care about how unsightly, how wretched she looked while crying.


    Qi Jing¡¯s expression wasposed as he met her eyes.


    ¡°I just want to know, have those people who abandoned him then... have they ever felt any sort of remorse. What would You say?¡±


    The woman blinked, forcing the tears in her eyes back, once again scrutinising the young man before her. The clear rays of morning winter sunlight fell on Qi Jing¡¯s face through the windows, his temperament just like when she met him for the first time. Only the gaze he met her with changed a bit, now more straightforward and prating.


    She opened mouth, her voice hoarse, ¡°You, you actually know who I am... Right?¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t reply, only giving her a silent, gentle smile.


    A message came with a ¡°ding¡±.


    Shen Yan trembled slightly. Even though he heard the message notification, he didn¡¯t have the courage to take out his phone and check its content.


    He subconsciously looked at a clock on the clinic¡¯s wall. It was almost noon¡ªthere was no one else who would send him messages at this time. But upon remembering that at this time, that person was in the hospital, leading a conversation he had no way of predicting the oue of, he felt terribly insecure.


    He spent almost all of the morning in the surgical room. Surgery required the utmost attention and his phone, as the only means of contact, was left in the office room, letting him focus on the work, so for a certain amount of time, he didn¡¯t have to think about it.


    Unfortunately, the time woulde when he had to face it¡ª


    Hesitant, he paced a few steps around the ward, and suddenly, his gazended on that puppy who got abandoned by its owner after getting hit by a car.


    The puppy¡¯s recovery was going pretty well. It spent much more time awake this day than the day before and had gotten its appetite back; it¡¯s just, its ears were still down, drooping listlessly on the sides of its head. But despite that, when Shen Yan reached out to pat it, it still lifted its head, licking his fingers gently.


    As if encouraged, Shen Yan¡¯s eyes flickered slightly, then he chuckled, bitterly and at a loss.


    Finally, he opened the message box interface.


    ¡¾Benign.¡¿


    ¡ªThe result of the pathology report.


    It was just a single-word message, but the emotions it evoked made him choke. His feelings tangled messily and he gripped the phone with both his hands tightly, gasping quietly as he slowly lowered his head against it.


    Even the puppy on the hospital bed looked up at him curiously, woofing at him faintly in dismay.


    ¡°Thank God...¡± that it¡¯s benign.From the bottom of his heart, he was happy for this result¡ªhe couldn¡¯t deny this feeling, nor did he feel ashamed of it.


    It was a fact that he had been hurt deeply by his mother.


    But he just couldn¡¯t bring himself to harbour ill will towards her, to look forward to her getting the malignant result, her struggling alone in pain as she entered thete stage of her life, forever unable to find peace.


    His grandpa wouldn¡¯t want him to be such a person.


    Neither would Qi Jing.


    ¡°Huu...¡± Thinking of Qi Jing, Shen Yan gradually settled down, his breathing finally reverting to the usual, calm rhythm.


    Since Qi Jing could send him the examination result, he probably had just talked with the doctor or maybe... talked with his mother herself.


    Just as he was wavering, his phone rang first, scaring him silly.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± The nervousness in his voice probably got heard through the call since the caller chucklednguidly, ¡°What happened, are you still restless despite the examination result?¡±


    Shen Yan shook his head instinctively, even though the other wasn¡¯t even by his side to see. He was still restless about some things, but they were unrted to the woman¡¯s health condition.


    ¡°Did she...¡± meet with you?


    ¡°She¡¯s sitting by my side just now,¡± As if well-versed in mind reading, Qi Jing answered him calmly, and when he heard Shen Yan¡¯s breathing stop momentarily, he added encouragingly with a faint smile, ¡°The breakfast you made... Auntie already ate it all; she even said it was delicious.¡±


    Only now did Shen Yan realise why Qi Jing had packed the leftover breakfast.


    But he was unable to react to what Qi Jing had said for quite a while, as if having stepped in a cotton field, walking a few steps ahead in a stupor, unable to tell where he was ced in this reality.


    Not hearing him speak for a long while, Qi Jing continued softly, ¡°We¡¯ve been talking for a couple of hours already, I told her a lot of stuff... Most of it was about my family, then about all kinds of social incidents I heard in different channels these years, domestic cases and so on. I let her know that she¡¯s not alone in her experiences.¡±


    A short pause, then he continued speaking. ¡°But, at most I can tell her of myself. Even with my experiences and feelings, I can¡¯t rece you. Only you have the right to voice your real thoughts¡ªin this matter, I¡¯m only an outsider, so the rest will depend on the both of you.¡±


    ¡°Mhm...¡± Shen Yan breathed heavily and answered with difficulty.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± Qi Jing said in a low voice, ¡°There are some things she wants to tell you directly, and those things can only be said face-to-face¡ªwould youe after you¡¯re off work?¡±


    Usual enterprises orpanies would let their employees clock off earlier on Friday afternoons, but it was exactly the opposite for the veterinarian clinics, since many pet owners would choose this time to bring their ¡°children¡± over. This meant that it was always the second busiest day of the week for the clinic, just after Saturday.


    Shen Yan had no way of getting off work, moreover there were some surgeries that had already been nned ahead of time, so leaving his post wouldn¡¯t do him any good; he could only leave the work when his shift ended.


    Still, his feelings were more shaken than ever before.


    After 4 o¡¯clock, he was still writing the details for an emergency call information before the ward doors, but Qi Jing had actually alreadye from the hospital to the clinic. He stood in the corridor, smiling as he waved at Shen Yan, catching himpletely off guard.


    ¡°Qi Jing?¡± Shen Yan called his name in surprise, even thinking that he might have gotten the wrong person.


    ¡°I came early.¡± Qi Jing replied with a chuckle as he came over. But there were still nurses and clients walking down the corridor, so he didn¡¯t move too close, just stopping by Shen Yan¡¯s side, covertly rubbing against the other¡¯s knuckles with his pinky. ¡°I told her everything I had to say already, plus... She needed some time alone, so she could prepare herself mentally.¡±


    Prepare herself mentally.


    Upon hearing this phrase, the light in Shen Yan¡¯s eyes flickered slightly¡ªhe himself wasn¡¯t sure whether he was enough mentally prepared or not. After all, Qi Jing clearly wanted them to meet one-to-one.


    Qi Jing cocked his head, observing him for a spell, still smiling. ¡°I found a nice restaurant near the hospital, they have small individual rooms and the food isn¡¯t half bad. I guessed that you would get to the hospital around dinnertime, so I already reserved seats for both of you. I wrote down the address for you, so take your time having dinner with Auntie and talking with her.¡±


    As he spoke, he took out the memo with the restaurant¡¯s address from his pocket. ¡°And another thing, when I was doing a report in the public hospital, I got to know some of the administrators there. I asked them to arrange a private sickroom for her tonight, then for permission for the family members to stay overnight to tend to her. You stay with her for a night; this way you won¡¯t have to worry about the time limit for family visits or stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± Upon hearing this, Shen Yan said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Thank you. Thank you for everything you¡¯ve done.¡±


    Qi Jing looked down, half-smiling. Suddenly, he said out of nowhere, ¡°Youe closer for a bit, I have something private to tell you.¡±


    Confused, Shen Yan really lowered his head.


    Qi Jing scanned their surroundings¡ªeveryone was busy, no one took heed of them, so all at once, he pulled Shen Yan down by his cor, nting a kiss on his cheek with a ¡°chu¡±.


    When he lifted his head, he saw Shen Yan making a silly face from surprise¡ªQi Jing couldn¡¯t help it, he put his forehead against Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder, giggling for quite a while.


    Itsted until the sound of a nurse¡¯s steps came from behind the corner. Only then did he purse his lips, stuffing the paper with the address into Shen Yan¡¯s hand and taking a step back with a smile in his eyes.


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Mn...¡± Shen Yan instinctively lifted his hand to touch the ce that had just been kissed, replying with a low hum.


    Qi Jing took another three steps back, his silhouette gradually melting into the lighting from the windows at the end of the corridor¡ªno longer so clear, but Shen Yan could still feel his presence there before him.


    In the end, Qi Jing said one thing. ¡°If you want me to go with you, then just say so. I can go there again.¡±


    Shen Yan held the memo in his hand tighter, keeping silent for a moment, but he still shook his head lightly, ¡°No, I think I¡¯d rather go by myself.¡±


    Saying this, a bit of dejectedness slipped into his voice without him noticing.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Qi Jing... I don¡¯t know how far I will go talking with my mom and how long it will take. I¡¯m afraid that for your two auditions tonight, I won¡¯t be able to¡ª¡±


    ¡°You actually worried about that,¡± Qi Jing chuckled helplessly, ¡°Dummy, you can listen to the audition anytime you want, this now is more important.¡±


    Shen Yan hesitated to speak. ¡°When I first registered, I told you that I wanted to win back one round for you, yet in the end, I forfeited.¡±


    Qi Jing quirked his brow, nudging his chin up as he said in a higher pitch, ¡°I also told you when you registered that I wanted you to go and voice act with no burden on you and not to do it for anyone else. And of course, this ¡®anyone else¡¯ also includes me. What¡¯s more, to take care of someone like Bronze Sparrow Terrace, me alone is more than enough.¡±


    To be fair, if Shen Yan didn¡¯t mention him, he would havepletely forgotten about the existence of the Great God Bronze Sparrow Terrace.Of course, those thoughts couldn¡¯t be known to the Great God¡¯s fans. At least he wouldn¡¯t let those fans know before his public ¡°apology¡± to the Great God. Because a good show needs a grand finale, doesn¡¯t it¡ªQi Jing looked at the time on his wristwatch, smiling thoughtfully.


    T/N:


    Whitere: I¡¯m looking forward to the face-pping!! I really love how QJ steered the conversation with SY¡¯s mom... Definitely has some skills from his day job.

 Chapter 95

    <h4>Chapter 95</h4>


    unedited


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace joined the online voice acting circle two years ago, so in theory, he should be calling Qi Jing his senior. He started off starring in a lot of romance dramas only to slowly start mixing with the BL drama circle half a yearter, gaining a massive recognition as an emperor gong voice that used to be very popr at that time. With his superior voice and themercial advertisement voice acting background, his road to fame could be summed up as smooth-sailing.


    He liked interacting with fans, did a lot of karaoke, took part in numerous interviews, and starred in many events as a surprise guest and so on.


    He liked to send photos on Weibo and even though he never revealed his face, it was easy to take a glimpse into his bourgeois-voured private life.


    Among all of this, he also liked to crack ambiguous jokes with other VAs.


    Yet ever since he got his ¡°official CP¡± with Crossing the bridge noodles, almost all of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s ambiguous jokes were targeted at Noodles. It was always Noodles this, Noodles that, and he would often act like his boyfriend in the presence of other people, getting praised as the ¡°good little top doting on his sweet little bottom¡±, making his poprity soar even higher.


    As a great god, one with a CP to boot, the current Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fame could be said to be at its peak. That¡¯s why every negative rumour regarding him was always ¡°made up out of jealousy¡±¡ªat least that¡¯s what his fans kept saying.


    And that¡¯s also why, it wasn¡¯t weird for the title ?Great God really is so unlucky to meet such an ungrateful wretch? regarding the incident during ¡°Emperor Chang¡± audition to appear in the forum.


    The original poster took on the ID of ¡°Lord Truth¡±.


    Having worked in the news for so many years, Qi Jing already knew that the words of those who unted themselves as something like ¡°Lord Truth¡± would fairly often not so close to the truth itself; some would just deliberately confuse the facts with lies under the sign of preaching the truth¡ªjust like the one right there.


    The ¡°Great God¡± from the title obviously referred to Bronze Sparrow Terrace.


    Then, the ¡°ungrateful wretch¡± would no doubt be him. But Qi Jing remained level-headed regardless, scrolling all the way down without batting an eyelid.


    ¡¾OP¡¿


    I believe that everyone who listened to the audition for ¡°Emperor Chang¡± during the yesterday¡¯s ?Order to End the Heavens? voice actingpetition... That¡¯s right, I¡¯m talking about Don¡¯t ask for my return date using Bronze Sparrow Terrace of copying him!


    I can¡¯tprehend how this many people got misled along with the judge, Longbow¡ªwithout knowing anything and just listening to the rumours they all followed the mob to criticise Bronze Sparrow Terrace, even though the truth behind this matter is clearly different!


    First of all, ording to a certain insider, Bronze Sparrow Terrace and Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s rtionship became really good in private after working together for the ?Trap?, they even met each other IRL (Bronze Sparrow Terrace had previously invited him over on Weibo, those who don¡¯t believe, you can go and search back for that post).


    Next, they also used to exchange ideas about voice acting before. Because Don¡¯t ask for my return date didn¡¯t have faith in his understanding of the characters, he would ask his seniors about tips on voice acting. Even knowing that they bothpete for the same character, Bronze Sparrow Terrace actually readily agreed to help him, analysing the characteristic points of ¡°Emperor Chang¡± for him and how to portray his emotions. But who would have thought that Don¡¯t ask for my return date had nned it all beforehands! Because he got lucky and got to perform earlier, he copied everything Great God taught him and presented it first as his own interpretation¡ªthis sort of behaviour is just too shameless!


    Thirdly, regarding those ridiculous usations that ¡°it was Bronze Sparrow Terrace that giarised, not Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡±¡ªjust think of it, if the result of your own sweat and blood got giarised by someone and that person was someone you used to trust and work together with, wouldn¡¯t you get agitated? There was no way for Bronze Sparrow Terrace to get himself together in such a short notice to finish the performance perfectly. At that time, it was clear to see that he suffered a shock from this, so he couldn¡¯t perform properly, that¡¯s why he got conferred the title of a ¡°copycat¡±... Really, this injustice makes me too angry to speak!


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date, if you¡¯re still a man, if you still have at least a slither of respect for the voice acting, then I dare you to stand up and admit your wrongdoings, apologise to all those you cheated and harmed!


    Karma will always get to those who deserve retribution. You brought it upon yourself. Don¡¯t wait too long to reap what you¡¯ve sown only to regret itter!


    ...


    ¡°Karma will always get to those who deserve retribution... You brought it upon yourself.¡± Qi Jing read it loud, but he didn¡¯tugh. ¡°Well said.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t rare for thements that confused right and wrong like this to appear on the forums, but for them to be worded this self-righteously, it was quite umon.


    And that¡¯s also because it was quite umon for someone to be this shameless¡ª


    Qi Jing had to admit, the author of this post made their logic very clear, listing each of the so-called ¡°truths¡± in order with much persuasion. The worshippers of the Great God who weren¡¯t aware of the reality would easily lean towards his side of the argument and regard Return Date as a thankless bastard.


    As expected, a lot of people who hadn¡¯t listened to thepetition already expressed their sympathy towards Bronze Sparrow Terrace under the post, showing their contempt for Qi Jing along the way¡ªa couple of whom were his ex-fans.


    ment 17¡¿


    Originally, I used to look forward to the second episode of the ?Trap? audio drama... Now I feel so weird about it. I have heard before that fame makes people change, that¡¯s normal. But for someone who had just borrowed some of the Great God¡¯s poprity to exploit himter after having gained some poprity in return, and to cheat during the so-called ¡°professional¡± voice actingpetition, he really left mepletely disappointed!!


    From today on, I officially stopped to wait for the rest of ?Trap?... ¨r£¨¨s¨Œ¨t£©¨q


    Great God, good luck! There¡¯s many others you can work with, so just move on after teaching this ungrateful bastard a lesson~


    ment 24¡¿


    /£¨¨Òo¨Ò£©/¡«¡« I feel so depressed now as an ex-fan of Don¡¯t ask for my return date... I started to like him since I listened to ?Trap? and intended to slowly go through his past works, but I didn¡¯t expect something like this to happen. I also remember that post Bronze Sparrow Terrace made on Weibo to invite him that the OP mentioned, I didn¡¯t expect them to be on such good terms in private. And he could even treat his friend like a stepping stone like this... I already got shocked speechless by the content of this post, it feels as if my whole worldview crumbled... *flops*


    To hell with that, either way I¡¯ll continue to follow other VA *sobs*...


    ment 33¡¿


    Rising hand, I listened to the whole audition, including the judges¡¯ feedback section. I was so let down and in such disbelief that Bronze Sparrow Terrace could possibly copy Don¡¯t ask for my return date, but now that I found this post today, I suddenly got this kind of ¡°so that¡¯s how it was¡± eureka moment.


    To be honest, I was so sceptical towards the idea of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s skills being inferior to Don¡¯t ask for my return date and him giarising. After seeing the OP reveal the truth, I now think that¡¯s how it actually was¡ªafter all, a great god is a god, how could he possibly use such low means? And looking at that this way, a lot of unrities get much easier to exin. I couldn¡¯t tell that Don¡¯t ask for my return date was such an ungrateful scoundrel; I really waited for the rest of ?Trap? for nothing.


    Just as a lot of girls from the previousments have said, I think that the production team should maybe consider recing him? To cause such a big drama, I guess that using this sort of guy, it wouldn¡¯t do any good for the production team¡¯s good name?


    ...


    Seeing thosements one after another, Qi Jing took a deep breath, leaning back on the chair. ¡°The production team¡¯s good name, huh...¡±


    This one was thorny. With this one, the scale of the problem waspletely differentpared to ying big or ambiguous... To be fair, the staff members of ?Trap? had probably already seen this post. It was almost impossible to make them ignore the online rumourspletely and continue working on this audio drama with no pressure, not to mention the audience that just wouldn¡¯t buy the finished audio drama.


    From what he knew, neither of the core staff members: the producer Rouge Flower, the director Knives cutting in from four corners or the script-writer Puppet Show listened to the ?Order to End the Heavens?petition, but under the pressure of the public discourse, they have probably already searched for the recording by that time.


    As for who would they believe after listening to it, it was still a mystery. But the crucial part of the staff, A Lifetime¡¯s Lock was Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s trusted supporter, plus it was Bronze Sparrow Terrace who had more influence in the online voice acting circle... After weighting pros and cons, it was quite easy to guess who would get sacrificed in the end.


    Qi Jingughed bitterly. ¡°If I really make my ¡®apology¡¯ this evening, then the production team would probably have it even harder.¡±


    Leaning back on the chair, he stayed still for a few minutes before managing to get himself together and opening the production team¡¯s group chat. Just as he expected, ever since yesterday night, the chat log was full of tension.


    Producer ¨C Rouge Flower: ...


    Producer ¨C Rouge Flower: I, I finished reading that post...


    Producer ¨C Rouge Flower: TAT Is that true? It can¡¯t be... I always thought that Return Date-sama wouldn¡¯t be the kind of person that would do things like this...


    Sound designer ¨C A Lifetime¡¯s Lock: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q You can think that you know a person, but you will never know their heart.


    Producer ¨C Rouge Flower: Locky, don¡¯t say things like that, please... TAT


    Sound designer ¨C A Lifetime¡¯s Lock: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q Either way, yesterday he had already agreed to make a public apology tonight.


    Xiao Qiao of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s harem: That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right!! He really is too much. I already thought something was fishy yesterday, but with the truthing to light today, it finally got through to me how obnoxious he is!! He hurt Bronze Sparrow so much that the other girls from the group chat are all crying themselves silly and now, when we all realised that he was the one doing shady business behind the scenes, we got even more furious!!


    Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s harem: -.- Either he apologises, or I will convince Bronze Sparrow to leave this team, your choice.


    Director ¨C Knives cutting from four corners: ...


    Script-writer ¨C Puppet Show: Girls, please, don¡¯t get so agitated, if there¡¯s a problem then let¡¯s talk it out... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    ...


    Fortunately it was a Friday, so the couple of core staff members were all online at this time.


    Qi Jing just chose three ounts from the chat members list, DMing all of them, each with the same message¡ª¡±Is it convenient to make a separate group chat now? There¡¯s some stuff I want to make clear.¡±


    After a short while, the three of the staff covertly created a temporary group chat and upon seeing them, they couldn¡¯t stop spamming the crying emoticons.


    Rouge Flower: /(¨Òo¨Ò)/¡«¡« Return Date-sama


    Puppet Show: /(¨Òo¨Ò)/¡«¡« Lord Return Date...


    Knives cutting from four corners: Return Date... Are you alright?


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I¡¯m actually quite fine, thank you. ^£ß^


    Looking at this, at least the attitudes of the three of them still appeared rather usual, none of them showed any negativity.


    Qi Jing smiled faintly before the screen.


    But the following silence made the atmosphere within the chat a bit awkward. Although it couldn¡¯t be said that they were now cold towards him, after that post and the raucous made by Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s friends, to say that there was not a single change in their hearts, it would probably be impossible.


    <i>Don¡¯t ask for my return date</i>: I think that you should probably have already heard the rumours regarding my and great god¡¯s Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s conflict.


    Rouge Flower: ...Yes, is that true... (pointing fingers)


    Puppet Show: ...


    Knives cutting from four corners: ...


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: We are indeed in a conflict. But, it¡¯s not like how it was described in that so-called ¡°truth post¡±. Aside from this audio drama, me and great god had no private contact between us, not to mention me asking him for guidance in interpreting a character only to giarise himter.


    Rouge Flower: I also don¡¯t want to believe that you would giarise him or anything, but... at the same time, I also can¡¯t believe that he would giarise you as well. Maybe there was some misunderstanding?


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Ms Rouge, if that¡¯s not a misunderstanding then what would you do?


    Rouge Flower: TAT I don¡¯t know...


    Puppet Show: When yesterday, Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, and our sound designer came to criticise you, I still didn¡¯t know what had happened because I wasn¡¯t really that interested in listening to thatpetition when it was streamed on YY. After I read that post, I got scared silly and knowing that the things looked bad, I finally went to listen to it... Honestly, I¡¯m more inclined to believe you!! But I don¡¯t know what I should do!! (clutches head)


    Knives cutting from four corners: These days I¡¯m pretty busy IRL, so I haven¡¯t listened to anything on YY for so, so long. I also don¡¯t browse the forum as much anymore, so it was my friend who told me about this drama, quickly calling me toe and take a look.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Mn... I know, this happened so suddenly, so I can understand that you had no way to prepare yourselves mentally.


    Knives cutting from four corners: Hehe... Return Date, if we¡¯re talking about mental preparations and whatsoever then I¡¯ve already done that before the release of the first episode.


    The director¡¯s words surprised the remaining three people in the group.


    Rouge Flower¡¯s and Puppet Show¡¯s surprise was out of genuine shock, but Qi Jing¡¯s surprise was streaked with a little bit of curiosity.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Oh? What kind of mental preparation was that?


    Knives cutting from four corners: Return Date, although I¡¯m too careless and obtuse to the core, but I still believe that I have an eye for people.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ^£ß^


    Knives cutting from four corners: Either way it¡¯s just us in this chat, so I can be bold enough to say this¡ªI actually didn¡¯t take a liking to the great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace, and as for those harem members, friends, and fans of his, I always saw them as the insensible little girls, that¡¯s all. But as for the person himself, I¡¯m not afraid to be hated for saying this, but his attitude towards voice acting is really bad.


    Puppet Show: ...Mn...


    Rouge Flower: ...It¡¯s my fault, it was me who invited him for the main role first...


    Knives cutting from four corners: It¡¯s no one¡¯s fault, Rouge, you also don¡¯t have to me yourself over it, after all, as a director you have the right to choose the candidates. Indeed, inviting the great god for one of the main characters brought us a great deal of ¡°celebrity effect¡±, everyone can clearly see the amount of followers and support we gained this way. And I¡¯m very thankful for that¡ªbut that doesn¡¯t mean that I can tolerate his fans continuously belittling Return Date.


    Knives cutting from four corners: You all remember how it went during the runthrough for the first episode, right? Return Date is clearly the type of VA who faithfully follows the original work, but he had to yield to Bronze Sparrow Terrace continuously, only to get cursed out by the fans of the novel in the end. We¡¯re responsible for that as well, but for the most important part, it was the great god who selfishly made his own changes to the character.


    Knives cutting from four corners: At that time, I had an inkling that the day woulde when a conflict would arise in our team, especially between the actors for our two main roles. And in the end, this day really arrived...


    With the conversationing to this point, Qi Jing finally smiled knowingly.


    This inkling Knives cutting from four corners was talking about, he also felt it a long, long time ago¡ªit¡¯s just, he always believed that backing off would solve any possible conflicts. All of the past actions of Bronze Sparrow Terrace only made him unhappy at most, but it never came to the point of him getting angry, so he just rolled with it. As a voice actor and a part of the production team, he had a duty of protecting the harmony within their crew.


    But since Bronze Sparrow Terrace decided to go break the pretence of peace himself and with the falling out bound to happen, then he didn¡¯t have to put up with that anymore¡ª


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I don¡¯t know how much you believe me, but my conscience is clear, and I decided to settle this matter in my way.


    Knives cutting from four corners: I believe youpletely, so go ahead and handle it as you wish. £¨¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å


    Puppet Show: I... I¡¯ll still choose to believe you, Return Date-sama. But you really intend to go and apologise to them...? I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s the best way to settle it. /(¨Òo¨Ò)/~~


    Rouge Flower: I really need to calm down, I can¡¯t, my heart hurts so much... I¡¯m about to cry... TAT


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Pats for Ms Rouge. Honestly, it¡¯s the most difficult for you, the producer, so no need to force yourself. This audio drama is your child, so I can understand that you wouldn¡¯t want this kind of ident to happen, but unfortunately it has already happened... With how that kind of post got dropped now, I also have to respond to this matter.


    Knives cutting from four corners: WAIT!! I agree to what Pupped has just said, don¡¯t you do anything stupid and don¡¯t you dare to apologise!!


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I said that I¡¯ll apologise, but it won¡¯t be the real apology. ^£ß^


    Knives cutting from four corners: Oh??


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: If you have time during tonight¡¯s ¡°Qin Tuo¡± audition, thene and listen to it¡ªI will officially make an ¡°apology¡± to him there. The reason why I gathered you three here is to say hi to you in advance... So that you won¡¯t bepletely without any mental preparation.


    Puppet Show: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã Mental preparation??


    Knives cutting from four corners: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã Return Date, what the hell are you doing!!


    Rouge Flower: ...Return Date-sama, are, are you...


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Qi Jing said, his expressionposed as he typed his words on the keyboard, ¡°I willy my cards on the table with him, on the precondition of leaving the ?Trap? production team.¡±


    Without waiting for them to wake up from the shock, he hesitated, then changed his words.


    ¡°No, on the precondition of me leaving the circle¡ª¡±


    T/N:


    Luci: Qi Jing dropping the bomb so suddenly¡ªsavage, but at this point he has all the right to be like this. But damn, that post... I swear, I¡¯ve seen its kind all around the inte ;;;

 Chapter 96

    <h4>Chapter 96</h4>


    Editor: Whitere


    Ning Xiaoxiao received a call from Qi Jing.


    With her jaw still on the floor in a very udy-like manner, she quickly finished reading that post from ¡°Lord Truth¡± all covered in cold sweat before quickly trying to call Qi Jing¡¯s number dozens of times, but without any sess¡ªit was Qi Jing who called her back firstter.


    ¡°Senior!¡± Without any care about her image, she screamed loudly while still inside the editorial department, her hand holding the phone just as chilly as her heart was, ¡°What the hell happened that you wouldn¡¯t receive any calls since the morning! You¡¯re on the brink of a disaster, don¡¯t you know about it!¡±


    ¡°Ah, I had a very important interview today, so I muted my phone.¡± During hismunication with Shen Yan¡¯s mother, he didn¡¯t want any interruption, so he changed the sound volume of his phone to zero. After they finished, he saw a string of the unreceived calls from Ning Xiaoxiao; he more or less guessed what was she calling for, so he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to return the call, letting this little junior of his toss around for a couple of hours like a cat on a hot tin roof.


    ¡°Senior! Listen to me! There¡¯s a certain post on the forum¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao was about to tell him the content of the post, but she didn¡¯t expect him to have already seen it, so she choked back on her words.


    After a moment, she spoke timidly, ¡°Then you¡­ how are you going to get along with god Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡­¡±


    ¡°Xiaoxiao,¡± Qi Jing interrupted her gently, not answering her question but mentioning an unrted topic in a light and cheerful tone instead, ¡°Speaking about it, it was that post of yours that first lead to me entering the voice acting circle¡ªthe one about a sexy voice for an rm ringtone or something like that.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao nodded her head obliviously at the other side of the call.


    It was thanks to her that Qi Jing entered the circle three years ago, so she could be said to have made a notably meritorious deed. Later it was Ninth Lady, a producer and great talent scout, who became his actual promotor.


    ¡°It¡¯s already been three years in a blink of an eye, time sure flies fast.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s bright tone made her heart skip a beat, with a certain ominous premonition sprouting in her mind.


    Three years¡ªin real life, it may have passed very quickly, but for a voice actor, it was already a very long time to stay active.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity that because of the nature of my work, I didn¡¯t have time to sit down and voice-act more. The number of audio dramas I received is rather small and even if I received one, it would be only for the characters with few lines.¡± Qi Jing lowered his head, looking at Little Return Date rubbing against the leg of his trousers as he muttered, almost as if sighing to himself, ¡°I don¡¯t seem to have contributed to any remarkable works nor left behind any memorable roles or dramas¡­ It¡¯s a bit of a pity.¡±


    His most famous, most widely known work within the voice acting circle was ?Trap?. Unfortunately, he had betrayed his conscience for that drama, so for him, there was no value in celebrating its memory.


    And as for that recording of an idental rehearsal that changed his life¡­ It would be his forever most cherished masterpiece.


    Even without Ning Xiaoxiao participating in his conversation with the production team of ?Trap?, once she heard this, an rm bell instantly went off in her mind. ¡°Wait, wait, wait! Senior, don¡¯t tell me that you¡¯re about to quit the circle¡ª¡±


    It was no wonder she was his longtime friend¡ªshe was quite quick witted whenever the situation called for it. Qi Jing chuckled, ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao got stumped for a whole five seconds, then she pursed her lips with her nose scrunching up involuntarily, ¡°Don¡¯t quit the circle¡­ Dramas and whatsoever, we have that everyday in the circle. As a reporter, you¡¯re constantly out there gathering news, so you have certainly seen worse stuff than that.Compared to that, what even is this puny online quarrel! Don¡¯t quit the circle, please¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll record an rm ringtone for you, is that good?¡± Qi Jing coaxed her in a low voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t quit the circle¡­¡± Ning Xiaoxiao unusually resisted the temptation.


    ¡°How about it, I can record it in your favourite yboy gong voice.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t quit the circle¡­¡± Ning Xiaoxiao didn¡¯t yield.


    Qi Jing had no other means to spare and could onlyugh bitterly with a quiet sigh.


    He said reassuringly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not because of the hate that I want to retire. Hate and the likes, I honestly have long since gotten used to that. The reason for me wanting to retire is because first, I don¡¯t want to inconvenience the ?Trap? production team by putting them in the middle of the conflict between me and Bronze Sparrow Terrace, and second¡­ I¡¯m already slowly settling down in my offline life, I might get a promotion in my work and I now have a lover to be by my side. In the future, I want to spend my time and energy on those things, so quitting the circle isn¡¯t necessarily that bad of a choice.¡±


    In the spare time from his job that reversed the day and night for him, the previous him would voice act alone in the silence ofte night, immersing in the characters, forgetting about being ¡°Qi Jing¡± and forgetting about ¡°Qi Jing¡¯s loneliness¡±.


    But now.


    Qi Jing was no longer lonely, and he was very happy, too.


    Qi Jing no longer had to choose to escape from bing Qi Jing.


    ¡°Does it really have to be like this&#k2026;¡± Ning Xiaoxiao roughly got his point, but she couldn¡¯t help the sadness in her voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s good for things to have a beginning and an end,¡± Qi Jing replied calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t regret.¡±


    ¡°I regret it!¡± Ning Xiaoxiao squeezed her phone indignantly, ¡°I don¡¯t believe that you¡¯re the sort of person that post described, you must have been framed! Great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace may have a good voice, he may be popr, but bullying my senior is apletely different matter! I can¡¯t just look at him and his fans behaving like mad dogs! AaAah¡ª! I¡¯m so upset, if you were to quit the circle, then wouldn¡¯t you give them exactly what they want?¡±


    ¡°And who was the one who kept talking about how it¡¯s a good thing for me and the great god to work together?¡± Qi Jing teased her deliberately.


    As expected, his junior howled from regret. ¡°Indeed, at that time I was Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fan, just who can I me for being a voice-con, waah¡­ Bringing up my ck history really is despicable!¡± Ning Xiaoxiao wanted to cry but had no tears to shed, wishing she could go back these few months to give herself a p to wake up, ¡°But since he¡¯s being so evil to my senior, then I¡¯m decisively turning from a fan into an anti!¡±


    Saying this, she stopped suddenly, shouting loudly as if recalling some incredibly big news. ¡°Right, right, senior! He will surely do something even more evil tonight during your audition tonight, I bet he¡¯ll use every means to win against you!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t I lurking in one of his fan group chats? Yesterday, I saw a friendin that the great god himself thought that he had no way of winning against that Kitty¡¯s Papa contestant during the audition for ¡®Marquess Shunyang¡¯, so he didn¡¯t even try to take the first ce and didn¡¯t reallymit to it¡­¡± Saying this, she didn¡¯t forget to remind Qi Jing considerately, ¡°Eh, now that we¡¯re talking about it, do you still remember Kitty¡¯s Papa?¡±


    ¡°Of course I remember him.¡± How could I not remember my own boyfriend? Qi Jing¡¯s tone was just as usual as heughed magnanimously, ¡±And then?¡±


    ¡°And then you should know the rest already, Kitty¡¯s Papa actually forfeited the role, so the great god identally came out first and qualified for the finals.¡±


    ¡°Since Kitty¡¯s Papa forfeit made him gain the first ce, then wouldn¡¯t that be an unexpected blessing for him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly the opposite!¡± Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s tone was like that of a tabloid TV news anchor¡ªQi Jing could entirely imagine her rich bodynguage at this moment, ¡°Senior, you¡¯re forgetting about thepetition rules¡ªone contestant can only advance with two characters, so if they get qualified for three characters, then they would automatically get disqualified for the one they scored the lowest for. Great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace currently has two first ces, but both of them are side characters, while the main male character he¡¯s so bent on getting is in danger instead. He wants to secure ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯, but unless hees out first once more, he has no chances of getting it! That¡¯s why the pressure on him tonight is just off the charts¡ª¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t hold it in and actuallyughed in spite of himself.


    ¡°Hahahaha¡­¡± Once the dam got opened, this craving to burst outughing was just unstoppable¡ªhe leaned against the back of his chair,ughing so hard that his whole body trembled, waking Little Return Date who was dozing off on hisp, its moist eyes watching its owner confusedly. Qi Jing wiped his tears whileughing, ¡°So wouldn¡¯t that mean that our great god became a victim of his own wit?¡±


    He would really forget about this rule if it wasn¡¯t for Ning Xiaoxiao mentioning it. And with how Shen Yan forfeited his role, this rule really was about to royally mess with Bronze Sparrow Terrace.


    First ce for Emperor Chang.


    First ce for Marquess Shunyang.


    And the end result of all those first ces was, he had to also get the first ce for thest role, otherwise Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s dreams of getting his hands on male lead role would shatter¡ªprobably even the ¡°insiders¡¯ decision behind the closed doors¡± Jade Butterfly mentioned couldn¡¯t help him.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but think to himself: Shen Yan, ah, Shen Yan, you said that you couldn¡¯t help me, but in fact you yed quite a trick on our great god without you even realising it.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that now the great god for sure hates Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s guts?¡± Qi Jingughed so hard that even his stomach started to cramp a little, so he had to put an end to this for now, only asking with enthusiasm.


    ¡°Right, right, all his fans were cursing him out, saying that he was just putting on an act, that he wasn¡¯t professional enough for the seriouspetition. They¡¯re also saying that him using thepetition to confess was to attract fans, poprity, and support.¡± Fair enough, those negativements along the lines of what he expected, a rathermonly seen motive to attack people in the circle.


    ¡°Then how do you think, is Kitty¡¯s Papa like what they¡¯re saying?¡± He chuckled indolently, his fingers slowly rubbing the fur behind Little Return Date¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Of! Course! Not!¡± He didn¡¯t know what switch got shifted in Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s body, but she immediately got incredibly excited as if injected with fresh blood, to the point where even her voice trembled, ¡°I was listening to his audition and I got so moved when I listened to it to the end¡­ This kind of confession really can make one so smitten, and it was so sincere! If I were the one he confessed to, I would faint from the bliss after hearing it!¡±


    While still excited, she suddenly went off the topic, making fun of Qi Jing with an impish giggle. ¡°Senior~ Don¡¯t get mad from envy, hehe.¡±


    ¡°Eh,¡± Qi Jing raised his brow, asking while knowing the answer, ¡°Why would I get mad from envy?¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao cleared her throat, deliberating on her words so as to avoid angering Qi Jing, ¡°I¡¯m telling you, senior, don¡¯t get mad¡­ People like Dr Shen might appear distant, but he¡¯s surely the type that loves deep in his heart but has a hard time expressing it. Usually, it¡¯s rare to see people like this to even open their mouths, so better don¡¯t hope for him to ever confess to you publicly¡­¡±


    This little gal¡¯s words were quite crude, evenforting him to not be too disappointed.


    Hearing this, Qi Jing almost bursted outughing once again. ¡°Who knows,¡± He bit his lips while looking down, trying his best to not let the need tough be heard in his voice, ¡°Don¡¯t look at how low-key he is, maybe¡­ who knows, he may surprise you all.¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao pouted, ¡°Public confession? I don¡¯t believe he¡¯s this romantic. Senior, you must be really envious to refuse to see the reality as it is.¡±


    Romantic¡­


    As if he¡¯s only romantic.


    Even Shen Yan himself probably didn¡¯t know how big of an impact for his heart that confession had¡ª


    ¡°Hehe,¡± Qi Jing didn¡¯t intend to continue the dispute with his oblivious junior, just letting the corners of his eyes curl up from the smile, ¡°Fine, just take it as me being envious then.¡±


    Under the guise of being ¡°envious¡±, Qi Jing intended to spend the remaining half an hour before thepetition to secretly browse the forum and check everyone¡¯s opinions on Shen Yan after the night before.


    But his ns got disrupted, the cause being Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans making an appeal in the forum.


    ¡ª¡±EVERYONE, DON¡¯T VOTE ON DON¡¯T AKS FOR MY RETURN DATE¡±.


    The words were simple and the meaning ample.


    This appeal appeared alongside the previous post using him of being an ungrateful wretch on the main page, and it was constantly being boosted by the users.


    On the surface, it was a voluntary appeal made by fans, but Qi Jing had no way of telling whether it was in fact coordinated from behind the scene by Bronze Sparrow Terrace. Still, he didn¡¯t feel any way about that.


    ¡°Seems like the great god really is ready to use any means possible.¡± Qi Jing watched as the click counter and the number of shares both grew rapidly andughed coldly.


    Most of all, that ¡°everyone¡± would primarily include the vast majority of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans.


    Looking at their influence on the previous auditions, there were at least a few thousand of those fans in the audience, so they really could influence the final score significantly, with the audition for ¡°Emperor Chang¡± being a perfect foretaste of what was about to happen.


    And some VAs that usually got along with Bronze Sparrow Terrace would blindly support him only for the sake of supporting, calling their fans to join the resistance troops. Then there were the haters who just didn¡¯t find him pleasing to their eyes, as well as those passersby onlookers who didn¡¯t know what was going on and were just misled and incited by that post¡­ None of them would vote on him.


    Hence this time the disparity between his and Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s audience vote ratio was bound to be even greater.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡± Qi Jingughed self-mockingly, then looked at the time in the right low corner of the screen changing to 5:59PM with a sigh, ¡°Seems like a difficult battle is inevitable¡­¡±


    Still, with the precondition of quitting the circle, there was nothing to be afraid of.


    Qi Jing put on the headphones calmly. Like that day when he first voice acted as a VA, his movements were careful, meticulous, not allowing for a single mistake to ur as he put them on and checked all of the equipment.


    The background music of the channel, one he had heard who knows how many times already, entered his ears quietly. The host¡¯s, Yang Chunqu¡¯s, voice was as clear as always¡ªit would always be able to cheer everyone before every stage, like a clear, spring water to the ears. She would also always first say a few greeting-like openings to the audience, making the atmosphere warm and harmonious.


    But today was an exception.


    ¡°Good evening, everyone! As everyone knows, tonight we¡¯re holding two auditions for the first and second main male characters of the fifth instalment of ?Order to End the Heavens?. Since they¡¯re the auditions for choosing the actors for two main characters, everyone can imagine the importance of this process.¡±


    This time, her opening for this stage of thepetition was different than before. Her tone wasn¡¯t as animated, it was even a bit low as she hesitated for a moment before continuing. ¡°Nevertheless¡­ Before the official start of the audition, I have some very unfortunate news to announce.¡±


    Qi Jing got caught by a surprise and subconsciously straightened his back.


    Could it be that some even more thorny matter cropped up, dooming his situation to get a turn for even worse?


    Audience 1: ¦²(¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õSaying this at the very beginning, it can¡¯t be another piece of bad news¡­


    Audience 2: ¦²(¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õMs Host, don¡¯t keep us in suspense, I¡¯m so scared!!


    Audience 3: ¦²(¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õDon¡¯t tell me that the audition got cancelled!!


    Audience 4: I was waiting for so long for the audition for the first and second male characters¡­ The organisers better not make a problem at this time!! (¨s£­£ß£­)¨s¨k¨k


    Audience 5: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q I¡¯m still waiting for Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s apology~ If there¡¯s anything going on then better say it now, just let the audition begin~


    Audience 6:¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q Just as the previousmenter said!! Just finish saying it quickly, let me hear how that ungrateful bastard is going to apologise!


    ¡­


    With the host making such a show of earnestness, it was normal for the chat to get noisy.


    And the amount of people that looked forward to his apology¡­ it wasn¡¯t that small. Qi Jing curled the corners of his lips up in a smirk, but his forehead was still furrowed, unavoidably making the smile appear rather forced.


    ¡°What I need to announce first is¡ªording to the organisators¡¯ instructions, there was a change to the number of judges responsible for the scoring tonight.¡± At that time, Yang Chunqu said feebly, ¡°From the original three, it was changed to two.¡±


    A/N:


    It¡¯s been so long since I updated chapters for two consecutive days¡­ *ovations* (This urrence is probably pretty rare *looks towards the sky*)


    But on another note, if our little junior got to know that Kitty¡¯s Papa=Dr Shen, her jaw would surely drop to the floor. 2Yan who felt so fuzzy in his heart but said nothing as he listened to his little junior going onmenting on Kitty¡¯s Papa to his own satisfaction really is too evil hahaha¡­


    To those who want to see who, 2Yan or Bronze Sparrow Terrace, is going to end up dead in the end¡ªplease wait and see! (oi)


    T/N:


    Whitere: haha waiting for this ¡°apology¡±

 Chapter 97

    <h4>Chapter 97</h4>


    Editor: Whitere


    Proofreading: Mashiro


    Only two judges?ording to the organisers¡¯ instructions?


    The first word that sprouted in his mind was ¡°the insider¡±, then the second two words that followed were ¡°Jade Butterfly¡±¡ªno matter what way he looked at this, it only seemed ominous.


    Qi Jing held back his breath, waiting for Yang Chunqu to move on to the main point.


    Yang Chunqu¡¯s voice had always been radiant like the bright summer sun, so it was hard to believe that it could also momentarily shove one down the depths of a cold cave. ¡°Teacher Longbow who was one of the crucial judges during the semi-finals is absent today due to an unforeseen ident, so we are very sorry to announce that he will not be responsible for providing the feedback for the two auditions tonight... Please forgive us for this mishap.¡±


    As expected¡ªQi Jing¡¯s heart sank instantly. He gasped like a stranded man who couldn¡¯t help but swallow breaths of air after getting ashore from the depths of the water¡ªeven his lungs stung a bit.


    Helpless, he could only squeeze his fist tightly and punch the desk indignantly.


    He knew that it was impossible for behind the scenes to not get turbulent, but he didn¡¯t expect the waves to arrive so quickly, so rapidly, leaving himpletely unprepared.


    From the very beginning of thepetition, Longbow had always made ¡°fairness¡± his guiding principle. He always assumed the most encouraging behaviour towards the contestants and could be said to be the most diligently kind judge¡ªfor him, who had been repeatedly suffering injustice, he was tantamount to a kind of a protective charm.


    In terms of the number of fans, he never had a fair chance¡ªhe never even hoped for it.


    ¡°And now I don¡¯t even have a ¡®fair chance¡¯ with the judges...¡± Qi Jingughed bitterly, his expression getting heavier with each moment.


    The day before, Longbow didn¡¯t give any leeway for Bronze Sparrow Terrace, so would that mean that his absence tonight was linked to this? If that was the case, then the circumstances could be much worse than what he expected. He didn¡¯t have to worry about Pu Yuzhi, but Northwest Road had clearly chosen to patronise Bronze Sparrow Terrace and from how he had always been rather extreme with the scores he gave, with one of three judges missing, it made the situation look even more dangerous.


    Just as Qi Jing was steeling his heart against this predicament, Yang Chunqu suddenly added something that went against everyone¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°Aside from Teacher Longbow, our other judge, Northwest Road, is also unable to turn up.¡± She said, ¡°As for the reason... The organisers of thepetition didn¡¯t provide any, but Northwest Road will not participate as a judge for thest two semi-finals auditions tonight and for the entire finals toe.¡±


    Eh...Eh eh eh?Qi Jing stared wide-eyed from the shock, unable to believe his ears for a moment.


    With such a major and sudden change in the personel, not only he, but anyone would doubt whether their hearing was still alright.


    Audience 1: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã Ah-le?? Two judges run away at once?? What happened!


    Audience 2: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤ÃTeacher Longbow¡¯s not there and even Northwest Road is absent, then doesn¡¯t it only leave one judge from the original three? Where did that ¡°two judges¡± the host was talking aboute from?


    Audience 3: ¨“¨Œ¨“ I don¡¯t care about Northwest Road¡¾Don¡¯t hate me fans, I just don¡¯t like him ¡¿but give me back my Teacher Longbooow...


    Audience 4: ¨“¨Œ¨“ That¡¯s right!! Just as I started to take a liking to the sharp-tongued Teacher Longbow and he¡¯s already nowhere to be seen!


    Audience 5: Raising hand weakly to ask... Two judges ran away from two most important auditions of the semi-finals, is that really OK...


    Audience 6: Seconding thementer above. Honestly, I don¡¯t care about Northwest Road since he doesn¡¯t give feedback, and feedback is my favourite part to listen to. I really enjoyed Longbow¡¯smentary, so it¡¯s such a pity that he¡¯s not here...¡¾If I don¡¯t remember it wrong, then it was his turn to give feedback¡¿But what I¡¯m most worried about is, can the official judges really be strict now?


    Northwest Road... He actually got dismissed from being a judge this easily? And he got dismissed so thoroughly that he wouldn¡¯t even show up during the finals too?


    Qi Jing blinked a couple of times, unable to believe this. Right at that moment, he felt like a man braving himself to receive a sentence, only to suddenly regain his freedom. Before the wild bout of joy, the first thing he felt was disbelief.


    At first, he thought it was some kind of trick from Jade Butterfly, but now, he was justpletely clueless instead as there was surely some form of partnership between Jade Butterfly and Northwest Road. This sort of sacrificing an associate wouldn¡¯t possibly take ce since something like that would certainly end up being detrimental for Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s performance in thepetition.


    Then what the hell was happening among the organisers? What¡¯s more, aside from Pu Yuzhi, there should be another judge for the ¡°two¡± mentioned by Yang Chunqu&#k2014;so in the end, what was going on?


    While the multitudes debated heatedly, Yang Chunqu invited the other judge for that night. ¡°Next, I will introduce the stand-in judge who will take Teacher¡¯s Longbow ce for tonight. Manager, I will trouble you to pass the mic to Teacher Yuan.¡± After making two unfortunate announcements, Yang Chunqu finally brought up good news, so her voice also became much more easy and merry. But this smile-induced tone onlysted for mere three seconds before getting shattered again, ¡°Let¡¯s all wee... Ah! Teacher Yuan, Your ID¡ª¡±


    The host¡¯s voice rose dramatically in rm.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes shot towards the mic sequence on the left side of the channel window¡ªa certain particrly novel and memorable ID appeared there to everyone¡¯s astonishment.


    ¡¾It¡¯s Yuan not ape (Note: Also don¡¯t call me monkey)¡¿


    ¡°Pffft¡ª¡± Qi Jing had already snorted withughter before he could evenpose himself. He was aware that he should behave more seriously towards people of ¡°teacher¡± status, but he couldn¡¯t help his lips from twitching.


    Inparison, the chat was already filled with roasts.


    Audience 1: = = Ape Teacher...¡¾Suddenly I can see this image in my head¡¿


    Audience 2: = = ...Gori Teacher...¡¾Can see this image +1¡¿


    Audience 3: = = ...Thementer above has no conscience, it¡¯s obviously Monkey Teacher...¡¾Can see this image +2¡¿


    Audience 4: ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sHahahahahaha!! Crap, it somehow got meughing so hard!!


    Audience 5: Can I just say that this ID is so improper... (facepalm)


    Audience 6: No matter if it¡¯s an ape, gori, or monkey¡¾oi¡¿, why is there a need to invite this Teacher to be a judge!! Give me back my Teacher Longbow, waaaaah... This one looks so unreliable!! Begging the organisers for a rification!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    ¡°Teacher Yuan, this ID...¡± Yang Chunqu¡¯s tone turned awkward as this extremely unreliable ID showed no sign of getting changed.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this ID, didn¡¯t it liven up the atmosphere?¡± Suddenly, he could hear a thuggish voice of a middle-age man probably around his forties. It sounded rather unremarkable, like any usual passersby grabbed offhandedly at the streets, and had no particr charm to it upon first hearing. Whenpared to the ID, this voice was even less suitable for the ¡°teacher¡± status.


    The logic behind it was very simple. Longbow had a voice acting background, the quality of his voice was pleasing to an ear and even him saying a few words was like getting bathed in a breath of fresh spring air. As a professor in this specialisation, Pu Yuzhi also used to be a well known voice actor with a very good voice.


    So with how this person seemed to have no interesting quality to his voice, it was just too disappointing¡ª


    Theints in the chat continued for a long time and this Teacher Yuan sure caught sight of it. ¡°Eh? Why would I sound unreliable?¡± The chat was flooded with the speechless emojis in a tacit silence. ¡°Why would I sound like I don¡¯t qualify to rece Longbow?¡±


    Countless cries of ¡°Longbow is more reliable¡± filled the chat alongside the crying emojis.


    ¡°But that Teacher Longbow of yours, he¡¯s in fact student Longbow from here?¡± That Teacher Yuanughed roguishly, revealing even more of his hoodlum bearing as he said full of himself, ¡°Hadn¡¯t the host told you already that Longbow is in fact my student, making me your ¡®Teacher¡¯s Teacher¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± This time it was Qi Jing who eximed in surprise.


    Yang Chunqu had yet to exin the situation to the chat that fell into the chaos when suddenly, a voice strikingly simr to that of the Great Sage the Equal of Heaven from the eighties TV ssic could be heard.


    ¡°Aye! People of the world only know of that surnamed Sun, a kin of mine from the Huaguo mountain, but no one knows that our n should bear the surname Yuan! What even is that macaque jumping out of a stone, it¡¯s ¡®monkey¡¯ that¡¯s the scientific name!¡±


    Just as everyone was still stupefied, he once againughed impishly, making his voice hard to distinguish from the original goods of the eighties animation. ¡°There¡¯s an old hag from the East Sea, she told me that there¡¯s many good seedlings to be found here, making me itchy and unable to keep myself froming here a bit earlier and see if I could dig a couple.¡±


    Judge ¨C Pu Yuzhi: ...Who are you calling an old hag from the East Sea, ah? This old macaque.


    Audience 1: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Pfft!! Read thement above, quick!!


    Audience 2: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Pfft!! Teacher Pu got angry!!


    Audience 3: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Hahahaha, she really got angry! And she even started cursing people out, so funny!!


    Audience 4: ¡ã¡£¡ã(((p(¨R¿Ú¨Q)q)))¡ã¡£¡ã But that bit of Sun Wukong voice from just now was so amazing! It really was just the same! And the tone was also perfect!


    Audience 4: ¡ã¡£¡ã(((p(¨R¿Ú¨Q)q)))¡ã¡£¡ã That¡¯s right! I was on my knees instantly! Nice to monkey you, Teacher¡¯s Teacher!¡¾What, I couldn¡¯t possibly have mistyped it¡¿


    Audience 6: That¡¯s no wonder for the Old Macaque Teacher!!¡¾Eh, something doesn¡¯t seem right ¡¿When he first said that he was Teacher Longbow¡¯s teacher I didn¡¯t believe him, pft... But that impression right now was absolutely brilliant! I got reminded of the ssic ?Journey to the West? I watched in my childhood, that¡¯s so nostalgic aaah!


    Yang Chunqu finally got a chance to digress and added, not knowing whether tough or cry, ¡°Now, for the official introduction¡ªTeacher Yuan, Yuan Zhengming, the veteran of professional voice acting, a graduate of the famous throughout our country drama school and a voice of numerous films, TV dramas and animations. As Teacher Yuan had just said, he worked with Teacher Longbow in a moviepany as his instructor director, so he would indeed count as a ¡®Teacher¡¯s Teacher¡¯.¡± With a short pause, she left the most important part for the end. ¡°Moreover, Teacher Yuan will be the voice director for the ?Order to End the Heavens? game series.¡±


    ¡°In other words,¡± Yuan Zhengming said with a meaningfulugh, ¡°I have the full support of the producers, including the right to have the final word about every single role in this voice actingpetition¡ª¡±


    Surprised, Qi Jing straightened his back a little.


    And the other party continued speaking without any hurry, ¡°I was only supposed to meet you all during the finals, as my job was to be the judge for that stage. But, luck had it that my student happened to receive ast minute job to do and needed to leave for the studio. He had no way to appear today, so I came to meet you all early.¡±


    So that¡¯s how it was. Longbow really couldn¡¯te, so the organisers fished out their trump card ahead of time¡ªQi Jing finally understood what was going on.


    No matter if it was a traditional film or a game, a professional voice acting team would always invite a seasoned veteran who would guide each actor¡¯s performance on spot and create an overall n for the project¡ªmaking sure that everyone would reach the standard but also wouldn¡¯t sh with each other. It was quite like a conductor of a symphony, able to make the music sound smooth, pleasant to the ear, and professional.


    Hence, there was no wonder that this person would have the right to make choices about the candidates.


    Qi Jing suddenly felt the previous bad mood wash away in an instant. His anger gradually died down as a small glimmer of light among the struggle started to shine, rekindling the brightness in his eyes.


    ¡°If he¡¯s Teacher Longbow¡¯s Teacher, then maybe I can expect this audition to be a bit more fair?¡± Qi Jing said to himself.


    He didn¡¯t want any privilege or any pity.


    He only wanted a fair chance, sheer skill against sheer skill.


    Qi Jing¡¯s hunch was right. Yuan Zhengming and his student were both fair people, it¡¯s just the master was much, much stricter than his student, overthrowing Qi Jing¡¯s expectations. ¡°Tonight, we¡¯ll be having two auditions for the main characters, so I¡¯m going to judge ording to my own rules.¡±


    Before the host could remind the rules as usuals, Yuan Zhengming stopped her, then added this as she left the mic sequence in confusion. The discussions erupted in the chat, with most of the peoplepletely confused with what was going on, not knowing what he was about to do.


    ¡°Either way, even if we don¡¯t use my rules now, they will still be used during the finals, so it should fine as long as the contestants treat it as a warm up.¡± When Yuan Zhengmingughed, hisughter started to resonate in his chest, leaving everyone with an impression of a wily old fox, ¡°You all already know that I¡¯m a voice director, so I will judge your performances just as any voice director would during the official recording. I believe that everyone had seen it before¡ªwhen a director is listening to the acting on the spot, they would sometimes shout ¡®CUT!¡¯, right?¡± The audience agreed, confused. ¡°Mn, that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about. During the contestants¡¯ performance, my mic will be on all the time,¡± He said unhurriedly, ¡°Once there¡¯s some mistake where I would want to shout CUT, the contestant would need to stop the performance and won¡¯t continue with the rest.¡±


    Saying this, heughed poisedly. ¡°Each contestant has a time limit of 120 seconds, two minutes altogether. I don¡¯t like adding points up ording to the average scores, so this time I will giveprehensive points, with the full marks being ¡®2¡¯, just like the amount of allotted time. And the entire time a contestant uses until I shout CUT will make up for theirprehensive score.


    Audience 1: ¦²(¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õSo! Strict!


    Audience 2: ¦²(¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õI can understand this director-like scoring method Gori Teacher¡¯s talking about... But this selection process is so steep!!


    Audience 3: ¦²(¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õI... I feel like this would be unfair? After all, there are some people that would fare better at the beginning, but their performance would get worse towards the end, while some people would do better towards the end while having a hard time immersing themself in the acting at the beginning¡ªwhat in that case? If the director would shout CUT early, then that would be too pitiful for those contestants. And there¡¯s also the matter of the speed of speaking? And the problem of contestants deliberately stalling for time?


    ...


    Faced with the doubts from the audience, Yuan Zhengming exined himselfposedly, ¡°First, this is apetition, andpetition at its core isn¡¯t only topare the contestants¡¯ skill of voice acting, it¡¯s also the about how the voice actors can adapt to the pressure of acting before the public, it¡¯s a test of mental fortitude and ability to adapt flexibly. It¡¯s about the same environment as in our recording studio. The workload is significant so we require efficiency and the voice actors to be able to immerse themselves in acting on a short note, so if you¡¯re not aware of that, then better not bother entering the recording studio.¡±


    He was very cutting with his words, but it was enough to leave the chat speechless, unable to refute his words.


    ¡°Second, considering that a lot of people here aren¡¯t professionals and that my impromptu change of rules is a bit rushed, I will unconditionally give everyone thirty seconds of time. During those thirty seconds, no matter how your acting goes, I won¡¯t shout CUT, so it¡¯s free points for you all. During that time, I will judge whether you have enough potential for me to continue to listen to your performance. If you don¡¯t have it, then I will call CUT after those thirty seconds; if you do, the time will keep going on.¡±


    Once the listeners heard this, most of them were already approving of it in silence. Moreover, they were all very interested in this fresh method of judging.


    ¡°Third,¡± Yuan Zhengming raised his tone with a skin-deep smile, ¡°since the time used contributes to the score, I assume that there would surely be some people who would want to stall for time. But someone who deliberately stalls for time wouldn¡¯t be able toplete all lines, eh? And who knows, I might also call CUT ahead of time because of the contestant speaking too slowly, or too unnaturally?¡±


    Audience 1: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ ...Devil, a true devil.


    Audience 2: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ ...Devil +10086, lighting a candle for his former student Teacher Longbow...


    Audience 2: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ ...Lighting a candle for the contestants for those two auditions... And for those who get selected as candidates and enter the recording studio only to get PIAed back and forth by Teacher Yuan (or should I say, Director Yuan), I light ten candles!! ¡¾Oi¡¿


    ...


    Among the wave of candles getting lit, Qi Jing on the contrary couldn¡¯t help his strong anticipation. ¡°Interesting, interesting.¡± He muttered with a chuckle. As for whether he was more excited to see how long could the great god Bronze Sparrow Terracest or to see how long he himself could hold on, he wasn¡¯t really sure anymore nor did he care to think about it.


    It was the very first time for him since he started voice acting to feel every cell of his body fire up from the eagerness to give the challenge a try.


    To be able to have such a thrilling time trying himself before leaving the circle, those three years of voice acting really didn¡¯t go to waste.


    ¡°Bring it on, Bronze Sparrow Terrace,¡± He focused his gaze on the timer in the channel, tossing out his taunt, ¡°Let me see how long can you hold on¡ª¡±


    A/N:


    As for why Bronze Sparrow Terrace didn¡¯t appear in this chapter... The focus of this chapter was change of the judges + change in thepetition rules. Personally I feel like it¡¯s pretty fun this way! £Ü(¨R¨Œ¨Q)£¯ (Eh, what, I¡¯m not a devil)


    PS: Old Macaque Teacher is in fact even scarier than Teacher Pu...


    T/N:


    Luci: I love Teacher Yuan with his puns, and the way Teacher Pu is bickering with him in chat is so precious too... They¡¯re both an instant shot of serotonin after the previous few chapters ¨R¨Œ¨Q


    Whitere: Teacher Yuan making a ssh hahaha

 Chapter 98

    <h4>Chapter 98</h4>


    Editor: Whitere


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace went about it differently than Qi Jing.


    He didn¡¯t taunt Qi Jing, only preambling his performance with some PR. Not only did he not taunt him¡ªhe also went for the lofty ¡°harmony above all¡± facade, enough to put on an attitude.


    Just like a woman used to adorning herself with thick make-up wouldn¡¯t go out without one, it seemed like whenever he appeared on the stage, he wouldn¡¯t feel at ease without a few pretty words.


    ¡°Although I feel a bit hurt after yesterday¡¯s misunderstanding, out of my admiration for the judges, I still can¡¯t make myself abandon thepetition.¡± Since Longbow was conveniently out of the picture, Bronze Sparrow Terrace could slip insinuations for everyone without naming the people, as if providing proof that the whole mess the day before was just a big misunderstanding. ¡°In my opinion, voice acting requires a whole lot of dedication and it deserves respect¡ªthat¡¯s why, I don¡¯t want people to use low means to nder the results of others¡¯ work.¡±


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s voice was superior by nature; no matter its tone or timbre, it was absolutely captivating, enough to let its charm take lead with the persuasiveness.


    As he spoke those smooth-sounding words, his little fans¡¯ hearts were already fluttering like gs in the wind; none of them cared about any logic, any evidence, only drowning their male god with the derations of an unconditional love.


    Audience 1: ©d(¨RO¨Q)/¡¨ Bronze Sparrow is so cool! Don¡¯t sweat it, there¡¯s no way a person with such an amazing voice is a bad guy! Rather I can¡¯t believe the rumours other people spread to discredit you!


    Audience 2: ©d(¨RO¨Q)/¡¨Go get them Bronze Sparrow! Some blind folks don¡¯t like you, but we will always love you~~~


    Audience 3: (¨q£þ3£þ)¨q My life core, no need to feel bad about it, the misunderstandings will always get cleared up!! The judges will surely understand your true ability!! Go get them, give those who frame you and make rumours about you a good lesson, mwah~~~


    Audience 4: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Seeing how Bronze Sparrow got wronged yet still keeps being so strong, my heart hurts so much...


    Audience 5: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò my heart hurts so much +1


    Audience 6: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò my heart hurts so much +2


    Having received such a stimulus, his fans rushed forward with a rapid momentum, almost flooding the chatpletely in a mere three seconds.


    The voices of support for Bronze Sparrow Terrace upied most of the chat, truly an awe-inspiring sight.


    ¡°Thanks everyone,¡± Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s thanks was brimming with emotions and his voice was somewhat shaky¡ªwho knows how many of his fans would cover their hearts from pain upon hearing it, ¡°Whenever I¡¯m met with injustice, it¡¯s always you who stand up to encourage me, tofort me... In my eyes, my fans really are the sweetest fans in the world.¡±


    Once he had that, one could even hear him sniffling quietly.


    ¡°The sweetest fans in the world¡± were all instantly touched.


    ¡°Heh heh.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s expression was steady like a mountain, even his brows didn¡¯t twitch¡ªhe justughed twice gloomily.


    Compared to the points given for the voice quality, acting skills, or the overall points, pity points would always be the easiest to acquire.


    Now, even the passersby who didn¡¯t know the truth started to pity him, feeling that this man was pretty nice, graceful, tolerant, magnanimous and with that low, subwoofer-like voice that could make one feel all soft and tingly¡ªit all made his likability rise drastically.


    With that ¡°Lord Truth¡¯s¡± post on the forum mixing up truth and lies as a prep work, even among those who had been present during the audition the day before, the amount of people getting swayed started to rise. And many didn¡¯t dare to be rash with taking a stance and chose to just silently observe the show from the middle ground between Bronze Sparrow Terrace and Don¡¯t ask for my return date.


    ¡°Today, I hope that I can get an answer, as well as justice.¡± It was already clear enough at whom Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s words were directed. ¡°If one does something wrong, then it¡¯s enough if they just admit it¡ªis there someone who has never done a wrong thing?¡± That bewitching, alluring male bass came through unhurriedly, numbing the listener¡¯s hearing first, then taking a step further and numbing their reason, ¡°I¡¯m not a petty person. After making everything clear to each other, we can still be friends.¡±


    Upon hearing it, Qi Jing started to really wish that Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s voice could also numb the nerves in his stomach. At least this way he wouldn¡¯t get such a reflux¡ª


    ¡°Fine, Ms Host, I already prepared my equipment.¡± Having finished his meaningful opening speech, Bronze Sparrow Terrace smiled faintly as he spoke to Yang Chunqu, but his words were directed towards the judges to hear, ¡°Both of the teachers are veterans I have a great deal of respect for in our professional voice acting circle, so I¡¯m happy to receive both of your guidance.¡±


    He grouped himself with professional voice actors just to draw a line between him and the members of the online voice acting circle, that of course including Qi Jing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the actual professionals.¡± Qi Jing snickered coldly, already too tired to bother with those tidbits. Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s professional voice acting experience was all from the advertisement branch of the trade, which was fundamentally different from the film and TV voice acting that was very particr about the acting skills, yet he still bundled them together with such a generalisation. Saying this was only to suck up to the judges.


    Unfortunately for him, Qi Jing didn¡¯t think that Yuan Zheng Ming or Pu Yuzhu would buy that. If this kind of trick would work on them, then they wouldn¡¯t have taught so many excellent students.


    He watched the screen indifferently as he moved the mouse to push the record button. Automatically, a YY saving notification cropped out¡ªhe had recorded Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s opening statement and saved it in a folder, setting it aside for a moment. He leaned back slightly on the chair, like a hunter freezing still in waiting, observing its prey without a slightest movement.


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace was the tenth contestant to perform.


    Even for the main character ¡°Qin Tuo¡±, there were only three scenes¡¯ worth of lines. Because the first scene was long, none of the nine people before him managed to get to the second scene. Those who did badly were cut the moment the thirty seconds were up and those who did well all fell around the forty seconds mark.


    It was like this for a full third of the thirty contestants. Yuan Zhengming¡¯s strictness made everyone click their tongues, but also made the heat of the atmosphere rise, reaching a boiling point.


    And exactly because of that, Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s faithful fans all took the results for granted and ced the highest expectations on their idol.


    Audience 1: o(*&#k2267;&#k25KB;&#k2266;)&#k30A4; Good luck Bronze Sparrow-sama!!


    Audience 2: o(*&#k2267;&#k25KB;&#k2266;)&#k30A4; Bronze Sparrow-sama, whip out your absolute Gong vibes~


    Audience 3: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Bronze Sparrow-sama, you will certainly be able to get to the one minute!!


    Audience 4: Commenter above, what are you talking about?? Sparrow will hit the two minutes for sure!! (£££àÃó)


    Audience 5: That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Sparrow will surely have no problem with finishing the audition, he¡¯s so great! Crap, the sole thought that I can hear him do the emperor Gong voice makes me cry from the feels...©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Audience 6: (shifting around) Commenter above, I understand you all too well!! Because Sparrow was busy with thispetition, he didn¡¯t do any karaoke on our channeltely and with that terrible incident the day before, he probably won¡¯t feel like singing for us, thinking of this makes me feel so lonely... ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    ...


    ¡°Then, I¡¯m passing the mic.¡± Yang Chunqu informed courteously.


    Different from before, this time the timer started counting from ¡°0:00¡± to ¡°2:00¡±. The moment Yuan Zhengming shouted CUT, the timer would stop and the number disyed would make up for the contestant¡¯s score. Meanwhile Pu Yuzhi would give the points ording to the previous rules as the second judge.


    ¡°Start.¡±


    ¡°Ding¡ª¡± A timer plugin jumped out suddenly, starting to count.


    Qi Jing raised his chin slightly as he stared at the number on the timer grow, his expression solemn, silently waiting for Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s version of the first scene.


    It was when ¡°Qin Tuo¡± yed around freely down the mountain as a normal disciple of the Xiaoshan sect. That man loved to frolic and had friends all around; the secluded life of cultivating in the deep mountains didn¡¯t suit him, so he often went down the mountain to a town, keeping it a secret from the masters of the sect as he entered this boisterous secr world to roam around for a bit.


    He was a charming man with an open personality, and there was nock of children from the local rich families among his friends; each and every one a youth in their prime who rarely shied away from frequent visits at the pleasure houses.


    ¡°Hahahaha, another cup?¡± The scene opened with a deepughter from the depths of his chest, with the expected half-drunken, half-sober carefreeness.


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace released the strongest male hormones he could with his voice as he spoke, as if it was sweet words between the lovers, ¡°Not to mention a single cup, if you pour the wine for me, Miss, then even if it was a pot, a bucket or a barrel, I would drink it all.¡±


    With each of his words filled with flirtatiousness, an image of a romantic wastrel instantly appeared before everyone¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Oh...¡± Qi Jing raised his brow. He didn¡¯t expect Bronze Sparrow Terrace to actually do his homework and to pay mind to the background details.


    For this part, the organisers only added ¡°drinking wine¡± as an acting prompt, but it didn¡¯t mention him ¡°getting drunk¡±. Only those who reviewed the original novel would know how to act out the drunken state in this dialogue¡ªtopete for this male lead, Bronze Sparrow Terrace was even willing to do his preparations, even though before this he didn¡¯t even bother with taking a look at the original work.


    And objectively speaking, that emperor-like voice of his was very popr among the female audience. If there really was a crowd of courtesans at his side, then he could bet that they would react just as his fanspletely intoxicated, unable to extricate themselves.


    Audience 1: o(*////¨Œ////*)q O~M~G~ This voice, this voice... *sobs* IT REALLY COULDN¡¯T SOUND BETTER!!


    Audience 2: o(*////¨Œ////*)q I can¡¯t!! This kind of attractive voice is a straight up crime!!


    Audience 3: o(*////¨Œ////*)q Lord Bronze Sparrow Terrace, I cane to pour you a drink too, is that okay? I¡¯m actually starting to imagine Lordying on myp while drinking wine, and ahhhhhhh, I¡¯m getting so shy!¡¾covers face¡¿


    Audience 4: o(*////¨Œ////*)q How could the girl from thement above spell out my bold dreams? I even imagined Sparrow drinking wine with his clothes in a disarray... Huhu, doesn¡¯t it make you blush and your heart to race?


    Audience 5: Great God Bronze Sparrow Terrace really is quite good... There¡¯s not many of those subwoofers anymore, pft.


    Audience 6: *Nods head*, it looks like he¡¯s making more effort to act than before. Don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of what happened yesterday, but I feel like he¡¯s about to make aeback. Hahaha, but this absolute top voice or whatsoever really is something. ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    ...


    Although it was far from the boundless infatuation of the fans, a part of the onlooking audience also couldn¡¯t escape the effect of great god¡¯s hormones, after all, one¡¯s sense of hearing was always quite honest.


    Not to mention that this effect of his on the fans continued increasing in impact.


    ¡°Good Miss, talk to me to cheer me up, would you?¡± The flirtatious tone in Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s tone was getting more and more prominent¡ªhe chuckled while breathing just by the mic, making any pure little girl blush from just hearing it, ¡°I haven¡¯t left the mountain for such a long time, I don¡¯t know if something interesting happened in the town. Can you tell me something about it?¡±


    Qi Jing kept tapping his index finger regrly on the desk, but when it came to this point, he stopped suddenly with the finger still in the air.


    At this moment, the thirty seconds mark passed. Yuan Zhengming¡¯s ID on the tip stayed grey, showing that for now, he had no intention of interrupting him.


    Qi Jing stayed quiet and the hanging finger tapped again making a noise, as if the pause from just before had never ured. But it waspletely different for his fans who kept a close eye at the timer and now proceeded to cry from joy of their male god crossing the first pitfall, spamming the chat with the rows upon rows of little red flowers.


    Audience 1: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò It¡¯s thirty seconds now!!


    Audience 2: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Thirty seconds!! It already passed, and that judge didn¡¯t call cut~~~ My family¡¯s Sparrow really has that in himself!! I¡¯m crying from the feels!!


    Audience 2: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò I just knew that male God wouldn¡¯t possibly fail us! Offering the flowers, just the two lines already made me smitten till I¡¯m all over the ce, it¡¯s amazing... I have to listen to this recording a hundred times before going to sleep tonight. Hundred times! Until my heart turns into mush!


    ...


    To pass the thirty second without getting a CUT, it really proved that Yuan Zhengming thought that Bronze Sparrow Terrace wasn¡¯t half bad.


    Qi Jing remained calm as he continued to listen.


    Whenever the organisers announced the chosen lines, they usually wouldn¡¯t give the context. ording to the original novel, the courtesans would now tease ¡°Qin Tuo¡± a bit, wanting him to speak first.


    This time, Bronze Sparrow Terrace came prepared, so he spoke without any worry or haste, acting out the bantering flirts ording to his impression.


    ¡°Hehehe... Fine then, I will tell one story and you will tell me another one in return; let¡¯s take turns listening, how about that?¡± With him speaking in that intoxicated voice, his pronunciation was a bit fuzzy, but its smiling tone was yet to recede. It was only when he mentioned his masterter when heaved a long, dull sigh as he said resentfully, ¡°Honestly... it¡¯s so boring up on the mountain. My master only knows to stay aloof from the world, separating himself from the secr matters; he rarely goes down the mountain.¡±


    Hearing this, something flickered in Qi Jing¡¯s eyes and his finger once again hung in the air.


    ¡°My senior had been brought up by our master¡ªunlike a disciple taken in halfway like me, he has the same temperament as our master, independent and detached,¡± Bronze Sparrow Terrace put himself in Qin Tuo¡¯s shoes, using a resentful tone as he described Bai Ke who he usually had a bad rapport with, ¡°Even during the usual sword practice he wouldn¡¯t practice together with a junior disciple like me...¡±


    Qi Jing cocked his head and the finger hanging in the air swung from side to side, not getting back down anymore.


    At this moment, he heard a decisive voice in the headphones: ¡°CUT.¡±


    ¡°Ding¡ª¡± The timer stopped abruptly at ¡°0:59¡±.


    ¡°Pft...¡± Qi Jing was incredibly gentlemanly¡ªwhen heughed out, he didn¡¯t forget to raise his hand to cover his lips slightly, so as not to sound too unkind. If anything was to me, then it was this timer stopping at too unfortunate of a moment.


    ¡°Just a second away from the full minute, such a pity.¡± He chuckled slightly.


    Audience 1: !! What the hell!!


    Audience 2: Why was he called to stop!! Where did he act incorrectly, I didn¡¯t hear anything out of ce!!£¨¨s¨F¿Ú¡ä£©¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø


    Audience 3: Hahahaha! I don¡¯t know why Teacher Yuan CUT him, but the timing of it was just so... I¡¯m so sorry for the god¡¯s fans, but I can¡¯t keep myself fromughing, hahahaha...


    Audience 4: Hahahaha, this feeling of almost breaking through the one minute mark yet getting cockblocked in the process, it really is... Will Great God be able to get it upter??


    Audience 5: The twomenters above are really too much! Are you fans of some other contestants? You really gotta have no heart to mock people like this! But I¡¯m sorry to inform you that, even though Sparrow got stopped at this moment, he still has the longest time from among all contestants so far, those little nobodies of yours no one had ever heard of before can beat it!


    Audience 6: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q Oh my, it starts once again. You think Great God is so extraordinary?? Old Macaque Teacher surely has a reason for calling the CUT, so god¡¯s fans, you don¡¯t have to cry injustice~


    ...


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace himself also seemed to be in a shock¡ªsince his time still wasn¡¯tpletely gone, he didn¡¯t get ejected from the mic sequence yet, so he squeezed out the upset, ¡°...Teacher Yuan, why did you have to call CUT, where did I make a mistake?¡±


    Yuan Zhengming wasn¡¯t at all interested in providing the exnation right away, so he only tossed a nd, ¡°For you to ask this is precisely the reason why you got cut¡ªnow, I will borate on my reason during the feedback segment, so if there¡¯s nothing else going on, then we¡¯ll now begin the scoring stage.¡±


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace probably didn¡¯t expect to get refuted like this¡ªthey could only hear him take a quick deep breath so as not to let his facade drop on the spot. Yuan Zhengming hence treated it as no objection on his part and ejected him from the mic sequence. By the time Bronze Sparrow Terrace reacted with a short ¡°ah-¡±, it was unfortunately cut midway, momentarily leaving the channelpletely silent.


    Right now, Bronze Sparrow Terrace kept fighting for every pity point, so Qi Jing finally decided to contribute his vote to it.


    But despite that, the pity points couldn¡¯t change one¡¯s final score.


    ¡¾psed Time¡¿£º0:59


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿£º3.5


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿£º4.0


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿£º2.5


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿£º3.0


    Judging panel¡¯s evaluation: 0.59+3.5+4.0+2.5+3.0=13.59 points


    Additional audience vote points: 70.8% voting ratio = 0.708 points


    Overall score: 13.59+0.708 = 14.298 points


    The points for time used and the voting ratio were both the highest among the all contestants so far.


    Even with the usual strictness of Pu Yuzhi, it didn¡¯t hinder Great God from getting up the first ce of the overall score ranking square and fair. The unnecessarily noisy mob of fans also slowly toned down theirints and turned to congratting Bronze Sparrow Terrace. His face probably didn¡¯t look too good, but as long as he attained his goal, he shouldn¡¯t go as far as to incite his fans to make a disturbance.


    Qi Jing calmly looked at the disputes rising endlessly in the chat before he muted the channel. Then, he opened the recording he took from Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s opening remark and closed his eyes, wholeheartedly focusing on listening to it as the contestant No.11 started his performance. Only when No.11 left did he shift his attention back to thepetition.


    ¡°Next, contestant No.12 Don¡¯t ask for my return date, please take the stage¡ª¡± Yang Chunqu had seen how the day before, those two people had fallen into a conflict, so when she read Qi Jing¡¯s ID, she was almost stunned, a hint of embarrassment showing in her behaviour.


    All of the listeners present heard the host call him, and as expected, it spurred a bout ofments. It could be seen that the post on the forum worked right away¡ªthe sender of the post was probably bursting with pride at that point.


    ¡°Contestant Don¡¯t ask for my return date,¡± Yang Chunqu did her best to ignore the cries along the lines of ¡°ungrateful bastard¡±, ¡°quickly apologise¡±, and ¡°shameless¡±, her bearing showing the properposure and warmth a proper official host should have, ¡°Before the start, you... do you have something you¡¯d like to tell everyone?¡± She spoke rather hesitantly, with a strong ¡°if you don¡¯t want to say anything then you don¡¯t have to¡± hint hidden behind her words, making him feel very grateful at his heart, but he had to say what needed to be said.


    Qi Jing took a deep breath and pressed F2.


    First what appeared was that unhurried tone, ¡°Although I feel a bit hurt after yesterday¡¯s misunderstanding, out of my admiration for the judges, I still can¡¯t make myself abandon thepetition.¡±


    The audience momentarily got stumped.


    And he didn¡¯t stop, continuing to repeat that person¡¯s words, not changing even a single one.


    ¡°In my opinion, voice acting requires a whole lot of dedication and it deserves respect¡ªthat¡¯s why, I don¡¯t want people to use low means to nder the results of others¡¯ work.¡±


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace, I will throw your words back at you,pletely untouched¡ª


    A/N:


    Would Bronze Sparrow Terrace think that Teacher Longbow that day was already very gentle towards him... (thinks deeply)


    I¡¯m sorry, those two chapters 2Yan is going through aplete ckening, if there¡¯s someone who thinks it¡¯s too much, then you can take it as the numbers on 2Yan¡¯s fluff-metre plunging whenever he¡¯s away from Kitty¡¯s Papa... (The hell is that!)


    T/N:


    Luci: Now, let¡¯s see how karma works! Mwahahaha~ Also ckened Qi Jing is so *chef¡¯s kiss*


    Whitere: ahhh the p back is so satisfying ~

 Chapter 99

    <h4>Chapter 99</h4>


    Editor: Whitere


    The first listener toe back to their senses asked weakly, ¡°Right now, is he... imitating?¡±


    Rather than imitating, it could be said he was copying altogether¡ªit waspletely the same in and out, making it impossible for the thought of ¡°this has to be a coincidence¡± to arise in anyone¡¯s mind. This tant copying was like a match in the powder barrel, with Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fan almost frothing at their mouths.


    Audience 1: Organisators!! This person is giarising!! Didn¡¯t you all say that there¡¯s no evidence, you¡¯ve got one right here!!


    Audience 2: Don¡¯t ask for my return date, you really are shameless! Not only did you steal Sparrow¡¯s performance, but you didn¡¯t even bother thinking of your own opening speech and dared to use Sparrow¡¯s words! There really is no end to your audacity! (¨s¨F¿Ú¡ä)¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø


    Audience 3: FUCKING-!! People of Don¡¯t ask for my return¡¯s ilk really are set in their crooked ways¡ªhe really thought that the listeners don¡¯t have ears and won¡¯t realise it!!


    ...


    But at the same time, the non-fan listeners bursted outughing.


    Most of those people were the actual fans of the game series or the novel fans who followed all the auditions of thepetition, so they knew of the conflict between Bronze Sparrow Terrace and Don¡¯t ask for my return date from the day before. They were allpletely unfamiliar with the online voice acting circle, so as the outsiders, they had a much clearer view of the situation than the rest.


    Audience 4: Hahahaha, the fans from thements above, is your IQ actually so low?? Not changing even a word like this, it¡¯s clearly No.12¡¯s conscious move, yet you still jumped head first to yell curses, hahahaha...


    Audience 5: Can¡¯t help but second every word of the friend above!! It¡¯s so clear that No.12 is doing this on purpose!! (ps the floor)


    Audience 6: Hahahaha, I¡¯m about to burst fromughing! I¡¯m betting that right now, No.12 is having quite a fun time now~


    ...


    BINGO.


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyes curled up in a smile as he reclinednguidly on the chair, continuing to parrot calmly, word after word.


    The sentences were still the same, but he did change some of the words in them.


    ¡°Thanks everyone,¡± He imitated that slight shaking of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s voice, even leaving the identical sniffle towards the end, ¡°Whenever I¡¯m met with injustice, it¡¯s always you who stand up to mock me, to degrade me... In my eyes, my antis really are... the most hard-working antis in the world.¡±


    During thest part, he also purposefully slowed his speech down, his voice as light as a feather.


    A part of the audience couldn¡¯t hold it anymore and rolled withughter in the chat.


    Audience 1: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Aiyo! I can¡¯t anymore, hahahaha, No.12, spare us!!


    Audience 2: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä This tone straight up made me cry fromughing!!¡¾I have fallen to the floor just now, there¡¯s no one as exaggerated as me, if you don¡¯t like it thene fight me!!¡¿


    Audience 3: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Hahahaha,menter above, you lost, I have just fallen to the floor and spilled my family¡¯s Spot¡¯s dog food, now it¡¯s all over the ce, hahahaha...¡¾PS: Now what about my dinner... TAT¡¿


    Audience 4: You have guts, Don¡¯t ask for my return date! Honestly, I think that it¡¯s you who got yed into this! GrEat GoD¡¯s a pain, and his fans are even bigger of a pain!


    Audience 5: You have guts, Don¡¯t ask for my return date! GrEat GoD¡¯s a pain, and his fans are even bigger of a pain! +10086


    Audience 6: ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sReturn Date, look here, I¡¯m your little fan~ This p back feels just so good!! I fell in love with you once again, what to do!¡¾Pfft¡¿


    ...


    Qi Jing¡¯s expression was still just as calm and steady. Before the whole opening speech was concluded, he wouldn¡¯t let off a single phrase, a single opportunity to bite back; he also wouldn¡¯t let himselfugh too early.


    ¡°Today, I hope that I can get an exnation, as well as justice.¡±


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace, you¡¯re very clever and can choose your words pretty well. But I can make those words much more fair and sharp¡ªbecause they were mine in the first ce.


    ¡°If one does something wrong, then it¡¯s enough if they just admit it¡ªis there someone who has never done a wrong thing?¡± After saying this unhurriedly, he stepped back from copying great god¡¯s words, going back to his own feelings and tone, changing them drastically out of a sudden.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m a petty person. Even after making everything clear to each other, I still...¡±


    He paused, then finally snickered proudly. ¡°Would never, ever want to be your friend¡ª¡± Like a gentleman, he easily tore apart that unfair peace treaty.


    Since the treaty already got smashed to pieces, it was now the time to dere war.


    ¡°We can begin now, Host.¡± Hepletely ignored the bout of abuses hurled at him in the chat and focused on the lines, asking Yang Chunqu to proceed.


    ¡°Eh... Ah, yes, yes!¡± Yang Chunqu seemed shaken by his opening and took a while to remember that she was still a host. Her whole face was red as she hurriedly put those small ripples in her heart away, asking the manager to move him up the mic sequence.


    But she didn¡¯t expect that an even more flustering act was about to take ce¡ª


    ¡°Heh,¡± First, it was a yet unformed, slightly drunk chuckle that could be heard, as if just on the brink of intoxication. It was a momentter that the definedughter issued, ¡°Hahahaha&#k2026; Another cup?¡±


    The atmosphere changed the moment he spoke. The audience momentarily went silent, but it was unknown whether it was because of shock, or because of them getting captivated by this voice.


    Qi Jing used a rather bright voice, and even though it was flirty, it couldn¡¯t be said to be tooscivious, with a dash of the self-assured confidence of a man of Jianghu.


    ¡°Not to mention a single cup, if you pour the wine for me, Miss, then even if it was a pot, a bucket or a barrel...¡± He stopped for a moment, as if befuddled by the alcohol getting to his head, then chuckled lightly, ¡°Hehe...I would still, drink it all.¡±


    Drunk was drunk, but Qi Jing¡¯s ¡°drunk¡± turned out much more natural.


    Since he kept calling ¡°Miss¡±, it meant that ¡°Qin Tuo¡± approached them as a ¡°little boy¡±, so he should portray a kind of hesitant first steps to romance¡ªa simplicity that could raise a sense of superiority. This way, even though the main character was no stranger to such flirtatious games, he could still make a favourable impression with those pleasure house girls.


    Because his doing this had a purpose.


    ¡°Good Miss,¡± Qi Jing suddenly lowered his voice to call, the sound of him shifting his bodynguidly, as if moving over to somewhere closer to the mic as he murmured, ¡°Talk to me to cheer me up, would you?¡±


    Just like when a young boy is acting cute towards an older girl, how would the girls decline after just having been coaxed?


    ¡°I haven¡¯t left the mountain for such a long time, I don¡¯t know if something interesting happened in the town.¡± At this moment, his tone changed and his drunkenness disappeared, letting the listeners realise that he wasn¡¯t in fact truly intoxicated, but meant delve for information something. ¡°Could you... tell me something about it?¡±


    Most of the people like Bronze Sparrow Terrace, who had only skimmed through the original text just before the audition wouldn¡¯t know that in this scene, ¡°Qin Tuo¡± wasn¡¯t just flirting¡ªhe used his tipsy state to fish for information from the pleasure house girls.


    Many officials as well as Jianghu folk visited that pleasure house every day. At that time, the main character was entrusted with the task of investigating the arrestings of the rebels by the local government, hence this act.


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯sprehension wasn¡¯t as deep, that¡¯s why hemitted a mistake.


    Later, when the girls of the pleasure house teased ¡°Qin Tuo¡±, he thought that his act got seen through and was startled at first.


    ¡°Eh... Ha, hahahaha.¡± Qi Jing hesitated slightly, then brushed it off with a drunkenugh, feigning innocence as he suggested, ¡°Hehehe... Fine then, I will tell one story and you will tell me another one in return; let¡¯s take turns listening, how about that?¡±


    Only the fans of the original novel would hear that slip of his. But of course, the puzzled ¡°sweetest fans in the world¡± wouldn¡¯t understand it.


    Audience 1: This right here!! Right, just like this!!¡¾Novel fun rolling around on the floor¡¿


    Audience 2: Awoooooo!!! The feel of this acting is so on point!! This No.12 is not bad! Novel fun rolling around on the floor+1, joining thementer above¡¿


    Audience 3: (//////ÆH//////) ...I, I love this kind of sexiness, not emphasised but still ptable... My heart is pounding, but it¡¯sfortable, it doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯m being taken liberties with, cough cough.


    Audience 4: (//////ÆH//////) Seconding the one above, the flirtiness of the No.10 was a bit too out of ce, this one is just about right.


    Audience 5: ...I have no idea what you guys are talking about, but I¡¯m not feeling anything. Not a single bit of it is enticing, yet the ones above are all about yelling how good it is¡ªwho are they, a childcare brought by Don¡¯t ask for my return date?? ¨r(¨s£ß¨t)¨q


    Audience 6: Shaking hands with thementer above!! So full of how good he thinks he¡¯s acting, but can¡¯t evenpare for our Sparrow. And there¡¯s also that hypocrisy in the beginning¡ªto giarise someone and still have the nerve to curse them out, I really haven¡¯t seen such a shameless VA... Get the hell out of the online voice acting, you¡¯re dirtying it!!


    ...


    The fans continued to shout curses at him, but the rest of the audience was too immersed in the performance to mind them.


    Qi Jing, obviously, didn¡¯t mind them as well.


    ¡°Honestly... it¡¯s so boring up on the mountain.¡± His words sounded like aint, but there was a trace of smile to them, with boundless love and respect hidden beneath, ¡°My master only knows to stay aloof from the world, separating himself from the secr matters; he rarely goes down the mountain.¡±


    For him, it was boring on the mountain, but peace and quiet was better for his master¡ªand he was fine as long as the old man enjoyed it.


    The nuance portrayed by Qi Jing waspletely different from that of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s. One was genuineining, while the other sounded like a tease made to look like aint. There was an instant change in the nature of the portrayed emotions.


    At that time, Qi Jing¡¯s voice dimmed a bit¡ªeven during this act, ¡°Qin Tuo¡± couldn¡¯t hide that small bit of disappointment in his voice, ¡°My senior had been brought up by our master... Unlike a disciple taken in halfway like me, he has the same temperament as our master, independent and detached.¡±


    Firstly, he wasn¡¯t brought up by the master, so he wasn¡¯t able to get closer to him than his senior, so it was hard to avoid the sense of loneliness.


    Secondly, with his senior being this independent and detached, it was easy to tell that the connection between the two of them wasn¡¯t that good, making him even more lonely.


    With those twoyers of loneliness ovepping, he wouldn¡¯t be able to muster that irritable tone the Bronze Sparrow Terrace did, but he would rather chuckle bitterly. ¡°Even during the usual sword practice, he... he wouldn¡¯t spend time together with a junior disciple like me...¡±


    That was it¡ªthe ce where Bronze Sparrow Terrace got cut.


    It would be impossible to say that he wasn¡¯t nervous. But it was just the point where the first scene ended and the second was about to begin. Due to the immersion in the character, now, when the scene was meant to change, he could give himself a moment to extricate himself and have a quick nce at the timer on the screen.


    ¡°1:00¡±.


    Hah...


    Heughed in his heart, but it was very short and brief¡ªhis heart still couldn¡¯t rxpletely and was even beginning to race quicker instead.


    He also subconsciously nced at Yuan Zhengming¡¯s voice activity icon.


    Surprisingly... it was still grey and had yet to light up.


    Audience 1: One minute!!


    Audience 2: ¨“¨Œ¨“Awoooo! One minute has already passed! It¡¯s a new record!!


    Audience 3: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Return Dateeeeeeeee! Do you have any idea how me, your little silent fan, is excited for you noww... ¡¾infinite reverb¡¿


    Audience 4: (/¡Ý¨Œ¡Ü/) (/¡Ý¨Œ¡Ü/) (/¡Ý¨Œ¡Ü/) Now I can finally proudly yell that I¡¯m Return Date¡¯s fan~~~¡¾I¡¯m so sorry, I was to afraid of the god¡¯s fans¡¯ bullying to say a single thing before¡¿


    Audience 5: This one I like!! He¡¯s like apletely different person from the one during Chang Emperor¡¯s audition!!


    Audience 6: Like apletely different person +1! Teacher Yuan still didn¡¯t call for the stop, he sure does have a good eye! It¡¯s basically the best news for the novel fans! ¡«\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/¡«


    ...


    As the first contestant to get to the second scene, Qi Jing had no frame of reference from the previous contestants¡¯ performances, so no one would be able to make the usations of him copying this and that.


    Now, he could make the best showcase of his acting. And he just so happened to enter the intense conflict plot in the second scene¡ª


    ¡°What did you just say?¡± His whole person, from his aura to his manner all changed suddenly; the previous frivolousness disappeared in the blink of an eye as the scene gradually became grim. ¡°You just said... that man who got put on death row¡ªwhat¡¯s his name?¡±


    There was fury to his shock, and then panic to his fury. In a split of a second, all kinds of emotions piled together, all very distinct under that hoarse shaking of his throat.


    This scene took ce when the government learned about ¡°Qin Tuo¡¯s¡± contacts with the rebels and took his good friend Liu Suyu hostage, forcing him toe out in person.


    The one he spoke to was the local leader of the rebels and theter founder of the ¡°The Alliance of Twenteen Wulin¡±. It was him who first convinced ¡°Qin Tuo¡± to make the promising youths of the Jianghu warriors of the alliance in their struggle against the court. ¡°Qin Tuo¡± was worrying about his sect and the friends by his side, hesitating to make the decision, but this person promised to his face that he would make sure his family and friends would stay safe.


    But with an ident like this happening, it was natural for the main character to lose temper. ¡°That time, when I epted your offer... Do you remember what you said!¡±


    Qi Jing hollered harshly, making everyone¡¯s spirit shiver without the courage to breathe too loud. He used his experience as a reporter to stress the enunciation, so even when he shouted his bearing would be anything butcking, but he consciously let thetter query drop heavily in tone. The shivering in his voice intensified as he choked slightly on his sobs.


    He took a few hurried breaths, as if forcing himself to remain calm, but his voice was nasal as he spoke, muffled, but with the stabbing sharpness showing at times.


    ¡°I rescued your people, because I couldn¡¯t bear the ipetence of the current government, the mistreatment of themon people... I knew very well that it¡¯s a crime that could cost me my head, but I never regretted it. But, it was on the premise of you agreeing to protect their safety.¡±


    However...


    ¡°Why would Suyu get taken away by them!¡± The fury in his voice bursted out with its full, grand force, ¡°He clearly knows nothing about the rebellion, so why does he have to put his life at stake¡ª¡±


    It was precisely the moment to shine, the moment where the second scene was supposed to end, but suddenly, a voice no one expected was heard.


    ¡°CUT¡ª¡ª¡±


    <i>Ah. </i>Qi Jing froze momentarily, a bit perplexed as he stopped.


    He was already prepared for the fact that he could be cut at any point of his performance, but just now, he was too immersed in the role, and it took him a while to react.


    ¡°1:32¡±.


    He looked at the stopped timer; it was actually longer than what he had expected, making him feel very satisfied. He didn¡¯t know if Yuan Zhengming went easy on him as, in theory, he could¡¯ve gotten cut way before that.


    However, the listeners started to protest loudly.


    Audience 1: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Your mother!! I was so into it, and now this CUT out of nowhere!!


    Audience 2: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Gori Teacher, I hate you! Hate you! ¡¾What to do, I want to smash Gori Teacher with my keyboard now!¡¿


    Audience 3: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Would you dare to let him finish acting the third scene! You Old Macaque!¡¾Oi¡¿


    Audience 4: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Waaah... But with this minute and thirty two seconds, I can now die happily!! Return Date-sama, please ept my proposal!!


    Audience 5: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Return! Date! So! Beautiful! My bride!


    Audience 6: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Clutching heart and pulling hair aaaaahhhh! Can I beg No.12 to finish the third scene after the audition... Ah, no, can I beg No.12 to advance to the next stage smoothly and get the first ce to y this character??


    ...


    The more sharp listeners already noticed what was going on, so after this short minute and a few dozens of seconds, the scoldings in the chat already grew smaller in number. No matter if they were too ashamed to scold him, didn¡¯t know how to continue to do that, or maybe suddenly realised that it was the wrong person that was being scolded, the negativements started to disappear slowly... Anyway, it made him more relieved.


    Qi Jing looked down, chuckling silently.


    He still had some time left, so he could finally say the closing speech he had prepared for so long in one breath.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± There were no more sincere words to those who withstood the weight of the public opinion to encourage him, and to support him, ¡°Thank you, everyone.¡±


    After saying his most sincere thanks, he slowly retracted his smile and sat straight, his voice strong and firm.


    ¡°Yesterday, some people wanted me to apologise, the reason being me copying great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace.¡± He stressed each word very clearly, without the slightest fear of making the truth public, ¡°I was bewildered, because it was clearly me who got copied, so why would I need to apologise to the one who copied me? That¡¯s why, to not waste that usation that got thrown at me, I could only try my best to copy great god¡¯s opening speech to my best capability, so that I could be worthy of this reputation and to finally be able to give him my ¡®apology¡¯...¡±


    Saying this, Qi Jing suddenly eximed with an ¡°ah¡±, as if he realised something. ¡°That¡¯s not right, I actually forgot¡ªI don¡¯t need to apologise to the great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace for this ¡®copying¡¯, otherwise he would have already apologised to me earlier.¡±


    At this point, he smiled slightly, using the most arrogant voice in his life, ¡°Then there¡¯s only one thing left for me I could apologise for, and that is for being more conscientious at voice acting than you, as well as being better¡ªI¡¯m terribly sorry for that.¡±


    His statement was already done, it couldn¡¯t be taken back. Whether it was a good or bad decision, it didn¡¯t matter to him. He just wanted that satisfying moment of impudence, so as not to have any regrets in the future.


    ¡°To prove that my apology is sincere, I¡¯m forfeiting this role¡ªhere, I¡¯m giving it to you for free.¡± Even with this decision, he wouldn¡¯t regret it.


    Qi Jing winded it up with a slight chuckle, ¡°Still, I finished the performance ording to the rules, so I still want to take a look at myst score. I would like to ask the two judges as well as the present listeners to score it just as they normally would, but I¡¯m giving up my rights to advance, thank you.¡±


    As he said this, his time was already up. With a calm expression, he took off the headphones and without taking even a single look at the response in the chat, he minded his own business, cancelling his follow for Bronze Sparrow Terrace and also cklisting him along the way. Then, he opened QQ.


    Jade Butterfly, removed from his friends.


    ?Trap? production crew group chat, quitted.


    He changed his bio section to ¡°see the ID¡±, intending to copy his friends¡¯ numbers before abandoning this ount.


    By the time he finished, the scoring was also already done.


    ¡¾psed Time¡¿£º1:32


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿£º4.0


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿£º4.0


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿£º4.0


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿£º4.5


    Judging panel¡¯s evaluation: 1.32 + 4.0 + 4.0 + 4.0 + 4.5 = 17.82 points


    Additional audience vote points:72.4% voting ratio = 0.724 points


    Overall score: 17.82 + 0.724 = 18.544 points


    With the disadvantage of having been suppressed before the audition, the voting ratio actually turned out to be higher than great god¡¯s instead, not to mention the rest¡ªthere was simply no excuse left for him.


    Moreover, this score could hardly be surpassed by anyone else.


    ¡°Haha...¡± I¡¯m really giving you this position for free, aren¡¯t I.


    Heughed calmly, put the pen he was ying with upright on the desk, then pushed it with his finger, watching as it fell with no chance of getting back up again.


    ¡°Bye bye, Bronze Sparrow Terrace.¡±


    A/N:


    2Yan¡¯s handsomeness left him with no friends...


    Kitty¡¯s Papa: He¡¯s got a boyfriend.


    2Yan: >///<


    Lotus: ...Those damned honeymoons... (runs away with Little Return Date in hands, shed blind by the PDA and sobbing)


    T/N:


    Luci: Qi Jing is a BEAST, god damn!!! Had me howling from the satisfaction!


    Whitere: what a mic drop! I love QJ here <3

 Chapter 100

    <h4>Chapter 100</h4>


    Qi Jing¡¯s goodbye meant that he had no intention of seeing him again.


    Those three words, ¡°Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡± had already be tantamount to a germ in Qi Jing¡¯s eyes. If there was a disinfectant capable ofpletely obliterating this microbe, then he would be more than happy to spray hisputer inside out with it.


    Of course, there was no way something like this existed, but he could at least clean everything rted to Bronze Sparrow Terrace from his hard disc.


    Qi Jing opened the hard disc dedicated to the voice acting materials. The only thing that linked them together was the ?Trap? audio drama, and everything rted to it was saved in this folder titled ¡°?Trap? production¡±.


    Either way, he had already notified the staff of the production team about his resignation. Him and Bronze Sparrow Terrace no longer had any way of continuing this coboration, so the dry recordings, script, bonus recordings and everything else in this folder no longer had any reason to remain. The already recorded dry recording for the second episode would probably also need to be discarded.


    ¡°This I also gave to you for free,¡± Qi Jing said as he sneered to himself, ¡°Although you probably wouldn¡¯t even use it.¡±


    He was still high on the pleasure from the box in the ear he gave Bronze Sparrow Terrace just now and his excitement had yet to recede, so his fingers were swift as he right-clicked to delete it without giving it much thought. He was just about to clean the trash bin topletely purge this folder from existence when he suddenly froze.


    He remembered a certain very important file¡ª


    ¡°Huu...¡± Qi Jing took a sharp breath and hurriedly opened the file recovery panel, searching for the folder he had almost deleted. He recovered it on the desktop then double-clicked it¡ªonly when the folder named ¡°Reference recordings¡± appeared again before his eyes did he slowly slump bonelessly back on his chair. He almost felt the cold sweat forming.


    ...Luckily, he didn¡¯t immediately delete it, otherwise he would never be able to get it back.


    This folder was made half a year before, and the date recorded in the folder details marked one of the most important days in his life. Just that alone was enough to make it priceless.


    Qi Jing¡¯s gaze stayed on it for a long time, unable to look away even for a moment. He extracted this folder¡ªonly this one¡ªand opened it. Inside, there were only two audio files.


    One was his first dry recording, one that got turned down by the sound designer: ¡°?Trap? Ep1-CV Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡±.


    The other one was the one he used as the reference for this version of the recording¡ª¡±?Trap? Ep1 run-through?¡±, the Geese Fly North x Don¡¯t ask for my return date version.


    ¡°Hah...¡± He couldn¡¯t help a shortugh from escaping his lips. Strangely enough, his previously heated mind had already started to slowly cool down, with his reason slowly reverting back to normal as he returned to his usual self.


    It¡¯s been a long time already since he went listened to these two. With that person with him, he felt no need to look far to experience what was just by his side.


    ¡°Still, it sure brings back the memories...¡± Qi Jing muttered while looking at the recording, the tips of his brows raising in a smile. How fortunate that at that time, he did press the record button for some unfathomable reason, preserving that first time where they met through the call.


    Qi Jing looked at it for a while, then suddenly, he took theptop together with the headphones and moved from the bedroom to the study. He turned the speaker on, then started that recording which he already knew by heart, then leaned back,ying down on that small and narrow bed.


    The bedding had yet to be changed¡ªoriginally, Shen Yan intended to change it for some simr looking clean bedclothes, but Qi Jing made up some excuse to stop him and hurried him up to go to the work, saying that this could wait until he¡¯s free in the weekend to wash it. But in reality, it was just his selfishness acting up¡ªhe wished it to remain there for as long as possible.


    The sound quality of the speaker couldn¡¯tpare to that of the headphones, the yed audio was mixed with noise and impurities, which in turn added a deeper vour to that man¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I knew from the very beginning that everything you did was a scheme against me¡ª¡±


    ¡°So well acted...¡± He couldn¡¯t help a sentimental sigh.


    Laying on the ce the two of them entwined the day before and closing his eyes, he could almost feel the warmth of the voice¡¯s owner slowly pervade him along with the voice, seeping into him inch by inch¡ªfrom his back against the bed, under his clothes. It was almost... as if he was being held from behind by that warm man¡¯s hands.


    He was too embarrassed to continue with that train of thought, so he tugged on one corner of the duvet, hiding his face under it.


    And this part happened just before the two main leads of ?Trap? made love for the first time, so it could be said that it was just too suitable to listen on this bed. The images from the night before poured into his mind with full rity and no matter if it was his sight, hearing, taste or touch, they all made his heartbeat speed up uncontrobly.


    The recording was two hours long. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he wanted to hear the feedback after the audition, Qi Jing would bepletely down for drilling under the duvet and relistening it from the beginning to the end.


    After listening to around the third of it, he took a look at the clock and estimated that it should be about the time, so he finally got up from the bedzily and stopped the recording, going back to thepetition¡¯s channel.


    Gossip is a swift-footed fellow¡ªin such a short amount of time, it had already run the fullp around the online voice acting circle. By the time Qi Jing was back, the news of him unfollowing the great god, leaving the production team on QQ and changing the bio to one that evidently hinted his retirement from the circle had already been passed around.


    Aside from thepetition itself, this was the most discussed topic among the audience.


    Audience 1: I heard that Don¡¯t ask for my return date already left the ?Trap? production team, is that true?!


    Audience 2: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò It¡¯s true... Just now, I asked someone to poke the staff and it really is true...


    Audience 3: &#k252B;&#k252R;&#kUR4U;&#k252B;&#k252R; And it seems like he¡¯s preparing to quit the circle aaaahhhh&#k2026;&#k3010;The heart of a little fan that had always liked his Return Date just broke&#k3011;


    Audience 4: &#k3J3;(&#k3063; &#kK0;&#k414; &#kK0;)&#k3063;Wha&#k2026; what&#k2026;&#k3010;Shot with a thunder out of a blue sky&#k3011;And I was just waiting for thepetition to end so I could beg him to take the main role in my audio drama!!&#k3010;As a producer, I couldn¡¯t get more blue balled!!&#k3011;


    Audience 5: But I can kinda understand, the other main role of that drama was Bronze Sparrow Terrace, so how could they continue after such a fall-out, not to mention acting as a CP. And there¡¯s also quite a lot of smut in the second episode... If I were him, I would get sick at the thought of acting out a smut scene with such a person...


    Audience 6: Understanding is one thing, but I still feel unreconciled... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Qi Jing chuckled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I also didn¡¯t want it to end like this.¡± I also ended up like this because of the Great God.


    After his sincere apology, he shifted his attention back to thepetition, checking the ranking after the contestants performing after his forfeit.


    He didn¡¯t know whether it was because Bronze Sparrow Terrace was lucky, the advantage of his voice, or because of his numerous fans that guaranteed him high vote count, but even though a few contestants after him got a better time, they would always lose in terms of score by the smallest margin, all suppressed down beneath him. To this moment, Bronze Sparrow Terrace was still enthroned on the first ce.


    Gi Jing¡¯s timing was pretty good¡ªthe contestant No.29 of this audition had just finished his performance, so there was only one person left. The great god¡¯s victory was already within his grasp.


    ¡°Congrattions.¡± Qi Jing apuded him tepidly.


    ¡°Dear listeners, thank you so much for listening for the past two hours! Now there is only one contestant left, so let me first remind everyone that after contestant¡¯s No.30¡¯s performance, we will soon enter the feedback stage. Tonight, the judge responsible for providingmentary will be the voice acting director of ?Order to End the Heavens?, Teacher Yuan Zhengming! Make sure you won¡¯t miss it!¡± After publicising the score of contestant No.29, Yang Chunqu made a special reminder for theter arrangements .


    Since everyone got cut in the middle of acting and up till now, no one had managed to finish the whole performance, the progress of the audition was much swifter than the previous ones, so she had plenty of time to introduce every contestant.


    ¡°Next, I will ask contestant No.20¡ª¡± Yang Chunqu was just about to announce the contestant¡¯s name from the list just as usual, but she stopped right in her tracks, only stammering this ID out after reading it back and forth two or three times, ¡°Eh... Contestant No.30, ¡®Gimme a proper dub dumbass¡¯, please take over.¡±


    ¡°Pfft...¡± Originally, Qi Jing didn¡¯t pay any mind to the IDs on the mic sequence, so when he heard Yang Chunqu¡¯s announcement, he was stunned first, then looked up to see it¡ªand sure enough, it really was a real ID, making him burst outughing.


    The rest of the audience also roared withughter.


    Audience 1: Hahahahahahahahhahaha! What is this ID?!! Help!!


    Audience 2: Hahahaha, this ID is so simple and straight to the point!! Pffthaha... Thumbs up!!


    Audience 3: ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sI wouldn¡¯t have thought that there would be someone with just as weird ID as Ape Teacher!¡¾Oi¡¿


    Audience 4: ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sThe one above me... How dare you speak out my innermost thoughts so bluntly?¡¾Oi oi oi¡¿


    Audience 5: ¨R¨Œ¨Q With such a dignified beauty as Ms Host to read it out loud, the punchline got me even harder, pffft...


    Audience 6: ¨R¨Œ¨Q Hahaha, that¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! Previously, the whole incident of No.12¡¯s forfeiting and retiring from the circle left me really down¡¾Waaaah, No.12, you really left me speechless...¡¿but now, I finally felt a bit better~


    The listeners had yet to stopughing when they suddenly heard a ¡°crunch¡± that caught everyone by surprise, then a chewing noise could be heard.This sound everyone was familiar with, especially the snack enthusiast¡ªit was the sound of snacking on potato crisps.


    ¡°Crunch crunch...¡± Even with the whole chat fool of ck lines emotes, this person still had the guts to continue eating unfazed.


    ¡°Eh... This, contestant No.30, do you have something to say before the start?¡± Yang Chunqu¡¯s best attempt at inquiring with her usual grace got drowned in this crunching noise, almostpletely unable to be heard.


    ¡°I do,¡± Answered the young man in a voice muffled by the eating, his tone indifferent as he was bold enough to still make requests, ¡°But wait a minute... I still have to finish this bag of crisps.¡±


    And so he continued to chew.


    Audience 1: = = ...And here I thought that only his ID was weird...


    Audience 2: = = ...Turns out he¡¯s justpletely weird, such a let down... His ID calls people out to dub properly, yet the person himself is so sloppy... I¡¯m not even able to me it.


    Audience 3: = = ...Does this fellow even realise that he¡¯s in the middle of an audition? Oi oi, other contestants were all shaky-voice from nervousness when they took over the mic, but you actually keep eating crisps as if it¡¯s nothing! It¡¯s like, almost ten thousand people listening to you right now! So gimme a bag! ¡¾Eh, I feel like I missed the main point¡¿


    After a hundred or so ¡°= =¡± emotes passed in the chat, the crunching noise finally stopped.


    Yang Chunqu coughed lightly, politely reminding him of the timing, ¡°Contestant No.30, we¡¯re now in the middle of the audition, could you maybe¡ª¡±


    Who would have thought that a sudden loud ¡°PAH¡± would interrupt her, making her swallow the rest of her words from the scare.


    It was the sound of a heavy bag of crisps falling on the desk¡ªit was hard to tell if it was due to the host¡¯s urging, but this No.30... it seemed as if he was throwing a fussy fit, and it didn¡¯t appear to be a small one.


    That person cleared his throat irascibly, like someone who had just woken up and would find a reason to get angry even without one. His voice was filled with the smell of gunpowder as he muttered gloomily, ¡°Actually got me to performst, I really was about to explode, had to wait for so long to spit it all out.¡±


    ...Then why were you idle enough to eat the crisps earlier?! Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but retort in his mind.


    But he didn¡¯t expect for the other to actually direct criticism against him in return, ¡°Fine¡ªNo.10 and No.12; that¡¯s right, you two: I really want to scold you both for a moment.¡±


    Oi oi... I think that¡¯s called ¡°shooting a person when they¡¯re down¡±?


    But Qi Jing didn¡¯t get offended, only pointing a finger at himself in great bewilderment. Scolding Bronze Sparrow Terrace was fully justified, but what was that about scolding him?


    And then, that person actually started his scolding.


    ¡°First let¡¯s talk about No.10, No.10¡¯s has something wrong with his head.¡± After tossing out the number, he immediately locked the man into his opinion, causing an immediate uproar among the audience. But he ignored everyone¡¯s reaction altogether, speaking without any care for others¡¯ reaction. ¡°Bringing a whole cohort of noisy little girls was already annoying enough, but for you to actually go and giarise other people without having any real skill yourself and still dare to y innocent before so many people¡ªjust listening to that made my skin crawl! Do you even know how gross your words were, just listening to it made me want to barf.¡±


    At this moment, the emotes spammed in the chat changed from ¡°= =¡± to ¡°=¿Ú=¡±.


    Qi Jing was alsopletely dumbstruck. He sat there with an open mouth, not knowing what to say. If he were to call his own roasting cultured, then this guy¡¯s roasting... It was more like the boorish cursing of a little street hoodlum, honest to the point of cruelty¡ªBronze Sparrow Terrace was most likely patina blue on his face.


    ¡°Pfft.¡± Still, it had to be said that these words were what he really had on his mind. After getting dumbstruck, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    But then it was his turn to get his share of scolding.


    ¡°And then there¡¯s No.12,¡± That guy called him out publicly with not a sliver of subtlety, ¡°No.12, did something happen to your brain? You¡¯re clearly quite good at voice acting but your attitude is so casual, doing whatever you feel like, it might look like you¡¯re free like that but there¡¯s actually no benefit in doing so for you. Why don¡¯t you just try him to the end, make him forever unable to get back up? If you want to screw him over, then do that all the way through, either way No.10 is already far too gone of a trash, wouldn¡¯t it just be better to flush his kind down the sewer? So why leave him on the surface where he can pollute the air for other people? ¡°


    ...So...toxic...


    Hearing this left Qi Jingpletely stupefied; he had absolutely no idea: should he cry, or perhapsugh.


    But that person wasn¡¯t done yet with his roasting. ¡°Although No.10 is shameless, has no self-awareness and would only spare his brain cells to toss his weight around, only knowing to pander to the little girls¡¯ liking and making people want to puke¡ªbut people who just leave at the drop of a hat also make me fume.¡±


    He stopped for a moment, and the anger in his voice faded, leaving just a questioning tone. ¡°No.12, you had so many ways to retaliate. You could instigate your own fans, you could go to the forum, send a post on weibo, but you chose to use voice acting to decide the winner fairly, so since you have the balls to do so, why won¡¯t you just go all the way in with the voice acting, win against him all the way through? If you don¡¯t love it with all your heart, then why would you stand here? And if you really love it, then why would you abandon it midways for a guy like him¡ªwould you actually want to give up something you really love?¡±


    Qi Jing was dumbstruck, bewildered even.


    ¡ªSomething I really love.


    Thinking so, a silhouette of Shen Yan emerged in his mind. Although it wasn¡¯t what No.30 was talking about, the feeling was the same.


    Give up? The mere thought made his heart hurt beyond what he could bear. To really love something, love someone from the bottom of one¡¯s heart means to never abandon them.


    In fact, he didn¡¯t count as popr in the voice acting circle and his fans were far from being as numerous as great god¡¯s fans, so for him to still hang on and continue voice acting for over three years, how could he not love it. The idea to retire from the circle was also mostly sparked by the real life reasons, it wasn¡¯t just because Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡ªthis conflict only acted as a fuse.


    But to bepletely honest, for him to have to leave so suddenly, he really felt that... it was such a pity.


    His gaze strayed towards that ¡°Reference recordings¡± folder. He opened it once again, and once again, he examined those two audio files for a while.


    His feelings were so mixed.


    But it was as if that guy had seen through his thoughts right now as he proimed in a cold, self-righteous tone, ¡°If I were you, I would never give what I love, I wouldn¡¯t even give it a thought! Not to mention giving it up for someone like No.10, I would fight tooth and nail to protect it!¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing felt his heart sway, his resolve weakening.


    To be honest, ¡°Qin Tuo¡±, this whole main male character or whatever, he wasn¡¯t all that interested in after all. He mainly signed up for it to go against Bronze Sparrow Terrace. But ?Trap? audio drama had a very special, unique meaning for him and Shen Yan... Did he really have to give it up?


    And voice acting?


    Did he have to give it up too?


    ¡°No.12, you better listen to me carefully,¡± At that time, the man raised his voice, just as sharp and powerful as his words, haughty even, ¡°Your current skill isn¡¯t bad, but sorry, it¡¯s not good enough for you to just make a handsome leave yet¡ªyou thought that you already don¡¯t have anything to improve, nothing to better, so you should retire? What a joke.¡±


    The man snorted nasally, and he could virtually be seen before one¡¯s eyes, looking disdainfully from above as he tossed out his words. ¡°As for whether you continue voice acting or not, better wait till you can outdo me to decide¡ª¡±


    Qi Jing shook all over, unable to say anything.


    Audience 1: Oh my god! Is this a challenge for No.12?? Aooooo¡ª! I¡¯m fired up! I¡¯m fired up! ¡«\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/¡«


    Audience 2: Eh eh eh, although this No.30 fellow¡¯s wording is so toxic it¡¯s almost scummy (cough cough), thetter part was actually really reasonable, second that!! I just want to say as a normie from the audience, contestant Don¡¯t ask for my return date, I really like you, don¡¯t leave us aaah!! Please stay in thepetition aaah... ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Audience 3: Also begging Return Date toe back!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Audience 4: No.30¡¯s challenge was so powerful!! Though I don¡¯t know if it was really a challenge, it¡¯s just as good as long as it brings the person back!! I hope No.12 will give it a second thought~ ¡¾I only stumbled upon you during the Chang Emperor audition and I appreciate you a lot, so you leaving for nothing would be just too miserable¡¿


    Audience 5: (rubbing chin) But bringing the topic back, how should we actually call No.30 ID to make it work... We can¡¯t just keep calling him N0.30, right?? ¡®Cause there are also other No.30s from other auditions, it would be easy to get confused during the discussion in the forum, so using the ID makes it much more convenient. But that ID of his... Pffft.


    Audience 6: (rubbing chin) That¡¯s a good question, I was also thinking about that...


    Indeed.


    Calling him ¡°Contestant Gimme¡± would sound so weird...


    Calling him ¡°Contestant Dumbass¡±, it just sounded as if they were cursing out the guy.


    And if they were to call him ¡°Gimme a proper dub dumbass¡±... That would be straight up esction of the cursing out, moreover it was just too god, damn, long.


    ¡°Eh...¡± Yang Chunqu also noticed the source of everyone¡¯s conundrum, so she carefully asked another question, ¡°Contestant No.30, do you have any shorter, easier to remember nickname?¡±


    ¡°Nickname?¡± Hearing the host ask, the man seemed to consider it for a while before tossing out a lukewarm, ¡°Just call me ¡®Two¡¯¡±


    A/N:


    ¨“¨Œ¨“ The chapter number finally got to the three digits, happy 100st chapter!! Thank you for all the support up till now!!


    To express my gratitude, I decided to continue to exhibit my cliffhanger angel powers... (oi)


    Guess who this guy is~ \(¨R?¨Q)/


    T/N:


    Luci: A new challenger appears, you love to see that!!


    Happy 100st chapter guys! Thank you so much for sticking with our trantion for so long. I appreciate it a lot QAQ


    I might have to go into a semi-hiatus till the end of this month since the uni exams are upon me, but I will try to release at least two chapters this month!

 Chapter 101

    <h4>Chapter 101</h4>


    unedited


    ¡°Just call me Two.¡±


    The moment Qi Jing heard this name, the first person he thought of was ¡°Five¡±. He shuddered, then searched for the ¡°¡ïFive¡±¡ï¡± sockpuppet ount in the channel member list, but to his surprise, ¡°Five¡± wasn¡¯t there. His weibo also showed the offline status, so he had no way of inquiring about this matter.


    But now that he thought about it, since the end of the auditionst night, ¡°Five¡± didn¡¯t show up anymore and Qi Jing had no idea where he disappeared.


    Then, who the hell was this ¡°Two¡±?


    Nevertheless, it didn¡¯t really matter who it was, what mattered was that he had everything it took to be so haughty. For Qi Jing, the highlight of that evening was him giving Bronze Sparrow Terrace a well deserved p in the face, but it wasn¡¯t the case for the audition itself.


    The moment this ¡°Two¡± spoke up, he suddenly thought, this No.30 really didn¡¯t lose out on this cement, no wonder he¡¯s the highlight here¡ª


    ¡°Haha,¡± First, there was a short, slightughter, then heughed once again, with only thetter being tinted with the drunken indulgence, ¡°Hahaha...¡±


    It even gave off an impression of the time flowing. One could virtually see ¡°Qin Tuo¡± half-leaning on the side of a beauty, his eyes hazy from intoxication as he listened to her soft spoken urging to drink more and returned her words with a faint smile. The change in speed of his speaking was incredibly precise; just right to embody the situation of ¡®main character listening as the other people talk¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Another cup?¡±


    The man asked with a hoarse, throaty voice, his breath brushing lightly by the mic, like an inadvertent gust of wind causing ripples to sweep by theke surface, never intent to stay, yet still causing a stir in the hearts of the listeners. ¡°Not to mention a single cup, if you pour the wine for me, Miss, then even if it was a pot, a bucket or a barrel... Hehe, I would still, drink it all.¡±


    This bearing was sopletely unlike the person who had been munching on his crisps just a while ago.


    Qi Jing¡¯s voice was bright, but it was still flirtatious. And that guy¡¯s current voice wasn¡¯t as catchy as Qi Jing¡¯s, but it was much more upright and valiant, so even during this charming set up of the scene, it still brought out a sort of ¡°chivalrous¡± impression of the character.


    The main character ¡°Qin Tup¡± didn¡¯t shy away from dallying, but it didn¡¯t mean that he coveted beauties. Dallying could also be genuine and pretended, but his ¡°pretended¡± wasn¡¯t of the kind that people would find annoying; he had a sense of measure with his flirting and there was a trace of sobriety in his intoxication. Besides setting himself as a boy inexperienced in romance to gain those girls¡¯ liking, calling them ¡°Miss¡± also had thisyer of meaning to it.


    If Qi Jing could be said to have exhibited those various qualities of this character to about seventy, eighty percent, then this person did this to one hundred percent¡ª


    Completely stupefied, Qi Jing listened to the end of the first scene.


    The overall direction of ¡°Two¡¯s¡± acting in the first scene was about the same as his. Although the individual means of portraying details weren¡¯t exactly the same and his individual style being quite prominent, it still just as close to the original in its core, or maybe even closer¡ªno matter if it was the borate details of the intonation or the natural changes in the mood, they were all remarkably executed.


    By the time Qi Jing realised, the timer had already reached the one minute mark. Although he toosted through one minute, at that time he had to really think through how to include those details; but now, this person seemed to him as if he did it so effortlessly, with the time passing by just like this.


    This wide gap between the personality and capability caused the audience to stay deathly silent for a moment, and it took a while for the cheers to burst out in the chat.


    Audience 1: ...Help... My heart is about to get squashed, I forgot to breathe while listening to this! (¨s¨F¿Ú¡ä)¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø


    Audience 2: ...So turns out eating crisps can level up the voice acting skills?? Quick, give ten packs to each of my favourite VAs!! ¡¾throwing my purse¡¿


    Audience 3: Pffft, the friend from thement above, we can team up to buy the crisps!! ¡¾also throws my purse¡¿


    Audience 4: Aooooo!! No.30, I won¡¯t roast you anymore even if you eat more crisps! It! Was! So! Good! ¡¾clutching heart while joining the brainless fan troops¡¿


    Audience 5: ¡ã¡£¡ã(((p(¨R¿Ú¨Q)q)))¡ã¡£¡ã I feel like both him and No.12 have their strong points, they¡¯re both so incredible! I¡¯m so excited just listening to it!


    Audience 6: ¡ã¡£¡ã(((p(¨R¿Ú¨Q)q)))¡ã¡£¡ã When ites to voice, No.12 sounds better, with the acting, both of them are amazing, but personally, I feel like this Two fellow is more solid and proficient!! Ao ao awoo~! I¡¯m justpletely unable to calm down, this Qin Tuo fitspletely to my image of him, asking if the brainless fans association is taking in fresh meat??¡¾Oi¡¿


    ¡°So amazing...¡± Qi Jing too murmured subconsciously, holding his breath as he continued to listen. He forgot about the fact that in a sense, this person was his rival, and gotpletely captivated by his performance, immersing himself fully.


    If their performance didn¡¯t differ as much in the first scene, then the second one was a showcase of the differences in their acting.


    ¡°What did you just say?¡±


    For the change of the scene, Qi Jing used about a second or two for the transition, meanwhile ¡°Two¡± managed to change his bearing in a mere blink of an eye, shouting out the question heavily. Not only that¡ªhe also made some changes to his voice ording to the passage of time in the original world; because there was a three year gap between the second and first scenes and the character experienced no small deal of dangers during that time, it gave a much steadier and stronger impression. Even this point got perfected by ¡°Two¡±, with his voice getting a lot deeper and full of masculine strength.


    ¡°You just said&#k2026; that man who got put on death row&#k2026;¡± He both wanted to ask and didn¡¯t dare to, he didn¡¯t dare to ask, but he forced himself to. ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t believe that his friend entered the death row.


    He didn¡¯t want the other man to say his friend¡¯s name.


    While ¡°Qin Tuo¡± showed his utmost denial, he also couldn¡¯t avoid facing the reality¡ªthis sense of contradiction in his speech was very prominent, and adding to that the asional tremble to his voice, his inner struggle was more than vivid in detail.


    After the struggle, he finally couldn¡¯t help but burst out.


    ¡°That time, when I epted your offer... Do you remember what you said!¡± The strength of the man¡¯s outburst was in no way less expressive, each word deste, with a trace barely discernible pain that had every listener¡¯s heart in its grip. He breathed rapidly, then said through clenched teeth, ¡°I rescued your people, because I couldn¡¯t bear the ipetence of the current government, the mistreatment of themon people... I knew very well that it¡¯s a crime that could cost me my head, but I, never, regretted it.¡±


    He took another few breaths, then stopped suddenly, murmuring to himself as if he had lost his soul.


    ¡°But, it was on the premise of you promising me... to protect their safety.¡±


    That was it¡ªthe next line was the one where Yuan Zhengming cut him.Qi Jing didn¡¯t dare to budge, afraid of missing even the smallest of details.


    He hadto know if ¡°Two¡± would interpret it differently, and whether he¡¯d gain the judge¡¯s approval. If that would be the case, then this person would break through his record, 1:32 of used time.


    He only heard the man gasp in the headphones, as he actually sounded... utterly dispirited and despaired.


    ¡°Why... would Suyu get taken away by them...¡±


    The man didn¡¯t question the other party harshly as he expected, his voice sinking, not rising¡ªsinking deep into the quagmire of pain.


    ¡°He clearly knows nothing about the rebellion, so why...¡± After speaking to this point, he couldn¡¯t continue. He took a rapid, deep breath, gasping hurriedly for air, yet he was still unable to avoid getting swallowed by the crushing guilt. ¡°Why does he have... to pay with his life.¡±


    Ah. Qi Jing came to himself in an instant.


    He wasn¡¯t ming anyone, he med himself¡ªturns out that was the reason for him getting cut.


    In the end, ¡°Liu Suyu¡¯s¡± life wasn¡¯t endangered by anyone else¡ªit was because he made a friend like ¡°Qin Tuo¡±, who threw the life he could spend in luxury and peace into an utter disarray. Of course, ¡°Qin Tuo¡± understood that deep in his heart, that¡¯s why no matter how he questioned other people, it was all nothingpared to the misery he felt when he questioned himself.


    ¡ªThatprehension skill really is scary... It¡¯s the first time for me to see someone who can be on pair with Shen Yan.


    Qi Jing thought in surprise.


    Audience 1: (¨s£­£ß£­)¨s¨k¨k Will you cut us some ck please!? How many times will this audition make my little heart tremble?!¡¾My mouse had already got pulverised by me!¡¿


    Audience 2: (¨s£­£ß£­)¨s¨k¨k Just as thementer above said! No.30, I dare you to also finish acting out the third scene! I dare you!!


    Audience 3: My man Two!! Just tell me how many packages of crisps you want!! Big sis will buy you!! ¡¾proceeds to throw bags of crisps¡¿


    Audience 4: Gori Teacher, if you dare to cut him off at this moment, I will eat gori meat every day!!


    Audience 5: The friend from above, calm down!! Goris are a domestically endangered species, they can¡¯t be eaten, it¡¯s only fine to hang them up for a beating!!¡¾Oi¡¿


    Audience 6: Thementers above, did you lose your heads already?? Fine, I also am about to lose mine¡ªNo.30 is too breathtaking!! ¡«\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/¡«


    Up to that point, Yuan Zhengming continued to stay silent; he might have given up on finding ws, either way there was no w to find.


    The audition proceeded just like this, and finally, the first contestant to enter the third scene appeared. The chat was full of howling, cheering, and the atmosphere of excitement like an itch in everyone¡¯s hearts soared.


    Thest scene was one between two characters, ¡°Qin Tuo¡± and his senior ¡°Bai Ke.¡±


    This plot appeared towards the end of the novel¡ªBai Ke poisoned Fang Yisheng, having already fallen to his lowest as a deranged viin. He chose to abandon the sect, but the people who had used him nned against him in return. But ironically enough, in a desperate time, he happened upon the junior he had always hated so much.


    In front of a senior like him, the junior¡¯s feelings were naturally hard to describe.


    ¡°Senior...¡± The voice in the headphones was so light, it was like covering a me of amp in the raging wind, as if the slightest inattention could extinguish it while scalding his hand horribly. ¡°Our old man Master... he still waits for your return back in Xiaoshan. Don¡¯t make an irreversible mistake guided by an impulse.¡±


    When he mentioned their master, he gave a bit of a forcedugh, doing his best to convey the nostalgia in his tone as he reminded the other man of the peaceful days the master and his three disciples spent together.


    But for a man whomitted mistakes upon mistakes, the bygone days were already in the past; the two of them knew that they could no longer return back in time. That¡¯s why no matter how warm of the memories would get revoked, they could no longer fend off the piercing cold in his heart.


    ¡°Senior, Fang Yisheng didn¡¯t die,¡± If talking about the past was of no use, then he would talk about the present. And if the roundabout games failed, then he could only say what he had to say clearly. When he mentioned a matter the other man minded the most, probably also seeing the change in his face, Qin Tuo¡¯s voice stopped before he tried his hardest to convince him, ¡°He didn¡¯t die, only his martial aptitude was lost, but he¡¯s still hanging on... It¡¯s not toote for you to repent.¡±


    But no matter how ¡°Qin Tuo¡± would convince him, ¡°Bai Ke¡± would still turn a deaf ear to it.


    That¡¯s why, when ¡°Bai Ke¡± wielded his sword to end his life, only a sudden, shocked gasp of ¡°Qin Tuo¡¯s¡± could be heard as his voice changed¡ªwhatever confidence, whatever steadiness, whatever heroism or boldness was gone without trace as he cried in rm, ¡°Senior, don¡¯t do that! Senior¡ª!¡±


    His stammering voice made one see the protagonist rushing over, falling on his knees on the ground but still struggling to move forward.


    Both sorry and persistent.


    He was still gasping panically at first, but suddenly, his breathing halted and everything, audience included, fell into a deathly silence¡ªonly his weak, choked sobbing could be heard intermittently.


    And atst, there was a heart-wrenching, utterly devastated scream.


    ¡°SENIOR¡ª¡ª!¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s heart shook as he felt something stabbing viciously in his chest, the crushing tide of emotions almost making him shot up from the chair, his back covered with sweat.


    And exactly at that moment, the number on the timer stopped at 2:00.


    But at that very moment, no one was paying attention to the time anymore, everyone¡¯s hearts were still being held in a tight grip by that scream, unable to get free from it.


    Audience 1: QAQ...!!!


    Audience 2: QAQ... Aaaah...


    Audience 3: That one screamed ¡°senior¡±, it¡¯s so painful aaaaah!! This angst¡¯s going to be the death of me! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Audience 4: Listening to thatst scream made me shed my precious tears... It hurts even more when I think of how Qin Tuo took his senior¡¯s ashes back to their Master, and that one scene with Old Man Xiaoshan... It just hurts so much more aaaah... ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Audience 5: Thatst bit... It¡¯s a knife stabbing in my chest!! The bloody knife of angst!! ¨“¨Œ¨“


    Audience 6: The impact of the emotions couldn¡¯t get stronger!! Furiously spamming the vote button!! ¨“¨Œ¨“


    That¡¯s it, you won me over.


    Indeed, Qi Jing understood the disparity between himself and that guy. But with the sense of defeat rushing to his head, he actually breathed a sigh relief instead, slowly rxing his back as he leaned back on the chair. He even chuckled self-deprecatingly, ¡°Haha, with a performance like this, I¡¯m happy even as the loser...¡±


    Suddenly, a thought appeared in his mind: ¡°I hope to also be able to reach this level some day¡±.


    Thinking back to this guy¡¯s statement during the introduction, Qi Jing was filled with all kinds of emotions and couldn¡¯t help but agree with his words. ¡°A voice actor like me really isn¡¯t enough to make a handsome leave... I benefited a lot from today, so thank you, senior.¡±


    Although he didn¡¯t know anything about ¡°Two¡±, this sort of tone and skill... He was undoubtedly qualified to be a ¡°senior¡±.


    The final score also proved that spection.


    ¡¾psed Time¡¿£º2:00


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿£º4.0


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿£º4.0


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿£º4.5


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿£º4.5


    Judging panel¡¯s evaluation: 2.00 + 4.0 + 4.0 + 4.5 + 4.5 = 19.00 points


    Additional audience vote points: 85.3% voting ratio = 0.853 points


    Overall score: 19.00 + 0.853 = 19.853 points


    This score was to be expected, Qi Jing even thought that ¡°Two¡± deserved an even higher one. Yuan Zhengming also didn¡¯t cut him in the process, letting the contestant perform all the way to the end. And Pu Yuzhi also made an exception and gave him two 4.5 scores¡ªeven Shen Yan didn¡¯t get such a high score from her. It could be said to be an unseen precedent, one that caught the audience by aplete surprise, with throngs of them giving him their votes.


    But when he saw ¡°Two¡¯s¡± score, Qi Jing suddenly remembered something that almost slipped his mind.


    He stopped for a while at first, then bursted out in a loudughter, ¡°Ha, hahaha... Apologies, Bronze Sparrow Terrace, as someone who had already forfeited, I already did my best to aid you¡ª¡±


    Even if he forfeited, with this intimidatingly high score ¡°Two¡± also pushed Bronze Sparrow Terrace to the second ce. That being said, in the end, he didn¡¯t manage to get the first ce for the main male character he worked so hard for, and that was simply... he just had to give a standing ovation to that from joy. Qi Jingughed before the screen for quite a long while.


    I really gave it to you for free, yet you didn¡¯t even have it in yourself to keep it. Bronze Sparrow Terrace, I can¡¯t even pity you now, really.


    Just as he wasmenting for the great god whileughing, he suddenly heard a faint sigh of regret from the headphones¡ªit came from Yuan Zhengming. Qi Jing froze from surprise, not knowing what was there toment about for the director.


    ¡°Such a pity, such a pity,¡± The man said heavily in a voice full of sorrow, ¡°I seem to have dug up two good seedlings, yet both of those seedlings grew crooked, each in its own way. One feels like growing straight is too hard for it, while the other won¡¯t let people straighten itself. It truly makes a person feel miserable...¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± You can¡¯t be speaking of me, right. Qi Jing pointed at himself,pletely depraved of any awareness as ¡°Crooked seedling No.1¡±.


    And ¡°Crooked seedling No.2¡± already opened another pack of crisps, continuing to snack on it thoughtlessly.


    ¡°I will rify something first,¡± After the helpless reminder from Yang Chunqu, Yuan Zhengming curbed himself a bit, coughing once to recover his teacherly bearing as he said solemnly, ¡°during the audition just now, those who managed to finish the first scene can count as pretty good, those who finished the second scene could pretty much be entrusted with recording under some slight guidance, as long as there¡¯s no better candidate. And as for those who managed to finish the third scene...¡±


    Suddenly heughed impishly, deliberately keeping the audience on suspense, waiting for them to yell ¡°beat him!¡± before he asked unhurriedly.


    ¡°How about considering entering the professional VA?¡±


    A/N:


    Two is two, five is five, those two guys arepletely unlike each other, from the character to their voices... (¨s- _ -)¨s¦à©ß©¥©ß


    Those who said that Two is Five surrender yourself in ande over, let Little Return Date scratch your faces hundred times (serious face).


    For all of you little foreshadowing nerds who said the orthopaedic doctor is Two, I¡¯m giving you a little flower each, although you¡¯re in fact wrong~ =v= That¡¯s Three, not Two, ehehehe... #theorising how many numbers of littlerades Kitty¡¯s Papa has#

 Chapter 102

    <h4>Chapter 102</h4>


    unedited


    As the only person who had finished all three scenes, ¡°Two¡¯s¡± response was out of everyone¡¯s expectations, including Qi Jing¡¯s.


    No.30 ¨C Gimme a proper dub, dumbass: No.


    Audience 1: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õEh? He said no...


    Audience 2: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õHe actually said no!!


    Audience 3: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õBuddy, are you for real?? You have the best score yet you still say you say no, it¡¯s such a waste!! ¡¾At first I really supported Gori Teacher¡¯s idea TAT¡¿


    Audience 4: Old Macaque Teacher even asked so openly, yet he still got turned down so offhandedly? That voice acting was clearly so incredible, I¡¯m feeling like I lost any hope in the world...


    Audience 5: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ Feeling like I lost any hope in the world +1


    Audience 6: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ Feeling like I lost any hope in the world +2


    Qi Jing stared stupefied at all those cries of woe in the chat. He didn¡¯t expect ¡°Two¡± to be so quick to reject this offer; ording to Two¡¯s ability, it shouldn¡¯t be hard for him to survive in the professional sphere of voice acting, even more so with a rmendation from a veteran of the industry. An asion like this was hard toe by, yet he still stubbornly refused to appreciate it.


    As he was still bewildered, Yuan Zhengming had already started shouting, aggrieved, ¡°I just knew it! I just knew that this seedling grew crooked! ¡ªThat won¡¯t do, management, bring this kid over to me, bring him!¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing cocked his brow, ¡°Oh...¡±


    It was the first time for a judge to face the contestant directly during the feedback¡ªhow interesting.


    No one expected it to be like this. The atmosphere momentarily grew tense and everyone watched excitedly as ¡°Two¡± got brought up the mic sequence by the management. The person in question had yet to react; the sound of munching on the crisps ceased suddenly and only then did he realise that he was currently on the mic and said, annoyed, ¡°...What is it all about?¡±


    Yuan Zhengming¡¯s grinning expression could be heard from the sheer tone of his voice. ¡°How about bing a professional VA?¡± He asked once again.


    ¡°No.¡± Even the crunching sound of crisps couldn¡¯t conceal the resolution in ¡°Two¡¯s¡± tone.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t only Yuan Zhengming who wanted to know, Qi Jing and the other listeners were also very curious, each and everyone holding their breaths in anticipation.


    ¡°Two¡± chewed on another few crisps in silence, yet his chewing wasn¡¯t as unbothered as usual¡ªhe gnawed at the chips ruthlessly with his teeth, clearly about to pulverise them to vent. But when he spoke, his voice was unusually calm as he said, ¡°Professional voice acting is all about acting while looking at other people¡¯s faces¡ªI¡¯m not interested.¡±


    Having worked in a TV channel for so many years, Qi Jing nodded his head instinctively. Although his own job wasn¡¯t voice acting-rted, he had already seen multiple cases of people working in this line of job. Usually, the right to make calls in the professional voice acting is in a director¡¯s hand, sometimes also in the investors¡¯ hands, especially within the film dubbing industry. The investors would always have their own ideas and a lot of the time, they wouldn¡¯t be professionals themselves, making suggestions only ording to their personal taste¡ªwhatever they want you to act like, that¡¯s how you have to do it. Theck of freedom of the voice actors is too great, so it¡¯s hard to not get frustrated and tired of it.


    People like ¡°Two¡± are too headstrong, if they were to survive in the professional circle... they probably wouldn¡¯t do as good as Bronze Sparrow Terrace at getting what they want to make it.


    ¡°Hehe,¡± Yuan Zhengming neither admitted nor denied as he said calmly, ¡°There¡¯re many lousy and unreasonable directors in our industry, but I¡¯m not one of them at all. If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go ask Longbow or Yuzhi.¡±


    The sound of ¡°Two¡± snacking on the crisps ceased, as he hesitated for a moment, but he still went back to eating.


    ¡°No,¡± His stubbornness made Yuan Zhengming¡¯s head hurt. That fellow was really unyielding, appearingly leaving no way to talk him into it, ¡°If I said no then that means no, I¡¯ll do my online voice acting, but if it¡¯s professional, then I¡¯m not getting into it.¡±


    Who knew that Yuan Zhenging would suddenly scold him angrily, his yell scaring every listener, ¡°Number 30! You¡¯re looking down on me thinking that I¡¯m not qualified enough as a director, aren¡¯t you!¡±


    Probably not expecting the other man to scream like this, ¡°Two¡± also got dumbfounded. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that...¡±


    But Yuan Zhengming was unforgiving, his tone like that of a fierce street hoodlum¡¯s when he asked, ¡°Then you¡¯re looking down on my acting skills being too low and think that I¡¯m not as good as you, aren¡¯t you!¡±


    The corners of ¡°Two¡¯s¡± lips twitched a little and unable to sit still, he yelled back, ¡°You must be joking! I heard about Teacher Yuan¡¯s name, how can an amatour like mepare with a professional of Your calibre!¡±


    One was yelling louder than the other, like they were about to have a fight on the spot, so that the scared Yang Chunqu¡¯s ¡°Both of you, please calm down¡± became a mere background noise and the audience could onlyment with the ¡°=¿Ú=¡± emoji. Stunned, Qi Jing listened to them arguing, starting to worry about the situation getting out of hand.


    But at that time, Yuan Zhengming suddenlyughed coldly, actually using the same words ¡°Two¡± said to Qi Jing to reprimand him, surprising everyone and getting an upper hand. ¡°You¡¯re clearly quite good at voice acting but your attitude is so casual, doing whatever you feel like, it might look like you¡¯re free like that but there¡¯s actually no benefit in doing so for you. Online voice acting is voice acting, just as professional voice acting is as well, so why won¡¯t you just do both of them together?¡±


    ¡°Two¡± gotpletely put off his stroke¡ªonly his heavy breathing could be heard, but he had no word of rebuttal. Those were his words he used to scold other people, so how could he possibly try arguing against it?


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Hearing this, Qi Jing bursted out in a slyughter¡ªit truly was a prime example of judging people by their own standards! Wonderful, wonderful, Teacher Yuan, I¡¯m giving you all my likes!


    And Yuan Zhengming continued to copy Two, full of himself beyond any measure. ¡°No.30, you better listen to me carefully. Your current skill isn¡¯t bad, but sorry, it¡¯s not good enough for you to only y handsome while only having fun yet. You thought that you already don¡¯t have anything to improve, nothing to better, and are already satisfied with just getting first ce in an ¡®online¡¯ voice actingpetition? What a joke.¡±


    Then came the main point. ¡°As for whether you consider voice acting as a professional or not, better wait till you can outdo me to decide&#k2014;¡±


    Audience 1: o(*&#k2267;&#k25KB;&#k2266;)&#k30A4; Hahahaha!! Teacher Yuan is just so!! He really doesn¡¯t hesitate to use any means for digging up his seedlings!! &#k3010;Thumbs up&#k2190;Oi&#k3011;


    Audience 2: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Hahahaha, Teacher Gorri also ¡°dug up¡± man¡¯s opening!! What¡¯s happening tonight, a chain of continuous counterattacks??


    Audience 3: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä You! Love! To! See it! No.30, don¡¯t you be so hard-mouthed anymore, this opportunity is so good! We all want to hear you voice acting~ ¡¾It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s online or professional, as long as you dare to voice act, I dare to listen to it! The scene just now was really acted so emotively, aoaoawooo!!! ¡¿


    Of course, the current ¡°Two¡± had no way of getting better of Yuan Zhengming. No matter how skilled he was, before Yuan Zhengming¡¯s tens of years of experience as a professional voice actor, it was in to see who was better. And with the endless encouragement and urging from the listeners, he had no way but to yield.


    ¡°Let me think about it first...¡±


    ¡°Hehe,¡± After all this trouble, Yuan Zhengming finally managed to tug one of his seedlings in the direction he desired. It may have still been crooked, but at least it was a bit better than before, so he all beamed with smiles. ¡°If you¡¯re still first when you finish thepetition, then you can go and think through it well.¡±


    Striking the steel when it¡¯s still hot on while egging the man on¡ªhopefully Teacher Yuan would use less foul means to y his mind games in the future.


    At that time, Qi Jing heard ¡°Two¡± spit out a muttered sentence under his nose. ¡°Tsk, that bastard Five... he must have done it on purpose!¡±


    This sentence would probably go by not understood by anyone else, but Qi Jing understood it, even freezing for a little as his previous smile copsed.


    Five? On purpose?Could it be that the appearance of ¡°Two¡± had something to do with ¡°Five¡±? Then, did they actually know each other?


    ...In that case, was Yuan Zhengming¡¯s appearance also rted?


    Instantly a wave of questions and suspicions surged over his mind.


    ¡°Ah, since No.30 is here already, then I can as well go in reverse order with the feedback.¡± With the time getting closer to the end, Yuan Zhengming finally went on to give the propermentary, ¡°About No.30¡¯s performance, I believe that even without me saying anything, every listener present had already experienced it, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t be urging him to enter the professional circle right now¡ªhim getting the first ce can be said to be a matter of course.¡±


    Hismenting style waspletely unlike that of the earnest Longbow or the strict and meticulous Pu Yuzhi. He didn¡¯tment on the details, but on all the overall aspects with the focus on the contestant themself.


    ¡°Honestly speaking, I¡¯m not the type to pay that much attention to whether the actor¡¯s voice ¡®fits¡¯, as long as it overall matches the character settings, it¡¯s actually more beneficial for it to not be too shy, because this way, it would let the listeners focus on the lines instead.¡± He assessed, ¡°No.30¡¯s voice can¡¯t be said to be particrly characteristic, but it¡¯s very masculine and upright, so it¡¯s quite close to the description of ¡°Qin Tuo¡±. But what I admired the most was how No.30 portrayed the difference in age and experience with his voice in these three scenes.¡±


    Qi Jing had also noticed how ¡°Two¡± handled these details. At first he was a barely twenty years old youth,ter he slowly shifted towards a more deep and steady tone and at the end, it was already full of the leader-like bearing. There were three vours that evolved in his voice, each with its own emphasis, but they all were kept within one character¡¯s scope.


    ¡°In terms of expressiveness, No.30 has one skill that no other contestant couldpare to, and that is creating the illusion of a conversation.¡± When speaking about voice acting, Yuan Zhengming actually had some of that teacherly manner to him.


    ¡°Although the majority of people know that most of the time, voice acting is in the form of dialogue, without another person to apany the performance, it¡¯s not easy to create the sense of conversation without anything there to aid. A moment of carelessness can make one feel as if it¡¯s only reciting a script.¡± Saying this, he grumbled sorrowfully, ¡°I know that these days, people like to go back to their ces to record the voice acting and hand it over when it¡¯s finished, but honestly, this isn¡¯t very beneficial to making the dialogue feel genuine.¡±


    ¡°For example people like me, whose rest time is always ipatible with others¡¯...¡± Qi Jing had no other choice but to raise his own hand, embarrassed.


    ¡°The voice acting circle a few years ago wasn¡¯t quite like this. We liked to meet up tomunicate, we liked to exchange our experience with each other¡ªcontestant No.30 gives me the vibe of someone polished through this type of long-term shared acting. Am I right about that?¡±


    Hearing this ¡°Two¡±, who had stayed silent dejectedly for all that time, suddenly chuckled softly with a hum.


    Seeing this reaction of his, all of a sudden Qi Jing thought of something, suddenly enlightened.


    Afterughing, ¡°Two¡± only tossed out lukewarmly, ¡°It can be said like that. But it¡¯s all a matter of the past... To this day, some of the pack went their way, some of them got busy, some gotzy, and now I¡¯m also just like everyone else, only looking at the script while ying a one-man-show.¡± His tone was unbothered, but one could still hear a hint of destion in it.


    ¡°That¡¯s why,e to act professionally,e to us and we will apany you in having the fun.¡± Yuan Zhengmingughed cunningly¡ª it wasn¡¯t hard to imagine him waving his hand enticingly at ¡°Two¡±, his mouth drooling behind the screen.


    ¡°Are You a loach sir, squeezing your agenda in every crevice possible...¡±


    When Yuan Zhengming continued his feedback, Qi Jing¡¯s mind was wandering. He got caught up in his thoughts before hisputer, not even able to focus on listening to hisment about ¡°Two¡±.


    He could more or less guess who those voice acting buddies of ¡°Two¡¯s¡± were. But listening to his tone, it seemed like they hadn¡¯t gathered for a long time already... He also didn¡¯t know what the reason was either. As one of them, Shen Yan had told him that they slowly each went their own way, but he didn¡¯t exin exactly what happened. But from how ¡°Five¡± to that day kept repeating that Shen Yan cklisted him like a broken record, it was obvious that something else happened at the time.


    I really want to ask about it... Qi Jing sighed and flopped silently on the keyboard. If ¡°Two¡± wasn¡¯t happy about it, then Shen Yan and ¡°Five¡± were probably feeling bad about it too. It would be nice if they could go back to their previous rtionship...


    He didn¡¯t know ¡°Two¡± all that much, so about this matter... maybe it would be better to ask ¡°Five¡±¡ªbut the problem was, the guy himself was nowhere to be seen.


    He was in the middle of mulling over the whereabouts of Five when suddenly, he heard Yuan Zhengming¡¯s calling. ¡°No.12.¡±


    So it¡¯s my turn now? Qi Jing raised his head in a hurry.


    ¡°No.12.¡± Yuan Zhengming repeated the number once again and without waiting for its owner to sit uppletely, he already chuckled shortly, saying in a drifting tone, ¡°Now that I think about it, among all of the contestants who performed, No.12 reminds me of my young self the most... fufufu.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s brow twitched violently.


    Without waiting for him to roast it, someone in the chat had already pulled the rug from under him.


    Judge ¨C Pu Yuzhi: He¡¯s fooling you people. ¨r(¨s__¨t)¨q


    Audience 1: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Pfft! Teacher Pu¡¯s roasts just keeping tonight!


    Audience 2: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Pfft! Teacher Pu can actually use emoji to mock people! Too cute! ¡¾Looking at Teacher Pu with worship in my starry eyes¡¿


    Audience 3: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Hahahaha! Turns out that both Teachers had met back when they were young, why do I suddenly start daydreaming??¡¾But my family¡¯s sweet Return Date is nothing like that hoodlum Old Macaque Teacher, humph ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q¡¿


    ¡°Humph, I was also very handsome in my younger days.¡± The sourness in Yuan Zhengming¡¯s tone could rival a jar of pickles as he refuted resentfully.


    Qi Jing cocked his head and thought, does it mean that my performance was very handsome?


    He was still thinking about it, when all of a sudden he heard Yuan Zhengming spurring the management, ¡°Get him on the mic, get him on the mic!¡±


    Again? Qi Jing got caughtpletely unprepared. Clearly aside from ¡°Two¡±, Yuan Zhengming didn¡¯t call any of the other contestants to the mic during his feedback. But there was nothing he could do about it at that point, so Qi Jing had no other choice but to brave himself and open his mic and press F2, thinking of what to say beforeughing politely. But he didn¡¯t even have time to say ¡°Good evening Teacher¡± before Yuan Zhengming already started securing his high ground, speaking first.


    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, contestant No.30 doesn¡¯t want to enter the professional circle, but you don¡¯t even want to continue staying in the online one.¡±


    So he got scolded.


    Qi Jing knew how he was wrong, but he also wasn¡¯t anxious about it, so he chuckled quietly. ¡°Yes, originally I indeed thought like this. But... after being admonished by the senior like contestant No.30, I got won over by his acting. Even if I didn¡¯t forfeit, I would still losepletely to him, and I also recognised the problem with my attitude towards voice acting.¡±


    He took a deep breath, ¡°Now that I calmed down, I think that I can give it a second thought.¡±


    Audience 1: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Aaaaah, I¡¯m so relieved!


    Audience 2: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Don¡¯t ask for my return date, buddy... you finally got over it?? Comrade Two really should get scolded!! ¡¾Oi¡¿


    Audience 3: Awoooo!! My beloved Return Date agreed to stay!! I¡¯m so happy hearing you say that you calmed down, I hope you can continue voice acting and continue staying in the circle and voice acting in ?Trap?... ¡¾Thest one can be a bit hard, but I¡¯m a fan of the og novel. If that¡¯s too awkward then please, ignore me..._(£º§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_¡¿


    ...


    Of course, there was also nock of antis in the audience, ying apletely different tune in response.


    Audience 4: ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q It really is so expected of Don¡¯t ask for my return date to go back on his words, isn¡¯t he colluding with that whatever Two?? Sparrow, let¡¯s not mind them and leave them upturn the truth themself, we¡¯ll just y whatever we want~


    Audience 5: That¡¯s just too shameless!! If you scram then scram for real, how do you still have a cheek toe back!! Don¡¯t you dare to even think of continuing that ?Trap? or something, it¡¯s Bronze Sparrow Terrace-sama¡¯s work!! If you dare to continue ying in it, then we¡¯ll bully you back into leaving the drama, mark my words!!


    Audience 6: £¨¨s¨F¿Ú¡ä£©¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø Fucking¡ª! So there really are people this shameless in the world! You better take those tacky fans of yours and retire! Ungrateful bastard! Scammer! Sissy!


    ...


    Of course, Qi Jing ignored thosementspletely. With the mattersing to this point, no matter how the great god¡¯s fans cursed him out, his heart was calm like still water, with nothing breaching its peace.


    Yuan Zhengming made no heed of them too, ¡°Heh, I didn¡¯t expect the seedling No.12 to be more sensible than seedling No.30. But no matter what you say, you can¡¯t take back your forfeit, after all, it¡¯s already a done matter.¡±


    ¡°I never intended to take it back,¡± Qi Jing smiled confidently, ¡°As long as I can hear what You wouldment about my performance and let me know my weak side, it would be enough.¡±


    ¡°Weak side...¡± Yuan Zhengming rubbed his chin whileughing like an old wily fox, ¡°There are two ways in which the voice acting may end up weak. One of them is ack of authenticity, weak acting skills,ck ofprehension¡ªthose that require honing acting skills over a long time¡ªbut you¡¯re not this type. The other type is the abstract weakness and it depends on the situation whether it¡¯s a good or bad thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Your weak side is your voice.¡± Just as Yuan Zhengming finished speaking, the chat momentarily exploded. Qi Jing¡¯s flirtatious voice was the reason for numerous people to take a liking to him, so it being pointed out as a weakness now made it hard to ept for them.


    But Yuan Zhengming exined unhurriedly, ¡°I¡¯m saying this, because your voice quality is quite unique and it leaves a strong impression, so strong even that it makes people forget about the character you¡¯re ying¡ªthat¡¯s why there¡¯s a limit to what character you can y, or at leastpared to No.30¡¯s voice, your is much more limiting.¡±


    ...Correct.


    ¡°I could hear the effects of you suppressing your voice when acting as ¡°Qin Tuo¡±, this way of thinking is quite good, but it wasn¡¯t able to cover that faint sexiness in the voice...¡±


    ...Correct, I had also heard that before from the producers who wanted me in their dramas.


    ¡°Listening to the first scene, it was still a bit too flirty, but you had a good grasp on all the turns in emotions, good job with that.¡± After thisment, Yuan Zhengming also didn¡¯t forget to add an exnation, ¡°I¡¯m not saying that having a unique voice isn¡¯t good, it just adds to the difficulty of integrating with the role. And this shoring would disappear naturally when ying the second scene. Ah, speaking of it, I also used to be quite a flirt when I was young...¡±


    ...Correct, but Teacher, could You skip thatst sentence?


    ¡°As for your second shoring,¡± Among the pitch silence of the audience, Yuan Zhengming coughed slightly and returned to the main point. ¡°It¡¯s just as you said before¡ªyour attitude.¡±


    Qi Jing raised his brows. This one he really wished to hear more about.


    Yuan Zhengming didn¡¯t make his point immediately, asking him instead. ¡°Do you know why you got cut?¡±


    Qi Jing said slowly, ¡°Because towards the end of the second scene, I only saw the character¡¯s surface-level usation of the other person, but didn¡¯t understand his internalised self-me.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, just look at you, now you clearly got this, but at that time you were no good.¡± Yuan Zhengming seemed very pleased with Qi Jing¡¯s reply, taking on a ¡°this child can be taught¡± tone as he spoke, ¡°At that time, you couldn¡¯tprehend the role in-depth, and that¡¯s because you were distracted by other thoughts¡ªI¡¯m guessing it was the matter you mentioned in your concluding remark.¡±


    Indeed.


    That time, he did it all just to give Bronze Sparrow Terrace a good p, and his motive in getting into thepetition wasn¡¯t all simple since the beginning¡ªbut he didn¡¯t expect it to be a shackle in the end, keeping him unable to figure out the role fully.


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether you believe it, but us, professional voice actors, meet with much more grievances everyday than you, online actors¡ªdisagreements with directors, disagreements with investors, with colleagues, and numerous other unpleasant experiences. But voice acting is a profession, we need to face those problems; how good it would be if we could just speak of leaving the circle freely like you.¡± Yuan Zhengming showed a rare sign of seriousness, ¡°That¡¯s why adjusting your own attitude is the most important¡ªit¡¯s not getting distracted by the negativity from outside that makes a good VA.¡±


    After saying this, he still tossed his bait with a beaming smile.


    ¡°So how about it, wanna be a professional?¡±


    ¡°Pfft...¡± He was even a bit moved at first, but hearing this broke him. Qi Jingughed helplessly, ¡°Please wait for me until I harden myself up in the online circle, polish my acting skills, then I will consider it.¡±


    No matter if it was online or professional, he still had a very long way ahead with his love towards voice acting.


    He still made a choice, not wanting to abandon it.


    As for Bronze Sparrow Terrace, now when he looked back at it, it wasn¡¯t really worth it to retire because a person like him. As long as he doesn¡¯t speak of defeat, that guy will never win. He still needs to see who will be thest one tough.


    That was even more so with a judge like Yuan Zhengming. ¡°Next, we¡¯ll talk about No.10. The deepest impression No.10 gave me was...¡±


    Saying this, Yuan Zhengming got stuck for a moment. He seemed to try and think harder for a couple of seconds, and after a long while, he finally found a single highlight. ¡°Oh, my deepest impression... It¡¯s probably him being the one to be cursed out the most in other contestants¡¯ments.¡±


    A/N:


    The longer I write, the more Old Macaque Teacher reminds me of a trafficker, one specialised in human trafficking...


    He really is a devout enthusiast of collecting his seedlings ¡¥\( ¡ä?£à)/¡¥


    PS: As for the feedback section, since there were already plenty of details described in the course of voice acting, Yuan Zhengming needed to start from the general appraisal and from the contestants themself. Those who prefer to read the detailedmentary on acting, going back to the previous chapter should be enough (or at least I think so).


    T/N:


    Luci: Teacher Yuan is such a boss, so unrelenting in recruiting new members to his professional VA cult circle ?(And I swear, it¡¯s been the longest chapter since a quite long time, RIP)

 Chapter 103

    <h4>Chapter 103</h4>


    Thank you so much Enda for the kofi! <333


    unedited


    The whole scene froze for a second, then copsed into the roars ofughter.


    Audience 1: hahahahahahahahahhahaha! I¡¯m about tough myself crazy!!


    Audience 2: Hahahaha, I just can¡¯t stan Ape Teacher any more than I already am!! o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä


    Audience 3: And Ape Teacher still freaking made an act of thinking about it for so long, hahahaha! o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä


    Audience 4: Lighting a candle for the Great God, hahaha! (lits candle)


    Audience 5: Lighting a candle for the Great God! +1 (lits candle)


    Audience 6: Lighting a candle for the Great God! +2 (lits candle)


    ¡°Hahahaha,¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t contain hisughter, pping the table continuously, ¡°Lighting a candle for the Great God +3.¡±


    ¡°About whether it was copying, I believe that Longbow has already talked about it during the previous audition, so I won¡¯t go into that now. Let¡¯s focus on the current audition.¡± Yuan Zhengming continued unhurriedly in a lukewarm tone. ¡°Speaking solely of the voice acting side of things, contestant No.10 is blessed with an extraordinary voice¡ªit¡¯s good material. But what I want to see is presentable clothes that can actually be worn, it¡¯s no use if the fabric is good but won¡¯t hold through the cutting. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m really a gori, I can¡¯t just cover myself with cloth... Eh, is contestant No.10 here?¡±


    Qi Jing was in the middle of wiping his eyes fromughing, but when he heard him say so, he quickly went to search through the channel member list, and sure enough, Bronze Sparrow Terrace wasn¡¯t there anymore. But honestly, it wouldn¡¯t be too considerate to make him stay there¡ªgiving this man a p one after another without giving him time to gather his face back up would be just too much.


    But after all, the great god truly was the great god¡ªafter he left the channel, two or three thousands people left with him as well with a grandeur, reminding one of an emperor going back with the court to his pce.


    ¡°Eh... Listening to feedback would actually be beneficial for him, but there¡¯s no way around it since the man isn¡¯t here.¡± Yuan Zhengming didn¡¯t get flustered at all, only expressing his regret towards Bronze Sparrow Terrace giving up on such an opportunity to better himself. ¡°Since No.10 isn¡¯t here, then I will just say it bluntly. No.10¡¯s innate qualities are incredibly good, but his skills arecking. He¡¯s rather shallow with his understanding and didn¡¯t notice a lot of details in the first scene, as if no matter how he yed it, it would be fine either way. What I heard the most was the No.10 himself, not the character, so I hope he will be more careful with it in the future.¡±


    Qi Jingughed softly before the screen, ¡°He was also like this when ying in ?Trap?, so there¡¯s no saving for him.¡±


    ording to Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s theory, audio drama belongs to the secondary franchise¡ªit¡¯s fine as long as the listeners express their satisfaction, and it doesn¡¯t matter whether it follows the original work or not. Preaching him about carefulness or whatsoever, it was bound to fail in the end.


    ¡°Apropos, contestant No.10¡¯s voice was iparably the most charismatic among all the contestants. It¡¯s so enchanting that it¡¯s basically cheating, since it can easily hook the audience on him in a short amount of time. But the longer the time and the more numerous the lines, the easier it gets for it to fail under a detailed scrutiny.¡±


    Speaking up to this point, Yuan Zhengming suddenly had an epiphany. ¡°Ah! That¡¯s right! Since No.10 had said that he used to do professional voice acting, just now I went out of my way to check the contestant files, and it seems like he had dabbled in advertisement voice acting before. And now I got it¡ªaren¡¯t professional advertisements all about utilising a nice-sounding voice to sway people?¡±


    Qi Jing felt that it¡¯s been a very long time since his stomach pain acted up. But if Yuan Zhengming continued hismentary like this, holding back on hisughter would surely cause him a stomachache¡ªtruly a harm to his health.


    To notugh himself dead before theputer, he decided to temporarily take his headphones off and scooped the oblivious Little Return Date from the side of his leg, lowering his head and messing its fur up giddily so as to weaken the urge to burst outughing.


    ¡°Meow meow~¡± Little Return Date put his paws on Qi Jing¡¯s hand, as if realising its importance and hence proudly demanding more food for itself.


    Of course, Qi Jing magnanimously offered it a couple of kibbles.


    By the time Little Return Date finished staffing itself arduously with food, the entire feedback for the ¡°Qin Tuo¡± audition had already finished and the channel entered the break in preparation for the next, ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± audition.


    Qi Jing used this time to check his phone. There wasn¡¯t even a single message&#k2014;it seemed like the mother and son pair were still in the middle of a conversation. As an outsider, he shouldn¡¯t interfere at such time, but he couldn¡¯t help but worry.


    ¡¾Take your time chatting. I¡¯m fine here, so don¡¯t worry about me.¡¿


    He clearly was already missing him so much that he had to use the recording to fend off the loneliness, yet either way he sent such a generous message, not wanting the other man to feel concerned about him. Originally, after finishing typing in the above message, Qi Jing also typed¡¾But I miss you very much¡¿below, but after thinking for a bit, he still backpedalled and pressed the delete key.


    If he wanted to be generous, then he should do that to the end¡ªhe¡¯d better pretend a bit better.


    Confirm, send.


    ¡°Phew...¡± After sending the message, Qi Jing tossed the phone gently by the pillow, slumping on his back on the bed and taking a deep breath. He spoke to himself with a bitter chuckle, ¡°Just thinking that we won¡¯t see until tomorrow and that I won¡¯t have any body pillow to hug for tonight, it really feels so lonely.¡±


    Living in one ce for a long time had a particr downside¡ªhe was already used to the sight of each crook and cranny of the apartment, growing familiar with it, so the shadow of that person living under the same roof was also clear and vivid in his mind. Now, no matter where he looked, he was able to find the images of him standing there in his memory. Just like after seeing a film for way too many times, even when one closed their eyes they would still remember it deeply¡ªit only took a simple item for the past image to form in their mind without them realising.


    Desk¡ªthe ce where Shen Yan would usually work.


    Bookcase¡ªthe ce where would silently take out a book for reading in his spare time.


    The deskmp, its light warm¡ªwhat he remembered the most about it was Shen Yan¡¯s concentrated and gentle profile under this light; upon hearing him being called, he would turn over, then smile faintly, themp light spinning in those eyes.


    And there was also the bed below him...


    ¡°That won¡¯t do, anything more and I won¡¯t be able to sleep tonight.¡± Qi Jing shook his head, his ears reddening a bit as he firmly stopped this association from venturing any further. He sat up in one swift movement, deciding to find something unrted that could divert his attention.


    Coincidentally enough, there was a DM notification flickering on his weibo. It was none other than his soon-to-be opponent he was about to face in half an hour, Crossing the bridge noodles.


    With how unmerciful he was with Bronze Sparrow Terrace that evening, he was obviously aware of what kind of reaction it would spark, so he straight up closed his QQ, only leaving weibo and YY in an online state. To avoid having to see the great god¡¯s fans cursing him out, he even disabled thement functions on his weibo, and his private messages wouldn¡¯t notify him of the DMs from users he didn¡¯t follow, so there was no harm in staying there.


    And there was also the fact that he and Crossing the bridge noodles had already messaged each other before, so the system notified him directly.


    CV ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles: Return Date, please hit me up if you¡¯re there.


    CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I¡¯m here.


    Currently Qi Jing chose to change the status to offline, but Crossing the bridge noodle¡¯s activity feed was lit up, so he was most probably online all that time. As expected, after he replied, the other was also quick to react.


    CV ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles: Good evening.


    CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Good evening. ^£ß^


    CV ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles: I remember that you said that it¡¯s not convenient for you because of your injured hand, so can we talk on the call?


    CV ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Mhm, but temporarily I don¡¯t want to open QQ... Sorry.


    CV ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles: I also thought so. We can also use the voice chat on YY. Come to this room, I often go there myself. There¡¯s very few people there, so it¡¯s convenient to talk.


    After saying this, he sent a room number.


    Upon seeing it, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help butugh¡ªwasn¡¯t this the dedicated channel for the small nobodies¡¯ to hone their skills, ¡°Chitter-chatter¡±? Could it be that Noodles was also a frequent visitor there?


    He logged in and entered the small room as per Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ instructions.


    Although there was no password for the room itself, at that time, there was not a single person with channel points there, so there was no need to be secretive. And that¡¯s even though Noodles started off with the currently most sensitive topic of the online voice acting circle. ¡°I listened to your audition for ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯ before.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± So Crossing the bridge noodles actually listened to thepetition just now? As the official CP of Bronze Sparrow Terrace, this really was... interesting. He didn¡¯t even know what Noodles¡¯ standing was.


    Qi Jingughed shortly, then asked deliberately, ¡°What are your thoughts after listening to it?¡±


    ¡°Hmf, Bronze Sparrow Terrace had iting.¡± Crossing the bridge noodles waspletely unperturbed, with not a sliver of empathy for the other man. If the ¡°Moss¡± shippers were to learn about it, they would probably cry themself unconscious in their toilets, every roll of the toilet paper wasted on their tears.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think that it¡¯s me who¡¯s a thankless bastard who falsely uses him?¡± Qi Jing was very curious about it.


    ¡°With a bit of analytic thinking, it¡¯s clear as a day who falsely used whom. The content of that post in the forum seems almost logical at the first nce, but it¡¯s all built on the premise that ¡®you and Bronze Sparrow Terrace met in real life¡¯. But it just happens that there¡¯s not a single evidence to prove it, so everything following isplete nonsense.¡±


    Hearing that single ¡°nonsense¡±, Qi Jing remembered the other¡¯s mysterious ability to refute any falsehoods on weibo¡ªhim choosing to not believe Bronze Sparrow Terrace was to be expected.


    That¡¯s why heughed quietly, ¡°Thank you. But Noodles, you shouldn¡¯t say that publicly. You¡¯re different from me, you share so many of your fans with the great god, so involving yourself with it would not end up well.¡±


    Crossing the bridge noodles didn¡¯t respond. He probably already understood what Qi Jing was saying very well in his heart¡ªthis muddy water should better be left unstirred.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Noodles, are you sure your mic is set up properly? Your volume is really low.¡± To conclude this silent spell between them, Qi Jing firstughed a bit to break the silence. Actually, even from the beginning he thought that the other¡¯s mic¡¯s sound output was too small. Or maybe it should be said that he spoke too quietly, always suppressing his voice to the quietest. It was a bit hard to hear his words clearly for him, so he brought attention to it in passing.


    The person on the other side of the call hesitated for a moment, clearly wanting to say something, but also unable to.


    ¡°Right now it¡¯s not really convenient for me to...¡± speak in a big voice.


    Before he even finished saying this, a slightly hoarse voice suddenly appeared in Qi Jing¡¯s headphones¡ªvery low and muffled, as ifing from a rtively close distance. The voice was one he heard before, and it also was one he couldn¡¯t possibly not recognize. ¡°...Who are you talking to?¡±


    Eh...


    Qi Jing nked for a moment. When he came back to his senses, he sucked in a mouthful of air inaudibly, holding his breath as he instinctively pressed a hand on his lips, as if out of fear of carelessly calling that ID in the next moment.


    The voice disappeared for two seconds, and when it could be heard again, it appeared to sound a little bit more awake than a moment before. ¡°Is that Return Date...¡± Then there was a rustle of the cloth as someone in the background was in the middle of changing his posture, probably thinking of how he should get up.


    Qi Jing jolted on his seat, then suddenly, his heart started to race, his whole face growing red. He was just considering whether he should continue to listen, only to hear Crossing the bridge noodles say in a heavy voice, ¡°What are you doing, lie down¡±, with a sound of cloth moving to be heard next, now even louder than previously.


    Qi Jing¡¯s was nowpletely nk, leaving him unable to say a single word.


    ¡°Uh...¡± That man groaned, seemingly now further away. Then, the sound of clothes rustling continued, intermittent but unceasing, as if the person wouldn¡¯t ept having toy down, yet it only ended up being pushed down every time¡ªhis low pants could be heard brushing lightly by the mic.


    So close that it couldn¡¯t get any closer.


    ¡°Could you be... a bit more gentle towards a sick person?¡± The man asked in a low voice like a tender whisper, ¡°Hm?¡±


    No wonder the former great god, the mere earnest tonepletely changed the quality of his voice¡ªeven the slight change in intonation at the end of his words left it with a particr vour.


    And this way of speaking just by someone¡¯s ear, just listening to it could make one melt.


    Although Qi Jing didn¡¯t go as far as melting, the fact that the man¡¯s voice could be heard in the background itself was big enough of an impact to his heart, momentarily making his face and ears blush beetroot red.


    You shall not eavesdrop, you shall not eavesdrop... Qi Jing chanted those four words quickly like a sort of mantra, stuttering a bit as he spoke, ¡°So-sorry, I didn¡¯t know that you were... I mean, you two continue.¡±


    Just as he was about to exit the YY room, Crossing the bridge noodles surprised him by stopping him from going, tossing a short ¡°Wait a moment, Return Date, don¡¯t go¡±, before muting the mic quickly.


    Qi Jing could only stay, not daring to go.


    Within the mere few minutes of his wait, tens of scenarios managed to already sh by in Qi Jing¡¯s mind. But even like this, he still couldn¡¯t recover from the shock for the longest time.


    By the time Crossing the bridge noodles unmuted his mic, five minutes had passed already.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can talk normally now,¡± That guy¡¯s breathing was a bit rushed, he was still trying his best to calm it down. But when he spoke the second part, he paused for a bit, not only not raising his voice back but even lowering it more, ¡°I made that guy go back to sleep. I¡¯m in the living room now, so you can talk.¡±


    Go back to sleep...In the living room...


    Since he used the words ¡°go back¡±, then that should mean that the man was presumably in the middle of sleeping at the beginning... And if the ce just now wasn¡¯t the living room, then it was most probably the bedroom.


    ¡°So in the end, what the hell happened in these five minutes¡±¡ªQi Jing really wanted to ask this. But as a principled gentleman who wouldn¡¯t pry into others¡¯ private matters, he still chose to swallow this question back.


    But he could still ask a bit about the matter that already had a more than clear answer. ¡°The person just now... Was it Sleek horses run fast?¡± He couldn¡¯t possibly mistake that voice.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± This time he sounded a bit more at ease than a moment earlier, but his voice was still very soft. Qi Jing has never heard Crossing the bridge noodles speak like this, just as he never heard Sleek horses run fast speak like that. That¡¯s also why his innate curiosity of a reporter got sparked, its embers getting harder and harder to contain, roaring higher the more they burned.


    So he coughed lightly once. ¡°He... how is he?¡±


    ¡°He has a fever, forty degrees.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Qi Jing eximed in surprise. He didn¡¯t think that guy really fell ill¡ªhe actually felt an immeasurable shame for letting his mind stray so far the different route just now, so he quickly cleared his throat and steered the topic back to the proper direction. ¡°He was still just fine yesterday, why did he be like this today?¡±


    At this time, Crossing the bridge noodles chuckled lightly.


    What he said were words of reproach, but it wasn¡¯t in a reproachful way¡ªrather, it was a very tender tone instead.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to him all of a sudden, but he ran outside my apartment in the middle of the night, waiting until the sun went up. Yesterday night in Beijing got three, four degrees below zero cold, so when I found him in the morning, this guy was already frozen like a popsicle. But even with the forty degrees fever still not getting any better, he still beared with it and said before the noon that he had to go back to thepany to handle some issue, so when he came back in the afternoon, he was dizzy and weak like a pestilence¡ªserves him right.¡±


    A/N:


    Serves Five right indeed hahaha


    T/N:


    Luci: The way Qi Jing had apletely different scenario in his mind as for what happened between Sleek Horses and Noodles... Yeah, I feel you buddy (covers face in shame)

 Chapter 104

    <h4>Chapter 104</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    It serves him right, it really does.Qi Jing seconded him in his heart, but he couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud unwittingly. After all, it still concluded with a happy end. ¡°But despite that, you¡¯re actually very happy right now, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Surprisingly enough, Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ voice disappeared for a moment. After a while, he spoke slowly, ¡°...I don¡¯t really know if I¡¯m happy or not. I just feel like it doesn¡¯t seem real. I¡¯ve known this guy for over a year now and during this time, we would part and reunite, unable to cut each other offpletely, so I... At that point, I already grew numb to it and decided to not involve myself with him anymore. I was preparing to resign from my job and leave Beijing, but suddenly, he actually did <i>this</i>.¡±


    Qi Jing was shocked; that slight shiver of his heart shook off the smile from his lips, the atmosphere growing cold in a moment. ¡°Is that so...¡± He suddenly felt apologetic, saying in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know all the details, so if I said something wrong, then please excuse me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem,¡± The other man didn¡¯t seem to mind, speaking in a bleak tone, ¡°In fact, I also have a pretty bad personality, so there¡¯s also my part in me and him getting to that point¡ªI guess it¡¯s a sort of retribution. Return Date, your way of living ispletely different from ours. There are some things... that are better not known.¡±


    Even with Crossing the bridge noodles saying so, Qi Jing still felt remorseful, staying silent.


    ¡°Still,¡± At that time, Crossing the bridge noodles suddenly spoke lightly, as if chuckling, but also as if sighing, ¡°It was the first time for this guy to admit clearly that... that he loves me.¡±


    When he heard this, a part of Qi Jing¡¯s memory seemed to resonate with the other¡¯s words. Even though the end he experienced waspletely opposite, the lead-up was the same¡ªhe couldn¡¯t help but feel veryplicated about it.


    ¡°I think I can understand your feelings,¡± Heughed bitterly, ¡°With the partner being a straight man, this path... it¡¯s really so difficult.¡±


    And meeting a straight man who wouldn¡¯t want to assume any responsibility, one that would only toss a simple ¡°you were actually serious about it¡± in the end¡ªit was even more crushing.


    He really couldn¡¯t bear to look back at his dark history...


    ¡°He had told me that. He said that you gave him a solid lesson before.¡± In the headphones, Crossing the bridge noodles could be heardughing briefly, his voice sincere as he spoke, ¡°Knowing that there¡¯s a person who once was in my position speaking out, I feel much more at ease. Thank you.¡±


    Hearing himugh, Qi Jing¡¯s mood also slowly grew less tense and he finally returned the smile at ease, ¡°It¡¯s because I got the worst of it, that¡¯s why when I saw a simr situation, I didn¡¯t think much before scolding him. But he ispletely different from my ex. I only knew him for a short time, so it¡¯s a bit arbitrary of me to say this, but I think that he¡¯s not a bad person.¡±


    Although he did go through his dark history, working as a reporter these few years let him improve at reading people by a lot, so his general judgement of people would rarely stray far from the reality. And since Crossing the bridge noodles had still toment it with ¡°nonsense¡±, it seemed like he didn¡¯t miss this time.


    And sure enough, the other man hummed with a chuckle and although his next words were all meant to roast Sleek Horses, that belittling tone still had a visible trace of warmth to it, ¡°That fellow is only cheeky and untrustworthy. He wouldn¡¯t do anything real bad, but he sure likes to bully people.¡±


    Bully...What kind of bullying do you mean though?


    Crossing the bridge noodles probably meant it in a literal sense, but for some unfathomable reason, Qi Jing¡¯s thoughts once again went down the gutter of its double meaning, leaving him re-evaluating his life when he snapped out of it.


    But from this mention of bullying, Qi Jing suddenly remembered another bullying-rted incident.¡°Right, I hadn¡¯t had time to talk with you properly before. Do you remember how you asked me why I would always drop the dramas you appeared in? Although I can¡¯t be one hundred percent sure of that, there seems to be a person who keeps using your name to push me around in the circle, wanting me to pin the me on you and start a drama.¡±


    But unexpectedly, there was not a single bit of surprise in Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ voice, instead what he had to say left him surprised in return. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I wanted to talk about today¡ªI investigated the whole matter of withdrawing from the audio dramas, it¡¯s one of my fan¡¯s, Reed¡¯s, doing.¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback. That person called Reed was a passionate fan of Crossing the bridge noodles, everyone in the circle knew about that. As one of the staff workers, she would often dabble in the dramas starring Crossing the bridge noodles, so over time, the title of ¡°mommy¡± got conferred to her by his fans. In fact, her rtionship with Crossing the bridge noodles himself wasn¡¯t actually all that close, it¡¯s just that she could get in touch with him a lot thanks to her post as a staff.


    But Qi Jing didn¡¯t even know her, not to mention having any beef with her. ¡°Why would she do that?¡± That¡¯s why this question became even more pivotal.


    ¡°Because of this.¡± Crossing the bridge noodles said as he sent over a picture. Qi Jing opened it to take a look¡ªit turned out to be a screenshot of a QQ chat room record¡ªstrikingly simr in style to the one he had seen before.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Now that Crossing the bridge noodles considers himself as god¡¯s official CP, he behaves like Her Majesty the Empress, so arrogant. His fans are also so awful, they¡¯re only spamming about ¡°Moss¡± everyday.


    ¡ö¡ö¡ö: But if you yed in a popr audio drama like ?Trap?, then won¡¯t you get just as popr as him?


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Hehe, just as popr as him? Such an excellent VA as me, of course I would get much better and popr than him. I¡¯m just not as shameless as him and don¡¯t run around clinging to people, so I never got a chance to coborate with the Great God. Now that I finally got such a huge backing as Bronze Sparrow Terrace, I need to get a good hold on that opportunity.


    ¡ö¡ö¡ö: What do you mean by that?


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I will stir up the God¡¯s fans in the audio drama thread to support me¡ªthis way the Great God will slowly start to care more about me and set his heart on me, leaving Crossing the bridge noodles to cool in the dust.


    &#k25J0;&#k25J0;&#k25J0;: Return Date, is it really fine for you to do that? After all, Crossing the bridge noodles has quite a lot of fans&#k2026; What if&#k2026;


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: And what about it? Are they even remotely as plenty as Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans? As long as he turns towards me, his fans would follow his suit&#k2014;the majority of Crossing the bridge noodle¡¯s fans like Bronze Sparrow Terrace, so when the timees, they would all switch sides, heh.


    ¡ö¡ö¡ö: I didn¡¯t expect you to be so fed up with Crossing the bridge noodles.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Of course, that boy is so delicate and pure, and he even used thatlovely and pitiful look to earn the Great God¡¯s doting, just seeing this makes me sick.


    ...


    ¡°That boy used that delicate and pure, lovely and pitiful look to earn the doting, just seeing this makes me sick.¡± Qi Jing read it in a deriding tone of an esteemed imperial concubine, only to hear Crossing the bridge noodlesugh lightly, probably amused by him. And even he himself wasn¡¯t able to contain hisughter. ¡°Hahahaha... Those lines are just something else.¡±


    Crossing the bridge noodles said calmly, ¡°Since the lines sound too fake, it¡¯s clear to see that someone just forged a fake QQ chat record.¡±


    Qi Jing continued for him, ¡°Then they gave this forged chat record for Miss Reed to see?¡±


    Not to mention Reed, this fervent fan, if you gave it to any Rice Noodle Fan to see, they would probably all fly into rage?


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Crossing the bridge noodles confirmed his theory, ¡°It was Reed who first told me that you bear ill intentions towards me and that you decline to stay in the same audio drama team as me. After talking with you through a call that day, I felt that something was fishy and went back to ask Reed. She told me while crying that at the time, someone emailed this screenshot to her and that she wentpletely mad seeing it, but also didn¡¯t want to upset me by letting me know, so she made her own choice to run about to squeeze you out of the production teams. She used her identity as my so-called ¡°mommy¡± to tell the staff members that I¡¯mpletely out of tune with you, forcing them to kick you out.¡±


    He exined briefly before raising a verdict. ¡°With things like this, there should be a person behind it all who ns to destroy your public opinion behind your back, making you slowly lose any chance of ying in a drama and deprive you of any footing in the circle.¡±


    But Qi Jingughed instead, neither admitting or denying. ¡°If it was only this one screenshot, then I would also think so¡ªbut there are two of them¡±


    Crossing the bridge noodles was clearly in the dark about this¡ªhe stopped, surprised, then his voice sank a bit, ¡°There¡¯s another one?¡±


    Hence, Qi Jing found the other chat record Jade Butterfly showed him. The the tone of wording in it was just as grudging, but this time the ID of the person speaking changed to ¡°Crossing the bridge noodles¡± and the font as well as the formatting of the text were wholly in ordance with the style he used, betraying the thorough level of prep work¡ªit was easy to imagine that the forger of this chat record was an expert.


    ¡°I think that I may not be the only one who¡¯s having my public opinion undermined.¡± Qi Jing pointed out slowly, ¡°Most probably you¡¯re also within this person¡¯s calctions.¡±


    ¡°Because of Bronze Sparrow Terrace?¡± No wonder Crossing the bridge noodles was able to refute rumours so often¡ªhis thinking was clear, andparing the content of the dialogues in those two pictures, he didn¡¯t need much prompting to find the crux of the problem.


    Qi Jing nodded. ¡°As long as either of us made an uproar because of it and both of those chat records got publicised, the fans from both sides would immediately start to use the other side of forging the screenshot, because both of them are indeed forged. No matter what¡¯s true and what¡¯s false and no matter whose side the onlookers would take... Both of us would only suffer because of this with our good name taking a serious blow, and in the end, we would most probably be only left with a choice to kill off our IDs, ending our career in the circle forever.¡±


    Moreover, the perpetrator himself would remain unlinked to this,pletely untouched.


    Luckily he wasn¡¯t an impulsive person and Crossing the bridge noodles was also very quick-witted, so it didn¡¯t lead to an irreversible situation.


    Qi Jing summarised it all, what Jade Butterfly had told him and her ims that she had looked for the both of them to y the main roles in her drama, to Crossing the bridge noodles.


    ¡°Jade Butterfly, this ID... I think I have heard it somewhere before.¡± After hearing this, Crossing the bridge noodles fell into musing.


    Qi Jing coughed with embarrassment. In fact, he could probably imagine where Crossing the bridge noodles heard of it. Still, this one might have better remained forgotten...


    ¡°I remember now,¡± Crossing the bridge noodles tossed out a lukewarm sentence, ¡°The woman who had pursued that guy back in the day¡ªthis woman¡¯s sight really isn¡¯t too good.¡±


    Qi Jing had to silently light a candle for the person sleeping in the bedroom.


    But Crossing the bridge noodles didn¡¯t diverge from their topic, ¡°She told you that since the other main role was you, I refused to y, but in fact I never received any invitation from her¡ªshe was lying, but for whether she was the one to forge the chat record, even if I confirm dare to tell with hundred percent certainty, it¡¯s still as high as ny percent.¡±


    ¡°I already gave a good p to Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s face tonight and also indirectly made him lose the main male role, so she¡¯ll surely get angry. If it was really her who forged those chat records, then she would probably publicise the picture you got anonymously, calling it ¡°Exposing Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s true face¡± or something like that... At that time, your fans would surely go mad from hate towards me.¡±


    That¡¯s precisely what using someone else¡¯s hand to deal the killing blow would look like.


    Crossing the bridge noodles contemted for a moment, seemingly plotting something. After a long while, he suddenly asked, ¡°Return Date, I have an idea. Do you want to try it?¡±


    ¡ªThest semi-final of male character auditions ?Order to End the Heavens?, the second main character ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±.


    There were thirty contestants enlisted for it, so remembering them all would be far from easy.


    As thepetition host who experienced all of the semi-finals before, Yang Chunqu only remembered a bare few IDs of the contestants, one of them being none other than ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡±.


    The reason was very simple¡ªunder the circumstances of ¡ªhaving gathered much more haters than fans, for him to still retain the cultured demeanour, to the point where even his retaliating p got delivered in a very urbane mannerof course she wouldn¡¯t forget him.


    Not to mention with how close were the ¡°Qin Tuo¡± and ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± auditions to each other, the heat from the first had yet to recede, so when No.7, ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡±, showed up for the audition as ording to the line up, it was as if a drop of water fell into a pot of frying oil, instantly erupting in a spirited hubbub. And among them all, the ones with the most exaggerated reaction... were none other than Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ fans.


    Audience 1: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õI heard that Don¡¯t ask for my return date spoke rudely about Little Noodles¡¯ Sparrow? Why is that... I¡¯m so disappointed... Although he¡¯s not my main life core, he¡¯s my life core¡¯s man, so I would also not excuse him! Hah!


    Audience 2: Raising hand weakly, in one of the God¡¯s fan side group chats I also heard that Don¡¯t ask for my return date colluded with a judge to harm God or something...


    Audience 3: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò The dark secrets behind the scene are so scary!! I¡¯m only begging to not get our Little Noodles involved!!


    Audience 4: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Right, Little Noodles is so pure and unsullied, he wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against those machinations, I¡¯m so worried~


    Audience 5: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Little Noodles, don¡¯t be afraid!! This big sister will be with you, it doesn¡¯t matter what happens to us, just as position in the ranking doesn¡¯t matter too... It¡¯s all fine as long as you¡¯re happy. ¡¾Pats Little Noodle¡¯s head, don¡¯t be too upset about the whole case of your man getting bullied.¡¿


    Audience 6: I didn¡¯t listen to the previous audition, so I don¡¯t know what actually happened there. But a whole lot of Sparrow fans called me here, seething from fury, to curse out Don¡¯s ask for my return date, eh... Little Noodles had said before to not be careless with cursing people out, so I¡¯ll be a good girl. But if Don¡¯t ask for my return date bullies Little Noodles, I will definitely burst into profanities!! (shakes fist)


    Looking at thements in the chat, Qi Jing really didn¡¯t know whether tough or to sigh.


    He didn¡¯t know which one, but some researcher had said before that when a message is being passed between people, mistakes are bound to appear. Those mistakes would get bigger the longer the message got around, snowballing into something that could ultimately be apletely different message. This was more than sufficient of an exnation for why, when passed on, ¡°Bronze Sparrow Terrace reaped what he saw, getting his face pped by Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡± became ¡°Bronze Sparrow Terrace got unjustly bullied by Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡±.


    But Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ fans... whenpared to the pure Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans... their style really waspletely different.


    Qi Jing was actually incredibly amused when watching their statements. Those ¡°Rice Noodles Fans¡± were so very different from the ¡°Rice Noodles Fans¡± in ?Trap? audio drama thread, making him consider in his mind: those people in the thread who fueled the hate in that thread, were they actually his fans?


    Just as he was pondering this, Yang Chunqu asked him, already with a smile and even more amiably than during the previous audition, ¡°No.7, contestant Don¡¯t ask for my return date, wee back.¡±


    Of course, this ¡®wee back¡¯ didn¡¯t only include thepetition.


    Qi Jing smiled lightly and replied with courtesy, ¡°Thank you host. Please, don¡¯t worry, I will continue to do my best in thepetition.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡¯ Although Yang Chunqu made an effort to not show her bias, she was still all in radiant smiles upon hearing this. Before a gentleman, she naturally had to use a poised tone to ask, ¡°Then, I will ask the same this time too¡ªbefore the start of this audition, do you have something to tell for everyone?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Qi Jing¡¯s smile lessened a bit as he proimed in a meaningful tone, ¡°I will give everyone an opening speech unlike anything you have ever heard before.¡±


    Once he said this, those in the chat who were there mainly just to watch the fun couldn¡¯t sit still, all shouting bravos together.


    Audience 1: Hahahahahahahahaha, Don¡¯t ask for my return date came out with an opening speech again!! I¡¯m looking forward to it!!


    Audience 2: Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s opening speeches just became a sort of natural scenery, didn¡¯t it!! (*ÆH¡¯*)¡¾Oi¡¿


    Audience 3: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã It can¡¯t be that it¡¯s going to be even more badass than the speech for ¡°Qin Tuo¡±... Crap, crap, I¡¯m kinda looking forward to it... ¡¾Oi oi oi¡¿


    Audience 4: Hahahaha, but did Bronze Sparrow Terrace also sign up for ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±? I don¡¯t know what is he going to say for this speech, but as a purelypetition enjoyer, I¡¯m silently bringing out my stool, eating popcorn as I watch the fun~


    Audience 5: Could it be that this time he... Is he about to go against God¡¯s official CP, Crossing the bridge noodles?? ¡¾Cause Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ fans seem to be of the same ilk as Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans, all of theming here to curse Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¿


    Audience 6: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤ÃWHAT?? Don¡¯t!! Us Rice Noodles Fans don¡¯t enjoy cursing people, aaaaah! Please don¡¯t involve Little Noodles... *sobs*


    Don¡¯t be like this, he¡¯s really getting involved.Qi Jing looked down, but along with the corners of his lips curling up, he raised his voice slightly, ¡°For my speech for the following audition I want to invite contestant No.8¡ªCrossing the bridge noodles¡ªtoplete it.¡±


    The way everyone heard it, it was a tant provocation¡ª


    The scene immediately fell into chaos.


    No one expected Don¡¯t ask for my return date, who had just finished pping the great god¡¯s face, to actually dare to publicly taunt the god¡¯s official CP¡ªit seemed like this enmity extended all the way to his ¡°family¡±. Immediately, everyone started the discussion, all saying that ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date is so ruthless, hurting two in one p¡±. There was also a person pasting the link to the previous post about their alleged catfight for their love, bringing the disorder a step further, as if wanting to bring the scene into a chaotic mess.


    But what everyone didn¡¯t expect was Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ reply.


    No.8 ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles: Mhm, I agree to his proposal. Host, please let me use the mic too.


    Audience 1: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õLittle Noodleeeeeees!


    Audience 2: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õLittle Noodles is preparing to get in a fight?? Don¡¯t! Little Noodles, listen to this sister, quickly back out now, don¡¯t get peeved!!


    Audience 3: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ Su-suddenly the atmosphere got so tense!¡¾Clutching heart¡¿


    Audience 4: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ Commenter above, are you me?! ¡¾Also clutching heart¡¿


    Audience 5: I have a premonition that I¡¯m about to see a bloody massacre... Don¡¯t do that! In fact I... I like both of those VAs, what to do!! ¨“¨Œ¨“


    Audience 6: I saw someone saying this, so I¡¯ll also say this¡ªin fact, I¡¯m a ¡°Time Limit¡± shipper, aaaah!! With this hostile atmosphere right now, I¡¯m so torn!! AAAAAH!! ¨“¨Œ¨“


    At that time, Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ icon on mic sequence changed from grey to green, flickering side by side with Qi Jing¡¯s icon.


    Qi Jing chuckled. Even through their mics, it was clear to see that the air between them was rxed, nothing like the tense atmosphere of the enemies meeting on a narrow road.


    ¡°Noodles,¡± He directly used the familiar nickname to call the other, greeting him for the second time that night, ¡°Good evening.¡±


    ¡°Return Date,¡± the other replied calmly, ¡°Good evening.¡±


    Ehh...Everyone present became dumbstruck.


    It felt like when, having read the film description before going to the cinema, one finally waited until the much awaited screening, only to realise that the main leads are still the same actors, but the plot turned out to bepletely different from the description.


    So what about theing to blows?


    And what about the ¡°enemies going into frenzy upon catching a nce of each other¡±?


    A/N:


    The Time Limit shippers are having a field day... (*ÆH¡¯*) (Eh?)


    But now that we¡¯re on it, I really miss Kitty¡¯s Papa... Kitty¡¯s Papa, if you don¡¯te back quick, I will go on with the Time Limit!! ¨“¨Œ¨“ (Oi)


    T/N:


    Luci: I swear, I didn¡¯t expect Qi Jing¡¯s mind to be so in the gutter... I think it might be too much inte for him haha~ And! We¡¯re getting more Return Date & Noodles interaction! (waves the ship g in the background)

 Chapter 105

    <h4>Chapter 105</h4>


    unedited


    The plot and the description being light years apart from each other wasn¡¯t the main point. The main point was, even though they all knew that the two of them didn¡¯t line up, there was not a single person on the spot who wanted to return their tickets. Everyone just stopped breathing, waiting for the follow-up with their ears perked up.


    And so, the follow-up came about.


    ¡°Right, I still have yet to properly give you thanks foring just to cheer for me that time¡ªthank you.¡± Crossing the bridge noodles was the first to speak¡ªnot in the youthful voice he usually used to voice-act in dramas, but in his actual, natural voice. It still sounded young, but it was apparent that he was a young adult man. If one was topare him to water, he would certainly be a clear, minty one.


    ¡°No need to be so polite,¡± The tone of Qi Jing¡¯s reply was as if he spoke with an old friend, light and leisurely, ¡°If anything, I have to thank you for refuting the rumours about me under the gossip post¡ªcheering on for you is merely me returning the favour.¡±


    ¡°That gossip post about me and you was clearly heading towards bringing your name downter on, so as a person involved, meing out to refute it was just a matter of course.¡± This phrase from Crossing the bridge noodles was said in such a calm tone, that there was no intent to attack anyone to be heard, aside from those who were too obstinate and used to hating to realise this.


    ¡°That¡¯s true as well.¡± Qi Jing said with a chuckle.


    Audience 1: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã...


    Audience 2: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã... Eh? Eh eh eh?


    Audience 3: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã So it turns out that Little Noodles and Don¡¯t ask for my return date... they actually came here as friends??


    Audience 4: Holy crap!! The reality really shook me!! Wait wait... My mind is so nk that I can¡¯t think straight... But, about them knowing each other and even having a good rtionship, I kinda feel really happy about it!!¡¾As a Time Limit shipper I¡¯m so hyped, I want to go run circles downstairs¡¿


    Audience 5: Help... Return and Crossing the bridge noodles were actually so close?? I remember that post, I think it was about Return sowing discord between him and the great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace or something.


    Audience 6: Remembering that post +1. Seeing both of the people involveding out to rify it, I¡¯m suddenly so excited and happy~ \(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/


    But those listeners didn¡¯t know that at this point, the true highlight of their show was still ahead.


    ¡°I feel like it¡¯s because we never yed main roles together that the rumours of us being in a conflict keep cropping out outside there.¡± Qi Jing smiled slightly before suddenly changing the topic.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we already have a coboration though?¡± When Crossing the bridge noodles said that, the entirety of the audience bursted into exmations of surprise, asking where the post thread for this drama was, or where it could be downloaded. But his following words disappointed all the Rice Noodles Fans. ¡°It¡¯s a pity though, the producer still didn¡¯t have time to officially make this news public.¡±


    ¡°But the strange thing is, the names of the main characters from this drama are just the same as our IDs.¡± Qi Jing faked a musing.


    ¡°What¡¯s even more strange is, the producer actually sent our lines separate from each other,¡± Crossing the bridge noodles continued lukewarmly, ¡°And they even sent us the wrong scripts, with the one you got being for me, and me getting yours.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it was?¡± Qi Jing raised his voice, showing a surprised reaction, ¡°No wonder then, and here I was just thinking why am I the one cursing myself.¡±


    The audience¡¯s appetite got instantly whetted, just as did their interest.


    Audience 1: o(¨R¨Œ¨Q)o Aaaah! Begging everyone for this drama with the character names based on the main actors¡¯ IDs!!¡¾What is even that producer thinking, sending the wrong scripts?? This feels so weird...¡¿


    Audience 2: o(¨R¨Œ¨Q)o Could it be an IRL ship audio drama?? I just can¡¯t be this happy as a Time Limit shipper!!¡¾covers face¡¿


    Audience 3: The one above, buddy, you probably guessed it wrong~ Return Date has clearly said that he was cursing himself in it, so it doesn¡¯t seem like a ship audio drama, and more like a fight... Aaaaaah, in the end what is that drama, this curiosity is about to kill me! Begging to publish the script! Even a small paragraph is fine!


    ¡°Everyone seems very interested in listening to it, so how about it, Noodles?¡± Qi Jing sought his opinion courteously.


    ¡°Since the scripts got swapped, then we might as well go on with how it is now. Let¡¯s try acting it out together, shall we?¡± Crossing the bridge noodles also agreed magnanimously.


    ¡°Fine, then let¡¯s begin from me¡ª¡± Qi Jing¡¯s eyes curled up in a silent smile as he opened the picture he got back in a day from Jade Butterfly, using the ssic ¡°delicate and superficially pure¡± tone of a scheming concubine from the TV dramas, as if throwing a fit, ¡°What kind of joke is that?! Who would want to y together in the same drama with someone as shameless as you, Don¡¯t ask for my return date, and tarnish their good name?¡±


    The audience was dumbstruck.


    Crossing the bridge noodles immediately replied in a mocking tone, ¡°Crossing the bridge noodles, now that you consider yourself as god¡¯s official CP, you suddenly dare to behave like Her Majesty the Empress? Such an excellent VA as me, of course I would get much better and popr than you. I¡¯m just not as shameless as you and don¡¯t run around clinging to people, so I never got a chance to coborate with the god. Now that I finally got such a huge backing as Bronze Sparrow Terrace, I need to get a good hold on that opportunity.¡±


    The audience was again bbergasted.


    Qi Jing had a hard time holding down his urge tough, but he still persevered in maintaining the resentfuldy¡¯s tone¡ª¡±<i>Empress in the Pce</i>¡± style. ¡°Humph~¡± He even added a nasal hum, like a living disy of a princess syndrome, ¡°I know you¡¯re cooperating with Bronze Sparrow, so you¡¯re probably about to get popr from now on, but do I, with the amount of my fans in five digits, have to rub off some of your poprity? What¡¯s more, the sheer thought of being in the same production crew as you makes me feel sick and all of the staff members who know me are aware of that.¡±


    At that moment he paused for a little, then said, filled with immense pride, ¡°If either me or one of them is in the production crew, you can forget about staying in it!¡±


    Audience 1: ...


    Audience: ...That¡¯s so much information at once... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Audience 3: ...I seem to have realised something... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Audience 4: ...I also remembered something... A few months ago, there was a simr rumour passed secretly between the staff members in the circle, so Don¡¯t ask for my return date got kicked out of a lot of drama teams. This rumour got passed really far, I even secretly rejoiced in the fact that I didn¡¯t look for him before.¡¾Now that I remembered it, I only want to cry... Lord Don¡¯t ask for my return date, I¡¯m begging for your forgiveness TAT¡¿


    Audience 5: So right now, are they... they¡¯re being sarcastic with it on purpose?? Aaaaah!! I can¡¯t calm down now, begging for the truth!! (¨s£­£ß£­)¨s¨k¨k


    Audience 6: Honestly, when I first heard this gossip, I thought that it was either Don¡¯t ask for my return date courting a disaster, or Crossing the bridge noodles. But now that I got enlightened by hearing this... Hehe, listening to that, it¡¯s probably someone using Bronze Sparrow Terrace to set them against each other? ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    <i>Them getting set against each other</i>¡ªthere were sure many clever people among the audience, they got the clue very quickly.


    In the end, it didn¡¯t matter if Bronze Sparrow Terrace, as a driving point of the conflict, knew about being used or not. After all, they would make this ¡°driving point¡± unable to ever appear in the gossip about them again, no longer letting it be used as the reason behind their ¡°love affair catfights¡±, the rumour about their so-called mutual jealousy copsing on its own.


    At that time, Crossing the bridge noodles raised his voice proudly, as if all mighty and lofty in his contempt, ¡°And what about it? Are they even remotely as plenty as Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans? As long as he turns towards me, his fans would follow his suit¡ªthe majority of Crossing the bridge noodle¡¯s fans like Bronze Sparrow Terrace, so when the timees, they would all switch sides, heh.¡±


    This ¡°heh¡± of his got ¡°heh-ed¡± so very confidently, so frivolously, that hearing it made one¡¯s palms itch, ready to give him a p.


    Qi Jing on the other hand assumed a wronged tone¡ªthe must-have of every superficially pure darling¡ªas he murmured instinctively, ¡°In a word... I won¡¯t give up Bronze Sparrow to anyone else.¡±


    Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ contempt reached its highest, ¡°Heh, boy, you are so delicate, making yourself seem so pure, using your lovely and pitiful looks to earn the Great God¡¯s doting, just seeing this makes me sick.¡±


    Their exchange stopped at that.


    The audience waspletely dumb.


    ¡°Pfft...¡± Suddenly, one of them couldn¡¯t keep himself fromughing anymore and bursted out in loudughter and the other followed,ughing to his heart¡¯s content. Twopletely different, yet equally clear and pleasant voices resounded together and only then everyone woke up quickly from their shock among theirughter.


    Audience 1: ¡«\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/¡« Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...


    Audience 2: ¡«\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/¡« Hahahaha, I finally got it!!


    Audience 3: Hahahaha, can¡¯t stop pping my desk!! It sure is a wholly new way to start an introduction!!¡¾I also suddenly got it... Heh, some spheres sure are messy¡¿


    Audience 4: It should have been a very serious topic, but I just can¡¯t! Whoever wrote these lines from behind the scenes, what the hell were they thinking, hahahaha...


    Audience 5: (/¨R¨Œ¨Q)/¡«©Ø©Ø Aiyo! Those two are just too funny! Impersonating each other to curse themselves out, hahahaha!


    Audience 6: (/¨R¨Œ¨Q)/¡«©Ø©Ø I don¡¯t know why, I used to be a passerby ¡°Moss¡± shipper, but now I¡¯m proiming! I¡¯m now officially a ¡°Time Limit¡± stan!


    This much plot development should be enough. Qi Jing skimmed through thements in the chat, his voice returning back to usual as he said,ughing lightly, ¡°Enough with it. In fact, today we wanted to make use of this asion to say this to the producer¡ªif you¡¯re listening, of course.¡±


    Crossing the bridge noodles continued with the rest of his thought, ¡°The script wasn¡¯t too shabby, just remember to not send the wrong one next time.¡±


    The corners of Qi Jing¡¯s lips curled up, ¡°Also, if you were nning to produce a drama like this from the beginning, then...¡±


    At that moment, out of the two of them, oneughed, the other snickered, both of them finishing thest bit tacitly.


    ¡°Sorry, but you chose the wrong leads¡ª¡±


    Audience 1: Aoaoawoooo!!


    Audience 2: Aoaoawoooo!¡¾No can do, just howling like a wolf!¡¿


    Audience 3: (*ÆH¡®*) Aoaoawoo! This random plot twist is just so... I¡¯m really beginning to feel for those two!! It can be said that even without participating in the audition, Bronze Sparrow Terrace got his p, pfft.


    Audience 4: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò What is it with me being both sad and happy?


    Audience 5: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Both sad and happy +1¡¾Lighting a candle for myself, a past Moss shipper¡¿


    Audience 5: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Both sad and happy +2¡¾As someone who didn¡¯t know better and scolded Don¡¯t ask for my return date for the sake of Little Noodles I really am about to die from shame...¡¿


    ¡°Okay, this should be enough to rify everything for everyone, so let¡¯s continue.¡± Qi Jing smiled slightly, then went ahead to concede to Yang Chunqu, ¡°Otherwise the host would be at a loss of what to do.¡±


    Crossing the bridge noodles hummed in agreement, but he didn¡¯t leave immediately, suddenly calling Qi Jing lightly. ¡°Return Date.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°I had said so before on weibo, and today I will say it again.¡± As he was leaving, Crossing the bridge noodles just had to drop the heavy artillery without much care in the world, giving an unhurried, ambiguous chuckle, ¡°Compared to Bronze Sparrow Terrace, I like you more.¡±


    That emphasis on the ¡°you¡± really did let one¡¯s imagination gopletely wild¡ª


    The Time Limit shippers erupted in howls.


    The Moss shippers cried, their hearts in shatters.


    And Qi Jing facepalmed in silence.


    Noodles-kun... You¡¯re doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you?


    ¡°Thank you for your confession of friendship,¡± He took advantage of the course of this conversation and said, ¡°I hope that your real boyfriend won¡¯t get jealous when he hears this.¡±


    ¡°You too,¡± Crossing the bridge noodles heard the hidden reverse flirtation in his tone andughed calmly, ¡°I won¡¯t make a scene anymore, you too say hello from me to your boyfriend.¡±


    Information load, information load, information load...


    The key words, the key words, the key words...


    For now, there were only those two phrases in the listeners¡¯ brains, buzzing around incessantly. This huge information overload was impossible to stomach at once. He believed that tomorrow, it would get analysed bit by bit by the folks in the forum¡ªit was bound to nourish the fields of gossip in the online VA circle well. Aside from that, the post thread for ¡°Time Limit¡± was probably going to grow another page or two.


    And as for someone who had nothing to do with the online VA circle like Yuan Zhengming, he could only silently type out in the chat, ¡°Are you guys making fun of me?¡±


    But he really didn¡¯t expect that those two really were about to have fun¡ªan earnest, but also unconstrained ¡°fun¡±.


    Even though ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± didn¡¯t actually get his POV in the original novel and was only described through the others¡¯ characters observations, he could still be said to be the hardest role to grasp in the fifth instalment of ?Order to End the Heavens? in terms of the changes in his psyche. Each and every move of his got described by the author in great detail, only his mind didn¡¯t.


    That was because ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± was set as an ¡°unfathomable man¡± in the first ce. For the contestants, a role like this could be said to be especially vague, with quite a lot of freedom of interpretation. If ying a different role could be said to be like writing a conventional essay with strict guidelines, then ying this character was like writing prose¡ªnot letting it lose its essence while taking some creative liberties was quite a tricky matter.


    Even after many years, whenever Yuan Zhengming recalled the performances of these two, he would still pull his hair and fume whileining to others that ¡°They really were making fun of me.¡±


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date was No.7, Crossing the bridge noodles No.8.


    They were lined up closely one after another, so the contrast was naturally even more acute.


    First of all, in the characters introduction provided by thepetition, ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± was mentioned to be ¡°Cold and noble with arrogant temperament, ruthless when necessary¡±. But they didn¡¯t provide any clear guidelines as for how these characteristics were meant to be embodied, as even in the original novel, he was only depicted through show-don¡¯t-tell.


    Qi Jing¡¯s voice sounded noble by nature, everyone who listened to his previous two auditions knew that, but when it got paired with this role, it was still a bit too warm. But at the same time, his voice also had a conniving undertone to it, which was very suited for the shrewd and cautious side of this character.


    Crossing the bridge noodle¡¯s voice quality was cool, so he couldpletely embody that ¡°coldness¡± in its fullest when he remained solemn, but it also sounded too clear and pure. Just looking at the roles he usually took, he wouldn¡¯t be able to y a man well-versed in the bloodstained depths of the court.


    Yuan Zhengming really wished he could just smash those two into one.


    Their strengths and weaknesses were in to see, it was easy to foresee the effects of their acting and that would best be avoided.


    After all, apetition is apetition¡ªeveryone would need to do their best to stress their good points while covering up their drawbacks. Currently, no matter if it was No.7 or No.8, neither of them was ideal, and their way of thinking was probably the same as his, to do their best to meet in the middle.


    Or... at least that¡¯s what he thought at first.


    A/N:


    Peddling, peddling, peddling the Time Limit ship~


    T/N:


    Luci: Gobbling, gobbling, gobbling down the Time Limit~

 Chapter 106

    <h4>Chapter 106</h4>


    unedited


    Contrary to Yuan Zhengming¡¯s expectations, those two not only did not meet in the middle, but also divergedpletely in their acting¡ªeach with their own considerations that lead them to creating a unique style. Even looking at the lines for the first scene, the two of them already took remarkably different approaches when delivering them.


    The timeline of the first scene was when ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± was still a part of the underground organisation, and it was a dialogue between him and the main viin¡ªchief minister ¡°Yan Buliu¡±. In the fifth instalment of ?Order to End the Heavens?, chief minister ¡°Yan Buliu¡± held a power in and outside of the court. With his daughter ¡°Concubine Shu¡± as a beloved darling of ¡°Emperor Chang¡±, he thought himself the emperor¡¯s inw, his followers innumerable and all over the court¡ªit could be said that he was revered and feared by many, a powerful character no one would dare to offend. At the same time, ¡°Yan Buliu¡± also had another identity¡ª famous all over the Jianghu ¡±Hook of Hell¡±, his name striking fear in the heart of anyone who heard it.


    He tried his best to hide his identity, interfering with the court politics as a chief minister. On one side, he would get rid of his old foes from the Jianghu under the name of suppressing the rebels in his son-inw¡¯s stead, paving the way for himself to be the leader of the martial society; on the other side, he would use his connections in the Jianghu to gather intelligence and subdue the rebels, protecting his inw emperor¡¯s rule over thend, as well as protecting the glory and wealth of the Yan family.


    But with ¡°Fang Yisheng¡¯s¡± existence, a small obstacle to his n appeared¡ªthat was because ¡°Yan Buliu¡± suspected that ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± was also a man of the Jianghu¡ªmore than that, he also suspected that he was one of those who plotted the rebellion. That¡¯s why ¡°Yan Buliu¡± paid him a visit with ulterior motives, and having earlier gathered all the information needed about him, ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± also weed himposedly.


    Once Qi Jing spoke, the aristocratic bearing immediately poured over from his voice¡ªit was easy to hear that this person was well-practised,pletely unlike themon folks and used to dealing with the high-ss officials and the people of power. ¡°This petty official heard that the chief minister istely troubled with an illness. With the winter at its harshest and the cold weather outside, for the head of the court as the chief minister, it would be for the best to not neglect preventing the worsening of the illness early, so please, doe in for the discussion.¡±


    Uninvited guest was bound to bring ill luck.


    Qi Jing¡¯s tone was reverent, disying the respect of a rather low-level official like ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± before the powerful minister and putting himself below him, abiding to the etiquette, but still not at all subservient. The words he spoke were also very courteous and ttering on the surface, but there was no ttering tone in his voice, so it felt like a kind of mocking instead. With a second meaning to each of his words, it was very much a characteristic of a seasoned member of the court¡ªQi Jing focused precisely on this point.


    ¡°Jianghu? As the proverb says, ¡®the court up in heights, Jianghu faraway¡¯¡ªthose arepletely two different things, so today, why would the chief minister suddenly find interest in discussing matters of Jianghu with this petty official?¡± In the second line, he lifted his voice in the first part of the sentence, so as to appear genuinely surprised, but in reality, he knew the cause very well. He also deliberately stressed the ¡°two different things¡±, making it known that at the time, the character already knew about ¡°Yan Buliu¡¯s¡± double identity and was only being sarcastic while testing the limits here and there, merely apanying the other in the act¡ªa measure meant to magnify the character¡¯s scheming side.


    ¡°Tongzhou, heh...¡± When the topic of the conversation moved to the current biggest territorial elephant in the room, a short chuckle escaped Qi Jing¡¯s lips, but it was hard to tell whether it was deliberate or on purpose. This wasn¡¯t mentioned in the prompts for the lines, this chuckle was his own, personal addition¡ªa bit of a grim and stern manner ofughing, ¡°Jianghu stretches far and wide, so why need to mention a ce as puny as a single Tongzhou?¡± In the following lines, this manner turned even more evident, like an unsheathed sword, disying its de for a naked eye to see.


    ¡°But thinking of it, it truly is fascinating how a short while before the news of the rebellion in Tongzhou arrived at the capital, the chief minister fell incredibly ill, but when Marquess Shunyang returned victorious back to the capital from the pacification of rebels, bringing back the Jianghu captives with him, the chief minister¡¯s illness got better. So mysteriously coincidental¡ªcan it be that the cause of the chief minister¡¯s ailment is also called ¡®Jianghu¡¯?¡± His words pouring smoothly and naturally, each of them not unlike knives, it was enough to render the person before him dumbstruck.


    Even when he was smiling, Qi Jing¡¯s ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± made people feel chill creeping into their bones. He was also sharp and thought the crafty ttery and fawning of the court officials to be beneath his dignity. This was Qi Jing¡¯s understanding of ¡°haughty and aloof¡±¡ªhe was not an inflexible curio who hid away and refused to see the world, letting others have a taste of his precisive skills.


    And on the other hand, Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ performance was of apletely different kind.


    ¡°This petty official heard that the chief minister istely troubled with an illness?¡± Unlike Qi Jing who stated it as a fact, he raised his voice in the second part of the sentence, making it into a question. Besides, it was a question he already knew an answer to well enough.


    ¡°With the winter at its harshest and the cold weather outside, for the head of the court as the chief minister, it would be for the best to not neglect preventing the worsening of the illness early, so please, doe in for the discussion.¡± The timbre of his voice was colder than Qi Jing¡¯s, so he made use of that characteristic, highlighting that fearless attitude in a face of the man of power in the court.


    Qi Jing¡¯s manner of speaking was like a needle concealed in silk floss.


    Meanwhile his was like a surging undercurrent¡ª


    ¡°Jianghu?¡± Crossing the bridge noodles repeated this term lukewarmly, but he didn¡¯tugh, only calmly andposedly giving a clear-sounding reply, almost as if questioning him in return, ¡°As the proverb says, ¡®the court up in heights, Jianghu faraway¡¯¡ªthose arepletely two different things, so today... Why would the chief minister suddenly find interest in discussing matters of Jianghu with this petty official?¡± He gradually slowed his speech down, the tone meaningful. Even though his method was a bit different from Qi Jing¡¯s, the end result was still very simr as it made up for his shoring that wasck of an experienced sense to his voice.


    ¡°Tongzhou... Jianghu stretches far and wide, so why need to mention a ce as puny as a single Tongzhou?¡± Even when the conversation arrived at the main point, he still didn¡¯t show a single bit of agitation¡ªas if he had long since knew the reason¡ªand spoke disparagingly, ¡°But thinking of it, it truly is fascinating how a short while before the news of the rebellion in Tongzhou arrived at the capital, the chief minister fell incredibly ill, but when Marquess Shunyang returned victorious back to the capital from the pacification of rebels, bringing back the Jianghu captives with him, the chief minister¡¯s illness got better¡ªso mysteriously coincidental.¡±


    At that point, his voice suddenly grew imposing, encroaching at the other¡¯s invisibility. ¡°Can it be that the cause of the chief minister¡¯s ailment... Is also called ¡®Jianghu¡¯?¡±


    Even though the two of them were poles apart, each of their performances had its own logic and highlights, no matter who was right and who was wrong.


    With no set rules regarding the implementation of the lines, it was more or less as if either of the styles were in line with the character, but there was still so much room for variety.


    It was probably the first time for Yuan Zhengming to stumble across such a situation, he had no way of calling CUT for either of them, since his heart was itching from the curiosity for how those two would handle the remaining part. The viewability was also one of the distinguishing sides of amercialpetition, so both as a judge and an ardent enthusiast of voice acting, he would of course take pleasure in it.


    But the audience listening to those two performances was very much in a conundrum.


    Audience 1: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ This... This really is hard to choose from!! I have just given my vote to Don¡¯t ask for my return date, but now I think that Crossing the bridge noodles is also incredible, what to do??


    Audience 2: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ Each for their own, I already decided to give both of them my votes...¡¾My love is universal, I really can just support the walls¡¿


    Audience 3: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ Already decided to give both of them my votes +1¡¾Silently joins the wall gang¡¿


    Audience 4: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ Already decided to give both of them my votes +2¡¾Also silently joins the wall gang


    Audience 5: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò *cries* it doesn¡¯t matter as much during the semi-finals, but during the finals, only one can get chosen... I can¡¯t give up on either of them, I really can¡¯t~


    Audience 6: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Shaking hands with thementer above! We¡¯ll still see how that goes during the finals¡ªthe champion is decided based on the overall performance in thepetition, right?


    But the most surprising thing was, even though the current mannerism and tone of the two of them had its own unique side, towards the end, they both gradually started converging into the same path without any of it feeling out of ce.


    Thest scene was set during the re up of ¡°Fang Yisheng¡¯s¡±te-stage poisoning, as he was talking by a couch with his young page ¡°Lu Wei¡±. At that time, the character had already lost all of his martial aptitude and was forced to leave Listen to the Wind Inn to escape ¡°Yan Buliu¡¯s¡± pursuit, hiding in a secret residence&#k2014;yet sadly enough, he still couldn¡¯t avoid getting weaker with each passing day.


    The more noble in temperament, the more strong and independent he was before, the harsher of a fall he suffered at that point, making one feel sorry for him.


    ¡°Cough...¡± Only after a few deep, strained breaths Qi Jing gave a stifled cough¡ªthat was because he wanted to encapste the ¡°unyielding¡± side of the character¡ªeven though the poison in his body was ring up and his lungs felt as if there was a thousand of needles stabbing at them, a haughty man like ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± wouldn¡¯t let themself appear too sorry. What¡¯s more, that pure by nature ¡°Lu Wei¡± was now tending to him, so in face of this child, he also couldn¡¯t look too pained, so as to not hurt the boy.


    But at times, things wouldn¡¯t go as one intended.


    ¡°Wu,¡± Suddenly, he groaned¡ªit was like something held onto part of his voice, making him unable to spit it out, so he swallowed with great difficulty. The way it sounded for the listeners, it was as if he choked on the blood in his throat, each word assembled stiffly and strenuously, ¡°Lu... Wei, you...e over here.¡±


    Saying this, he once again panted rapidly, the sheer sound of it enough to wrench a listener¡¯s heart. Hearing his master¡¯s call, the young page on the side should hurry over, stumbling and crawling to the coachside, looking at him with sorrow. Faced with such an expression, there was only so much he could do, and only so much he could say. ¡°What time is it... now? The sun, it still hasn¡¯t risen?¡±


    This part in the novel left Qi Jing with a deep impression.


    ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± woke up from aa, inquiring ¡°Lu Wei¡± for the time, and ¡°Lu Wei¡± broke into tears. The reason was, the sheer utterance of this question meant that the poison already took over ¡°Fang Yisheng¡¯s¡± eyes, gradually depriving him of sight so that even with the surroundings all bright, he still thought that it was the dead of the night. Even if Lu Wei didn¡¯t tell him the truth now, with his perceptiveness, he would probably guess it himself soon enough. And especially with ¡°Lu Wei¡± crying, he understood it immediately.


    ¡°Haha...¡± At that time, Qi Jing suddenlyughed shortly, a vast expanse of eptance of his fate untinted with despair. He even stillforted the boy in a hoarse voice, ¡°Lu Wei, don¡¯t cry. I, Fang Yisheng... I spent all my life tricking and deceiving and during that, my eyes saw all kinds of endless carnages. For me to not see anymore now, I feel relieved instead.¡±


    At that moment, he stopped for a while, as if remembering a person.


    ¡°Yan Buliu¡± wouldn¡¯t leave a way out for his used pawn, and ¡°Bai Ke¡±, whom he bribed, had already disappeared without any news for half a year, his disappearance boding ill¡ªhe probably wouldn¡¯t survive. Whether it was karmic retribution or a disaster he courted for himself, he wouldn¡¯t survive, nor would hee back.


    Thinking of this, his voice died down, like a pile of smouldering coal that had burned outpletely, no longer able toe ame, turning into white ashen dust inch after inch.


    ¡°The man who poisoned me, either way... I won¡¯t see him anymore.¡±


    He said, the nature of the emotions in his voice ungraspable.


    But that calm and easy tone had now disappeared¡ªalthough the first and the second phrases were coherent, there was a very clear divide between the emotions in them. Atst, he evenughed hollowly, ndly, ¡°Hah...¡±


    Did he not hate, did he hate to the bone¡ªor perhaps, did the man himself was at loss of what he felt? It could very much leave one with asting afterthought¡ª


    Audience 1: ¨“¨Œ¨“ My Fang Yisheng aaaahhh...¡¾The inn-master Fang¡¯s loyal-to-death-fan¡¯s heart¡¯s shattered¡¿


    Audience 2: ¨“¨Œ¨“ I remember this part, this one¡¯s so painful aaaah!!


    Audience 3: ¨“¨Œ¨“ I really hate Bai Ke so much! I hate him! But Fang Yisheng does not... Or at least I think that he doesn¡¯t. This way it hurts more, okay?! *sobs*


    Audience 4: ¨“¨Œ¨“ The difference between those two phrases was so strong... Such a magnificent person, to be so miserable in the end...


    Audience 5: ¨“¨Œ¨“ My heart hurts, this pain is too much to bear!!¡¾Bai Ke, you bastard!! Bastard!!!¡¿


    Audience 6: ¨“¨Œ¨“ I¡¯m in for No.7! I¡¯m so in that my face is wet from tears!¡¾I don¡¯t have enough tissues, sobs...¡¿


    The ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± fans among the original novel readers received a critical hit from Qi Jing, only for Crossing the bridge noodles to deal them another one. As they were saying, ¡°all the ss hearts got smashed into bits and pieces¡±.


    The characterisation Crossing the bridge noodles went for was cold and indifferent. Towards thest scene, those two temperaments made the encounter with this character even more heart-wrenching, each cough stirring the listeners¡¯ hearts, ¡°Cough... cough cough cough...¡±


    When he finished coughing, he sighed lightly, feebly. The image painted through this portrayal was that of him lying alone on the bed, sounding nothing like he was still a living human, disying the man¡¯s hopeless and dispassionate state of mind.


    Crossing the bridge noodles gasped weakly as he called in a low voice, ¡°Lu Wei...¡±


    His voice was so faint, it was scarcely audible. So he called once again, mustering strength to raise his voice, ¡°Lu Wei... Youe over here.¡±


    The way he spoke was like a weak, flickering me, but although each time he spoke made one think that it would go out soon, it still kept on burning. The me may be weak, but at that time, it was still dancing around¡ªmaybe it still had a desire it had yet to give up on. ¡°What time is it now? The sun... it still hasn¡¯t risen?¡±


    Counting each day everyday, half a year had already passed, yet it felt like but a one day¡ªyet another ill omen.


    Likewise for him, and for Bai Ke.


    By the time the young page holding his tears back by the couch made him realise that he has lost sight in his eyes, he was shocked first, his breathing falling into disarray, onlyter slowly returning back to his previous calmness. With death looming over him, he grew fearless instead, ¡°Lu Wei... Don¡¯t cry. I, Fang Yisheng, I spent all my life tricking and deceiving... And during that, my eyes saw all kinds of endless carnages.¡±


    After saying this, he heaved a long, quiet sigh, unable to constrain grief spilling from his voice, ¡°For me to not see anymore now, I feel relieved instead.¡±


    At least he could now be freed from seeing that man¡¯s end with his own eyes¡ªno matter if he would live or die, he didn¡¯t want to see any of it.


    ¡°The man who poisoned me...¡± He said, as if muttering to himself to carve those words in his heart, to purge any of the other thoughts from it, ¡°I won¡¯t see him anymore. ¡°Either way, I won¡¯t see him anymore...¡±


    Audience 1: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò ...


    Audience 2: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò How many times the Fang faction needs to get their heart shattered... *sobs* My heart is hurting too much already!!¡¾cries wing at the ground¡¿


    Audience 3: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Little Noodles is so amazing... I rarely hear him doing the young adult voice, but it¡¯s so crazy!! Turns out that he can still be so handsome even when he¡¯s not voice acting a feeble young boy...


    Audience 4: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò But listening to those parts too many times is no good for your heart!! No.7¡¯s way of dealing angst and No.8¡¯s angst are not exactly the same, but they¡¯re both so immersive! ¡¾Thumbs up, a thumb a person¡¿


    Audience 5: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò I can¡¯t take it, I¡¯m going back to crying a bit more...


    Audience 6: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Date¡¯s bitterugh and Crossing the bridge noodle¡¯s downheartedness are both! so! on! point!¡¾So on point that I can¡¯t stop my tears from streaming down my face¡¿


    ¡°You two are making fun of me on purpose...¡± Yuan Zhengming kept muttering this all the way until the scoring section. Fascinated by how Qi Jing and Crossing the bridge noodles both wentpletely different routes with their performance, he actually kept his fussy pickiness in check, fully absorbed in listening to their differences, so by the time the third scene was finished, he finally realised that he was alreadyte to call any cuts.


    ¡°I was too careless... too careless...¡± But even though heined grudgingly, the sheer fact that he could get so absorbed in listening to it was a good enough proof that those two contestants really had some skill to them, so there was no need to call cuts. His repetitive muttering was also his private, unreconciled grumbling, nothing more.


    Since none of them got cut, Pu Yuzhi¡¯s score would ultimately settle their position. But even this score made Yuan Zhengming yell ¡°You¡¯re all making fun of me!¡±.


    ¡¾No.7 ¨C Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¿


    ¡¾psed Time¡¿£º2:00


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿£º4.0


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿£º4.0


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿£º4.0


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿£º4.5


    Judging panel¡¯s evaluation: 2.00 + 4.0 + 4.0 + 4.0 + 4.5 = 18.5 points


    Additional audience vote points: 78.9% voting ratio = 0.789 points


    Overall score: 18.5 + 0.789 = 19.289 points


    ¡¾No.8 ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿


    ¡¾psed Time¡¿£º2:00


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿£º4.0


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿£º4.0


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿£º4.0


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿£º4.5


    Judging panel¡¯s evaluation: 2.00 + 4.0 + 4.0 + 4.0 + 4.5 = 18.5 points


    Additional audience vote points: 80.1% voting ratio = 0.801 points


    Overall score: 18.5 + 0.801 = 19.301 points


    In terms of a number of fans at the scene, Crossing the bridge noodles still had an upper hand, getting into the lead by a tiniest of a margin. But looking at it from the other side, for Qi Jing, who has always had a rather low-key fanbase, to be able to get about the same support as a popr VA like Crossing the bridge noodles, it was already a very good achievement. Aside from the audience vote points, their scores were absolutely identical, with no difference to speak of.


    The fans also voiced their joy for this result.


    Audience 1:¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sWaah! I¡¯m so hyped! Little Noodles is now first in the ranking!


    Audience 2:¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sEven though Date¡¯s score is this little bit smaller, but it¡¯s so close!! It¡¯s basically the same if you look at the judge¡¯s evaluation. Congrats, congrats! The two of you are both amazing!!


    Audience 3: So can we, the Time Limit shippers, finally rise back to life, huh... I¡¯m so moved I¡¯m gonna cry... Even the scores are almost the same and stuff, it really makes me giddy...¡¾covering face, fine, I know that both of them already are taken IRL, but I can¡¯t help but ship ¡°Time Limit¡±.¡¿


    When Qi Jing saw this oue, even as the second ce, he still felt very happy¡ªhonestly, the importance of their speech at the beginning of the audition was way beyond any actual ranking.


    He assumed that after the end of the audition, Crossing the bridge noodles would want to return to his room to take care of the feverish ¡°that guy¡±, so he didn¡¯t use the voice chat, typing the message out directly.


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾No.8 ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿: ^_^ Congrattions.


    ¡¾No.8 ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: You too. But this overall score also included the factor of fans in it, so you could have easily got an even higher score...


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾No.8 ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿: Haha, do you really think that I would mind this?


    ¡¾No.8 ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: (smile)


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾No.8 ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿: There will be a huge drama in the forum tomorrow for sure, so rest well before that. You better go take a rest after the feedback section.


    ¡¾No.8 ¨C Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: I¡¯ll be going now, I can listen to the recording of the feedback tomorrow, otherwise that guy would make a fuss. Have a good night, Return Date.


    Qi Jing was taken aback, then also replied with a ¡°goodbye¡±, looking as Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ ount disappeared from the channel members¡¯ list.


    ¡ªGoodnight.He suddenly remembered how Shen Yan would say this into his ear before sleeping every night, filling his heart to the brim with warmth. All at once he started to envy Crossing the bridge noodles¡ªat least he had his man by his side, he didn¡¯t have to wait until the next day for him.


    Qi Jing wore the headphones and listened to the other people¡¯s auditions, but he couldn¡¯t get into this no matter what. It wasn¡¯t because of the performances being too dull or the atmosphere nd, it was simply because his heart wasn¡¯t there. So he heaved a low sigh and escaped the channel, nning to do the same as Crossing the bridge noodles and find time to listen to the feedback the next day. ¡°Forget it... Sleep it is, then.¡±


    He sat there, in the study, for a good couple of minutes, then stood up to clean himself quickly before going back to the bedroom and lying down with the lights off.


    Early to sleep, early to rise, so maybe this way time would pass faster¡ªa very unscientific way of thinking, and he was amusing himself with this sort of self-deception, but either way, there was nothing fake about sleeping.


    These few months, Qi Jing¡¯s sleeping quality only now slowly recovered back to normal, but he was still a light sleeper, rather slow at falling deep asleep by himself.


    ¡°Umh...¡± In the pitch-dark room, he moved around sluggishly, not knowing how much time had already passed, only knowing that his consciousness was hovering in a haze yet still not disappearing. Because it was too quiet, even his own breathing could cause his already dispersing consciousness to gather back, this back and forth growing a bit hard to bear.


    Qi Jing quietly rubbed half his face against Shen Yan¡¯s pillow, only then slowly falling asleep.


    Thinking back to itter, he really had to fall asleep at that time, since the sound of the keys hadn¡¯t woken him up, nor did the sound of the steps, or the sound of things being put down.


    What woke him up was that tender kiss falling lightly on his forehead, and also a low call.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡±


    A/N:


    The ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± auditions were written as a contrast for each other, but in reality, Qi Jing¡¯s audition went first, and Noodle¡¯s second. It was written this way to increase the sense ofparison, I hope that the readers won¡¯t get confused by it. For me to get so depressed while writing a y within a y, this really is so... _(:3¡¹¡Ï) (Bai Ke¡¯s just too much of a scum)


    And the very veryst, to be honest, when I wrote thest few paragraphs... I actually felt like hiding my face in my hands and screeching like an idiot, cough.


    Wee home, Kitty¡¯s Papa!! >//////<


    T/N:


    Those two performances were both so *clutches heart*


    But the No.1 for me in this chapter still goes to the lovesick Qi Jing towards the end (¡ñ¡¯?¡¯¡ñ)

 Chapter 107

    <h4>Chapter 107</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    At that moment, Qi Jing¡¯s eyelids flickered as his eyes cracked open, only to see his silhouette in a sleepy haze. In the darkness, he couldn¡¯t tell if that man was really there, or perhaps in some other ce. He blinked, befuddled, then once again closed his eyes.


    And subconsciously, he shifted his face closer, until his nose touched someone¡¯s neck, its scent faint but warm, just like the scent of the pillow he was just resting his head on.


    No matter how he smelled it, it was a beautiful scent.


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyebrows momentarily rxed, smiling peacefully in his half-sleep¡ªThis dream really isn¡¯t too bad...


    Thinking so fuzzily, he instinctively turned his face towards the source of the scent, moving over his body to snuggle against this warm and sturdy ce. Because it was too close, whenever he breathed steadily, his breath would quickly brush back against his face. But he would often sleep in that man¡¯s arms, so he already got used to this and was no longer ufortable with it.


    At that time, he felt something caressing his hair lightly, then something pressed against his forehead yet again.


    This time it stayed longer than the one before, the sentiment deeper than the first one, containing strong yearning within. Then, that thing moved down slowly, following the bridge of his nose¡ªit parted from him for a moment, then covered his lips gently.


    ¡°Mh...¡± Qi Jing groaned instinctively. With this groan, his throat bobbed up and down, his fingers wing on the bed sheets and his breathing growing urgent. He opened his lips, wanting to say something, but felt a moist trail sweeping across his tonguepletely unexpected, leaving behind a kind of sweetness melting there, to the point where he had no way of going against it.


    But if it went on any more, he would really suffocate¡ª


    Qi Jing trembled slightly. The realness of this suffocation made him wake up immediately. His eyes shot open and he finally realised that the person before him wasn¡¯t just his wishful fantasy.


    ¡°Shen... Yan...?¡± The moment he woke uppletely, Qi Jing regretted waking up too early and cutting this kiss off so soon.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± The other man only replied with a low hum, but this single sound filled the hollowed part of Qi Jing¡¯s chest to the brim, the joy rushing to his head, so happy that he couldn¡¯t help his lips from curling up. The moment he smiled, he had no way but to hug this man tightly as he muttered his name in a quiet voice, ¡°Shen Yan.¡±


    He was so sure that he would have to wait another few hours before seeing him again, so he didn¡¯t expect to get pleasantly surprised so suddenly, so quickly.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Shen Yan replied again, his head just by Qi Jing¡¯s temples, ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    Gratified to the fullest, Qi Jing felt his eyes grow a bit hot instead. Unable to say a word, he buried his head in Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder and took a deep breath, both smiling and sighing at the same time.


    ¡ªWhat time is it now?¡ªIt¡¯s sote yet you still rushed back from the hospital, was that thest bus? Outside is so dark and cold, did you catch a cold?


    There were so many questions he could have asked, yet Qi Jing didn¡¯t feel like asking any at all. At least now, he allowed himself to indulge in his selfishness for a moment¡ªrather than asking those, the fact that Shen Yan has returned was much more important. Once he started to ask, his guilty conscience would certainly overweight the joy, so why would he rush to ruin this moment?


    Being the bad guy is also not that bad¡ªQi Jing thought to himself.


    Shen Yan also seemed to have caught what he was thinking. He didn¡¯t say anything, reaching his hand to turn on the bedsidemp. Shadows created by its light made everything in the room appear more tangent, the hazy outline of Shen Yan sitting on the bedside also reflected on the window ss. There seemed to be a division between the worlds of coldness and warmth there&#k2014;winter stopped at that ce and didn¡¯t dare to approach any closer.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t want to stay lying, so he sat up, embracing this man¡¯s back with his arm. Although the room was warm, the shirt on Shen Yan¡¯s back was cold to touch¡ªQi Jing could guess that he had been caught by a chilly wind on his way back home and was probably freezing; it probably wasn¡¯t long since he entered the apartment, so he quickly tucked him under the duvet.


    ¡°Huff...¡± He cupped Shen Yan¡¯s hands, lowering his head to blow air at it, making it nice and warm. Shen Yan lowered his eyes down to look at him silently, a faint smile on his face. Atst, he gathered him gently into an embrace, leaning against a headboard of the bed.


    ¡°How is your mom?¡± Qi Jing observed his expression and behaviour for a while, and only after seeing that there was no trace left of that miserable daze from yesterday, he decided to carefully bring up this topic.


    ¡°She¡¯s doing fine,¡± When Shen Yan spoke, Qi Jing could feel his chest vibrating slightly from his voice¡ªa much more calm one then what he had expected, ¡°By the time I left the hospital, she was already asleep.¡±


    ¡°Then the conversation between the two of you...¡± This was where Qi Jing¡¯s concern actuallyid, and also where he was most cautious with his asking.


    Shen Yan remained silent for a moment, then finally gave a short, bitterugh, ¡°We talked for almost four hours and it wasn¡¯t as scary as I initially imagined. Just... how can you even say everything about the experiences from over ten years? My mom needs time to adjust herself, and I do too. We can do that one step at a time¡ªshe is already registered for a surgery, so these few days I might ask for a leave to take care of her in the hospital.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing somewhat sighed with relief. He didn¡¯t hope for it to be a one-time solution to all of the difficulties between them. But despite that, a good beginning is always worth persevering in carrying on.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, one step at a time.¡± Thinking about how Shen Yan was supposed to also go to the hospital the next day, heughed in spite of himself, ¡°Honestly, I could see that you two wouldn¡¯t be able to finish talking in just one day, that¡¯s why I wanted you to stay at the hospital... But why did youe back? Why not stay for a night, you wouldn¡¯t have to rush back and forth like this?¡±


    He didn¡¯t say that ording to his heart, but it was still just as true.


    Shen Yan stayed silent for a moment. Qi Jing felt Shen Yan turn his face to a side, closing in unhurriedly as he pressed his lips on his forehead. ¡°Because you sent me a message.¡±


    Qi Jing was bbergasted. He clearly had already made sure to delete that ¡°I miss you¡±, so could it be that Shen Yan guessed it despite that?


    ¡°I...¡± He should say that he was doing alright, no need to worry about him, right?


    ¡°You said that everything was fine, no need for me to worry about you.¡± Shen Yan recalled the content of that message, then suddenly, he lowered his voice, speaking slowly as he looked away, a bit uneasy, ¡°Then... there was nothing. I thought you would also say something more...¡±


    When Qi Jing heard that, light flickered in his eyes, his heart as if covered in a taut skin, drumming incessantly. He wanted to smile, but restrained himself, smoothing his lips to deliberately push the matter further instead, ¡°What more you thought I would say?¡±


    As he said this, he shifted even closer into the other man¡¯s embrace, lifting his head to kiss him under his chin, as if mockingly. Shen Yan¡¯s hand around his shoulder slowly tightened the hug. He tried to say something, but it took him a long while before he managed to continue hoarsely, ¡°I thought that... With me staying out for the night, maybe you would say that you miss me... or something. But you didn¡¯t.¡±


    After speaking, he lowered his gaze uneasily. ¡°Maybe it was because of this... that I felt a bit disappointed. And I also couldn¡¯t bear to let you spend a night alone, so after some thinking, I still couldn¡¯t help myself froming back.¡±


    With a ¡°pfft¡±, Qi Jing finallyughed out loud. He keptughing, snuggled against Shen Yan¡¯s chest. Closing his eyes, he put his cheek just where Shen Yan¡¯s heart was, listening to the low heartbeat speeding from the sound of hisughter, his mood indescribably high. ¡°To be fair, I wrote that at first,¡± He admitted calmly as heughed, an act of mercy. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to get distracted, so I deleted it, but I didn¡¯t expect you to rush back like this because of that.¡±


    Shen Yan was taken aback.


    At that time, Qi Jing pulled his hand over, quietly putting it on his own heart, showing him that in fact, both of their heartbeats were so simr¡ªneither slower nor faster. The feelings from either of them couldn¡¯t be said to be stronger or weaker as well. ¡°I missed you.¡± Qi Jing smiled faintly, making up for those three words he didn¡¯t send at that time.


    Sure enough... Saying it directly still felt the most fulfilling.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything, only turning his head over to raise Qi Jing¡¯s chin in silence. The kiss fell quietly, from his forehead to the corner of Qi Jing¡¯s lip. His thumb traced lightly over it, its dry, prickly skin making it ticklish, causing Qi Jing to open his mouth in spite of himself for a whimper to escape, only to get drived back inside by that man¡¯s tongue.


    Qi Jing¡¯s body slowly copsed onto his, like a sugar cube melting into a coffee, losing its original firmness, yet also changing into a richer, fuller vour, sweet all the way to the depths of his heart.


    He was returning Shen Yan¡¯s kiss on one hand while shifting around slightly on the other, his knee rubbing time and time again against Shen Yan, his bare toes rubbing against the inside of his lower leg, the friction causing a faint rustle of the fabric. Deep into the quiet winter night, it was unavoidable for a certain instinct to stir up.


    ¡°Ah...¡± He gasped in a low voice, his fingers instinctively moving towards the first button of Shen Yan¡¯s shirt, wishing only for it toe undone.


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± But at that moment, Shen Yan grabbed his hand gently, moving it slightly away as he supported his forehead against Qi Jing¡¯s, his breathing hurried. He asked in a low voice, ¡°Your... is it still hurting there?¡±


    A momentter, Qi Jing realised what ¡®there¡¯ was referring to and his ears instantly turned beetroot red when he replied softly, ¡°It¡¯s alright... It shouldn¡¯t be a problem anymore. What are you thinking about, for you to ask this?¡±


    As he asked, he had already found his own reply, as well as made a thorough preparation for it.


    Unfortunately, he underestimated the degree of this guy¡¯s virtuousness¡ª


    Shen Yan¡¯s reply waspletely different from the one he thought of. He didn¡¯t push him down at all, even letting go of him gently to reach his hand towards the bedside, taking out a small ointment from a white paper bag on the nightstand. Qi Jing was utterly stupefied¡ªeven without asking, he knew what this ointment was meant for. At that moment, he was both touched and disappointed at the same time, the feelings in his heart mixed in all kinds of vours, and his thoughts in a disarray. The only thing left he could do was to slowly cuddle against Shen Yan below him, justughing without a single word.


    Still, no matter how virtuous its use, when Shen Yan put this thing before Qi Jing, his voice still had a bit hoarseness to it. He spoke softly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry... Yesterday, I went overboard and hurt you. I bought ointment back in the hospital apothecary. I...¡±


    He got stuck, not knowing how to continue after that. Qi Jing bit down slightly on his lip, raising his right hand to grasp one end of the ointment box only to stroke up past its shape, finally grasping that man¡¯s hand along with it. ¡°You bought the one for use now¡ªthen the one for use in the future, did you buy it?¡± He asked huskily, ¡°Mn?¡±


    Shen Yan looked at him obliviously, not getting what he was pointing to. Qi Jing lowered his eyes with a chuckle, saying nothing to rify, only adding, ¡°Open the top drawer of the nightstand and have a look.¡±


    Shen Yan seemed to have caught a certain insinuation and just stared at him nkly, but he still reached his hand and, as per Qi Jing¡¯s instruction, opened the top drawer of the nightstand. In the far corner of the drawer, there were a couple of boxes with condoms, with a bottle of yet unopened lube by their side¡ªthe two essentials lined up side by side. And even though he asked Shen Yan to take a look at it, Qi Jing didn¡¯t look at it himself, shifting his gaze away and burrowing his scalding hot face by the crook of Shen Yan¡¯s neck.


    ¡°I bought them on my way back today,¡± He said in a low voice, ¡°I handled the purchase, so you¡¯ll be responsible for handling their usage.¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything, but Qi Jing could hear his heart, one powerful beat after another.


    Hence, his voice turned even lower, low to the point of being intimate.


    ¡°As for the size, I chose it entirely based on my impression... And I only had two of those ¡®impressions¡¯ altogether, so I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s right or not.¡± With each word he spoke, his breath caressed the side of Shen Yan¡¯s neck, the feeling whenever heughed enough to stir a person¡¯s heart, ¡°Unless you want to give me another chance to revise it now?¡±


    At that time, Shen Yan finally took a deep breath, lowering head by his ear¡ªmaking him understand for the first time that the words can actually burn.


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± There was a trace of pain in his serious, repressed voice, ¡°...Don¡¯t try me like this.¡±


    As he heard this, Qi Jing felt his shoulders being held tightly in that man¡¯s arms. He didn¡¯t move a single bit, his heart leaping in spite of him. Shen Yan was rarely ever so fierce whenever they were alone¡ªor rather than calling it fierce, it was more like a painful struggle of a person approaching their limit, about to lose their restraints.


    And he didn¡¯t even consider pulling this man back from it.


    ¡°Honestly... What to do, I really wish for you to fail this trial?¡±


    Just as he finished this sentence, Shen Yan pushed the drawer back, closing it. Making it known that he had no intent of using the things inside.


    Qi Jing was a bit disappointed by this, but just at that time, Shan Yan¡¯s hand on his shoulder suddenly traced down his back, settling on the small of his back, pressing there slightly. That ce couldn¡¯t hold up against much strength in the first ce, so with that move from him, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t stop his body from going entirely soft and falling between both Shen Yan¡¯s arms.


    First, it was the corner of his brows that got pecked, then his cheeks, neck, all the way until the cor bones. Shen Yan¡¯s kisses fell abundantly like a springtime rain, yet this rain wasn¡¯t cold at all, but burning, momentarily making his head spin.


    ¡°Ngh...¡± He closed his eyes, left with no strength to resist.


    He wasn¡¯t bashful before, when it was him undoing Shen Yan¡¯s buttons, but when it was Shen Yan¡¯s turn to fumble about to pull on his zipper, his face turnedpletely red. He hastily reached his hand out to hold back his wrist symbolically, ¡°Don¡¯t...¡± But now, any words of objection had already lost any meaning, even more so when spoken with his voice in the heights of desire.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say a thing and slowly, patiently undid the button of Qi Jing¡¯s trousers, then pulled the zipper all the way down until the waist band loosened. He could faintly feel theyer below, the fabric warm to the touch, almost as warm as Qi Jing¡¯s body. His breathing was getting heavier and heavier and his fingers moved down Qi Jing¡¯s smooth back, burying under the fabric and pulling it down a bit, taking it off halfways. After a moment of curbing Qi Jing¡¯s brief struggle, he continued pulling it off with two hands, all the way below the thighs.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t budge anymore, curling in his embrace, trembling slightly. After entangling together quite a while just now, he already had a reaction, even more so at that point¡ªeven if Shen Yan¡¯s hand didn¡¯t venture to that ce, with how close together they were, he probably already felt it.


    ¡°Shen Yan...¡± He gasped, murmuring his name. Almost pleadingly.


    It was hard to tell if it was to make him stop, or the opposite way around.


    At that time, he heard the sound of a paper box being opened. Qi Jing was dumbfounded, and the moment he realised what Shen Yan was actually doing, his face instantly turned deep red.


    He only heard Shen Yan sighing heavily, taking his hands back to open the ointment tube.


    His heart was rushing as he waited. After a moment, he felt Shen Yan¡¯s hand propping up his waist lightly, so he moved his body, ill at ease, changing to a lying position that would make it more convenient for Shen Yan to move, suppressing his embarrassment to gradually spread his legs.


    ¡°Now we¡¯ll just use the one meant to be used now,¡± Shen Yan said huskily by his ear, ¡°The one to be used in the future... I will be responsible for handling them, in the future. You recuperate well first.¡±


    At that point, Qi Jing wasn¡¯t even able to say a word, so sure enough he had no way to protest. Shen Yan hugged him, fingers gradually slipping inside, making him whimper involuntarily, going soft in his embrace. He had no chance of thinking of the future, nor did he feel a need to.


    Just the present.


    Just the present, with this man to apany him through the night, he was already content enough with it.

 Chapter 108

    <h4>Chapter 108</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    But once they opened their eyes again, the night having already passed, they still had to think about the future.


    ¡°Future¡±¡ª


    If it was the title of an essay, who knows how many ways it could be written about, endlessly filling the nk paper sheet called ¡°life¡±. Qi Jing realised thattely, he would often daydream a lot. He was running about for his job for so many years, so when he finally got this rare chance to rest for a few months and free himself from the constant workload, his mind suddenly wentpletely empty, so at some point, he unknowingly developed this habit.


    He especially liked to daydream while observing Shen Yan. No matter if he was working, cooking in the kitchen, or maybe hanging the clothes on the balcony to sundry just as now... He would keep by his side, watching him while spacing out.


    ¡°Let me do it, I will hang it.¡± Although it was inconvenient for him to use his hand and he couldn¡¯t really shake the clothes out or put them on the drying rack, there was one thing Qi Jing was adamant about helping him with.


    Shen Yan chuckled lightly, passing the drying rack in his hands, with the clothes already hung on it, to him. Then, he hung up the hanging rod, letting Qi Jing take care of putting the clothes on the drying rack. Other people would hang their clothes in whatever order, not thinking much about whose clothes they were, but Qi Jing needed to hang them alternately, one piece of his clothes besides one of Shen Yan¡¯s.


    There was no particr reason for that.


    It¡¯s just, as he saw both of their clothes lined up together, swaying slightly in the wind, their sleeves brushing against each other from time to time, he thought¡ªthat was exactly the ¡°future¡± he wished for.


    ¡°Hehe.¡± Qi Jingughed without realising it. The winter weather outside was cold, so he should be shivering, freezing on the balcony, but his heart was warm and filled to the brim.


    The two shirts were white, barely different in size, but his was one button short by its cor, so it could be easily recognised upon closer examination.


    He stared at it for a while, then suddenly said, as if to himself, ¡°I can imagine myself bing old and sitting here, basking in the sun.¡± Saying this, he pointed towards a corner of the balcony, as if envisioning the ce of the chair from that image.


    Shen Yan got taken aback, then the corners of his lips curled up a bit as he stopped what he was doing. ¡°Why would you imagine yourself bing old?¡±


    At that time, Qi Jing narrowed his eyes a bit, cocking his head as if thinking deeply, then hummed before raising his chin to answer, ¡°Did you know? When a person is at the most happy point of their life, they would always have this ¡®I wish I could grow old overnight¡¯ kind of thought. They would hope for it to remain like that forever, all the way until they be old...¡±He didn¡¯t manage to finish his words.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t remember if the hanging rod in his hand fell to the groundter. He could only remember that the moment Shen Yan slowly moved over to kiss him, his eyes that were about to close passed by his silhouette, catching a hazy sight of the clothes moving in the wind behind him, the sunlight passing through their fabric.


    The clothes were only half dry, and those faintly white sun rays were like camera lenses focusing, as if real at one time, unreal at the other.


    The light was swaying lightly and so were the shadows¡ªthe shadows of two shirts fleeting back and forth on the wall.


    Suddenly, Qi Jing thought¡ªno wonder people would associate time with sunlight and the shadows. By simply embracing each other like this below the lights and the shadows, it already felt as if tens of years had passed.


    It¡¯s perfect. He closed his eyes slowly, satisfied.


    If the ¡°future¡± had a smell... Wouldn¡¯t it be like this fragrant smell of washing detergent in the cold, winter wind?


    But before reaching the ¡®future¡¯, there was more of the ¡®present¡¯ to face.


    For Qi Jing, the first thing he needed to take care of was the purchase of a car. After all, his injury was already more or less recovered, so if he didn¡¯t go back to work, not to mention the promotion, even his current position would be endangered. If he didn¡¯t get a car before returning to work, thenmuting by public transport between Shen Yan¡¯s house and the TV station everyday would be quite a hassle.


    And as for Shen Yan... He, too, had his own matters to worry about.


    Everyone in the vet clinic knew that during all those years of Shen Yan, Dr Shen, working there, he rarely ever asked for a leave, even often volunteering for fill ins and overtime. Yet this year, Dr Shen had actually asked for a leave three times already¡ªbecause of how rarely he asked for a leave, the head nurse Mrs Pang could easily recall the precise number. The two previous leaves weren¡¯t even for a full day, yet the third time he took five days, using up all of his annual leave, even asking for two additional days, a week altogether¡ªtruly a shock to everyone. Only after asking more did they realise that it was because his mother was getting prepared for brain tumour surgery. Of course, both because of the sentiment and the reason, the clinic management ratified the leave.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a bit weird... It¡¯s as if each time Dr Shen asks for a leave, I can see you, Reporter Comrade.¡± When Shen Yan went to the office to sign the report, Mrs Pang stroked Little Return Date, who was only taken to the clinic to peddle its cuteness, as she chatted to the smiling Qi Jing at her side.


    Qi Jing remained smiling without saying anything.


    Mrs Pang was very bewildered.


    The first time Shen Yan asked for a leave, he came over to the clinic with the long since no seen Qi Jing&#k2014;she still remembered how haggard and emancipated he looked at that time. She heard that he broke a bone in an ident and was worrying about him for quite a while.


    The second time Shen Yan asked for a leave, it was in the afternoon, as he came back from his lunch break. Qi Jing also came in behind him, even greeting her in the corridor. At that time, she was already sure that they were neighbours.


    And today, Qi Jing actually appeared with Dr Shen¡¯s kitty in his arms.


    Maybe she got the wrong idea, but this young reporter would often show up in this clinic, even after the conclusion of his interview, and his rtionship with Dr Shen was incredibly good. For example, that little kitten of Dr Shen¡¯s, it would stick to him as affectionately as to Shen Yan, mewing cutely for his attention. Qi Jing also seemed very experienced at ying with it, seemingly having done that more than once or twice.


    ¡°Rather than you two being neighbours, it seems more like you¡¯re living together.¡± She said so in conclusion.


    ¡°Haha.¡± Qi Jingughed shortly, neither confirming nor denying.


    After muttering to herself for quite a while, Mrs Pang felt that this assumptioncked real basis, so after chatting with Qi Jing for a bit, she put that thought aside.


    As they were talking about the end-of-the-year ns for the expansion of the clinic, Shen Yan pushed the door open, his voice apologetic. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, there was a lot of work-rted stuff that needed to be discussed, so it took me a while in the office.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Qi Jing smiled at him, ¡°I had just enough time to chat with sister Pang.¡±


    Big Return Date himself had yet to finish weing him when Little Return Date started to meow loudly, raising its little head from between Mrs Pang¡¯s arms and perking up its two fluffy ears from joy. It did its utmost to convey the ¡°please take me¡± signal with its full bodynguage to this man.


    Mrs Pang couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Aiya, look at it Dr Shen¡ªforget it when you didn¡¯t have a cat, now that you have adopted one, just see how much it loves you.¡±


    ¡ªAnd it¡¯s not only the kitty that loves him.Qi Jing didn¡¯t say anything, just smiling as he watched Mrs Pang passing this little fe over.


    Shen Yan received Little Return Date with two hands, cing it close to his cor and rubbing the fur between Little Return Date¡¯s ears with his chin. Little fe was happy with his service and hence quite satisfied with its current state. Itzily flicked the cor of Shen Yan¡¯s shirt with its ws, opening it up with its pawing, revealing a bit of a thin red cord by his vicle. Yet stringed on it was actually no pendant, but a very normal button.


    Having found this new little toy, Little Return Date couldn¡¯t help but get curious and brandish its ws at it.


    Unfortunately, this adventurous spirit got curbed by Shen Yan who caught its paw, not letting it make any more trouble.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Mrs Pang pushed up her presbyopic sses, not a bit less curious than Little Return Date, ¡°Dr Shen, why do you have a button on your ne?¡± She had seen people adorning gold and silver, but it was the first time for her to see someone wearing buttons.


    Hearing her ask so, Shen Yan lifted his head only to see Qi Jing standing at the side, his eyes narrowed from the smile as he listened with interest to how he would answer. Then, he lowered his eyes as he said, ¡°Mhm... Although it¡¯s just a button, it has a very special meaning for me, that¡¯s why I¡¯m keeping it on me.¡±


    ¡°Oh... So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Mrs Pang nodded her head, seemingly only half-understanding. She honestly had no idea what a button could possibly symbolise, but Qi Jing knew.


    After Mrs Pang went away, Qi Jing stepped over with a smile curling up the corners of his lips, reaching hand with no reservations to help Shen Yan tidy his cor, his thumb brushing inadvertently by the surface of the button and staying there for a while. Since Shen Yan started wearing this button on his body, he would often touch it subconsciously with his hand.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but he felt like it made Shen Yan his, exclusively his¡ª


    ¡°Okay then, we should go to the hospital now.¡± After a long while, Qi Jing slowly took back his hand and petted Little Return Date as he reminded him with a smile.


    The semi-finals for the male characters for ?Order to End the Heavens? had already concludedst week, so this week it was the turn for female characters¡¯ semi-finals. Before the start of the finals, he and Shen Yan had just enough time to take care of their IRL matters. The surgery was set for five days after the results of the examination came out, with the surgeon from a high-grade provincial hospital, so it could really set one at ease.


    Everyday of his leave, Shen Yan would prepare three meals each morning at home and bring it to a hospital, taking care of the woman while slowly progressing with their conversation. AlthoughQi Jing would apany Shen Yan to the hospital everyday, he would always give him a way by the ward door, letting Shen Yan go in alone so that the woman could spend enough time alone with her son.


    When Shen Yan was talking with her inside, he would find a ce to sit outside out of his own volition, browsing the pages of car dealers in their vicinity.


    Before, outside of work he only had more work, so his private life was just apletely nk te, this way he could still browse pages upon pages of online gossip. But now, whenever he had free time he would mostly spend it on real life matters. Especially these days, he would call the bank and consult the colleagues and friends who had bought a car everyday, all of that to get the procedure of getting one done as quickly as possible. Aside from that, he also needed some time to terminate his contract and collect the things from his old apartment.


    As for Bronze Sparrow Terrace, Jade Butterfly, all those plots in the dark and whatsoever... he really had no time to pay attention to it.


    With noon approaching, there was even more peopleing in and out of the inpatient building, someing over to pass the food, some going out to eat outside with the patients.


    Qi Jing talked with a car dealer for almost two hours, his voice getting hoarse, so he leaned against the wall to rest for a bit, tired¡ªbut his eyes weren¡¯t idle. His upational habit made him fond of observing the people walking around him, as if every person¡¯s move and expression could create a news article in his brain in and on its own, allowing him to stand there with a mic to describe this lot.


    Although his gaze didn¡¯t search for anything in particr, he would still subconsciously pay closer attention to the couples passing through the corridor.


    There was a young little couple there, who knows which one was hospitalised. They went down the corridor dilly-dallying hand in hand, as if wishing only to be one soul and body. The boy even kissed the girl¡¯s cheek, both of them a picture of loving affection, uncaring for anyone¡¯s gazes.


    There was also a white-haired elderly couple, not as intimate as the young one, but they still supported each other steadily. It seemed like the elderly Mrs¡¯ legs weren¡¯t as good anymore, her walking unstable, but the elderly Mr by her side didn¡¯t urge her, just saying to her, ¡°The weather is nice today, let¡¯s eat outside¡± as he patiently apanied his elderly wife.


    Still...


    By a young boy¡¯s side, it was always a young girl.


    And by an elderly Mr¡¯s side, it was always an elderly Mrs.


    Qi Jing watched them pass before his eyes with a light, knowing chuckle, but afterughing, he lowered his head, once again spacing out while staring at his knees.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± He snapped out of it in an instant and realising that Shen Yan was standing behind him, he smiled and sat up from the bench, ¡°Did you finish talking with auntie? How is it, did it go smoothly today?¡±


    Shen Yan neither nodded nor shook his head, only watching him for a moment. After a long while, he sighed and said in a low voice, ¡°You really don¡¯t have to sit outside everyday, it¡¯s not a problem if youe in with me.¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback, not really knowing where to look away, ¡°Ah... With me inside, it could be difficult for auntie to talk about some things. What¡¯s more, you two are discussing your family matters, so it¡¯s kind of a private matter, to do that with an outsider like me there it could get a bit inappropriate...¡±


    Shen Yan opened his mouth to interrupt him, ¡°I never regarded you as an outsider.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s expression shook a bit. He could feel a tinge of sweetness spilling in his heart, but thinking about how they were still in the hospital and that it wouldn¡¯t be good to be too obvious with it, he only reached out his index finger to slightly scrape the palm of Shen Yan¡¯s hand, his smile tender.


    ¡°I know.¡± If he could, he would love to move closer to whisper these words into his ear, but unfortunately, there were too many people around. ¡°But auntie might not necessarily think so. No matter what, I have only known her for a few days... I¡¯ve never appeared before her together with you, so don¡¯t you think she would feel awkward about it?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, she wants to invite you for lunch together today.¡± Shen Yan said unexpectedly.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Sure enough, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t process that at first.


    To be fair, this invitation was reasonable, albeit a bit unexpected. After all, he was the mastermind behind this reuniting of mother and son, so in a way, the woman owed him a huge favour. So there was nothing to pick on about her inviting him for lunch¡ªit¡¯s just, he didn¡¯t feel prepared for that, that¡¯s all.


    ¡°Is that okay?¡± Maybe even he himself didn¡¯t realise that the nervousness in his words could also be seen as easily in the way he pulled his hand back.


    ¡°What are you so worried about?¡± Suddenly, Shen Yan reached out to catch his right hand firmly. Qi Jing didn¡¯t answer his question directly¡ªhe opened his mouth to speak but couldn¡¯t say anything, only able to shake his head in the end. He raised his lowered gaze back, smiling at Shen Yan with his usual warmth, no change in him to be seen.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then, we shouldn¡¯t make auntie wait for too long.¡± He said, yet he still pulled back his hand from Shen Yan¡¯s hold, patting his shoulder intimately before turning and going towards the sick room first. Shen Yan was at a loss for a moment, then followed him silently.


    The woman¡¯splexion was much better then when he saw her for the first time, no longer as gloomy and sunken. Seeing the person who had initiated the conversation with her at that time before, she still dodged her gaze a bit. Qi Jing kept his urbane smile, patiently waiting for her to raise her head and look him in the eye before he greeted her. ¡°Hello auntie.¡±


    The woman nodded timidly, her smile a bit weak, but she didn¡¯t forget to gesture at him to take a seat for the talk. Qi Jing thanked her and sat on the stool by her bed. ¡°How are Your preparations for the surgery going auntie?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good...¡±


    ¡°This hospital has one of the best medical technology in the province, so You don¡¯t need to overthink it auntie, it¡¯ll be fine as long as You take the surgery with optimism.¡±


    ¡°Mhm...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cold now, so You might catch a cold if you walk outside, but You can still stroll around the building. It¡¯s better to exercise your muscles, this way You¡¯ll get stronger then if you justy in the sickbed, and it¡¯s much easier to adjust Your mind too. I would do this when I stayed at the hospital, so when we finish lunch in a moment, how about I take You for a stroll?¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much...¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t speak much, but leading a conversation was Qi Jing¡¯s forte as a reporter, so it progressed pretty well.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t ask her about the development between her and Shen Yan at all, only asking about her current well-being and telling her some surgery-rted information he had found, cheering her up and so on. All that time, the woman almost exclusively listened in silence, only replying in a few words here and there. Shen Yan on the other hand sat by the wall, listening to their conversation while taking out lunch for today.


    ¡°For Shen Yan to have a friend like you, he really is fortunate.¡± The woman suddenly sighed quietly, with emotion.


    Qi Jing¡¯s expression changed slightly, like an image that froze for two or three seconds, before he instinctively turned his head sideways, throwing Shen Yan a look.


    Hearing her say so, Shen Yan had also raised his head already, just about to say something, but seeing this look from Qi Jing, he stopped dead in his tracks. Qi Jing blinked, as if in slow motion, the wavering in his eyes already covered up nicely by the time he blinked twice. He then retracted his gaze and once again smiled at the woman.


    ¡°That¡¯s a matter of course.¡± He said. Although the reply waste toe, his tone was still just as natural¡ªno trace of his flustering to be heard.


    While saying so, he reached out his hand to touch the back of the woman¡¯s hand, a typical gesture to set someone at ease.


    At that time, Shen Yan called the woman lightly. ¡°Mom, Qi Jing is...¡±


    ¡°Is it the time to eat? Let¡¯s see, I¡¯ll help you with preparing the table.¡± He didn¡¯t have time to finish when Qi Jing cut his words short while standing up from his seat.


    When he turned his head at him this time, it was the same cultured Qi Jing with his calm bearing, his smile not at all different from before.


    Shen Yan momentarily didn¡¯t know what to say. Seeing him not reacting, Qi Jing took the initiative to receive the big and small boxes from his hands, inviting the woman to sit by the table and even arranging the bowls and chopsticks. Shen Yan watched Qi Jing bustling about with a furrow between his brows, but he just couldn¡¯t find a good moment to go back to the previous topic.


    After a short while, the preparations were done. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s eat.¡± Qi Jing said with a remarkably lively smile, ¡°I really am hungry.¡±


    The woman sat down hesitatingly. Qi Jing sat opposite to her, not expecting Shen Yan to sit by his side so matter-of-factly. He was at a loss, poking him covertly to signalise that he should sit by the woman, try to nurture the atmosphere between the parent and the son, but he shook his head¡ªor even, he suddenly held Qi Jing¡¯s hand under the table.


    A/N:


    I don¡¯t know why, but every time I write the emotional line of the plot, it always ends up awkwardly silent... Now that I think about how most of the remaining plot would basically revolve around their IRL, I just... really can¡¯t help but feel down and have a hard time writing.


    That¡¯s why A B R E A K U P I S A G O O D I D E A, I N N I T (cranking the ckening to the MAX)


    I think it¡¯s just like with some readers saying ¡°I don¡¯t know how toment this, so I won¡¯t¡±, so I could as well go all ¡°I don¡¯t know how to write this, so I won¡¯t¡±. But it¡¯s already over a hundred chapters, so to let it die here, it would be beyond pathetic. I want to say, I know that a lot of people are stocking up chapters, and also know that a lot of people read the pirated version, so if there¡¯s no people reading it legally here and remaining silent, motivations and whatsoever, it¡¯s all gone... _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_


    Of course, you can also say to my face with contempt, ¡°There¡¯s so many novels, who the hell would miss this one¡± (cranking the misering to the MAX)


    T/N:


    Luci: Don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯m just happying over the fact that the author finished this novel?(It¡¯s easily one of my favourites, so the sheer thought of never being able to finish it is heart-wrenching for me)

 Chapter 109

    <h4>Chapter 109</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    ¡ªFeels cold.


    Shen Yan instinctively gripped his hand harder.


    Qi Jing¡¯s hand shook strongly, clearly scared.


    Shen Yan could feel Qi Jing¡¯s fingers straightening from the tension as he jerked his hand back¡ªif it wasn¡¯t for his hold, it would very likely hit the bottom of the table. Because of that, he furrowed his brows, not only not letting his hand go, but also keeping it strong in his hand.


    In his life, too many people let go of Qi Jing.


    That¡¯s why, he would never be the next one to do so.


    ¡°Mom,¡± Shen Yan opened his mouth for the second time, intending to finish his previous, unfinished words, ¡°Me and him are actually¡ª¡±


    ¡¾Me and him are actually lovers, not friends.¡¿


    Like the grey letters casted by an old-style movie projector, this sentence appeared suddenly in Qi Jing¡¯s nk mind, clutching at his heart.


    He had said this line before, many years ago.


    The first time was when he came out to his family, when he said it to his parents, sister, and little brother.


    The man who gave him courage to say this escaped after that. It was his own foolishness, he admitted that, and the wound was deep, but it wasn¡¯t the most fatal one.


    The most fatal wound was from how, after hearing him say that, his father pped him brutally; from how his mother cried her eyes out, wailing; from how his sister lowered her gaze, at loss what to do and from his previously so close little brother and his expression full of disgust¡ªhe would never forget it in his life. He would also never forget the taste of hard rice and tears he had to force down as he stayed at the hospital after his ident.


    Shen Yan¡¯s family conditions weren¡¯t good in the first ce, and now he finally managed to talk with his mother normally, getting back that tiniest bit of ¡°home¡±.


    So someone like him, with no home to return... He really shouldn¡¯t involve him again.


    ¡°Me and him actually met through work.¡±


    Suddenly, Qi Jing cut into his words, finishing the sentence his way. Even though he felt Shen Yan¡¯s hand tighten up a bit, he still continued without any change in his expression.


    Even still with a smile.


    ¡°I was doing an interview about a certain topic and he was my main interviewee. At first, it was only a working rtionship, butter, we got closer in private and realised that we get along very well, so that¡¯s how we became actual friends.¡±


    When the woman first heard Qi Jing exining the details of them getting to know each other, she nodded her head in a sudden understanding.


    ¡°Was it an animal-rted interview?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, it was about the rescue action for the abused animals and he was one of the rescuers¡ªno matter if it¡¯s for his medical skills or integrity, they¡¯re both incredible.¡± Qi Jing smiled sincerely, he didn¡¯t lie about this one, ¡°In the future, I will record this programme and burn it on a DVD disc for You.¡±


    ¡°Going from meeting through work to being friends in private, you two really were brought together by fate...¡± The woman once again sighed with emotion.


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    Qi Jingughed while lowering his head to look at the bowl before him. His smile reflecting in the soup was a bit pale, but he tried his best to ignore it, as well as to cover it up enough to make the woman ignore it too. ¡°It¡¯s because You have a good son, he¡¯s a very precious... friend.¡±


    But Shen Yan couldn¡¯t ignore that smile.


    He listened to the end in silence, the furrow between his brows getting deeper and his expression solemn as he stared at Qi Jing.


    Even without looking at him, Qi Jing knew that he wouldn¡¯t let go of his hand, because even after struggling until that point, he didn¡¯t manage to free even a single finger. Even the bones of his hand started to hurt because of him using too much force¡ªbut this kind of pain made Qi Jing feel just a bit better, the feelings in his heart both bitter and sweet.


    His right knee slowly shifted over where the woman couldn¡¯t see, bumping against Shen Yan¡¯s knee, then stopping right by it, leaning there silently in a sort of guilty and pleading reliance.


    At least this movement could make up a bit for his selfish action.


    ¡°Ah, I almost forgot from all this conversation with a guest,¡± The woman suddenly realised that the three pairs of chopsticks on the table hadn¡¯t even been moved and hurriedly urged them to eat, ¡°Eat up, no need to be courteous.¡±


    ¡°Eh...¡± Qi Jing was taken by surprise with her words.


    At that moment, his right hand was being held by Shen Yan and he couldn¡¯t use his right hand, so if he dyed taking the chopsticks for any longer, even if the woman didn¡¯t realise anything by now, it wouldn¡¯t take long for find it weird if it continued.


    At that very moment, he really could experience what being on pins and needles meant¡ªthe pricking pain slowly went up his hand through his whole body, making it hard for him to sit confidently with his back straight. Guilty conscience¡ªseems like that¡¯s what it would be called, he smiled bitterly, helpless.


    ¡°Why are you two not eating?¡± As expected, with the two of them staying still, the woman stared at them at a loss.


    ¡°Shen Yan...¡± Qi Jing had to brace himself to warn him aloud.


    But Shen Yan still held his hand tightly, not letting go, making him panic a bit, yet he didn¡¯t have the heart to steel himself up and rip it out, so he just sat there on the stool, his face white.


    At that time, Qi Jing¡¯s phone suddenly started ringing loudly.


    Maybe because it was too sudden, Shen Yan seemed to have been caught by a surprise and his grip was no longer this strong, so Qi Jing quickly took advantage of that to take back his hand.


    While apologising wordlessly to Shen Yan, he quickly took out the phone to receive this timely call, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Qi, it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Director.¡±


    Hearing the News Channel¡¯s director¡¯s voice, Qi Jing breathed a sigh of relief&#k2014;if it was a work-rted call, then he had an excuse to go out to take it. He looked covertly at Shen Yan&#k2014;he didn¡¯t say anything, finally moving his gaze away from him&#k2014;and only then, he slowly sat up from his seat and said quietly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I will go out for a moment, you two eat first.¡±


    After leaving the sick room, Qi Jing heaved a long sigh of relief, as if having shed a heavy burden, then found a remote area in a corner to stand while thanking the News Channel director, ¡°Thank You Director, this call came just in a perfect moment.¡±


    The director was still the same, the gossipy nature of a news worker didn¡¯t change a single bit. ¡°What happened? What situation was it just now, did you get caught on lunch with girlfriend A by girlfriend B?¡±


    Qi Jing supported his forehead in silence.


    ...Director, You...


    ...Not to mention how Your imagination is too blown out of proportion¡ªwhy am I a yboy in Your eyes...?


    ¡°What A, what B, I was just eating lunch with my elder and she asked a question I didn¡¯t really know how to answer, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a question from your elder... I get it, I get it.¡± The director¡¯s thoughts probably went straight to the arranged date questions, hisugh straight up reminiscent of a cunning imp, ¡°Approaching your thirties and still not married, so your family told you off?¡±


    Having said so, he stopped for a moment, then added, as if to himself, ¡°But it¡¯s kinda a good thing that you¡¯re unmarried...¡±


    Hearing the director say this, Qi Jing was momentarily bbergasted, ¡°Why?¡±


    When he was getting awards in the News Channel, the director was thinking very highly of him, following the principle of each keeping the best to their own, he would be very enthusiastic with introducing him to his XYZ rtive¡¯s daughter, some XYZ chief¡¯s granddaughter, XYZ colleague¡¯s niece... And so on, and so forth, all introduced by him under whatever excuse. Now, for him to say something out of his usual repertoire, it really made one uneasy.


    The director was silent for three seconds.


    The director would only make pauses like this when he had an important announcement to make. Qi Jing straightened his back instinctively, opting to lean against the wall, so as to prepare for the director saying some high-impact news and get some support first for safety.


    As expected, what came was that ssic opening.


    ¡°I have good news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first?¡±


    Qi Jing was already mentally prepared, so he only took a deep breath before saying, resigned to his fate, ¡°...Please tell me the bad one first.¡±


    ¡°Okay then,¡± The director went back to his serious tone. No matter what, bad news shouldn¡¯t be said jokingly, especially since he knew Qi Jing¡¯s personal goals very well and understood that the impact of this bad news would have arge impact on him. ¡°Then I will say that outright¡ªabout the position of the second anchor ¡°A look into society¡± segment, the higher-ups didn¡¯t let that go through. I heard that it got blocked by the HR department, the reason being that you¡¯re too young andck necessary qualifications and experience.¡±


    When Qi Jing, who was holding back his breath, heard this, his heart fell suddenly, finally dropping with a dull thump, heavy from the misery.


    ¡°He...¡± Heughed self-mockingly, wanting to appear a bit more at ease.


    But no matter how heughed, it didn¡¯t be any easier.


    After all, it was his life dream¡ªto say that he didn¡¯t feel dejected, that he didn¡¯t care... It would be a lie.


    ¡°The HR department? I think I have an idea who blocked that.¡± He did his utmost to control his voice, so as not to let himself sound too miserable.


    There was nock of petty people in thepany, but there was only one who would always go against him¡ªMr S.O.B., Mr Sun. Although he would end up at a disadvantage every time he tried to mock him, and was met with a poor end not a small amount of times, he was also the backbone of the HR department. His failure in getting a promotion this time was certainly thanks to him adding his two cents.


    ¡°It¡¯s good if you know. There¡¯s no way around it, if higher-ups don¡¯t let it through, then we can¡¯t do anything about it...¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I will continue to work on myself, trying my best to get the qualifications or whatever else is required for me to get promoted.¡± That¡¯s right, aside from bettering himself and improving his connections, there was no shortcut he could use.


    But he didn¡¯t expect the director to smile at that time, selling him on the next big point on purpose, ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a hurry, there¡¯s still the good news I haven¡¯t told you yet?


    Qi Jing really wanted to grumble downheartedly, ¡°No matter how good it is, I¡¯m in no mood to listen to it¡±, but thinking of how the director wanted to cheer him up out of his kindness, he still bit his tongue, forcing himself to pull the corners of his lips up. ¡°Please tell me.¡±


    ¡°Although the ns for you getting the anchor position fell through, that city-wide vet clinic investigation item will still get a full sixty-minutes-long special episode in ¡®Look into society¡¯, this really is a huge honour. Also, they¡¯re interested in letting you participate in on-airmentary.¡±


    So that¡¯s what it was about...


    If that was this ¡®good news¡¯, then he was already more than certain of it. He had previously heard the rumours from his colleagues, even if it wasn¡¯t one hundred percent guaranteed, he was at least ny percent certain of it, so it was hardly a surprise. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that all be thanks to You, Director, and the people in charge of ¡®Look into society¡¯? It¡¯s You that I should thank for that.¡±


    Maybe the director heard in Qi Jing¡¯s tone how he wanted to conclude this call as quickly as possible, but he stopped him quickly, ¡°Wait, wait! I still didn¡¯t finish speaking¡ªthe day I was passing the outline of that item and the edited recordings to the people in charge of ¡®Look into society¡¯, there were visitors from Beijing. The president of CCTV was right there and caught sight of it, heter asked if it was your draft and even looked through the reportages you previously produced, saying that you have potential, that he took a liking to you.¡±


    Qi Jing trembled faintly.


    CCTV... Would that be... The national TV station?


    The moment he realised that, his heart suddenly began to leap. He didn¡¯t really know what the director was about to say.


    ¡°Xiao Qi,¡± What the director asked him was beyond his imagination, ¡°I¡¯m asking you, are you interested in an intership at CCTV?¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡±


    Qi Jing instinctively opened his mouth wide, that ¡°yes¡± almosting out immediately. But he stopped himself just in time.


    That sudden rush of joy dispersed quickly, like the strong wave receding after washing all over the shore, leaving only the cleared beach robbed of anything on it, there was no thought in his head when he came to his senses¡ªonly sense of loss as he stood there,


    ¡°Internship...¡± Atst, he opened his mouth dumbly to ask, ¡°At what position?¡±


    ¡°Video editor. It would require you tobine your experience as a reporter, as well as a certain degree of nning ability and creativity, and you would also have tomunicate with the anchors a lot. What¡¯s more, it¡¯s the national TV station we¡¯re speaking of, so with this internship on your CV, no matter if youe back to grow here or chose to stay in Beijing, there¡¯s no way anything could stop you in your future requests for an anchor position!¡± The director talked on tirelessly, even more excited about it than Qi Jing himself.


    Excellent opportunity, excellent position, excellent workce¡ªit seemed as if there was nothing toin about.


    If it was him from before, he would probably agree with no hesitation.


    But...


    ¡°The internship period, how long would it be?¡± A month, three months, half or a whole year?


    ¡°I heard it would be three years... Aiya, it¡¯s not that long, it will surely take time for you to gain the experience! It would be no good if it¡¯s too short.¡± The director said matter-of-factly.


    Three years?


    His mind went a bit dumb, and without thinking much, he spat out, ¡°I don¡¯t want it.¡±


    The directorpletely didn¡¯t expect such a reaction from him and was thus shocked, ¡°Xiao Qi, I thought that hearing this, you would be jumping from joy, yet you... Do you realise that other people wouldn¡¯t even dare to dream of such a rare opportunity, but you actually want to let it pass? Even I want to curse your stupidity.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s hand holding the phone started to shake slightly, his heart in a disarray, an utter disarray.


    Turns out that was what the director meant by that ¡°it¡¯s kinda a good thing that you¡¯re unmarried¡±.


    Clearly even the director understood that for the guys who already had their families, having to take care of their wives and children, such a choice would be very hard. If he were single, he wouldn¡¯t have any reason to decline¡ªbut he wasn¡¯t single anymore.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Qi Jing apologised, heavy-hearted. He had no idea what else to say aside from an apology.


    ¡°In the end, what is it all about, why would you turn it down?¡± The director was a bit pushy as he spoke, most probably quite angry, thinking he wasn¡¯tmitted enough. ¡°You¡¯re obviously single, so you should venture outside to gain experience, aside from having to find an apartment, there should be nothing to worry about?¡±


    Qi Jing changed his posture stiffly, his gaze wandering towards the door of the sick room. He said hoarsely, ¡°Director, in fact... I have someone already.¡±


    The director paused, his tone finally less agitated, ¡°So you actually have a girlfriend ah, son? Is she from here?¡±


    ¡°Mhm...¡±


    ¡°What job?¡±


    ¡°A doctor.¡± He didn¡¯t want to go into the details.


    ¡°A doctor, huh,¡± The director also seemed to be troubled by this situation. He didn¡¯t say anything for a while, then sighed, making a proposition, ¡°How about consulting with her, try asking her if she could transfer jobs as well?¡±


    ¡°I... really don¡¯t think leaving is an option here.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s voice was getting smaller and smaller.


    Here were the roots of Shen Yan¡¯s grandpa who raised him, and so, here were also Shen Yan¡¯s roots.


    Here was where that old apartment was, full of memories, here were the alleys which remembered the course of Shen Yan growing up, his stable job, his nice colleagues. And above that, here was where they both met, both fell in love, and... here was the ce they should both cherish.


    Shen Yan belonged here.


    And he belonged to Shen Yan.


    ¡¾Please stay with me and apany me to the end.¡¿


    Those slightly choked upon saying them words, they were etched in his heart, stored there, kept in the most preciouspartment of his memory¡ªhe didn¡¯t even dare to take them out, not to mention hurting them.


    Qi Jingughed quietly.


    ¡¾I love you.¡¿


    I also love you. That¡¯s why...


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t ept this opportunity.¡± It didn¡¯t even matter if the sacrifices had to be made.


    The director sighed heavily, vexxed.


    But even with the conversation going to this point, he still grumbled, unresigned, ¡°Ei, you better think it through, Xiao Qi. To be painfully blunt, it¡¯s not really my way of doing things, but I¡¯ve seen all kinds of characters in our line of work, heard plenty of stories too, and love these days really isn¡¯t something irreceable. You can always find another girlfriend, but this kind of opportunity, you won¡¯t get it the second time. You will regret that.¡±


    Such a sure tone of voice.


    Such a manly, realistic way of thinking¡ª


    Qi Jing¡¯s gaze dropped as he lowered his head, smiling bitterly. He didn¡¯t know if he wouldter regret abandoning his prospects for Shen Yan, but for now, he knew that if he were to abandon Shen Yan for his career... He would no doubt regret it.


    ¡°I already decided.¡± He said.


    ¡°You give it another thought.¡± The director cut him short, clearly very disappointed with a subordinate like him. Before hanging up, he said hisst sentence, ¡°Three days¡ªafter three days, you will give me another answer after thinking it through and I will then pass it to the people from CCTV.¡±


    After the call got hanged, Qi Jing stood still in the corridor, as if he dropped his soul. Ayer of cold sunlight passed through the four windows at the end of the corridor, etched stiffly onto the concrete floor, pulling a long, grey shadow from under his feet. Upset from looking at it, he took two steps away, but he soon realised that shadow is just a shadow, and no matter how far he went, he would never leave it.


    Suddenly, Qi Jing felt that he had no strength left, so he squatted down by the wall. He tossed the phone on the floor and rubbed his face strongly, forcing himself to get a grip.


    It didn¡¯t matter, he still wasn¡¯t even in his thirties, there would be other opportunities in the future.


    It didn¡¯t matter.


    It didn¡¯t matter...


    He was just repeating that to himself, as if in self-hypnosis, when his phone on the floor rang¡ªthis time, it was the car dealer calling.


    ¡°Hello, is that Mr Qi?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hello Mr, it¡¯s XX car dealership. The final price for the car You consulted us about got passed, we put together the down payment and dealer fee on the proposed bill and sent it to your mailbox. May I ask You to contact us soon after taking a look at it? This price for the car is limited-time, once it¡¯s sold out it will be gone.¡± The dealer spared no efforts in getting him hooked on the offer.


    ¡°Can I ask for You to brief me on the payment n?¡±


    ¡°Of course, these fees will include...¡±


    The dealer started to list him the items of the estimated payment. Qi Jing was previously anticipating this evaluation, but hearing it now, he couldn¡¯t muster any enthusiasm for it.


    With his current reporter sry, it would be a bit hard to afford a good quality economy car alone.


    He originally thought that he would be able to get the position as the anchor and waited impatiently for his ie to get higher, and he expected the payment n to be more affordable, but looking at it now, he would have to tighten his belt to get through with it. Shen Yan had just paid high bills for his mother¡¯s surgery, so he wouldn¡¯t even ask him for any financial support, it was neither appropriate nor what he wanted.


    But whatter?


    Later, after going back to his job, would he return to the ceaseless rush about, with only a few days a month to spend at home between the work trips? With the regr work pattern of a reporter, his time with Shen Yan would only get more scarce¡ªjust thinking about it made him feel weary in his heart.


    ¡°Goddammit...¡±


    He got swept by waves upon waves of negativity he rarely ever felt, momentarily feeling especially beaten. He couldn¡¯t help but burry his head down, squatting by the wall in low spirits.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡±


    Suddenly, he heard Shen Yan¡¯s voice passing through the corridor and raised his head up from surprise.


    Shen Yan had just went out of the sickroom¡ªseeing him in such position in the corner, his expression changed subtly and he came over inrge strides.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t want him to know about the content of his conversation with the director, and even less about how he was currently feeling, so he stood up hurriedly, wanting to pat off the dust from himself, to smile as if nothing had happened. But before the smile could even form, his knees suddenly went soft and he almost fell on the floor.


    ¡°Qi Jing!¡± Even Shen Yan¡¯s voice was shaky.


    Qi Jing reached his hands out reflexively, and his elbow was immediately caught by Shen Yan, who pulled him up. He finally managed to get steady on his feet in time, only his legs were just as numb and weak as before, half of his body slumping on Shen Yan¡¯s chest, almost in a full embrace.


    A whole scene of rm.


    Qi Jing gasped quickly a few times, only thening back to his senses.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine...¡± First, he assured the other man of his safety, then tried his best to deal with the aftermath, ¡°I just squatted on the floor for too long, so when I stood up, I didn¡¯t realise that my legs went numb. Doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯ll be fine in a moment.¡±


    The exnation was fair and reasonable, but it wasn¡¯t the only thing about it.


    The emotional factor was swiftly omitted by him.


    Just as he was about to stand straight, Shen Yan suddenly tightened his hand around him, hugging him closely alongside giving him support.


    Qi Jing was dumbstruck.


    After a while, he blinked slowly, suppressing that feeling of being wronged that he didn¡¯t know where it came from, so as to prevent it from spilling through other means.


    In fact, the reasons for Shen Yan to hug him and for him to feel wronged weren¡¯t the same, but who would care?


    This sheer act was where the warmth came from.


    Qi Jing only felt his heart hurt with this warmth. Without thinking, he instinctively did what anyone would do at a time like this, circling his hand around this person¡¯s back to hug him. He was just about to rest his head on Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder to rest for a bit, but he suddenly saw the woman standing at the entrance of the sick room.


    T/N:


    Luci: Sorry for the scuffed trantion today, I was in a rush to TL this chapter before going on a trip ;;;; I will be away for the next update, so see you guys again in two weeks!

 Chapter 110

    <h4>Chapter 110</h4>


    unedited


    There was a reason why Qi Jing always avoided appearing together with Shen Yan before the woman.


    ¡ªBecause he never knew if he would slip up.


    ¡ªBecause he never knew how to exin their actual rtionship.


    He has never stated clearly to the woman who he was for Shen Yan¡ªeven when they first talked, he only used an identity of being Shen Yan¡¯s ¡°close friend¡± to exin their rtionship. The woman also believed so.


    That¡¯s why, when she saw those two people hugging each other from afar, a momentary loss appeared on her face. Then, the loss slowly turned into that kind of an expression, one between shock and fear, as she stood still by the door like a y doll.


    Qi Jing felt his back turning numb, a chill rushing through it, leaving him unable to budge. His hands that had just rested on Shen Yan¡¯s let go reflexively.


    But even like this, it was already toote¡ª


    ¡°Ugh..¡± Under the influence of anxiousness, an instinct to improvise that he had cultivated through his work forced him to react. His knees once again swayed slightly and he groaned painfully, appearing unsteady on his feet as he clutched Shen Yan¡¯s sleeve.


    ¡°That¡¯s no good, I¡¯m still dizzy... I feel so bad, sorry.¡± He said, letting the woman hear his words, as well as making himself seem as if he was relying entirely on Shen Yan¡¯s support to stand, so as to dispel the impression of that hug. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the woman staring nkly, her expression turning to one of realisation¡ªone with a hint of relief to it.


    Qi Jing saw all of it, then lowered his head slowly as he leaned in Shen Yan¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± The woman came over, asking with concern. Indeed, Qi Jing¡¯s face didn¡¯t look so good¡ªit was pale, making his act from just now even more convincing.


    Shen Yan was surprised first when he heard of him being ¡°dizzy¡±, but once the woman¡¯s voice came from behind him, he understood what was going on. He didn¡¯t say anything, still supporting Qi Jing, ying into his act to the end without a single word ofint¡ªonly his fingers on Qi Jing¡¯s arms tightened slightly.


    Since Qi Jing was ¡°feeling unwell¡±, this lunch concluded quickly and there was hardly any conversation between the three of them. The woman rarely spoke up unprompted in the first ce and Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything, while Qi Jing was ying his ¡°old sickness acting up¡± act, sitting on the side and eating mechanically in silence. After the meal, the woman asked Qi Jing to go back home to recuperate. Qi Jing readily agreed, getting up to say goodbye.


    He was about to leave on his own, when Shen Yan got up from his seat, ¡°I will see you off.¡±


    To decline at this time would seem very out of ce, so Qi Jing smiled slightly, even though this smile was a bit hard to pull off, ¡°Okay, thank you...¡±


    After leaving the room, the two of them didn¡¯t use a lift, going one after another down the fire fighting stairs, neither of them starting a conversation.


    Qi Jing was walking behind Shen Yan, his eyes never leaving Shen Yan¡¯s back.


    Having already gotten used to walking by that man¡¯s side, this angle made his chest feel stuffy and uneasy. Butpared to that, it was the long spell of nk silence between them that was harder to bear. They had such moments of silence before, but it was always born out of mutual understanding¡ªbecause they could enjoy this quietly flowing warmth, and not because of them having nothing to say.


    Nothing to say.


    Qi Jing smiled bitterly¡ªhe didn¡¯t expect that this phrase could one day be used for them.


    He felt that he had to speak.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared.¡± Shen Yan paused, his steps halting on the stairs. Qi Jing slowly finished what he had to say, ¡°I¡¯m scared... When you¡¯re turning your back at me, I¡¯m scared.¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything in reply, only heaving a faint sigh. When he turned his head back, he saw only Qi Jing with his eyes lowered as he stood still in the stairway; he momentarily felt his heart hurt for him. He turned his body too and came back a few steps, walking until he grasped Qi Jing¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m not mad, and I¡¯m not ignoring you.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing suddenly felt his heart stinging, filled with things he wanted to say, yet the only thing he managed to say was, ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty.¡±


    Shen Yan seemed to be caught by a surprise, and after a while, he seemed to have gotten what Qi Jing meant to say, his brows furrowing as he didn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I want you to continue hiding it forever, just, it¡¯s not a good time for that now.¡± Qi Jing said hoarsely, ¡°Your mom will have a surgery tomorrow, so now it¡¯s a crucial time for her. Any psychological burden could take a toll on her body, so if by any chance something happened to her, you would also feel bad... That¡¯s why, don¡¯t be hasty. Only taking one step at a time can bring us stability.¡± His hand slowly grasped Shen Yan¡¯s hand, as if tofort him. But in reality, the unease in his heart was no smaller than for Shen Yan.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± After a long while, Shen Yan finally gave him some sort of response.


    Seeing him agree, Qi Jing breathed a sigh of relief, then said with a bitter smile, ¡°It took so long for your mom to slowly rebuild the rtionship with you, for her to be in a better ce, so at this time, I don¡¯t want to&#k2026;¡±


    He didn¡¯t finish saying it, nor was there need for him to. Shen Yan would probably understand.


    Qi Jing leaned forward slightly, resting his head against Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder. Shen Yan moved his hands to hug him¡ªthis clearly normal, but now also feeling like long-lost warmth made him stammer as he spoke, ¡°There are things you haven¡¯t experienced, but I did... I don¡¯t want you to go through that as well.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± When he thought of Qi Jing¡¯s family situation, Shen Yan¡¯s voice turned a bit softer.


    ¡°To be honest, your mom¡¯s reaction isn¡¯t really important. What is important is our attitude, because it¡¯s our rtionship¡ªit¡¯s us who will keep it up, not her.¡± So rather than theiring out, he was more concerned about the impact his future working situation would have on their rtionship.


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    At that moment, Qi Jing nuzzled lightly against his neck like a kitten. A very restrained, but also genuinely kittenish coquettery. ¡°Say, with us like this... Does it count as us having a fight?¡±


    Hearing this, Shen Yan gave a low chuckle, ¡°It doesn¡¯t count.¡±


    After a pause, he added, ¡°I know that you have our future in mind, so there¡¯s nothing for me to be angry about.¡±


    ¡ªThat¡¯s why declining that internship is also for our future.


    Qi Jing finally found himself a ¡°correct reason¡±, so the guilt weighing on his shoulders suddenly didn¡¯t feel as heavy; his brows unforrowed gradually and he gave Shen Yan a smile.


    At that time, Shen Yan didn¡¯t know what Qi Jing was smiling about.


    Before they got together, Qi Jing was a man used to shouldering, putting up with everything by himself. He knew that from the very beginning. But these days, Qi Jing started to rely on him more and more, letting Shen Yan handle all kinds of daily life trifles in his stead, making him almost forget that trait of his. If that evening he closed the door a bit louder, maybe he would never be reminded of it again.


    By the time he was back home from the clinic, the sky was alreadypletely dark. When Shen Yan opened the door, the living room was pitch-ck, with no lights on, leaving him surprised. Usually, Qi Jing would be sitting before TV and watching news at this time, so for him to not be there... Could he be asleep?


    Thinking of this possibility, Shen Yan caught the door, closing it gently. If Qi Jing really was asleep, it wouldn¡¯t be good to wake him up with the noise.


    But he was wrong.


    Qi Jing wasn¡¯t sleeping, because the lights in the bedroom were on. Shen Yan took off his coat and shoes, bewildered as he went over to open the bedroom door. There was no one inside¡ªonly the indistinct sound of a person speaking could be heard from the balcony, along with the pacing back and forth that he was already familiar with, one that would only appear alongside this man¡¯s musing. Turns out that Qi Jing was taking a call outside.


    Shen Yan could hear that his steps were a bit different than usual¡ªagitated, as if he was in the middle of a tough internal struggle. Puzzled, he instinctively lightened his steps, quietly getting closer to the wall.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I should do.¡± The first sentence he heard clearly was actually this one. He could also hear Qi Jing¡¯s voice clearly, much heavier than normally, and a bit hoarse too¡ªa typical indication of someone suppressing their emotions.


    Shen Yan¡¯s heart trembled as he held his breath to listen more.


    Qi Jing was probably listening to the reply from the person at the other end of the call, he didn¡¯t speak for quite a while, only humming downheartedly every now and then. Atst, he heaved a long sigh, ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying. In fact, our director also said that I¡¯m confused, that I¡¯m turning down such a good growth opportunity for nothing, but...¡±


    At that point, he paused once again. A merely three seconds-long pause, yet for Shen Yan, it felt like three hours¡ªhis ears were about to turn numb as he stayed there, suspended in the void.


    And the next part was like a vicious hit in the numb body part, causing him to tremble.


    ¡°Just thinking of having to go to Beijing for three years makes me stop wanting to consider it anymore. I... really can¡¯t leave here, leave Shen Yan.¡±


    Shen Yan staggered back a step in stupor, then stopped still. It took him a few seconds to process all the information in Qi Jing¡¯s words, and once he understood what the other could talk about, he actually didn¡¯t know how he should feel about it.


    Qi Jing said that he didn¡¯t want to leave him. Then... he should be happy, right?


    He would normally think so, but connected with the current situation, he just had no way of feeling peacefully, selfishly happy about it.


    Separated by a window, he could see an indistinct silhouette of Qi Jing standing under the clothes drying racks on the balcony, at the ce he had previously said he would sit to sunbathe when he turns into an old man.


    For a moment, Shen Yan was swept with mixed feelings, unable to budge for a long time.


    The person on the balcony still didn¡¯t know that he was there, continuing the call, ¡°I can still work my way up from now on at work, I will still fight to get a better position here. Even if that¡¯s no good, I can always apply for a transfer to a different department, just my sry won¡¯t get any better... Hm? What... You want me to ask him what he thinks? Sigh, I don¡¯t know how to tell him...¡±


    Why don¡¯t you know how to tell me this?Why don¡¯t you talk it over with me?


    Shen Yan furrowed his brows, his hand reaching instinctively towards the door to the balcony, but he couldn¡¯t set his heart to rush out there.


    And Qi Jing¡¯s next words made it even harder for him to take that step.


    ¡°I know what he fears the most¡ªwhat he¡¯s afraid of is me leaving him. Even if he doesn¡¯t say that, I can tell that he wants me to stay. But that guy is just too considerate, if I ask for his opinion, he will certainly say something like ¡®don¡¯t worry about me, you go¡¯, then bear in silence the three years of being alone and apart. I don¡¯t want to create such a situation.¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s hand lost its steadiness, slipping lightly off the door before returning to its original ce.


    ¡°His home is here, and he¡¯s the type that cares a lot about home. I don¡¯t dare and also don¡¯t want to ask him to abandon everything, including this house, work, memories, and follow me...¡± As he spoke, Qi Jing¡¯s voice waspletely hoarse¡ªit could be heard that this internal struggle already left him incredibly fatigued. ¡°This internship opportunity isn¡¯t something I can¡¯t pass on, no need to be in a hurry with career and such. For now, I only want to treasure the person by my side. I don¡¯t want to care about anything else for the moment.¡±


    ¡°Silly.¡± Shen Yan muttered lightly¡ªnot in a reproach, only dotingly.


    He didn¡¯t make any noise, stepping back from the wall and leaving the bedroom, returning back to the living room after closing the door. He once again took out the already put away coat and shoes, putting them on simply. Then he opened the main door, once again closing them with a ¡°bang¡±.


    After doing all of that, he waited silently without a word. As expected, he soon heard the hurried steps from the bedrooms closing in, so he made the movement of taking his coat off. At that time, Qi Jing opened the door swiftly and came out. Seeing him standing at the entrance, he cracked a light smile, ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I just got back.¡± Shen Yan nodded his head, hanging his coat on the hook for the second time that night, then putting his shoes for the second time in the shoe cab too. He let his voice take the most usual tone, nothing out of the ordinary to be heard, ¡°Did you eat?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I just heated up the leftovers from the fridge.¡±


    ¡°What else were you doing, voice acting?¡± He asked, his tone so unperturbed that there was no way of telling he already knew the answer.


    ¡°Ah, no, I just was on a call with my Junior.¡± Sure enough, the person on the other end of the call was Ning Xiaoxiao. That was to be expected, the only person offline who knew their real rtionship and was close enough with Qi Jing to discuss these things would be her.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t ask about the content of their conversation at all, so Qi Jing breathed a sigh of relief. He asked a bit about the woman¡¯s health during the preparation for the surgery, as well as what the doctor was saying, before he said thoughtfully, ¡°You¡¯re also tired after a long day, go take a shower first to warm yourself up. Tomorrow is a big day, so let¡¯s rest early.¡±


    All of this was no different from their usual interactions¡ªor it would be, if it wasn¡¯t for the heaviness weighing on Shen Yan¡¯s heart.


    Shen Yan lowered his eyes in silence, going to take a shower as asked.


    But by the time he went out of the shower, wiping his hair as he entered the room with a hairdryer, he saw Qi Jing sitting on the floor. For some unknown reason, he took out the suitcase he brought from his apartment, looking through it under themp light in search of something. Looking closer, Shen Yan realised that he was looking for the medicines.


    Shen Yan was staggered. Those were stomach medications, pain-killers, over the counter sleep medicine and the like¡ªthe things he thought Qi Jing wouldn¡¯t have to use anymore.


    Qi Jing raised his head to see him staring at the bottles strewn over the floor, and was just as taken by a surprise before he smiled awkwardly, ¡°Ah... The day after tomorrow is myst check-up, so if everything¡¯s fine, then the time for me to go back to thepany is not so far away. That¡¯s why it¡¯s better to find this stuff beforehands, so that I don¡¯t forget it when the timees.¡±


    That¡¯s not it, Qi Jing.


    That¡¯s not the important part¡ª


    Shen Yan clenched his hand tightly, just like his heart clenched by an invisible hand. He asked instinctively, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing hesitated for a bit, subconsciously lowering his head to fiddle with the medicine bottles as he avoided the topic, ¡°Nothing happened.¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t move a single bit from him. Suddenly, he said in a low voice, ¡°Qi Jing, do you know that when you have a guilty conscience, you don¡¯t dare to look me in the eye?¡±


    With his words hitting right on the spot, Qi Jing¡¯s hand gripping a medicine bottle shook. He could only steel himself and raise his eyes. Shen Yan¡¯s eyes were ck through and through, his gaze straightforward, able to make his guilt surge easily¡ªthat¡¯s why he didn¡¯t dare to meet it.


    He didn¡¯t expect... That Shen Yan already saw through his habits, that he knew where his weaknessy.


    Qi Jing had no other way but to admit defeat with a bitter smile, ¡°Fine, you¡¯re right... I have a guilty conscience.¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t smile, furrowing as he asked once again, ¡°What happened?¡±


    They lived under the same roof, a bit of attention paid to his daily routine would betray the fact that he would continue to work as a reporter. He had no way of hiding it, Shen Yan would realise that sooner orter. That¡¯s why Qi Jing decided to be open about this part of the truth, ¡°My application for the TV anchor position... the higher-ups didn¡¯t ept it.¡±


    Shen Yan was dumbstruck. He heard about the three-years move to Beijing, but this, he only got to hear about now.


    Qi Jing saw him getting dumbfounded, and tried to soothe him in turn, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, if they want me to remain a reporter then so be it, either way, I already have quite a bit of experience, so it¡¯ll be more convenient. The only downside is that the working time and assignments can be quite taxing, but I will do my best to bnce work and rest.¡±


    He said it like that, but it¡¯s not like he was new to the reporter life¡ªsometimes when he would get an assignment, he would be busy all day long until deep into the night, there was nothing to do about it.


    Qi Jing saying this didn¡¯t sound convincing at all, even his smile was forced.


    Shen Yan watched him silently, observing his face under themplight.


    He had seen how haggard and lifeless this face was before. He had also seen that resigned gaze, almost as if already fed up with the world.


    After these days of recuperation, eating healthy and nutritious food and his sleeping quality improving slowly, Qi Jing¡¯s body and mind had gotten better many times since he had moved in¡ªmost of Shen Yan¡¯s memories of Qi Jing were him smiling happily. For example now, under the faintmplight, even those strands of ck hair seemed more lustrous than before.


    ¡ªSo soft and pleasant to touch. Thinking so, he couldn¡¯t help but reach his hand out to stroke it.


    ¡°What?¡± Qi Jing was caught by a surprise, but it soon turned into a smile, the corners of his eyes curling up as he enjoyed that warmth passed from his fingers.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of you.¡± Shen Yan said in a soft voice.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t expect him to be so frank¡ªhis ears flushed red in an instant. ¡°Aren¡¯t I just before you,¡± He lowered his head, embarrassed, yet he still leaned over, pressing it close against his chest, ¡°What¡¯s there to think about.¡±


    I¡¯m thinking of you from before¡ªShen Yan thought.


    He thought of Qi Jing from the time when he just moved in, who would get two, three re-ups of stomach pain. At that time, he obstinately refused to tell him about it, his face turning pale from pain as he curled up on the bed¡ªonlyter Shen Yan found him like this. Distressed, he prepared something for warming up stomach for him to get better; it took a lot of time and care before those re-ups stopped.


    He thought of Qi Jing who would sleep by his side every night. His sleep got much more steady than before, but it was still rather light¡ªall those times when he would wake up deep at night and get into his embrace... he knew all of that.


    At that moment, he knew what his heart¡¯s decision was.


    A/N:


    I kinda feel like Kitty¡¯s Papa is very top in this chapter, is it only me... _(:3¡¹¡Ï) (Oi oi, he¡¯s always been a top)


    T/N:


    Luci: The extent of those two caring for each other, even if the other might not even realise that... _(:3¡¹¡Ï)

 Chapter 111

    <h4>Chapter 111</h4>


    Editor: Whitere


    Most of the time, other people made decisions in Shen Yan¡¯s stead¡ªdeciding his birth, his destination, his fate. At those times, he would always allow it in silence, then shoulder all the harm they brought him alone.


    These days, he realised that he needed to make some of the most crucial decisions in a person¡¯s life.


    He was now much more proactive and took much more initiative to consider the ¡°future¡±. Not because he got more selfish, but because he wasn¡¯t alone anymore¡ªin his hands was the ¡°future¡± of two people, much weightier than anything else.


    Even during the hours when his mother was undergoing surgery, those considerations never stopped. Or rather, in such a crucial turning point as surgery, it was easier for a person to sit down and think clearly of what one wanted to pursue.


    The lit-up red ¡°surgery in progress¡± sign would leave people with an oppressive and stifling feeling, and because of that, many would lose control over their emotions under this pressure, but he was surprisingly calm. During the three lengthy hours of the surgery, he didn¡¯t get up from his seat a single time. Qi Jing, too¡ªhe quietly sat by his side through all that time, holding his hand.


    ¡ªAre my hands shaking?¡ªThey aren¡¯t.


    Asking and answering like this repeatedly.


    Whether it had any meaning or not, no matter if Qi Jing¡¯s reply was true or false... none of it mattered. As long as he spoke and there was a single person by his side to listen, to respond, it was enough to set his heart at peace.


    The woman¡¯s surgery went just as nned and concluded sessfully. Because the tumour was benign and it was discovered quickly, it got cut out pretty cleanly¡ªit was the subsequent chemotherapy that everything depended on from now on. After the operation ended, the woman got transferred to the special care unit and was tended to by a nurse so that no infection or cranial bleeding would ur. Only after a full day of everything staying normal did she get transferred back to the normal sickroom. At that time, Shen Yan was handling some matters in the hospital, as well as preparing some nourishing medicines for the post-surgery recovery.


    And Qi Jing was quietly helping by his side. Of course, he was still doing it under the name of a ¡°friend¡±.


    ¡°December 3th, cage No.2, a mixed breed dog, about three to four months old. This little fellow got sent to the clinic after getting hit by a car, with internal injuries and major internal bleeding. Now it¡¯s almost two weeks since it underwent surgery and all of its body functions are slowly recovering, but a further observation is still needed. Previously, the little fellow didn¡¯t have an appetite under the influence of the anaesthetics, buttely he could eat the entirety of nutritious meals prepared for him by the nurse...¡±


    What Qi Jing loved the most was to sit by the hospital bed with a diary in hand, slowly reading the animals¡¯ recovery diary Shen Yan wrote at the clinic to the woman. On one hand, he was always very fond of reading its content; on the other hand, for a patient recovering from a tumour surgery, to listen to a few paragraphs of ¡°slow recovery¡± records written by one¡¯s own son... it was just too suitable.


    ¡°Your reading is so good, like a professional broadcaster¡¯s.¡± After Qi Jing finished reading a paragraph, the woman lifted her head to give him a slight smile, ¡°And your voice is so pleasant to listen to as well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Qi Jing closed the diary, returning a modest smile.


    Listening to Qi Jing¡¯s reading those stories was the most enjoyable part of the woman¡¯s day¡ªnot only because the one who wrote the diary was Shen Yan, but also because listening to the story of those animals getting healed sounded so warm, making her own mood improve quite a lot. Despite being injured himself, Qi Jing would still apany Shen Yan when visiting her. He wouldn¡¯t be able to help with any manual task, so he could only encourage her this way¡ªit left her very moved.


    ¡°Speaking of which... Thementator for that programme was also you, Xiao Qi,¡± The woman watched the DVD of the recording on hisptop, ¡°You are very good at this, right?¡±


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s because it¡¯s required by my work.¡± And he voice acted a lot too.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same,¡± The woman shook her head, ¡°Some of thementators sound devoid of any feelings and stiff, but for you it feels like you¡¯re putting your emotions into it¡ªyou really care about those animals. I can see that you have a good heart.¡±


    You have a good heart.


    Hearing these words, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help butugh bitterly in his heart. If You knew that this ¡°good-hearted¡± me is a gay who has more than friendly feelings towards Your son, would You still think so¡ªbut of course, he couldn¡¯t possibly ask such a thing.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should go to the outpatient sector to take off my cast, I will be back in a moment.¡± He swallowed back the words surging up his throat. Qi Jing smiled at the woman, still maintaining his urbane and courteous attitude as he stood up and said his goodbyes. During the woman¡¯s recuperation period, he got an X-ray photo taken and received the results of the examination. The doctor said that his left hand had mostly recovered to how it was before the ident, so the cast could already be taken off. Either way, he was around in the hospital everyday, so he just made an appointment today to go to the neighbouring building and take the cast and the sling off.


    At that time, Shen Yan was sitting quietly by the woman¡¯s side, peeling an apple. Hearing this, he nced at Qi Jing, then lowered his gaze again before nodding his head. Every time Qi Jing heard the woman praise him, he would always embarrassedly diverge from the topic or find an excuse to go out for a moment.


    In fact, the woman had already noticed that. But she just thought that Qi Jing was modest by nature and would get embarrassed when others praised him. But Shen Yan knew that that wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°Xiao Qi really has a good heart, I know that for myself.¡± After Qi Jing went, the woman repeated her words quietly.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything. The knife in his hands peeled around the apple, the nk silence between them like the apple skin under it, growing longer bit by bit. He had a feeling that there should be something more the woman would say after that.


    And as expected, she muttered to herself, ¡°For you to have a friend like him, it¡¯s really wonderful...¡±


    ¡°Mom,¡± At that time, Shen Yan¡¯s hands stopped as he corrected her unhurriedly, ¡°He isn¡¯t my ¡®friend¡¯.¡±


    This sentence seemed to have pushed a pause button. All the sounds in the sickroom suddenly ceased, leaving itpletely silent.


    Shen Yan waited a few seconds in silence. He didn¡¯t get to hear any reply. Hence, he lowered his gaze a bit, once again focusing his sight at the knife in his hands and that half-peeled apple, continuing to peel.


    The de of the knife was very sharp, so it took a lot of effort to not cut off the skin while peeling.


    Still, he didn¡¯t intend to put the knife down halfway through¡ª


    ¡°He¡¯s not my friend,¡± Shen Yan¡¯s voice was low and steady as he repeated slowly, ¡°You didn¡¯t immediately ask me just now, so I think that... You probably already realised that, just, You subconsciously don¡¯t want to seek confirmation.¡±


    No reply.


    Shen Yan also didn¡¯t raise his eyes, the knife in his hand continuing to cut in, peeling off a continuous and even ribbon of skin; it was apparent that his hold on it was steady. But his voice wasn¡¯t as steady as the knife. ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to tell You this, because he feels that if You knew that... It would probably upset You, cause You to get angry. If our just recently recovered rtionship was ruined because of him, he would me himself until death.¡±


    Still no reply.


    ¡°But I think that, this feeling of not being able to tell other people, not being able to be truthful to them, ultimately only being able to bear this pain alone in silence... It¡¯s very simr to what You felt with dad.¡± Shen Yan paused for a bit here, his voice hoarse, both low and heavy. ¡°You who went through this... You should be able to know even better what he¡¯s feeling right now, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    With the knife reaching the end, his hand holding it tightened slightly. He watched as the unbroken ribbon of apple skin fell down, like apleted story narrated from the beginning to the end.


    Their story would also have a beginning and an end¡ªit wouldn¡¯t break halfway through.


    They would also persevere until the very end¡ª


    ¡°Mom, I want to give the person I love a status. I want to take him in as my family.¡± Even though he had the same surname, he wouldn¡¯t follow the same path. He raised head, his gaze sincere, ¡°I decided that I will never be my dad.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Qi Jing had yet toe in, but he could already be heard as he greeted them with a smile before entering.


    The course of taking off the cast was really short and the only thing that took quite a bit of time was waiting in the line, so about an hour already passed by the time he was back. But when he came in, he noticed that the two in the room were still in their original ces¡ªeven their postures were unchanged¡ªand neither of them spoke.


    The woman still sat by the head of the bed, unmoving, her eyes lowered.


    Shen Yan was still silently peeling an apple¡ªit¡¯s just this time it was a new one; Qi Jing noticed the already peeled appleid on the fruit tray, but for some unknown reason, neither of them ate it, and it seemed like it was there for quite a while, with its surface turning a deep brown colour.


    Upon noticing this detail, Qi Jing was a bit surprised, intuitively feeling that there was something wrong with the atmosphere. He asked instinctively, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Hearing this, Shen Yan lifted his head, smiling lightly at him as usual, ¡°Nothing¡ªgood job getting the cast off. What did the doctor say?¡±


    It was as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. Qi Jing scrutinised Shen Yan¡¯s expression, but he didn¡¯t see anything unusual about him. Thinking that maybe he was thinking too much, he smiled and lifted his finally healed and free left hand. ¡°The doctor told me that I can use it, but he advised me to avoid making big movements; the usual exercises should be enough.¡±


    Shen Yan observed him calmly for a while, his gaze incredibly gentle as he said in a soft voice, ¡°That¡¯s great... Sit down, wait for me to peel this apple so that we can all share.¡±


    Since he mentioned the apple, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but jump on this topic, ¡°That¡¯s right, why didn¡¯t you eat the one on the table after peeling it? It has even oxidised already.¡±


    But Shen Yan¡¯s answer was like they weren¡¯t even speaking of the same thing, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s in the past already.¡± Saying this, he threw out the discoloured apple.


    What doesn¡¯t matter?What¡¯s in the past?


    Qi Jing gaped at him, taken aback, yet he already finished peeling the apple, and even cut a small piece, raising it for him very casually, ¡°Come, take a bite.¡±


    Shen Yan would often do that when they were at home. So, Qi Jing didn¡¯t think much and bent over habitually, opening his lips to receive it.


    ¡°Mh...¡± At that time, he suddenly realised that he wasn¡¯t at home right now, but in a sickroom¡ªstartled, he swallowed the apple quickly, almost choking on it. As he quickly chomped down on it as if to get rid of the evidence of his crimes, he couldn¡¯t help but to covertly take a look at the woman¡¯s face, hoping that she didn¡¯t notice that.


    But the woman noticed.


    Not only did she notice it¡ªshe was also staring at him fixedly. Only at that time Qi Jing noticed that her eyes were a bit red, but also unusually calm. Seeing Qi Jing bite down on the apple Shen Yan fed him with so matter-of-factly, those eyes blinked, and when their gazes met, she lowered her head first to look at her wrung fingers. Atst, she let go of her hands, raising her head to give Qi Jing a forced smile. ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± She said, ¡°Your arm has healed already.¡±


    ¡°Ah...¡± Qi Jing failed to react at first, but then he hurriedly smiled while saying, ¡°That¡¯s right, thank You for Your concern.¡±


    ¡°As a celebration, how about going out for dinner?¡± The woman spoke again. It was her first time actively mentioning eating outside.


    In her life, she was used to living her days shaking in fear, hiding away from the opinionated gaze of society, like a shade-loving flower, growing alone in the deep shadows. When she was raising Shen Yan in the past, she would always eat meals with her child when the doors were closed, not wanting to be seen outside together with her son¡ªbut now she came to get over it.


    And her expression was so peaceful¡ªQi Jing watched her, unable to get over the astonishment.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Qi Jing didn¡¯t answer yet, but Shen Yan already replied in his stead. The woman nodded her head slightly.


    ¡°Xiao Qi, will youe too?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I wille.¡± Of course, Qi Jing had no reason to decline.


    During this exchange, the taste of the apple he had just eaten had yet to fade¡ªafter a tinge of tartness, a light sweetness spilled gradually in his mouth.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but Qi Jing was suddenly at a loss. Was it because his cast was off? The heavy feeling on his shoulder seemed to have eased, leaving a sense of emptiness¡ªhe thought that now he understood what Shen Yan previously meant by that feeling of ¡°escaping¡±.


    ¡°Today was so weird.¡± After thinking about it back and forth, he couldn¡¯t help but speak up.


    Hearing this, Shen Yan turned his face lightly to look at Qi Jing.


    It was already nearing ten by the time the two of them returned to the old town district. The north wind was strong that night and the old-school tea houses along the streets had long since closed, only leaving the shop banners fluttering in the wind, fluttering destely. Many of the households had their lights out as well, so it should be so dark that one couldn¡¯t see any details, but it just happened to be the night of a full moon. The moon hung quietly between the trees, covering the ground in silver¡ªas if letting them into a ck and white picture.


    With a person in such a picture, the emotions on their face would get written out under the moonlight. Shen Yan also wanted to be able to read the feelings of the man by his side.


    After getting off the car, Qi Jing continued his musing, not starting any conversation throughout their way, so Shen Yan kept apanying him in silence by his side, observing his expression. Just as they were passing through a narrow alley, Qi Jing suddenly spoke up so out-of-nowhere.


    And there was also a continuation to it, ¡°I feel like Auntie today wasn¡¯t quite the same as usual.¡±


    Shen Yan asked in a low voice, ¡°How was she not the same?¡±


    Qi Jing raised his head,ughing with a bit of puzzlement at the moon sitting on the branches, as if amused with his own confusing statement, ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure either... I just feel like Auntie paid a great lot of attention to me. She would often watch me for a long time, and when we were eating just now, she would even pass me quite a bit of food. She¡¯s not the type to be skillful with pretty words, so maybe she wanted to thank me this way before leaving the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Shen Yan only replied after a long while, although he knew that it wasn¡¯t entirely the reason.


    ¡°Right? I thought of it for a long time, but could only think of this.¡± Although Qi Jing seemed a bit perplexed, he was still very happy. Maybe this reason was already enough to make him content.


    At that time, Shen Yan gradually slowed his steps, stopping in ce, watching Qi Jing¡¯s back as he continued to go forward.


    ¡°But this feeling is pretty nice, isn¡¯t it?¡± He asked.


    Hearing the other¡¯s voiceing from behind and not from his side, Qi Jing was somewhat surprised and turned back, only then realising that Shen Yan had stopped a few metres behind him. Turning his head back to see that, he couldn¡¯t help augh, ¡°Why would you stop so suddenly?¡±


    ¡°This feeling is pretty nice, isn¡¯t it?¡± Shen Yan only repeated this question again.


    ¡°Mhm...¡±Qi Jing admitted. Although he didn¡¯t know the reason behind it, he still really thought that it felt nice.


    Hearing his reply, all of a sudden Shen Yan smiled lightly. It was clearly a smile, but under the vague moonlight, it also revealed a kind of mncholy. He smiled to himself for a while, both his hands in the coat pockets, his posture calm and steady as he stood there, gazing at Qi Jing standing between the alleys for a long time. Before his eyes was the ce he grew up in¡ªeach street, each alley, and even each wall along them¡ªthey were all so familiar; the apartment left him by grandpa was not so far away, and no matter if it was wind or rain, overcast or sunny, spring, summer, fall or winter, nothing ever changed here.


    All of it, its entirety, was so familiar and dear to him.


    But, it was only when this man¡¯s silhouette was there that this scene becameplete. Since that rainy day when he brought this man here, everything here gained a new importance. It was a different kind of importance than that his grandpa had for him, but it was equally as precious¡ª


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t as scary as you imagined, right?¡± The wind carried his low words through the silent alley, passing them to this man¡¯s ears. Suddenly, Qi Jing shook.


    ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    But in fact, Qi Jing thought of a certain possibility. But this possibility made his heart spasm, leaving him afraid to follow this thought¡ªhe would rather stay an ignorant fool, hoping for Shen Yan¡¯s next words to disperse it.


    But Shen Yan¡¯s next words not only didn¡¯t disperse it, but even proved it true.


    ¡°You have probably already guessed what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s mind buzzed¡ªit was like the figures turning nk in a program¡¯s information overload, leaving it unable to proceed with any action. The psychological reaction couldn¡¯t keep up at all, but his body already reacted with a step forward. His whole body didn¡¯t have a single bit of feeling, as ifpletely numb, but two traces of tears suddenly fell down from his eyes. With him still in a stupor, those tears fell down his cheeks to the ground.


    ¡°Wu...¡± It was when he got to Shen Yan that he heard his own choked sob.


    The first one escaped in spite of him, so he had no way of suppressing the rest. By the time Shen Yan reached his hands out to hold his shoulders, he finally couldn¡¯t help it and closed his eyes, letting the tears pour down as he covered them embarassedly with his hands.


    ¡°Why, why...¡± He wasn¡¯t this scared even when he came out, yet now his whole body was shaking, just as did his voice when he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Shen Yan reached his hands out to take him into a tight embrace, apologising in a low voice. But he only apologised for having hidden the truth, not because he regretted his choice.


    Hugged by him firmly, Qi Jing momentarily cried so hard he couldn¡¯t say a thing, only clenching his teeth as he watched his own tears wetting Shen Yan¡¯s cor. He subconsciously raised his right hand, for a moment really wanting to give this man a punch, but in the end, he wasn¡¯t even able to do that¡ªhe knew in his heart that he was the reason why this guy opened up about this, so how could he do that?


    ¡°Why are you, so stupid...¡± Pressed against his chest, Qi Jing asked him spasmodically, his throat hoarse from crying.


    ¡°Because I couldn¡¯t take it.¡± Shen Yan chuckled noiselessly, burying half his face in Qi Jing¡¯s hair lightly, kissing his cold ear.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t take it...?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I couldn¡¯t take it,¡± Shen Yan said softly in his ear, ¡°Because you would give up on your prospects without telling me anything, deciding to stay with me, so I couldn¡¯t take it... So I also decided to act first before telling you¡ªthis way we¡¯re even.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s breath stagnated, then he asked in shock, ¡°How, how did you know?¡±


    Shen Yan justughed without telling him.


    After a moment of shock, Qi Jing slowly came back to his senses. But his heart was still shaken by the hit it had just received and his knees were a bit soft, so only by leaning against Shen Yan could he stand strong on his feet.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with this us being even... You silly thing.¡± After a momentary stab of pain came the faint, dull one.


    His hands gripped tightly at Shen Yan¡¯s back, causing the fabric of his coat to be all crumpled. And Shen Yan only patiently, quietly kissed his forehead, until those sobs slowly calmed in his embrace, ¡°Qi Jing, don¡¯t you remember how I told you that I want you to be my family?¡±


    ¡°Mhm...¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t you know what it means to be family?¡± He asked again.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t say anything, his arms only hugging Shen Yan¡¯s tighter and tighter. The choked sobs stopped, but the tears falling onto his clothes didn¡¯t. Shen Yan sighed softly.


    ¡°To be a family means that wherever you are is wherever home is.¡± He said in a low voice, ¡°Qi Jing, you¡¯re already my family.¡±


    A/N:


    This chapter number is very gong... 111 and all. That¡¯s why Kitty Papa this time... is even more gong >/ / /<


    It was July 11th when I started ¡°Exclusive Rights to an Online Voice Actor¡±st year, so a year and two days passed by now. I originally intended to post this chapter two days ago, but because some not-so-happy stuff happened in my IRL (mostly family stuff), I was stuck with the writing for quite a bit, so coupled with how this plotline is not easy to write in the first ce, I posted itte. But either way, it still can count as me giving myself a celebratory chapter for a one year anniversary...


    I experienced a lot during this year, from writing quietly at the beginning, to many people starting to support meter. There are also some moments of ck history and some when I felt down, and I even went on a long hiatus twice. Huge changes also happened for me IRL... So writing this novel has been a bumpy ride, but thankfully I had you guys supporting me until now¡ªthank you all!!


    Going back to this chapter, although I know that some people came here to read about 2D, but I still want to deliver the current turning point in their 3D well, to give some satisfactory answers. For me, aside of telling the main characters¡¯ story, it¡¯s also me writing some of my views and attitude towards life, so sometimes it can get long-winded and drag on, but I can only apologise for that. Maybe it¡¯s because I belong to the ¡°old-school writers¡± here (I came to Jinjiang pretty early, although updating was hard on me and I never finished any works), so my intention to write a novel is still the same as previously¡ªto express an attitude towards life, and not to write a feel-good quick spill of drama that passes as easily as ites. I had to grumble a bit for my anniversary day, and it¡¯s mainly to encourage myself. ^_^


    PS: Honestly, no matter if it¡¯s ErYan or Kitty Papa, these few chapters both of them handle some things wrong, but it proves that nobody is perfect, all of us sometimesck consideration when we¡¯re concerned and at a loss. But in the end, with both of them being able to settle it together, it¡¯s already enough,l. ~(¨R?¨Q)~


    T/N:


    Whitere: SY mic drop QAQ I love them so much

 Chapter 112

    <h4>Chapter 112</h4>


    NSFW content warning


    unedited


    Little Return Date woke up from its sleep at once, springing up on its feet to stick its head out and look around¡ªit heard the sound of the door opening.


    ¡ªDaddies came back home. Its round eyes lit up with joy and it started meowing right away.


    The door indeed opened, but it was quite different from usual. It opened in a rush, the thick door hitting heavily against the wall behind, causing a dull noise.


    The two people came in at the same time, in a different than usual manner as well, their steps staggered¡ªthe moment they passed through the entrance, they were already at the wall by its side.


    One of them gasped rapidly for breath, his back against the wall as he tilted his head back to bite at the lips of the man before him. And this man pressed over, one hand in his hair as he kept his head in ce, head lowered in an almost forceful kiss while still hastily taking the keys out of the door lock with his other hand. As the door closed, his hand let go, the keys falling straight on the floor with a crisp jangle.


    Then it was bags off their shoulders, scarves... and finally their coats. It was them feeling those coats on the other, prying them off on each other, shedding it off their bodies and down the sleeves.


    ¡°Meow?¡± Little Return Date watched, bewildered, its ws pawing indignantly from the edge of a box, its meowing fading out gradually.


    ¡ªDaddies are fighting? Little Return Date hung its head downhearted, dejected as it drilled back into its bed.


    ¡ªI¡¯d better not ask for huggies then, daddies seem to be fighting really badly. Pulling the coats off each other, continuing with the clothes under... Even breathing seems hard for them...


    ¡°Wu...¡± Qi Jing felt breathing bing hard for him. Just as he was about to suffocate, he finally brought himself to part for a while with the man before him, leaning against the wall for a few low pants.


    His eyes were still a bit swollen, the tears had yet to be wiped dry, but a faint redness in the corner of his eyes had a hint of passion to it. Seeing it, Shen Yan couldn¡¯t help but lean over to kiss that ce. Qi Jing hummed faintly, lifting his head to where Shen Yan was kissing, searching his way up until his lips reced his eyes at meeting Shen Yan¡¯s kisses, thenughed lightly, like a child who found candy in a cupboard corner. But the life of this smile was bound to be short, as it would soon get blurred in that kiss.


    The lights weren¡¯t on in the room, and neither of the two in it had any ns to change that.


    Qi Jing had already reached his hand to the wall to feel around blindly, but before he could turn the lights on, it got caught midair by Shen Yan, who pressed it against the wall behind. Their fingers twisted together like intimate whispers of two people, and then, he alreadypletely forgot about the existence of the lights.


    Yet he didn¡¯t forget to caress Shen Yan¡¯s back with his other hand.


    He loved letting his hand wander slowly around Shen Yan¡¯s figure, especially his back, broad and sturdy¡ªwhenever Shen Yan embraced him tightly in his arms, he could feel its muscles tensing. Those moments would make him strongly realise that this man treasured him... and longed for him.


    ¡°I want to take a shower.¡± He said suddenly, his entirety an image of a feverous man, from his voice to his breathing.


    He supported his head on Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder, burying his nose in this man¡¯s broad cor, his lips half-consciously pressing against that vigorous pulse as he spoke.


    So fast¡ªhe thought in his heart.


    ¡°Previously, it was always you helping me to undress before showering.¡± Qi Jing said in a low voice. He could smell Shen Yan¡¯s scent on his shirt, and he could feel his warmth as he touched it, but neither of those could stir his heart, his passion as much as the man himself. ¡°Now that my hand is better, can I... help you this time instead?¡±


    The partition outside the bathroom was very small. Even with the lights on, the light itself was very weak.


    The two of them almost didn¡¯t watch their steps, relying only on their impression of the apartment to stumble all the way there. This time it was Shen Yan who found the wall switch in the dark, but as soon as the light was on, Qi Jing¡¯s hands were already on his cor, pulling him back to himself for a silent kiss.


    Shen Yan was just about to hug him back and return this kiss, yet suddenly, Qi Jing pushed him rapidly against the wall, even biting his throat lightly with his teeth.


    Shen Yan leaned back subconsciously, one hand on the back of Qi Jing¡¯s neck as he let him trace those half-bites, half-kisses all the way behind his ear, his pants low. Qi Jing was also gasping lightly as he moved his hands to undo the buttons of his clothes. He hasn¡¯t been using his left hand for a long time already, its movements clumsy as it took quite a while to feel for the first button on the shirt to get undone, his fingers shaking a bit at the first¡ªthen came the second button, another one unbuttoned.


    With every button , he would open this shirt that bit more, watching as the light dripped down this man¡¯s robust chest, going down and down, with his heart speeding up.


    When the shirt¡¯s buttons were all undone, Qi Jing¡¯s hand continued to wander lower, finally touching Shen Yan¡¯s belt. Qi Jing¡¯s throat bobbed as he stared silently at his hands on it, stalling only for a bit. He firstid a kiss on the button Shen Yan strung on that red cord, then stuck out his tongue, tracing down slowly from his corbone, leaving a moist trace from the centre, to the left, and right.


    As this line arrived at the bottom of his stomach, Shen Yan couldn¡¯t help aboured groan as he instinctively jerked his hips forward with a tremble. Following this movement, Qi Jing lowered himself, half-kneeling before him, his face just by the other man¡¯s navel. Not knowing why he suddenly felt so thirsty, he moved to undo the buckle of the belt.


    ¡°Qi Jing¡ª¡± Having realised what he was about to do, Shen Yan called him in rm, quickly pushing on his shoulders, wanting to stop him.


    But Qi Jing paid no attention to him, and although clumsily, he still continued to undo the buckle, pulling the belt out of it bit by bit, then he undid the button of his pants too. While restraining his speeding heart, he pulled the zipper down without saying a word.


    Shen Yan still tried to say something in protest as Qi Jing undid the zipper, pulling the trousers off his hips and slowly reaching his hand into Shen Yan¡¯s underpants to touch that slightly bulging part, but when Qi Jing finally pulled down this piece of clothing too and put his thing into his mouth with the eyes closed, he could no longer say anything.


    ¡°Wu...¡± It wasn¡¯t the first time for Qi Jing to touch this ce. He had previously rubbed it off quite a few times, just, this time he went a step further¡ªto the point where he didn¡¯t dare to even open his eyes. He could only clumsily feel for its ce and shape with his fingers and raise his chin, slowly licking it first from bottom up to the head with his tongue, then put it in his mouth unskillfully. His teeth would sometimes touch it by ident, but wanting to make this man feel good, he still swallowed it deeper, bit by bit.


    Shen Yan¡¯s breath gradually sped up into aplete mess, his chest moving up and down rapidly along with his breathing. Qi Jing noticed clearly how his body slowly tensed up¡ªthe hand on his head was trembling, its fingers messing his hair up, and that ce was also getting harder. All of it made him feel a surge of deep satisfaction in his heart, so he held Shen Yan¡¯s waist, as if encouraged, and pulled himself closer.


    ¡°Ngh,¡± Shen Yan couldn¡¯t help but squeeze out a beg, ¡°Qi Jing...¡±


    While calling this name, he mustered the rest of his reason to hold his lower jaw firmly, pressing it with his thumb to make him spit it out before he pulled his member out.


    Having escaped the heat, the huge difference in temperatures made his back break out in a sweat, so he heaved a long gasp.


    Qi Jing panted as he watched him through his half-lidded eyes, then still moved over, wanting to continue, but he got suddenly pulled up from the floor by Shen Yan, having his lips sealed quickly with a kiss before he finally got appeased.


    Shen Yan kissed him until he couldn¡¯t move anymore, trapped in his embrace. Then, he half-carried him up as he entered the bathroom.


    After turning on the water, it sprayed down from the sprinkler. During winter, it¡¯s always hard for it to heat up, so it was still cold at first, causing their now wet bodies to shiver and hug the other instinctively with more force.


    Qi Jing still hadn¡¯t taken off all of his clothes, and Shen Yan hadn¡¯t as well, but in the moment of reason lost and passion bewitching them, they no longer cared about such things as they staggered into the bathtub. Under the water pouring from the sprinkler, the few remaining pieces of clothing on them got drenched quickly, causing them to stick close to their skin, the fabrics¡¯ colours turning so sleek and transparent that the shapes of their bodies were drawn clear to see.


    The water gradually turned warm, the droplets dripping down their hair continuously; some of them flowed down their cheeks, falling off their chins to burst by their feet¡ªas if they were standing in a rainfall. Qi Jing remembered how, when Shen Yan took him into this house on that rainy day, it was as if the rain was witnessing him bing a part of this ce, witnessing him starting to be a part of Shen Yan.


    ¡°Embrace me.¡± He said in a low voice. This too was a step to be each other¡¯s part.


    He has been waiting for many days already since their first time.


    Hearing this, Shen Yan cupped Qi Jing¡¯s face gently in his hands, pressing him against the tiled wall before pressing over himself, branding his lips with a deep and long kiss. Qi Jing¡¯s legs turned a bit soft, so he leaned his back on the wall, hooking his arms tightly around Shen Yan¡¯s neck as he lifted his head to return it.


    Shen Yan gasped deeply, kissing him while reaching his hand to touch Qi Jing¡¯s skin before uncovering thest piece of clothing on his body, peeling it off him slowly.


    The shower water cascaded against their hair, necks, shoulders and back, their whole bodies wet. After removing the clothes, the clear droplets slipped down Qi Jing¡¯s skin, their traces as if there, but also as if not. But each trace left a deep mark in Shen Yan¡¯s heart, like the rain droplets streaking across the windows, washing away the remnants of his reason.


    Water was clearly all around them, yet he felt an immense thirst.


    Its droplets were clearly at the corner of his lips, yet he only wanted for those on Qi Jing¡¯s body to quench this thirst¡ª


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡± When he heard his own voice, and also heard Qi Jing¡¯s low gasp, he finally realised that he had already lowered his head to bite on Qi Jing¡¯s earlobe. Those few droplets on his ear slid down into Shen Yan¡¯s lips along this movement¡ªthe water had no taste, but he had no wish to stop.


    At that time, Qi Jing curled up in his embrace like a docile cat, his hurried pants mixed with the sound of falling water, and those hands still caressing his back gently. From time to time, water droplets would fall off one of them, only tond on another one¡¯s body, bringing along with it a bit of the two of their warmth down to the bathtub¡¯s floor. This kind of closeness between their bodies made him momentarily lose control, his hands gradually going down the shape of Qi Jing¡¯s waist, until his fingers touched that ce.


    ¡°Ngh...¡± Qi Jing groaned indistinctly, but the hold of his embrace got only stronger.


    ¡°Does it still hurt?¡±


    Qi Jing shook his head silently, his fingers gripping harder on Shen Yan¡¯s back. A long time had passed already, and it was also treated everyday with the ointment, so the injury should have already healed by that point¡ªShen Yan noted with surprise that he still retained a bit of rity to think of this.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± Seeing him not move for a long while, Qi Jing muttered his name, his voice as soft as the droplets on his body, ¡°Don¡¯t wait anymore... Please.¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t speak, only turning his face, burying it in his wet hair toy a kiss there. He reached his hand to brush the hair on his face back, and the kiss also gradually followed it to the neck, then nape, and as it reached his shoulder de, he already turned Qi Jing over in his embrace, hugging him from behind.


    Watching the traces of water flowing down that clean back, silently disappearing between his legs, Shen Yan pressed over, saying by his ear in a low, husky voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it might hurt.¡±


    Qi Jing hummed quietly; from behind, he could see his ear below the drenched ck hair flushing red, giving off a sort of unspeakable, fragrant scent¡ªa smell unique to Qi Jing, one that would only appear before him alone. Shen Yan bent over to kiss the back of his ear, holding him with both hands as he entered him slowly with utmost patience.


    ¡°Ngh...¡± Even though he already steeled himself, when Shen Yan actually entered, Qi Jing still felt that genuinely piercing feeling. Qi Jing had no other way but to support himself against the wall, gasping rapidly.


    The water was still falling continuously from where his legs separated, but Shen Yan¡¯s presence there overtook any other sensation. He didn¡¯t budge at first, waiting for his trembling to calm down before slowly beginning to move. Qi Jing bit his lips, arching his body slightly as he supported his weak body against the wall, seeking a bnce in the continuous thrusts of the man behind him, but like on a verge of copse, he couldn¡¯t stand on his own and relied solely on that man to hold him tightly from behind.


    Not because of the pain.


    It was because there was a certain indescribable pleasure that washed through all of his body along with the flowing water, even making him lose his breath a bit. Among the faint dizziness, he couldn¡¯t help but reach out with his shaky hand to rub the rising member at his front.


    But at that time, Shen Yan caught his hand, interlocking their fingers as he gently pressed it back to its original ce. The other hand held his member in his stead, letting him experience that movement with not too much or little force, simply... He was just as careful with his moves as when he was tending to an operation table, absorbed in his deed to the utmost.


    Qi Jing heard his own pants, as well as Shen Yan¡¯s, who supported his head lightly on his back. Aside from these, there was only the sound of water flowing.


    The initially still a bit disorderly rhythm gradually started to ovep, and each sh of their bodies would make the cascading water in the bathtub to flow more urgently, more heavily. Soon Qi Jing began to feel too embarrassed to listen, his ears flushing, making him take back his left hand from the wall to cover it.


    Seeing him move his hand, Shen Yan lifted his chin slightly to kiss its back. Qi Jing¡¯s fingers shook slightly, and Shen Yan already kissed further along his finger joints until the fingertips, until he sucked the entirety of one of the fingers into his mouth.


    ¡°Ngh¡ª¡± This action reminded him of what he had done before going into the bathroom, all sorts of details rushing into his mind, to the point where he didn¡¯t even have strength to jerk his hand back.


    Having lost the support of one of the hands, he leaned on the wall with his head down, his knees so soft that he almost copsed, yet Shen Yan held him firmly, once again thrusting all the way in.


    Qi Jing gasped heavily, his eyes starting to lose focus amidst the pattering of water. He couldn¡¯t help the sob-like moans from escaping, but although shaky, his hand held Shen Yan¡¯s hands that held him tightly, no longer letting go.


    Perhaps because of how he experienced the teasing before inserting it, and because of how long he had been holding back, it didn¡¯t take long for Shen Yan to finish, but thest thrust was especially powerful.


    Qi Jing trembled all over¡ªafter a moment of his mind going nk, he finally slowly got back to his senses and drooped his head to gasp for breath. Only then he realised that at some point, he came too¡ªmaybe because of the excitement he didn¡¯t realise that he had a reaction. It was different from the feeling when rubbing it off by hand¡ªhe didn¡¯t feel anything much then, but now, from his thighs to his toes, everything felt indescribably numb.


    Panting heavily, Shen Yan pulled himself out, supporting the man before him, not saying anything as he just embraced him.


    Qi Jing¡¯s face waspletely flushed. He turned over to hug Shen Yan¡¯s chest, not speaking for that one moment, just quietly listening to the vigorous heartbeat of the man before him. Only when his breathing calmed down did he mutter quietly, as if to himself, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that the thing in the drawer wouldn¡¯t get used the second time too...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s voice was a bit hoarse as he turned his head, a bit remorseful as he kissed his brow.


    At that time, Qi Jing chuckled quietly, hooking that red string on his neck on his finger to pull it towards himself, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, either way... We still have a few hours until the sunrise.¡±


    <i>Still quite a few hours until the sunrise. </i>


    The wet clothes on the floor could be tidied up tomorrow, and they also didn¡¯t put on the dry ones from the closet¡ªthere was no need to. They simply dried their bodies with towels, the two of them going back to the bedroom, their hair still damp as they got into the bed together. The duvets at wintertime are always dry and cold, so when he first drilled under it, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but shiver, curling up his limbs like a small cold-fearing animal, hugging Shen Yan¡¯s still warm after the shower body.


    Sofy. He sighed with content, brushing his fingers into the other man¡¯s still half-wet hair, flicking andbing through it in a caress, his moves full of tenderness. As if invited by this action, Shen Yan moved closer for a quiet kiss.


    There were no lights on in the apartment, and the moonlight falling from outside the window made this man¡¯s skin shine white. The moonlight itself was cold, but there was a bit of warmth they felt as their lips met, the disparity leaving an indescribable impact in their minds.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    But Shen Yan only called him once in a low voice, saying nothing else after it.


    Qi Jing suddenlyughed faintly, lifting his both hands to hook his neck, supporting himself up to kiss his forehead, then his brows and eyebrows, only then teasing the side of his lips with a lick of his tongue. At that time, Shen Yan¡¯s hand slowly slipped down his back, exploring the curve of his body and pressing against the small of his back to hold him up closer to himself. Qi Jing docilely rested his ankles on the back of his lower legs, letting him have it his way.


    Probably because they already did it once before, the course of making love once again was so natural, born from the tacit acts of intimacy between two people.


    But this time it was more patient, more careful, and more tender.


    Shen Yan reached his hand to open that drawer by the bedhead. The things inside hadn¡¯t been used a single time since they got bought, even the packaging was untouched. That time in the bathroom, there was still water acting as a temporary lube, but this time back in bed, they really had to use it.


    He took the lube, but when he was about to take the condoms, Qi Jing held his hand suddenly, not letting him take it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not use this one today,¡± Qi Jing said in a soft voice, his face buried in Shen Yan¡¯s embrace all the time as he spoke, ¡°We didn¡¯t use it just now, so even if we use it now, there¡¯s no meaning for it already... It¡¯s fine to do it like this.¡±


    Those were all excuses. In fact, if he could, he would rather not use anything, to only have that person through the most straightforward means. Only after having gone through the difficulties of it the first time and having experienced the pain, he decided to give up on that. Just now, the water was of help a bit, but entering was still rather challenging and only with an incredible lot of patience from Shen Yan did he not get hurt.


    The second time it went in smoothly. Being able to feel the other prating his body slowly without experiencing the pain, it really... he didn¡¯t know if it was because of some ingredient in the lube, but it felt hot. Qi Jing moaned softly, gasping as he leaned his head against this man¡¯s shoulder, letting him in to be a part of himself.


    The rest of it, he didn¡¯t remember too clearly anymore.


    He only knew that he passed out somewhere during the process, and by the time he woke up the next day, he finally tasted the bitter lesson of what tossing between the sheets twice meant for his body. His bones were sore and weak, making him reluctant to even budge as he made use of the fact that the sky was still murky, not yet entirely bright, to find afortable position in that embrace and sleep quietly while hugging one another.


    Today, he had no intent to get up early¡ª


    As for the message he nned to send to the Director, he would send it when the person by his side is awake... Because this decision wasn¡¯t only his to make, but in the name of the two of them together.


    T/N:


    Luci: Sorry for being a bummer, but you also shouldn¡¯t use just water as a lube >.>

 Chapter 113

    <h4>Chapter 113</h4>


    unedited


    ¡°Meow.¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s eyelids trembled in his deep sleep¡ªhe seemed to have heard a cat¡¯s soft call.


    The source of the voice was very close, as if just by his ear. Even though he still didn¡¯t wake up, he still felt something touching faintly against his ear, not much like a furball of a kitty, but just as warm.


    ¡°Meow.¡± The second time was softer than the first one.


    This time, that thing touched his face. It didn¡¯t feel like a cat¡¯s paws or whiskers, but more like a human¡¯s finger tracing over his cheek lightly, only to finally press on his eyshes.


    ¡°Mn.¡± He made a vague noise, instinctively raising his hand. His fingers seemed to have managed to touch the kitty¡¯s head, so just as he would usually do when patrolling the sickrooms in the clinic, he stroked it very gently.


    That¡¯s not right...What his palm touched wasn¡¯t quite the same as a cat¡¯s silken fur. Each strand and lock was just as thin and soft, but there was a certain degree of stiffness to it. After stroking it a few times, he didn¡¯t manage to touch the hairy and pointy ear, but a fleshy and warm one¡ªa human ear.


    Shen Yan was startled, then quickly opened his eyes. The person opposite him crossed eyes with him immediately, seemingly just as startled.


    Shen Yan was the first toe back to his senses. He finally realised what he was doing and took back his hand, embarrassed, ¡°...Sorry, force of habit.¡±


    Qi Jing was just putting his hand on the pillow,ying on his side docilely as he let Shen Yan stroke his hair, but when he heard him say so, he got taken aback at first, then sputtered withughter, his eyes narrowing into smiling crescents. As heughed, he really flipped over and drilled back under the duvet in a cat-like movement, hugging him close and tight in his arms.


    At first, he was only quietly watching the sleeping face of the man on the other side of the pillow, then he meowed twice by his ear like a kitten, wanting to see if he would wake up. He just didn¡¯t expect Shen Yan¡¯s ¡°force of habit¡± to make him reach his arm out and rub his head¡ªand he epted it with pleasure, even diligently assuming kitty¡¯s role in enjoying this treatment.


    ...Because honestly, it was so cosy.


    For a moment, he felt a bit envious of the kitties Shen Yan looked out for in the clinic.


    The sunlight of an early winter morning made everything slow down, as if the light itself also entered a hibernation¡ªfalling quietly on the floor, the furniture, and the hands of the clock¡ªholding back their ends so that unbeknownst to them, the time seemed to have slowed down as well.


    And it wasn¡¯t only time¡ªhuman movements also became slow too. The hugs, caressing, kisses¡ªthey were all unhurried,nguid.


    It was still chilly outside the duvet, so Qi Jing had no inclination to get up from bed. Under the pretext of seeking warmth, his two hands roamed slowly all over Shen Yan¡¯s body, from front to back for quite a while, and Shen Yan also opened his arms to hug him, stroking his hair gently. There was no fabric between their skin, so they rubbed against each other with nothing to keep them apart, the satisfaction it sparked hard to describe.


    ¡°I finally changed the screensaver on my phone.¡± For a while, Qi Jing said nothing in his embrace, but once he spoke, it was a topic Shen Yan didn¡¯t really know where it came from.


    ¡°The screensaver?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Qi Jing chuckled, then sighed with nostalgia, ¡°I haven¡¯t changed it for a long time already.¡±


    Usually, without Qi Jing¡¯s permission, Shen Yan wouldn¡¯t touch his private things, like his work documents, folders, the contents of hisptop and so on... Of course, it also included his phone. That¡¯s why, he really has never even seen what his phone¡¯s screensaver was.


    At that time, Qi Jing slowly raised his upper body and took the phone from the side of the pillow to put it before his face, smiling indolently, ¡°When you were still sleeping just now, I took a picture of you with my phone, wanting to use it as my new screensaver to look at everyday.¡±


    Hearing this, Shen Yan was startled, his gaze following his movement to the phone¡¯s screensaver¡ªon the screen was a close-up of him, as if taken from a very close distance with just the right angle. Him in the picture had his eyes closed, seemingly deep asleep on the pillow, his expression just as gentle as the sunlight falling on his face.


    After a while, Shen Yan¡¯s gaze moved to Qi Jing. During the whole process, Qi Jing kept smiling faintly; seeing him look over, he took an initiative to shift over andy a kiss on his cheek.


    ¡°Then what was your previous screensaver?¡± After waiting silently for the kiss to end, Shen Yan asked huskily.


    At that moment, Qi Jing paused for a short while before chuckling quietly, ¡°...It was also you.¡± Saying this, he opened the gallery on his phone and without waiting for Shen Yan to react, he found a picture inside.


    This picture was taken from a bit far away, but the person on it was indeed him¡ªand it was also him in his sleep. He was on the sofa in the clinic¡¯s resting area, with a thin nket and a small furry patient in his embrace, sticking out its head from under the nket toy feebly on his chest. Because of the window curtains being down at the time, the lighting on the picture wasn¡¯t too good and both the human and the cat figures were blurry, but was still a kind of meaningful aesthetic to it.


    Shen Yan recalled this scene and couldn¡¯t help but freeze from shock.


    That was... Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, when Qi Jing came over to send the mooncakes¡ª


    ¡°You...¡±


    ¡°At that time, I already developed feelings that went beyond friendship to you.¡± Qi Jing continued speaking calmly.


    Shen Yan stared into his eyes, unmoving, yet Qi Jing¡¯s gaze lowered to take a look at this nostalgia-inducing picture.


    ¡°I must have gotten possessed for a moment, because I took this picture and saved it in my phone, and then... I decided to never meet with you again.¡±


    Saying this, Qi Jingughed self-mockingly, his voice hoarse.


    ¡°When I was pressing the shutter at that time, I was thinking... ¡®This man can¡¯t possibly be with me, he can¡¯t belong to me¡¯.¡± He muttered quietly and slid with his thumb, returning to the homescreen. In its palm-sized frame, there was a face of a man hugging him in a sleep after the night of passion, causing a tinge of sweetness to slip into his bitter smile, melting into it as he spoke, ¡°But when I was taking the picture just now, what I thought was, ¡®this man belongs to me, he will always be with me¡¯.¡±


    It was a very strong, but also a very confident thought¡ª


    At that time, Qi Jing tossed the phone aside without a word and lowered himself to hug this person firmly.


    ¡°Come with me.¡± He said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shen Yan replied calmly, as if it was a very normal, very simple thing being discussed.


    It was just a single word, but Qi Jing knew how much went into it.


    He had clearly received a reply he wished for, but his heart couldn¡¯t help but jolt. All of the emotions weighing on him seemed to be shaken all at once, leaving him unable to tell which one was joy and which one was sadness... But right now, he no longer needed to separate them, because rather than the end of the journey, how they would continue going forward was more important.


    The news channel director received a message from Qi Jing.


    These few days, he gave Qi Jing quite a few calls, all of them mostly about the same as he tried to persuade him to ept this schrship opportunity, and Qi Jing¡¯s answer never changed¡ª¡±I will give it another thought¡±. Hence the ¡°I¡¯m giving you three days¡± also became ¡°I¡¯m giving you four days¡±, and then ¡°I¡¯m giving you five days¡±, but each time he ended up hanging the call indignantly.


    That¡¯s why when he received those three words,¡¾I ept it¡¿in a message, he couldn¡¯t process it for a moment.


    By the time he processed it, he had already managed to dial Qi Jing¡¯s number. ¡°Aiya, Xiao Qi, you finally got it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Director, this time I really inconvenienced You...¡± Qi Jing smiled, a bit ashamed, looking through an online catalogue of apartments in Beijing on his PC screen as he took the call. If they wanted to go to Beijing, then they naturally had to first solve the housing issue.


    Director was beyond pleased with his decision, hispliments to him and his ¡°understanding girlfriend¡± unceasing. He expressed that he would first contact the Beijing side, because before sealing the deal the person in charge from CCTV would most likely want to see Qi Jing himself and have a face-to-face interview with him out of pure formality, to get to know him or whatsoever. During this time, he could take his time preparing to move.


    As Qi Jing was preparing to leave, the woman was preparing to leave too.


    She told them this n as they visited the hospital to bring her food, the reason being, ¡°I can¡¯t let you two take care of me forever, and the hospitalisation fees for staying here day after day won¡¯t make a small sum.¡±


    As she spoke up to say so, Qi Jing was taken aback, nodding his head instinctively.


    ¡°You too have your own life.¡± She said faintly.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t reply immediately.


    Qi Jing on the other hand couldn¡¯t sit still. After he got to know that Shen Yan told her about their rtionship, the three of them never brought it up anymore, but everyone of them had a tacit understanding of it. Qi Jing was a bit overcautious before the woman, always feeling too ashamed to look her in the eyes. The woman on the other hand didn¡¯t show any intention of avoiding him, even silently staring at him for a while at some times, then smiling with frustration, making it hard to fathom what she was thinking.


    ¡°Auntie, maybe it would be better for You to recuperate a bit longer,¡± If the reason was what he thought it was, then maybe it would be better for him to take an initiative and appear less before the woman, ¡°In fact, soon I will have to go back to my job, so Shen Yan can spend more time with You.¡±


    ¡°He should apany you more when he has time.¡± Yet he didn¡¯t expect the woman to suddenly say something like this. Qi Jing was caught off guard, his cheeks flushing a bit.


    ¡°Mom...¡± At that time, Shen Yan also spoke up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m really fine already.¡± What the woman said wasn¡¯t wrong. After the recuperation these days, although herplexion couldn¡¯t be said to be rosy, it also wasn¡¯t sickly anymore. During the check-up, the doctor also said that her body functions were all mostly recovered and that she could already consider leaving the hospital.


    Her stay at the provincial capital also wasn¡¯t short, and she got a husband and new family after her remarriage, so she also couldn¡¯t stay here for too long. Shen Yan also used up all the days of his leave and could onlye over after his shift, so themuting back and forth would be a bit inconvenient in the end.


    Under the woman¡¯s insisting, the discharge procedure was finished by the next day and Shen Yan also prepared her return ticket and all the meds needed for the recuperation period. In the morning, Qi Jing went to thepany to make the preparations for his return to work, then hurried to eat thest lunch with her at noon before sending her out together with Shen Yan to the provincial bus station.


    It was still an hour before the departure of the bus, so the three of them were sitting in the waiting room, silent.


    The silencested until the woman suddenly asked, ¡°Xiao Qi, are you still in contact with your family?¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback for a bit, then remembered that he had used the topic of being abandoned by his family to get closer to the woman at first. His face turned gloomy as he smiled bitterly and shook his head. ¡°No,¡± He said quietly, ¡°What I said to You before wasn¡¯t a lie, Auntie. My family really doesn¡¯t want me anymore. Last time I saw them was years ago, and we don¡¯t even call each other more than some five times a year¡ªafter my car ident, we only talked twice.¡±


    ¡°What did they say thest time?¡±


    ¡°Thest time...¡± Qi Jing hesitated, recalling the content of his conversation with his father.


    ¡¾After you¡¯re finished with the interview, call me back... Tell me if she did.¡¿


    ¡°Thest time was when I called my dad before I came to the hospital to see You,¡± He slowly clenched his hands on his knees, continuing with difficulty, ¡°I told him that I need to interview a certain mother, ask her if she regretted...¡±


    ¡ªIf she regretted abandoning her child.


    He didn¡¯t finish his words, but the woman already understood what he meant to say¡ªback then, Qi Jing already asked her this question. She turned her head to take a look at Shen Yan. His head was lowered as he sorted out her luggage and he didn¡¯t say anything, so she took her gaze back.


    ¡°Then what did your dad say?¡± Her voice sounded even more quiet than usual.


    ¡°He wanted me to tell him the oue after the interview ended.¡±


    But... the so-called interview wasn¡¯t in fact a real interview and at that time, he didn¡¯t know if he should proceed with the conversation with the woman, so in the end, she neither confirmed or denied. And so, this matter dragged on all the way until now, still unsolved.


    And the reason for it to remain unsolved, aside from the woman herself, was mostly because of his father¡¯s motive.


    ¡°The way I see it, my dad probably wants me to hear from You that... You didn¡¯t regret it.¡±


    To let it prove that him having no regret was right.To let it prove that his son was only expecting too much.


    Qi Jing wanted to smile self-mockingly, yet he felt that the corners of his lips were a bit stiff, unable to quirk up. If it really was like that... then he would rather never call him back in his life, to spare himself getting his face pped and getting mocked for shooting himself in the foot.


    The woman didn¡¯t say anything for a long while. Just as Qi Jing was thinking that this topic has already passed, the woman¡¯s next words left him dazed. ¡°Call your dad back. After calling, you tell him that... That the mother you interviewed has a few words for him.¡±


    Hearing this, Shen Yan stopped what he was doing and took a profound look at the woman.


    The woman didn¡¯t say anything anymore, only encouraging Qi Jing gently, ¡°Call him.¡±


    It took a few seconds for Qi Jing to get over his astonishment. For a moment, he didn¡¯t know what to do, so he instinctively casted a perplexed nce at Shen Yan. At this time, Shen Yan slowly looked away from the woman, nodding his head towards him.


    Qi Jing remained silent, only taking out his phone slowly after a while. He found the number, one he barely called a few times these years, yet didn¡¯t forget a single digit of it. He tried pressing that green calling button twice with no avail, only pressing the right ce by the third time¡ªthen he realised that this dull calling sound couldn¡¯t no longer cover his suddenly urgent breathing.


    With a ¡®ck¡¯, someone seemingly took the call.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    Qi Jing shook slightly¡ªit was his father. Thendline in their house had a caller disy, so his phone number was surely disyed on it... He didn¡¯t know if his father saw it before he took the call.


    The answer was yes. He clearly did, because father¡¯s voice was like the heavy and humid air before a rain, with a trace of overbearance to it. Before he could even speak, he asked coldly, ¡°...How long do you need for an interview? Why do you only call now?¡±


    Qi Jing opened his mouth to speak, then shut it back.


    Seeing his son not speaking, Qi Jing¡¯s father also seemed to mild down a bit, remaining silent with him, only coughing every one and then from his chronicryngitis.


    ¡°That mother, the one I interviewed... She wishes to talk with You.¡± After a long while, he said so dazedly and without waiting for father¡¯s response, he directly put the phone in the woman¡¯s hands.


    The woman received it without a word, then put it slowly by her ear.


    ¡°Hello, Mr Qi,¡± After saying her greetings, she went straight to the point, ¡°I am that mother that got interviewed, right now I¡¯m making this call with my son by my side... There¡¯s a few words that I wish to tell You.¡±


    A/N:


    I really think that Shen mama should introduce herself like this: ¡°I¡¯m your son¡¯s boyfriend¡¯s mom¡±... (This kind of fighting fire with fire... What to do, it really has a bit of that something to it)


    The previous chapter has been locked by JJ six or seven times already... I don¡¯t have energy for it anymore. Those who haven¡¯t seen ch112 yet, please go and read the author notes there... _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_


    T/N:


    Luci: I kinda wonder what the frustration in Shen Yan¡¯s mother¡¯s smile meant whenever she looked at Qi Jing meant... Was she frustrated because she still had a bit of a hard time getting used to her son being in a rtionship with a man? Or maybe she was thinking of her own past rtionship, and of how she also once wanted to be epted and protected by her loved one? So, what are your thoughts guys?

 Chapter 114

    <h4>Chapter 114</h4>


    unedited


    The moment he passed the phone, Qi Jing already lost the initiative, so he could only continue listening idly.


    He didn¡¯t hear the voice from the other side. He could only listen to what the woman was saying, watch her expression as she spoke, and try guessing what his father was saying from that.


    But at that moment, he didn¡¯t even dare to look at the woman¡¯s expression, slightly turning his head to the side as he sat on the seat like a y doll, as if waiting for a verdict to be announced.


    ¡°I also am someone who had abandoned my child.¡±


    He didn¡¯t expect the second sentence from the woman to be even more blunt than the first one. Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help the tremble of his hands.


    ¡°The difference is, when I left my son, he was still young,¡± The woman continued slowly, that miserable expression that had long since disappeared from her face since she first stayed at the hospital appearing yet again, making her seemingly age quite a lot, ¡°The reason was me. When I was young, I was blind and stubborn in ruining everything, and my son... he was the victim of it. And even though he didn¡¯t do anything, he had to bear the burden of my mistake.¡±


    She paused for a moment. ¡°Mr Qi,¡± She said, ¡°Unlike You, I don¡¯t even have the right to regret it¡ª¡±


    Qi Jing instinctively looked up, gazing at Shen Yan.


    Shen Yan was sitting quietly next to him. He remained silent when he heard the woman say this, only reaching his hand to press lightly on Qi Jing¡¯s, holding it firmly.


    The woman once again paused for a few seconds.


    There was no sound from the speaker¡ªit seemed like the person on the other side didn¡¯t intend to reply.


    So she continued, ¡°My son... After leaving me, he got taken in by his grandpa. Unlike his father, that elder was a good person, that¡¯s why he managed to bring up my son to be a good man too, and didn¡¯t let him grow up twisted from all the injustices that fell upon him.¡±


    At that moment, she went back to the main point. ¡°Xiao Qi is also a good child.¡± The woman smiled ruggedly, ¡°Clever, kind, cheerful, and treats everyone and everything with a lot of care. I think that a child like that has probably grown up in a nice household and was well guided by his parents for him to grow up this outstanding. From what he said... It was only after he graduated from university that he left home, so before that... I¡¯m guessing that your rtionship was pretty good?¡±


    ¡ªBefore that.This phrase dealt an indescribable hit to his heart, a heavy one. Even without a mirror before him, Qi Jing knew how ugly of an expression his face twisted into, his hand gripping mechanicall at the board of the seaty time and time again.


    The woman wasn¡¯t wrong. Before he came out, their family rtionship was very harmonious¡ªsometimes, there would be a small fight, but overall, they were all very close. He was born in a small third-tier city, so the ways of the people there were a bit behind those in the first and second-tier cities. His parents were both from an academic background, and although the education in their families couldn¡¯t be said to be top-notch, they still could count as a fairly high part of the local intellectual sphere¡ªin the eyes of other people, they were basically a model family.


    If only he was a ¡°normal person¡±, then this family would probably remain peaceful forever.


    Qi Jing snorted bitterly.


    But because the person on the other side kept being silent, the woman didn¡¯t pause this time.


    ¡°After Xiao Qi ¡®interviewed¡¯ me... For the first time after all those years, I got to sit down with my son and talk with him face to face, and even now I don¡¯t dare to believe this. I had abandoned him before, and when we met again, I also said some terrible things to him, yet he didn¡¯t abandon me¡ªthat¡¯s how good of a child he is.¡±


    And exactly because he was so good, she felt the weight of her past sin even more.


    ¡°If I had another chance to live my life, I wish I could see this child grow up with my own eyes, only like this... I would have no regrets as a mother.¡± Atst, she calmly concluded her speech, ¡°You too shouldn¡¯t lose a good child. Because by the time you regret it, it¡¯s always already toote.¡±


    Qi Jing bit his lip slightly, lowering his head to look at his and Shen Yan¡¯s fingers intertwining together, both of their grips strong as they held each other¡¯s hands.


    Only at that moment the surging tide in his heart could finally calm down a bit.


    At that time, the woman suddenly eximed with a short ¡°Ah¡±. Qi Jing got startled, yet when he turned his head, he saw her embarrassedly passing him back his phone, her expression nervous, ¡°...Your dad hung up.¡±


    ¡ªTo be fair, for father to not end the call immediately, even listening to this point, it¡¯s already hard to achieve.Qi Jing forced augh, saying quietly as he received the phone, ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter... Thank You auntie.¡±


    Suddenly, Shen Yan also spoke up, ¡°Thank you mom.¡±


    Even though these things were spoken to Qi Jing¡¯s father, it was also said for him to hear¡ªhe understood that clearly.


    Hearing this, the woman was taken aback at first. Then, her eyes turned a bit red, the smile reaching all the way to the crow¡¯s feet by her eyes, each filled with a whole mix of feelings.


    It was the departure time before they could realise, and there was nothing else that needed to be said¡ªit would be better to leave this matter only touched upon vaguely.


    The woman insisted on carrying her luggage herself, not wanting them to mind it, and after a simple goodbye, she boarded the bus back to her vige.


    Qi Jing apanied Shen Yan in watching as the bus was gradually driving off into the distance. The two of them stood there for quite a while, only going back after Qi Jing patted his shoulder.


    Back at the north part of the city, they walked back home side by side when suddenly, Qi Jing stopped in ce and murmured, ¡°That¡¯s right, the puppy.¡±


    Shen Yan turned his head slightly to look at him, ¡°What puppy?¡±


    ¡°The one who got sent to the clinic after getting bumped by a car, the one you were in charge of surgery for.¡± Qi Jing was thinking deeply, and after saying this, he gave him a calm smile, ¡°Because of that surgery, you almost didn¡¯t get back on time for thepetition¡ªdo you still remember?¡±


    Shen Yan nodded.


    The owner of that puppy thought that even if it didn¡¯t die, it would still end up disabled, so they abandoned it on the spot¡ªit was a good-hearted passerby who sent it to a clinic.


    ¡°Is it still waiting in the clinic? Did someone apply to adopt him?¡±


    ¡°Still not yet. The injury was rather serious, so a lot of people would choose other dogs out of fear of the possible health problems it could have after it recovers. By now, it¡¯s almpost fully recovered already, but currently there is still no ce it could go.


    ¡°Hm...¡± Qi Jing lifted his head and pondered silently for a while, thenughed out of nowhere.


    Without waiting for Shen Yan to ask, he presented his thoughts first, ¡°If there¡¯s no one willing to adopt it, then let¡¯s adopt it ourselves, hm?¡±


    Maybe because he guessed he would say so, Shen Yan wasn¡¯t particrly surprised and only asked, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind it myself, but if we¡¯re moving to Beijing, then wouldn¡¯t it cause a problem?


    If they went to Beijing, they would have to rent an apartment to stay. Whether the apartment owner would allow pets could be a big issue. Little Return Date was a cat, its body was small and it didn¡¯t make much noise, so if thendowner didn¡¯t allow pets then it would still be easy to covertly smuggle it in, but it would be tricky to do that with a dog.


    ¡°There will be some difficulties, but I believe we can solve them.¡± Qi Jing smiled and assured him with his usual optimism, then came closer to Shen Yan and pulled at the hem of his clothes, saying quietly, ¡°This puppy has been abandoned, so I want to take it in and let it know that¡ªno matter if it¡¯s disabled, or has any health problemster, there will always be someone in this world who¡¯s willing to offer it shelter and give it a home.¡±


    After saying this, he added what the woman had said today to finish.


    ¡°Only this way I won¡¯t feel any regrets in the future¡ª¡±


    Shen Yan stared at him at his calm and easy expression, then after a long while, he lowered his head with a smile and replied with a ¡°Mhm¡±.


    ¡ª¡¾Big Goose¡¿


    This was the puppy¡¯s new name.


    Although ¡°Geese Fly North¡± symbolised springtime, the ancient people were still used to calling ¡°autumn day¡± a ¡°geese day¡±, and the colour of autumn would naturally be the gold of the ripe grains. The puppy¡¯s fur was exactly this pale, wheat-like ashen gold, and with it being a match for Little Return Date, they named it ¡°Big Goose¡±


    Qi Jing held Little Return Date under its armpits, carrying it to the newly-ced little dog bed, then putting it down there. ¡°Good boy, now you need to say hello nicely.¡±


    ¡°Meow?¡± Little Return Date was quite forgetful, and has long since thrown the fact of having already met this puppy to the back of its kitty mind. Now, having been put down by Qi Jing before this new tenant, its tail stuck up in full alert, the round eyes taking cautious looks at it as it sniffed the puppy while pacing around it.


    A local mixed-breed cat.


    A local mixed-breed dog.


    Even though the three words at the front were the same, they still couldn¡¯t fool Little Return Date into lowering its guard for the difference in thest word¡ªafter all, didn¡¯t the proverbs say that cats and dogs can¡¯t possibly tolerate each other!


    The other party didn¡¯t budge, so Little Return Date boldly reached out its paw to bump it.


    It still didn¡¯t move, so it wed at it again.


    Perhaps because Little Return Date was making it hard to ignore its presence, Big Goose opened the pair of pitch-ck eyes slightly, but it stilly there silently as it watched this little fe waving its paw and proiming its sovereignty. At most, it flicked its drooping ears slightly, showing no sign of taking an offence.


    After brandishing its ws a few times and getting no response, Little Return Date determined that the other party was an easy to bully fellow, so it slowly got closer, making a show of having quite a nerve and sticking its snout behind Big Goose¡¯s ear to sniff it.


    At that time, Big Goose lifted its head suddenly, licking on Little Return Date¡¯s cheek to show friendly intentions.


    ¡°Meow¡ª!¡± Little Return Date got stricken with fright, jumping a few steps away with a loud cry,pletely dumbstruck and at a loss as it quickly rubbed its face with its paws, a living picture of an unaplished bully getting bullied instead. Seeing this, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t keep himself from bursting withughter¡ªwonderful, at least for now those two are getting along well.


    Waiting for the kitty and puppy pair to get familiar with each other, Qi Jing finally found time to sit before his PC and do some handling of the ¡°aftermath¡± he left behind in 2D.


    But despite calling it an aftermath, it was actually slightly calmer than the bloodbath he had previously expected¡ªrather than the storming gale itself, it was like the silence before the storm.


    And the main factor of this silence was the fact that up to that day, great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace didn¡¯t say anything.


    Although his fans made a scene of all the unceasingints and cursing after the end of semi-finals, the great god himself stayed low and didn¡¯t make any move. It really was unusual, or at least Qi Jing felt weird about it.


    These days hemitted all his time and thoughts to apanying Shen Yan in handling their everyday matters, so he had neither time or intention to throw himself into the ne of 2D gossip. He mainly heard of the news about the staff¡¯s behind the scenes situation from Ning Xiaoxiao, who called him to tell it every time she heard something. As for the matters open to the public eye, he would sometimes briefly scroll it on his phone whenever he was idle, but he had no time to get into the details. Only now he finally had some time to sit down and take a longer look at it.


    Since the recordings from ¡°Qin Tuo¡± and ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± auditions got spread around, a wild surge ofments and discussions happened in the forums. Him, Bronze Sparrow Terrace, Crossing the Bridge Noodles, as well as ¡°Two¡±, who got somehow dragged along into the hellhole of the gossip because of his opening remarks and stunning performance¡ªall four of them became the very focus point of the whole debate.


    There was a monthly-updated thread in the forum for the break-downs of all the major news in the online voice acting circle. Rxed and in high spirits, Qi Jing first opened this thread to take a look at the summary.


    As for now, the direction of the discourse more or less followed his prediction, branching into three major topics:


    The first one unfolded into a discourse around the debts and resentments between him and the great god.


    The second one focused on trying to uncover the real identity of that ¡°mysterious producer¡± who tried to sow discord between him and Crossing the Bridge Noodles, wanting to expose thempletely, so that they could no longer cause any troubles anymore.


    And the third one... it was the one to cause his heart to itch the most. It was all kinds of delusions about their ¡°legitimate boyfriends¡±, all the titles along the lines of ?Turns out Little Noodles really was already married off? or ?So what kind of shou did Don¡¯t ask for my return datemarry?.


    When Qi Jing saw those titles, he couldn¡¯t hold back fromughing.


    ¡°Eh? This one really deserves good marks.¡± So sure about who¡¯s getting married off and who¡¯s marrying whom, who¡¯s a gong and who¡¯s a shou... Why were they all so sure that Noodles would bottom and he would top? Must be because of their voices.


    But once he thought of the virtuous ¡°shou¡± he had ¡°married¡±, Qi Jing smiled before the screen and gave the OP a like.


    But there were a few things that were beyond clear now, so there was no need to further discuss them¡ª


    First, ?Trap? had to have a changes in the production crew.


    Second, ¡°Moss¡± waspletely fictional.


    Third, ¡°Time Limit¡± were together at the same side of the conflict, both of them had a boyfriend and no matter if it was Don¡¯t ask for my return date or Crossing the bridge noodles, neither of them had any actual romantic rtionship with Bronze Sparrow Terrace.


    The post calling him out for giarism and cursing him out for being a thankless bastard got deleted at some point, the second day after the conclusion of semi-finals it was already nowhere to be found.


    So the main battle moved to the thread dedicated to this year¡¯s ?Order to End the Heavens?petition. With the one grand scene uring after another, the page count of this thread grew all the way to two digits, its liveliness unprecedented¡ª


    ¡¾Comment 2981¡¿


    Just as I said, it was Bronze Sparrow Terrace who giarised, not Don¡¯t ask for my return date!! Hahahaha, I was already fed up with Bronze Sparrow Terrace and his bunch of brainless lolis, and here he goes!! ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    ¡¾Comment 2982¡¿


    Thementer above, could you not be so vile, kicking others when they¡¯re down?!


    Even if the one above isn¡¯t Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s fan, then they¡¯re Crossing the Bridge Noodles¡¯ fan. You were so eager to ride other people¡¯s coattails before, yet now that new problems arise, you¡¯re all abandoning Sparrow, even joining hands to gang up on him, you really are a disgrace!


    And what¡¯s wrong with imitating? For a trash VA like Don¡¯t ask for my return date, Sparrow imitating him means he acknowledged his performance. If it wasn¡¯t for this scene interpretation getting truly brought to life by Sparrow, who would even bother to remember thatcklustre and inferior performance?? Even if he begged me to listen I wouldn¡¯t pay attention to it!


    ¡¾Comment 2983¡¿


    I really agree with thementer above!


    Antis, do you know what ¡°recreating¡± means? Do you know what ¡°blue is made of indigo yet surpasses it in colour¡± means?


    It didn¡¯t have any copyright pasted to it in the first ce, so what is it with all that iming it over and over again? Did you apply for any copyright certificate? Hehe, you think that you saying that you came up with it would make it?


    ording to the way you¡¯re saying this, wouldn¡¯t every text written be a giarism of dictionaries, and every music piece a giarism of stave? Oh my~ So righteous, gatekeeping with the usage rights to this extent~ Your masters have to be really moved with the bunch of bootlicking ves like ya¡¯ll. ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    ¡¾Comment 2984¡¿


    Who dares to talk shit on my Little Noodless!! ¡Æ(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã£»)¤Ã


    It was a bad rtionship with an ill-boding husband, and only now I came to realise it! So as long as Little Noodles says someone¡¯s good then they¡¯re good, and if Little Noodles says they¡¯re bad, then there must be some issue with them!! I no longer like Bronze Sparrow Terrace, even though his voice is really nice, but it seems like his personality is really not up to standard... I believe in Little Noodle¡¯s choice.


    Honestly, Don¡¯t ask for my return date isn¡¯t half-bad too... But they both said that they have an IRL boyfriend, sob... £¥>£ß<%


    ¡¾Comment 2985¡¿


    Wow... I kept hearing that there¡¯s a lot of delulus among great god¡¯s fans, and I finally got to experience that now, tsk tsk tsk.


    Comments 2982 and 2983 really opened my eyes to a new world... Truly the ssic quotations of brain-dead fans! ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨s


    What ¡°imitating you means acknowledging your performance¡±, what ¡°all the world is the giarism, giarise to boost your health¡± (eh, seems like they didn¡¯t say it like this)... Like, who would even use those arguments anymore??


    Before, I only knew that great god knew well how to cajole his fans, how to cajole his little shous... But because he has a really pleasant voice, I didn¡¯t look into his integrity when listening to his audio dramas, so I didn¡¯t expect that I would get hit with it like now¡ªit¡¯s really true that one fan makes ten haters. Previously I was a bit infatuated with great god¡¯s voice, but it wasn¡¯t to the point of me being a fan. Now I also can¡¯t be called an anti, ya¡¯ll can treat me as some passerby with no favourable opinion. ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    Last words for the great god¡¯s fans: with no outlook for rights and wrongs, it¡¯s better for ya¡¯ll to go back and hone it for a bit before getting back to online voice acting! (picks nose)


    ¡¾Comment 2986¡¿


    Interesting, interesting... The most interesting thing is how the matters of those couple of VAs are discussed here under the ?Order to End the Heavens?petition thread, so this humble me has to talk of a certain theory for a bit.


    I can understand everyone¡¯s distaste towards giarising behaviour, but you know, some things can¡¯t be taken for sure, after all, it¡¯s not the only issue that arose during the ?Order to End the Heavens?petition. For example that mysterious producer driving a wedge between people¡ªhonestly, I feel like this case is a bit weird. Who can say for sure if it¡¯s not Crossing the Bridge Noodles and Don¡¯t ask for my return date colluding together as a means to garner everyone¡¯s sympathy with another objective in mind? Let¡¯s wait and see how it develops from now on. (£þ¦á£þ)


    ¡¾Comment 2987¡¿


    *rubbing chin* Are you telling that... Don¡¯t ask for my return date and Crossing the Bridge Noodles didn¡¯t spare the means to pass to the finals?


    The more I think of it, the more this case seems worth getting deeper into it...


    I don¡¯t mean to say anything, I just feel like those two are really scheming. Great god¡¯s style really is repulsing, but those two aren¡¯t that pure too.


    ¡¾Comment 2988¡¿


    All that talking and someone really ended up calling for conspiracy theories, heh.


    With who giarised who being basically already clear, the folks above actually started to gossip about the matter with that producer, so let me talk about what I¡¯ve seen and heard myself.


    Please don¡¯t look inquire about my identity, but I admit to being an active staff member in the circle. Because of our duties, us staff members, you know, know quite a lot of behind the scenes matters, so much so that we could gather the catfight drama materials for ¡°Empress in the Pce¡±.


    Around the summer of this year, ?Trap? made a request for Don¡¯t ask for my return date to star in the main role, and after they got his run-through recording with Bronze Sparrow Terrace, his ID got famous for a moment. Butter some insider suddenly started spreading the rumours that he and a certain big name VA don¡¯t get along, then proceeded to spread the word about how despicable he is, calling for every production group to not use him and kick him out so as not to offend that ¡°big name¡±.


    At the same time, someone was passing the word that this ¡°big name¡± was in fact Crossing the Bridge Noodles.


    At that time, we all believed that Crossing the Bridge Noodles was indeed Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s IRL boyfriend, so a huge lot of us took this rumour as the truth and took it into action. If at that time Don¡¯t ask for my return date was participating in my production crew, I would probably also want to avoid stirring the muddy waters and would push him out... Now that I think of it, the me from that time was really dumb.


    In fact, the motive of that producer is really easy to figure out¡ªthis entire case started after the VAs for ?Trap? got publicised and the run-through took ce, so Don¡¯t ask for my return date, as the one who got together with the Great God for the run-through, would sure cause some ambiguous gossip, and Crossing the Bridge Noodles was Great God¡¯s in-name official CP. With both of them getting into a fight, neither would end up well, so the only one to reap benefits would be someone who adores Great God.


    And if that¡¯s the case, then their motive would also be so sickening.


    Lord Don¡¯t ask for my return date, if you happen to see this post, let me just say ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± here first¡ª¡¾from a staff that had once believed other people ndering you¡¿


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Qi Jing smiled faintly at the screen. He could see that thisdy¡¯s apology was sincere, so his reaction was just as sincere.


    ...Finals....Fair enough, since the trigger of the whole conflict is thepetition, it¡¯s not that weird that people started to theorise about that.


    Qi Jing spaced out while mechanically opening the official page of ?Order to End the Heavens?petition, going to the main page to see if there was anything new there.


    The finals took on the system of acting in pairs to judge the contestants, but the exact roles for the performance would be decided by drawing lots. The organisers still didn¡¯t issue any definite instructions, iming that they would get ¡°published at the day of the finals¡± so as to avoid both contestants from a groupmunicating with each other beforehands and causing unfairness in thepetition.


    He was just in the middle of skimming through the information when the phone he put on the desk suddenly rang with a text message notification.


    The sender was the director, so the matter of him going to Beijing for an interview was beginning to take a shape¡ªthinking of it, Qi Jing put theptop on the side, full of expectation as he opened this message.


    The message title only confirmed his guess¡ªit was the good news: ¡¾The Beijing side gave us the date of the interview¡¿


    While he excitedly read further, he also wanted to tell the good news to Shen Yan who was currently busying himself in the kitchen, but he suddenly stopped before even making any sound.


    ¡°Eh...¡± He blinked, but it still didn¡¯t change the date disyed on the phone screen.


    It was two days altogether. The first day, it would be a more formal interview with the president, and the second day would be the tour around the China Central Television building, with the on-scene examination and so on. But this one wasn¡¯t the problem, the problem was¡ª


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that exactly the two days of the finals?¡± He uttered, dumbfounded.


    A/N:


    Congrattions on reaching the official CP of Doggo and Meow Meow!! (scatters flowers) ¡ªCough cough, it¡¯s entirely out of my love for this CP... In reality it would sure be a BE (sulks)


    Honestly, whenever I write the antis bits, I get that weird rush of excitement... (wait what...) *facepalms*, I don¡¯t want to hate on 2Yan, really (gets red at by 2Yan¡¯s ¡°virtuous shou¡± and shrinks back in silence)


    T/L:


    Luci: Da, now Little Return Date has a new Big Goose as a friend! They¡¯re both so adorable... Also, I think that only in this chapter we got Little Return Date¡¯s gender confirmed, so what do you think¡ªshould I go back to the previous chapters to change his pronouns or should I just stick to referring to our cat son as ¡®it¡¯? (The animals are referred to with a gender-neutral pronoun in Mandarin, so I wasn¡¯t sure whether it was a boy or a girl before)

 Chapter 115

    <h4>Chapter 115</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    Before opening the door, Shen Yan¡¯s hand stopped on it as he asked once again. ¡°Do you really don¡¯t need me to send you to the airport?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    Qi Jing was in the middle of tidying up his tie, and when he heard this question, he lifted his head to smile gently at him. It was still the working day and Shen Yan used up all of his holiday to take care of his mother, so Qi Jing couldn¡¯t possibly make him skip his workday.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything, his gaze resting silently on Qi Jing, seemingly feeling guilty for being unable to see him out.


    To lighten the atmosphere, Qi Jing asked intentionally with a mysterious smile, ¡°What, do I not look good in a suit?¡±


    A ck suit, a pale grey tie, and a white shirt, each part of the wear distinct...


    When going to an interview, even if it¡¯s a pure formality, formal wear is still a must. Usually when appearing in the news report, he would mostly wear a shirt, and in the more official asions he would also add a tie to it. Only when interviewing an incredibly high-position official or a famous figure would he wear a suit, so he always kept a set in his wardrobe. But it was still the first time to appear in it before Shen Yan.


    It was originally a joke, but Shen Yan really stared at him for quite a while, his gaze not budging a bit, then said in a low voice, ¡°No... You look very handsome.¡±


    Qi Jing was stupefied. He intended to tease Shen Yan, yet ended up getting teased instead, which left him weirdly embarrassed and at a loss of how to reply for a moment, only able to lower his head for a chuckle. At that time, Shen Yan suddenly brought him into a hug, a much stronger one than usual, not letting him go. Qi Jing didn¡¯t even think of struggling, resting his head on his shoulder as if it was a matter of course. He didn¡¯t think of whether his suit would wrinkle at all as he returned the hug.


    He had to go out for a while¡ªthe outside was cold for sure, so he had to warm himself now for as long as he could.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that I would have to leave you for the finals...¡± He muttered. Although he should be able to be on time, he would probably only be able to participate from the hotel room. He hoped that the inte there wouldn¡¯t cause problems.


    ¡°The serious matters are more important.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cold in Beijing, so don¡¯t stay out in the cold.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°After you get there, remember to message me if you¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    He had already made all the minor details clear the day before, so right now, there were only those few things he could repeat before parting. And so, Shen Yan no longer said anything, falling silent as he quietly hugged Qi Jing.


    ¡°Stay safe on your way.¡± When after a while, Shen Yan spoke once again, his voice was husky and low. He pressed his hand against the back of Qi Jing¡¯s head, his fingers ying with his hair so that at least before he let go of him, he could still make Qi Jing feel his unwillingness to let go of him, ¡°I will cheer you on from here¡ªwhether it¡¯s for the interview or the finals.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Qi Jing smiled faintly, replying in a soft voice, ¡°See you online tonight.¡±


    ¡°See you tonight¡±¡ªbut before tonight, he still had most of the day filled with bustling about to pass. When he was on the ne, he was looking at his wristwatch every now and then, counting down the time.


    It was still nine hours before the start of the finals.


    And it was also still an hour before thending in the capital, provided that there wouldn¡¯t be any dys.


    His seat was right by the window, so he turned his head sideways. But the sea of clouds below looked like a workshop of a cotton craftsman, the light white rolling over the dark white, making it impossible to see the ground below.


    He shifted his gaze away, leaning back on his seat as he closed his eyes to rest.


    Since he boarded the ne, he spent quite a lot of time revising his materials for the interview¡ªmaking an outline, writing a speech, practising self-introduction¡ªso right now, he was a bit tired. So he wore his earphones, listening to the recording of the ?Order to End the Heavens? audition from the day before as he rested, wanting to catch up with the part he missed.


    That day, the audition for ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± went on after he and Crossing the Bridge Noodles went offline. He hasn¡¯t listened yet to the over twenty contestants that performedter, including Pu Yuzhi¡¯s feedback.


    This was the audition for the main role and it was also for the mostmonly heard ¡°youthful voice¡± type, so it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that there were plenty of experts to be seen in that one. After their turn, there were some incredible performances from the other contestants too, and there was little difference in score between those who managed to enter the top ten, with two of them getting even better scores than him and Crossing the Bridge Noodles. By the time thest score got announced, Qi Jing already fell to the fourth ce, with Crossing the Bridge Noodles in third ce, so it was clear to see that thepetition was fierce.


    Nevertheless, the first and the second ce were an active professional voice actor and an actually skilled Great God VA of the romance audio drama circle, so Qi Jing didn¡¯t feel particrly dispirited about it.


    After all, only with a worthy opponent apetition would have any meaning.


    And rather thanparing himself to his opponents, he cared more about Pu Yuzhi¡¯s evaluation of him&#k2014;


    ¡°It¡¯s not the first time for No.7 Don¡¯t ask for my return date to appear, but it¡¯s the first time for me to be responsible for his feedback. ¡° Pu Yuzhi¡¯s tone didn¡¯t sound estranged at all, with a hint of an amiable smile.


    And from what she said, it seemed as if she had some impression of his two previous performances. And sure enough: ¡°No.7 showed us an impressive performance for both ¡®Emperor Chang¡¯ and ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯ roles, and each of his opening remarks were quite unique. Of course, his opening for the ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯ audition was groundbreaking as well.¡±


    She was talking about his cooperation with Crossing the Bridge Noodles for that opening...


    Qi Jingughed twice. Thanks to the great god, Jade Butterfly, and all of his antis¡¯ blessings, he would soon be a specialist in face-pping with his opening speeches.


    ¡°No.7¡¯s performance in ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯ audition has just been reviewed by that old macaque, so I believe that the issue with different approaches of the various voice actors is already clear enough, and there¡¯s no need for me to borate on that.¡±


    Qi Jing lifted his brow. Huh, so despite calling Teacher Yan a monkey, it seems like Teacher Pu still has a great deal of trust in his assessment... Turns out getting called an old macaque is worth it.At that time, Yuan Zhengming probably sneezed somewhere loudly.


    Pu Yuzhi continued speaking, ¡°Since No.7 and No.8 delivered their opening speech together, I will also speak of their performances together as well. Just as I said before, everyone has their own version of a ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯ in their mind. It¡¯s the same for me, but at the same time, I¡¯m also quite expectant to hear different interpretations of him. Since the source novel itself used show-don¡¯t-tell narration to describe this character, with his overall image being quite blurry, there was a lot of freedom in portraying him, so a look at each contestant¡¯s enactment of him is almost equal to reading their thought process when interpreting him... Very interesting indeed.¡±


    At that time, she chuckled faintly. ¡°But the most interesting thing is, No.7 and No.8 took this role to the extremes ording to their own personalities, yet somehow managed to avoid making it feel out of ce¡ªNo.7 focused at portraying his arrogance and haughtiness, while No.8 paid more attention to disying his coldness andposure, both of them bringing out the most out of their voice characteristics and minimising the impact of their shorings.¡±


    ¡°Aiya, we got seen through.¡± There was no way their little scheme would go undiscovered by the professional ear.


    ¡°For example, with the warmth of No.7¡¯s voice, he put more emphasis on the imposing intimidation, and No.8 with his youthful voice paid close attention to his breathing to sound steady and increase the sense of age...¡± Even her examples werepletely spot-on¡ªQi Jing couldn¡¯t help but admire that. And she was also approving of this ying to their strengths, ¡°To be fair, this way of going to the extremes with acting can be very dangerous, but those two contestants handled it splendidly.¡±


    Then, Pu Yuzhi¡¯s point took an unexpected turn for Qi Jing, ¡°Yet after listening to both of them, I started to worry about their finals.¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback. <i>Worry?


    </i>


    <i> </i>He believed that both him and Noodles did pretty well acting as ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±, and the audience¡¯s reaction was pretty good too, but was their grasp of this role not that good in the end?


    But Pu Yuzhi denied his guess. ¡°It¡¯s not because they didn¡¯t grasp the nature of the character well, but because each of them have their own way of thinking, with a strong personal style, so if they won¡¯t encounter someone who can blend well with their style, they will get stuck.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but straighten his back, correcting his sitting posture right away.


    Right...How could he forget that? His very weakest point was how much he could get restricted by the VA he would act alongside with, so if he got stuck with his acting, he would be no longer able to deliver the rest of the lines. And on the other end of it, with his style being too individual and self-willed, the other person would be left with no way to understand and cooperate with him, so that would be a double out for both of them.


    ¡°Semi-finals are after all only semi-finals, it was meant to examine an individual aptitude of a contestant, and there wouldn¡¯t be much problem with the contestant performing whatever way they like, but the finals... it¡¯s the ¡®cooperative¡¯ mindset that will be the main judging criteria.¡±


    Pu Yuzhi gradually stopped smiling, ending on a powerful note. ¡°It¡¯s only No.7 and No.8, but every participating contestant should listen well¡ªthe primary value judged in the finals is ¡®synergy¡¯. Those who don¡¯t cooperate are bound to end up failing.¡±


    Pu Yuzhi¡¯s words kept lingering in his mind. Even when the ne wasnding at the capital¡¯s airport, Qi Jing was still thinking of its meaning in a daze.


    After leaving the ne, Qi Jing quickly fished out the phone to first send Shen Yan a message. ¡¾Inded safely in Beijing. No need to reply, work well during your shift and think about me often. ^£ß^¡¿


    After sending this message, he thought for a moment and added a short ¡°mwa¡±, the corner of his eyes curling up slightly in a knowing smile.


    As for whether that person would get it... Well, it was up to hisprehension.


    Two days ago, he had already booked a business hotel by the TV station. He only had to take a subway from the airport and ride it to the Sanyuan Bridge, and after changing it for the tenth line, he would get off right before the entrance to the CCTV, very convenient. During the few minutes wait before his ride arrived, he used the airport Wi-Fi to go online only to discover that the grouping arrangement for the finals of male ?Order to End the Heavens? characters audition already got published.


    Qi Jing quickly studied it all the way down. The finals were split for three days, the first day of the female characters audition was already finished, the second day¡ªwhich was today¡ªwas the male characters, and the third day would be thest concluding finals.


    The groups for the male finals were limited to the male characters, and depending on the role¡¯s importance, the main characters, side characters and NPCs all had different amounts of auditions paired.


    ¡¾Main characters¡¿: three auditions


    Qin Tuo¡ªLiu Suyu, Bai Ke, Old Man Xiao Shan


    Fang Yisheng¡ªBai Ke, Lu Wei, Yan Buliu


    ¡¾Side characters¡¿: two auditions


    Emperor Chang¡ªMarquess Shunyang, Yan Buliu


    Marquess Shunyang¡ªEmperor Chang, Shopkeeper of an Inn


    Yan Buliu¡ªEmperor Chang, Fang Yisheng


    Bai Ke¡ªFang Yisheng, Qin Tuo


    ¡¾NPC¡¿: One audition (Due to the small amount of the lines for the NPCs, the champion for the below mentioned characters will be chosen directly from the male finals, with no participation in the concluding finals needed)


    Liu Suyu¡ªQin Tuo


    Shopkeeper of an Inn¡ªMarquess Shunyang


    Old Man Xiao Shan¡ªQin Tuo


    Lu Wei¡ªFang Yisheng


    ¡°Hiss...¡± Qi Jing counted on his fingers how many auditions he would have in total, and sucked in a mouthful of cold air, ¡°That would be five auditions for me alone.¡±


    Fortunately, with so many people participating, each audition would only consist of one scene, and each scene would have a minute of the allocated time, so the actual time he would spend on voice acting wouldn¡¯t be more than five minutes.


    But it wasn¡¯t the amount of time that was scary, but the unknown of who he would get paired with.


    At the present, even with the groups for the roles published, which contestant he would cooperate with was still a mystery. It was because the contestants for the pairing would only get drawed by the organisators on the spot with aputer programme, so that no one would know the details before the time of the audition. It was precisely those nerves and suspensions of the unknown that were the most exciting part of the finals to look forward to¡ª


    Just as he was musing with his eyes on the phone screen, the train arrived at the station, so Qi Jing temporarily gathered his thoughts and followed the crowd to squeeze into the carriage.


    In the middle of December, the temperature in Beijing had already fallen below zero, but the inside of the carriage had heating turned on, so it didn¡¯t feel as cold. It was just, there were really too many people getting in after changing trains in the city centre, so there was basically no free space left, so Qi Jing found some ce where he could lean against something in a corner to stand. Just as he reloaded the page, the conversation of two youngdies sitting nearby startled him out of nowhere.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    They gave Qi Jing quite a scare¡ªwhen he heard his ID, he automatically shot his head up.


    But thosedies didn¡¯t seem to have noticed him at all. It was at that time that Qi Jing realised that it wasn¡¯t that they recognised him, but were sitting side by side, browsing the forum together on a phone. And it was precisely the one he used so often... The online voice acting forum.


    Thank goodness¡ªhe almost broke into a cold sweat. He sig


    hed covertly with relief. After being scandalously closed away in a basement for such a long time, his gossipy nature was itching terribly, breaking out of its fetters, so he pricked his ears up to listen.


    ¡°Is he really not Little Noodle¡¯s boyfriend? That¡¯s kinda a pity...¡±


    ¡°I also think so, even though he clearly talked so cutely with him~¡±


    ¡ªWait, why did no one tell me that Beijing is the head camp of Time Limit shippers?


    ¡°But there¡¯s probably barely any online CPs that are real, Little Noodle¡¯s boyfriend is probably from his IRL.¡±


    ¡ªHm, this one makes sense. Seems like those twodies are still pretty rational...


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, IRL is IRL, he can still continue with the online shipping. If he doesn¡¯t enjoy it online, then he can move it offline and get taken by Little Noodles into his harem.¡±


    ¡ªOi oi oi...


    ¡°Eh, harem? Turns out you are a multishipper?¡±


    ¡°I ship Little Noodles with everyone! If it¡¯s about gongs, then of course the more the better, this way Little Noodles can have a different gong for every night, every night a different vour, hehe!¡±


    ¡ªDoes your family¡¯s Little Noodles know of your delusions?! Does he know?!


    Qi Jing almost spat blood from the emotional damage, barely managing to swallow it back, then proceeded with three seconds of silence in the memory of Crossing the Bridge Noodles. With the fans like this, he didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry.


    Just as he was caught between those two choices, the next words of thosedies left him shaken, bringing him back to the present.


    ¡°Speaking of Don¡¯t ask for my return date, ever since he left the production crew for ?Trap?, the crew seems to be looking for someone as a recement, I heard that from other VAs in the circle.¡± One of the girls, one with a soft voice, said, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Little Noodles sided with Don¡¯t ask for my return date, they would most probably look for him to give him this role...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way around it, Little Noodles chose his side. If it was other VAs that came into contact with a situation like this, most of them would feign ignorance, afraid of offending Great God and his fanbase. So if Little Noodles chose to publicly support Don¡¯t ask for my return date, then it basically means he won¡¯t work with Great God anymore.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not only Great God, there are some opportunistic VAs and staff members who would refuse to coborate with him to curry favour with Great God.¡±


    Sure enough...Qi Jing furrowed slightly. He had previously advised Crossing the Bridge Noodles to not im his side in public, but that guy took no heed of it. And it turned out that as expected, this ¡°cold shoulder¡± treatment really did take ce.


    Because he left on his own ord, he didn¡¯t contact the staff from ?Trap? production crew anymore, but those girls were probably feeling bad too.


    Thinking of this, Qi Jing himself felt bad as well, losing interest in listening to thosedies¡¯ chatter.


    After leaving the metro, he first went to the business hotel to check in and leave the excess luggage in the room, and after a bit of rest, he tidied himself up and went to the CCTV building.


    By the time he got there, it was noon sharp.


    The person in charge of receiving him was very cordial, dragging him to eat outside and get to know people, getting acquainted with his future senior colleagues from the office. Qi Jing himself was very well versed in the media industry, and he excelled in finding topics to talk about with people, so he left quite a good impression with that lunch¡ªtruly a promising start.


    The interview in the afternoon was basically just meeting with the higher-ups, the formality talks with the people in charge of various departments, introducing his education history, work r¨¦sum¨¦ and so on. There was nothing difficult about it, so he got the position with no problem.


    The internship was for the ¡°video editor¡± position. It didn¡¯t sound in any way rted to a reporter¡¯s job, but in reality, the content of both of those had a lot inmon. Still, the scope of his work would be mostly within Beijing, so he wouldn¡¯t have to bear with the numerous business trips and after getting epted, it would be a great leverage toter be a TV anchor.


    Since it was the end of the year, everyone was busy with preparations for the Chinese New Year programme, so any changes in cadre would have to wait until the end of the first lunar month. That¡¯s why even though he got epted now, his internship would only start in March of the next year at best, so he could take his time preparing for it.


    ¡°How about we go eat dinner together as well?¡± After the interview ended, the in-charge of his department invited him with much hospitality.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Seeing that it was soon the time, Qi Jing hurried up to give his superior a polite smile, turning down the invitation with a half-lie, ¡°There¡¯s an old friend of mine in Beijing that I haven¡¯t seen for years. When he heard that I¡¯ming over, he already prepared dinner and called me toe, so I¡¯m really sorry, but tonight might be a bit...¡±


    ¡°Oh, old friends are more important, old friends are more important.¡± Fortunately, the other party epted this excuse.


    ¡°Maybe after tomorrow morning¡¯s probation is finished, we could go for lunch together. This way it wouldn¡¯t hinder people from going back home after their shifts.¡± Qi Jing proposed, and very quickly, he got the other party¡¯s approval.


    By the time he came out of the CCTV building, it was almost 6 PM and the thinyer of snow on the ground had already been dyed pale grey by the sunset. Qi Jing ordered some takeaway on his way back, checking the time while he quickly walked on the snow back to the hotel.


    After entering his room, he didn¡¯t even have time to take off his overcoat before he opened hisptop and logged into QQ.


    His ¡°old friend¡± should be already there¡ª


    Usually at this time, that ck walnut table back home would already be full of dishes, the rice plump and fragrant, the home cooking tasty and nutritious... Such a pity that he couldn¡¯t taste it today.


    With this regret, Qi Jing smiled silently and opened his friends list.


    As expected, the long-no-seen profile picture with flying birds in it was there, lit up all that time.


    And at some point, the signature above got changed into six words that despite being very simple, made his heart go warm: ¡¾Waiting for you toe back¡¿


    A/N:


    I realised that many people misunderstood my words from the previous chapter notes... In fact, I only wanted to break them up in localisation, that¡¯s all (gets a re from Kitty¡¯s Papa). Becausetely, they really are... too sweet, too sweet is no good, en.


    No matter if it¡¯s for the time or the rules, the finals will be different from my initial ns, so if there¡¯s anyone who still remembers the rules described around chapter 30, then... ignore that (oi).


    T/N:


    Luci: Nothing like a change of taste, innit... (Already misses their sugary sweetness... and the pets :<)

 Chapter 116

    <h4>Chapter 116</h4>


    unedited


    Without even caring about eating the takeaway, Qi Jing first sent a voice chat invitation on QQ. As some say, ¡®the food for the body can wait, the food for the soules first¡¯.


    Shen Yan was probably online all that time, because not even three seconds passed since he started the call before it connected.


    ¡°How is it, are you doing okay in Beijing by yourself? Is it cold there?¡± The voiceing from the earphones was low and worried as he first asked a personal question, leaving the official matters forter.


    If he were to count, it was only ten hours since Qi Jing heard this voice, but hearing it now, he felt indescribably moved, his heart suddenly soothed and the fatigue in his limbs washing away. Qi Jing stared as if spellbound at the time on the call timer growing with each second, his smile getting wider along with it.


    ¡°Of course,¡± He exhaled slightly just by the mic on purpose, making it seem as if he was very cold, ¡°It¡¯s even snowing here.¡±


    He was in fact only saying this to hear the exact moment in this guy¡¯s voice when he was getting anxious.


    As expected, this guy paused for a bit, then his voice sank, ¡°Did you get cold?¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡± Qi Jing sputtered withughter, so Shen Yan realised that he got teased. After a short spell of speechlessness, he also couldn¡¯t help butugh as well as he shook his head. At that time Qi Jing finally continued, the corners of his eyes curling up in a smile, ¡°Fine, fine, I won¡¯t tease you anymore. It¡¯s indeed cold here, but they have AC here and I spent most of the time inside, so no need to worry. The matter with the internship is also basically settled, it went very smoothly.¡±


    ¡°Mn.¡±


    The progress with Qi Jing¡¯s job was bound to go smoothly even before he arrived at Beijing, so Shen Yan wasn¡¯t surprised at all. Rather than that, he was more concerned with Qi Jing himself.


    ¡°Then what are you doing now?¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s hand that was in the middle of pulling on the tie paused, then he chuckled shortly, now with a little bit of ambiguity to his tone, ¡°I¡¯m taking off my tie¡ªwhat, want to have a look?¡±


    The man on the other side seemed to be taken aback, not replying for a moment.


    Using that voice¡ªthe one with a vague sexiness seeping through that he would use for the audio dramas¡ªhe asked again, ¡°If you want to look... then maybe I should turn the camera on. Hm?¡±


    As he spoke, he slowly pulled down the index finger hooked on the tie knot. As the tie loop loosened, the cor of his shirt also came apart in anguid and unruly image. Along with that, he also intentionally brought his head down to let the rustling of the cloth get passed through the mic, so that he could see how Shen Yan would react.


    The voice on the other side disappeared for a long while, then after a moment, it sounded again with a low huskiness to it, ¡°...I will wait for you, toe back... to have a look.¡±


    Qi Jing bit his lips slightly, keeping himself fromughing. Sometimes some things are hard to say face to face, but through the inte, now as they were apart and with voice as their only means to interact, it was easy to get bold. So he gave a low chuckle and said, ¡°Turns out you¡¯re the type that likes to act while looking, Dr Shen?¡±


    Faced with such a provocation, Shen Yan would normally be unable to say anything in retort, but with those two knowing each other for so long, he gradually got to more or less know Qi Jing¡¯s nature. If he were to give in now, Qi Jing would go further instead. That¡¯s why, he could as well give him a small retaliation, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why when you¡¯ll be flying back, better prepare yourself.¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t expect him to say so at all¡ªsimply dumbstruck, he felt his cheeks grow hot suddenly. In the end, he was the one who ended up embarrassed.


    ¡°You really admitted that...¡±


    ¡°Because I really am the type to ¡®like to act while looking¡¯.¡± Shen Yan even used the tone Qi Jing previously took on as he slowly repeated his words.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but feel deep regret for his nature of digging a hole for himself.


    With things like this, he could as well go for broke, ¡°Well then, at that time... Better live up to your words, hm.¡±


    Shen Yanughed faintly, ¡°I will.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing really had an impulse to leave it all behind and buy a flight back home. He knew that this idea was unrealistic, but still... He suddenly really really wanted to be back by Shen Yan¡¯s side, to let him undo his tie in person, and then... do a bit of something else.


    As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder¡ª


    ¡°Cough.¡± Qi Jing coughed lightly to stop his own mind from running astray. The finals were just an hour away, he shouldn¡¯t let his thoughts wander away to those things, ¡°I¡¯m going to eat first. I will listen to you while eating, so I will mute my mic for now.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, it¡¯s okay, eat up.¡± Hearing him say that he still didn¡¯t have a meal, Shen Yan quickly urged him to eat.


    Big Return Date got his time to eat, while Little Return Date was already round from eating a bellyful. Shen Yan sent him the photos of Big Goose and Little Return Date he took that day. In the photo, two little guys were sleeping together in a dog bed after having their fill of food. Little Return Date seemed as if it alreadypletely epted its new little buddy, even resting all of its paws on Big Goose¡¯s body and cuddling with it while sleeping soundly without any care in the world. With its eyes closed, Big Goose put its snout gently over Little Return Date¡¯s head, appearing peaceful in its sleep.


    Seeing this, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help breaking into a smile.


    After finishing his takeaway, Qi Jing also went to take a quick shower, changing the suit and shirt intofy clothes, then chatted idly with Shen Yan about the small home trifles by theputer. He didn¡¯t feel any of that heavy weight on his shoulders before the finals, his mind rxed.


    The male finals would start at 7 PM, and wouldst four hours altogether.


    At 6 PM, there was already a five digit number of active people listed on the YY channel, and before 7 PM, there were already over thirty thousand people online¡ªtruly a grand asion.


    Because there were too many contestants for all the roles in the finals, the performance order would be arranged ording to a group number, and the group numbers would be chosen by drawing lots. Before the start, a contestant would get their own ¡°performance group number¡± announced, but they wouldn¡¯t know who they were to y with before the start of the audition unless they inquired every other contestant for their numbers.


    As the host, Yang Chunqu, proceeded to give the usual preamble, the stage managers were to first take care of this task.


    ¡°What are your numbers?¡± After receiving his numbers, Qi Jing was itching to see Shen Yan¡¯s numbers too, hoping that they would have at least one ovep.


    Shen Yan only had one side character and one NPC, so he didn¡¯t have that many auditions inparison. ¡°29, 42, 67.¡±


    Qi Jing held his breath listening to thest number and couldn¡¯t help but a groan ofint, sighing heavily, ¡°Aaaah... I have 14, 21, 52, 66, 80. Dammit, 66 and 67 are so close but it¡¯s still not good... Running into you really isn¡¯t that easy.¡±


    Hearing this, Shen Yanughed deeply, ¡°You know, as long as you ask, I can always voice act with you however many times you want.¡±


    That was indeed the case.


    ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, I still want to voice act with you fair and square before other people, at least once.¡±


    That time in ?Trap? was done on the sly, not in the least openly, and Shen Yan even shouldered an unspeakable identity of a substitute at the time¡ªQi Jing found it utterlymentable.


    ¡°Seems like my luck isn¡¯t that good, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t get paired with you...¡± Just as he said jokingly, Qi Jing suddenly felt his right eyelid twitch and paused, dumbfounded, ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°My right eyelid just twitched.¡± Right eye twitching bodes disaster, so can it be...


    ¡°It¡¯s just a superstition.¡± Shen Yan wasn¡¯t wrong about that. But Qi Jing thought of it, and out of curiosity, he still stealthily opened the perpetual calendar to see how was the luck for that day.


    ¡¾All things adverse¡¿


    If someone saw those three words, they would usually know that it¡¯s not boding well.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t possibly believe in superstitions.¡± Qi Jing looked silently at his hand thatmitted the opening of this page and furrowed. If he knew the oue beforehands, he would rather not do that¡ªafter seeing those words, he felt a bit agitated, as if he was hanging in midair.


    Following, he very soon experienced what that ¡®all things adverse¡¯ meant.


    His first audition was ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± against ¡°Yan Buliu¡±.


    His ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± was ranked fourth, and his opponent¡¯s ¡°Yan Buliu¡± was ranked tenth, so their group was ranked as the fourteenth group. Ten, four, grouped into fourteenth or something...


    ¡°...¡± By the time Qi Jing realised that, he had already said this out loud subconsciously. Even if it wasn¡¯t for the sound of it, the tenth contestant who passed the semi-finals was still counted as the first from the end, so in terms of the actual skill, he would be that bit less skilled aspared to the remaining nine contestants. No matter what, he hoped that this ¡®cooperativeness¡¯ Pu Yuzhi mentioned before would be possible.


    If they would cooperate well or not during the audition was still unknown, but their IDs turned out to match really well¡ª¡¾Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¿vs.¡¾How long away is forever¡¿


    Seeing this ID appear on the mic sequence, Qi Jing secretly wiped his cold sweat. If it was said that the ill luck could cumte... then it was probably said based on those types of oues.


    Of course, the audience wouldn¡¯t possibly overlook this kind of joking point.


    Audience 1: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Hahahaha, those two IDs in this group look soical when put together!!


    Audience 2: Pfft... Reallyughed at that one. ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡± with ¡°How long away is forever¡± on top of it, why not just call this group ¡°Never Coming Back¡± to make a do. ¡¾Please look into my earnest eyes¡¿


    Audience 3: Pfft, ¡°Never Coming Back¡± group!! (pping the floor)


    Audience 4: pping the floor! +1


    Audience 5: pping the floor! +2


    Audience 6: Just how ominous is it... ¡¾And now on the importance of IDs¡¿_(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    ¡°If you guys were group No.44, the effect would be even better.¡± Even the main judge Yuan Zhengming impishly took his shot at kicking them as they were down, seemingly having fun watching the lively atmosphere.


    Qi Jing felt like his whole person was queasy.


    But what made him even more queasy was the mutual self-introduction before the start.


    ¡°Both of you have thirty seconds for the equipment check and a brief opening. Of course, if you feel like you can start without this, then you can start right away...¡±


    As Yang Chunqu said those words, Qi Jing suddenly heard this ¡°How long away is forever¡± contestant shouting excitedly, ¡°Don¡¯t start yet! Don¡¯t start yet! Let me introduce myself first!¡±


    Yang Chunqu was taken aback, then answered, confused, ¡°Ah... Well, well then.¡±


    Qi Jing was also taken aback.


    Wait...Wasn¡¯t ¡°Yan Buliu¡± a sinister and crafty old man? What are you going to do with this sunny and bright style?


    He didn¡¯t expect for this bright ray of sunlight to instantly turn into a bashful moonlight. ¡°Re, Return Date-sama, hello... I didn¡¯t expect that I would be assigned to the same group as you, I¡¯m so happy.¡±


    Coloured with bashfulness, his feelings were in to see through his voice.


    And it was spoken in the pure middle-aged uncle voice¡ª


    Audience 1: YO!!


    Audience 2: YO!! ¡¾What¡¯s happening?¡¿


    Audience 3: YO!! ¡¾Pfft, could it be? A confession?¡¿


    Audience 4: YO!! ¡¾Hahahaha, I can¡¯t, what¡¯s up with this bizarre style...¡¿


    Audience 5: YO!! ¡¾My family¡¯s Return really has this charm! ¡«\\\\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/¡«¡¿


    Audience 6: YO!! ¡¾Wait... Can it be that this fellow here is the legendary boyfriend of Don¡¯t ask for my return date? This voice with this tone, eh... This style really is too bizarre +10086¡¿


    Qi Jing¡¯s first reaction was to rush into his QQ chat box with Shen Yan to send twenty ¡°I really don¡¯t know this person aaaaah!¡± messages.


    Shen Yan only replied with a faint smile emoji, so it seemed like there was no misunderstanding there.


    Qi Jing was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but this How long away is forever¡¯s next words made him swallow it right back, ¡°I have no immunity for that sexy voice of Return Date-sama, it just fits my taste too well.¡±


    The listeners gradually burst into a hubbub.


    The corner of his lips twitched.


    ...Can you just stop talking...


    ¡°Thank you Mr Forever for your appreciation,¡± Qi Jing finally found a chance to speak. He tried to preserve his gentlemanly bearing, with a gentlemanly smile and a gentlemanly response, ¡°Then, I hope for a happy cooperation.¡±


    The implication was, let¡¯s quickly start it and quickly finish it.


    As if realising that he focused at the wrong point, the otherughed silly, ¡°Ah, this, before we start, I have a small request.¡±


    ¡°Ask away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m too shy to ask...¡± Like a big girl squirming with embarrassment.


    ¡°No, please, just ask...¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but stare with a deadpan expression at the screen.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Out of sudden, the bashful moonlight disappeared, going back to the previous sunny tone, ¡°In a while, after the score for our group are out, if my personal score is higher than Return Date-sama¡¯s... then, can I ask Return Date-sama for one thing?¡±


    How long away is forever smiled radiantly.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but shiver.


    Not because of what he said just before the start, but because of the first line of ¡°Yan Buliu¡±.


    ¡°Fang Yisheng, you... You actually didn¡¯t die?¡±


    This one sentence was both coloured in shock and fear, yet this man still didn¡¯t lose his footing¡ªit was the astonished and lost kind of shock and fear. The shock he felt because of the crafty scheme it took for the man before him to flee for his life, feigning his death under the emperor¡¯s eye; fear¡ªbecause of the acknowledgement for the opponent he has always found a thorn in his eye, who had the ability to live through all the ploys for his life.


    He might have also known before that ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± wouldn¡¯t die, but once he saw it with his own eyes, he still couldn¡¯t shake off the shock.


    He was a formidable and ruthless man, not a petty viin.


    A petty viin would rejoice in being unrivalled.


    A formidable man would only find it infinitely lonesome.


    ¡°To have tricked the Heavens and us all,ing back to life once dead¡ªLord Fang truly isn¡¯t but a normal man.¡± So after that first sentence, once the shock and fear passed, his face gradually twisted into a gloomy and evil grin, a perfectly logical conclusion.


    ¡ªNo.¡ªIf he got swayed now, this wouldn¡¯t be ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±.


    Qi Jing got back to his senses in an instant, uttering a silent ¡®good then¡¯ in his heart¡ªhe also had to assume the character¡¯s unswaying and calm bearing at this desperate time.


    And it had to be as clean-cut as a de sliding out of its sheath.


    ¡°I have said before, ¡®the court up on high, the Jianghu faraway¡¯¡ªthose two never cross together. The one to die was the ¡®Lord Fang¡¯ you just called, but the only one standing today before you is Fang Yisheng.¡±


    After leaving his sheath, each of his words turned into daggers, all pointing at the man before him.


    He snorted coldly, ¡°That year, Lord Yan had Lord Fang dead, but right here, right now, you, Yan Buliu, will not have this Fang Yisheng die¡ª¡±


    Audience 1: ©d(¨RO¨Q)¡¨Aaaaaaaaah, THE FEELS!!


    Audience 2: ©d(¨RO¨Q)¡¨My Inn-owner Fang, awoooo!! (licks like crazy) Chief minister... Chief minister is actually also surprisingly hot! (continues to lick)


    Audience 3: ©d(¨RO¨Q)¡¨That¡¯s the spirit! It feels like watching those sword fighting scenes in movies!


    Audience 4: Theparison above is so good! It got this exact feeling!


    Audience 5: Ehhh... This How long away is forever fellow, his performance is miles away from the semi-finals? Is he really the same guy? ¡¾my baby heart got toyed with¡ûoi¡¿


    Audience 6: Hahaha, it¡¯s also so different from his style in the opening~


    ¡°Hehehe,¡± Only the towering dark clouds were left from that voice that could be both sunny and moonlight like before, like an eve of a gloomy storm, leaving no light to be seen. And it was especially so when heughed. ¡°Seems like today is the day when either you die, or I perish.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Qi Jing cut into his words quite precisely, and quite firmly. With a person to cooperate with, this feel for sensitive timing in the speech was much easier to grasp. ¡°Today, it is only you who will perish.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡±


    With this word, a powerful thunder roared under those dark clouds, his power and authority all in ce, not at all inferior to the nine higher-ranking contestants in the semi-finals, ¡°It is this old me¡¯s fault to have not finished a mutineer like you with my own hands. Why would I repeat the same mistake¡ªen garde!¡±


    A minute for two people acting isn¡¯t long, and with few lines of dialogue, it was the speed of getting into the character and the ability to y into each other that was the most important.


    After the sixty seconds of allocated time was all up, Qi Jing finally could confirm his guess...


    This guy... during the semi-finals, he most probably didn¡¯t go all out.


    ¡°Trying to dress as a pig to eat an old tiger?¡± After getting off the mic, Qi Jing furrowed slightly and muttered. After finishing though, he smiled, unperturbed.


    ¡°But an old tiger is still an old tiger, not that easy to eat as you thought after all, right?¡±


    A/N:


    The tempo of finals will be much quicker than for semi-finals, for one it¡¯s because there is less time for it now, and two, because it was already more or less described what the are abilities of each contestant before, so there¡¯s no need for as detailed of the descriptions for the finals anymore¡ªor at least I think so. A little change of writing style might be for the better...


    T/N:


    Luci: The rest of the author notes are not directly rted to this chapter, but she talks about how because of being tired of people stealing her work and putting it on pirating sites, as well as other tiresome problems arising as she was writing it on jjwxc, she decided to end her contract with this  site and make it free to read for everyone. Unfortunately, we cannot support this novel marily anymore, but please, share some love with the author and this novel, be it through kindments on jjwxc (novel link is in the main page) or sharing it with other people.


    And thank you all for reading it all the way up till now! ^^

 Chapter 117

    <h4>Chapter 117</h4>


    unedited


    ¡°It was more difficult than I thought¡ª¡± That guy said a moment before they both left the mic sequence, once again in that original cheerful tone. Qi Jing didn¡¯t say anything, focused on waiting for the judges¡¯ evaluation and the audience votes toe through.


    If this guy deliberately underyed his ability during the semi-finals, only to reveal his true skill during the finals, then the people would naturally gain a newfound respect for him upon seeing his new shine.


    It was utilising the disparity¡ªa ssic move of making the most out of the opportunity.


    But to create this disparity is not something just anyone can do, it requires skill, and an incredible lot of self-confidence.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t n on losing...¡± Qi Jing muttered.


    The other party was his cooperation partner, but in a way, he was also his opponent. He didn¡¯t want to get defeated by this whole ¡®sense of disparity¡¯, it would feel so much worse to lose to it than if it was an open fight all the way through. Fortunately, Longbow, who couldn¡¯t attend two semi-finals for the main roles auditions, was finally back, so the judging panel was back to three members. At least with those three, there wouldn¡¯t be any dubiousness with the legitimacy of their judgement. Just... The audience could also jump into voting for that guy out of hype.


    ¡°Ding.¡± The score was finally there.


    Qi Jing took a deep breath and slowly lifted his head to take a look at the screen.


    ¡¾Group Score¡¿: 4.0, 3.5, average score 3.75


    ¡¾psed Time¡¿: 60 seconds = 0.6 points


    ¡¾Audience Votes¡¿: 86.2% voting ratio = 0.862 points


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall group score: 3.75£«0.6£«0.862 = 5.212 points


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡± individual score:


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿: 4.0, 3.5, average score 3.75


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿: 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.0


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿: 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.0


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, average score 4.25


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall average scores: 3.75£«4.0£«4.0£«4.25 = 16.0 points


    Additional audience vote points: 77.4% voting ratio = 0.774 points


    Overall score: 16.0£«0.774£«5.212 = 21.986 points


    ¡°How long away is forever¡± individual score:


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿: 4.0, 3.5, average score 3.75


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿: 4.0, 3.5, average score 3.75


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿: 4.0, 3.5, average score 3.75


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, average score 4.25


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall average scores: 3.75£«3.75£«3.75£«4.25 = 15.5 points


    Additional audience vote points: 81.7% voting ratio = 0.817 points


    Overall score: 15.5£«0.817£«5.212 = 21.529 points


    Less than half a point of difference¡ª


    ¡°Hu...¡± Qi Jing exhaled in relief, thinking how close it was.


    It was to no one¡¯s surprise that this guy¡¯s voting ratio was higher than his, and the group score was shared. Even Longbow gave them exactly the same scores¡ªthe only thing he lost on was the individual score Pu Yuzhi gave him.


    Seeing this score, How long away is forever used a kaomoji that waspletely incongruous with his voice to express his hurt feelings.


    How long away is forever: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Waaaah... So I really wasn¡¯t enough...


    Audience 1: Pfahahaha¡ª Sorry, I already did my best throwing you a vote for this one¡¾Although I also voted on Return¡ûOi¡¿


    Audience 2: (*ÆH¡¯*) To be honest, I really want to see how Don¡¯t ask for my return date would react if he lost.


    Audience 3: (*ÆH¡¯*) To be honest, me too. ¡¾Return Date-sama, please don¡¯t hit me~¡¿


    Audience 4: (*&#k8278;¡¯*) Seconding the two above.


    Audience 5: (*&#k8278;¡¯*) Lining up to express that I really really want to know what our Forever wanted to wish for~ Say it, say it, either way it¡¯s gone, so you can¡¯t jinx it anymore&#k2026;&#k3010;Oi oi oi&#k3011;


    Audience 6: Pfft, the one above is so evil. Am I the only one who doesn¡¯t want contestant How long away is forever to have his way? I really feel like he didn¡¯t give his best during the semi-finals, so it¡¯s kinda shady of him to go all out during the finals. And here I am, wanting to protect Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s well-deserved rights!! (puffing chest)


    ...


    After getting to know the scores, Qi Jing calmed down a little. But seeing this guyment, his heart softened¡ªhis do-gooding side was acting up once again.


    If it wasn¡¯t too preposterous of a request, then there should be no harm in epting it... right?


    So he quietly opened the DM chat box.


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾How long away is forever¡¿: Did you do that on purpose?


    ¡¾How long away is forever¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: Eh?


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾How long away is forever¡¿: The semi-finals. During the semi-finals, you didn¡¯t go all out, right? Just now, you didn¡¯t sound anything like someone who would just rank tenth during them.


    Qi Jing went straight into the main point, but the other only denied, rolling from side to side.


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾How long away is forever¡¿: Entice... (enticing shou?)


    ¡¾How long away is forever¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: Pfft, no, it¡¯s not about enticing shou. It¡¯s just that, only when I¡¯m acting in tandem with someone, I can get really into it, usually I¡¯m the type that can¡¯t do even remotely well when voice acting alone.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Qi Jing raised his brows. When he was voice acting before, he would often hear of some VAs that wouldn¡¯t be able to voice act during run-throughs because of being unused to such setting, but he didn¡¯t expect to stumble upon the exact opposite of that, ¡°If that¡¯s the case... Then that would make it really interesting.¡±


    Although he himself could act both alone and with someone else, but because he was the type to get easily derailed by whoever he yed with, it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to understand this trait.


    And what to do, after understanding it, he even started to pity that guy a bit...


    No matter if it was online voice acting or the professional scene, the custom of ying with other voice actors was already slowly disappearing; most of it would be now done individually, so <i>How long away is forever</i>¡¯s future was really too limited.


    Once he thought of this, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help but type, ¡¾Fine, tell me what you wished to ask for, I might consider it.¡¿


    After he sent it, <i>How long away is forever</i> sent a string of ¡°¡«\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/¡«¡± kaomojis, seemingly pleasantly surprised.


    ¡¾How long away is forever¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: Really really really?!?! Return Date-sama, you really are such! A! Good! Guy!


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾How long away is forever¡¿: ... (I¡¯m starting to regret that = =)


    ¡¾How long away is forever¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t be like this! I really really want this thing!! I¡¯m begging you!!


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾How long away is forever¡¿: ...Go ahead then.


    ¡¾How long away is forever¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: (//////ÆH//////) I... I... I want to ask Return Date-sama to do an impression of ¡°Sleek Horses Run Fast¡±, is that okay?


    ...


    ...WTF...


    Qi Jing¡¯s hand momentarily slipped, and he almost typed and sent ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know how to y a dunce¡±. But afterter consideration, he deleted this message, unwilling to destroy the lofty image of that person in this guy¡¯s eyes. The IRL was already too sad, better just leave him be with his beautiful misconception about the 2D.


    Chatting through the messages to this point, he really felt like he had to change to a voice chat, because his typing speed could not keep up with the pace of this miraculous development.


    ¡°Sleek Horses Run Fast? You¡¯re talking about that long retired great god, Sleek Horses Run Fast?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s him, that¡¯s him!¡±


    ¡°So you were his fan...¡± No wonder he was so infatuated with his voice.


    ¡°Mhm~¡± <i>How long away is forever</i> used his middle-aged uncle voice as well as the bubbly and sweet girly tone as he chirped happily, ¡°I¡¯m Sleek Horses-sama¡¯s hardcore fan! You sound very simr to him, both of you have this kind of gorgeous noble voice... Aaah, I can¡¯t, it¡¯s so cute!¡±


    Qi Jing felt his temples begin to ache.


    <i>How long away is forever</i> continued his unceasing stream of words, ¡°Sleek Horses-sama is already retired and nowhere to be found, so I was so depressed... I always kept looking for someone with a simr voice, so when I heard your works, I was really moved! So please, Return Date-sama, you need to record something for me, I beg of you!¡±


    Sure enough, he wanted him to record something, most fans of VAs would ask for this. ¡°Will you promise me that this will never get shared with anyone else?¡±


    ¡°I will never share it!¡±


    ¡°Fine then, wait for a bit... I need to ask for an opinion from someone rted, whether I will do it depends on them.¡±


    <i>How long away is forever</i> agreed in confusion, clearly not knowing who Qi Jing meant by ¡®someone rted¡¯. Meanwhile, Qi Jing only silently typed a few words into an ID search of the chat, and after he got the search results, he temporarily closed the current chat box, opening a new window.


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿: Good evening.


    ¡¾Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: Good evening, Return Date. I was listening to your audition just now. What¡¯s up, is something going on?


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿: ...I want to use your boyfriend for a bit.


    ¡¾Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: .......................................


    Amused by this string of ellipsis from <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>, Qi Jingughed as he opened the voice chat to exin to him the situation.


    After listening to the end, <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> didn¡¯t seem too surprised, and replied calmly, ¡°Such a hardworking contestant, I don¡¯t think there will be any problem with recording a few words of encouragement for him.¡±


    Qi Jing asked curiously, ¡°Didn¡¯t that guy avoid recording anything, even for you? Saying that it¡¯s only right to say things directly?¡±


    <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> hummed, with a smile yet not really, ¡°That was only an excuse he used toe see me.¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback, then coughed lightly when he recovered.


    <i>¡ªNoodles-kun, don¡¯t sh your PDA so out of nowhere...</i>


    <i>How long away is forever</i> was still waiting impatiently as he left him. Qi Jing came back in passing to poke him with a question about what he wanted to have recorded, then disappeared without any additional word.


    The second wait was shorter than the first one, only three minutes. After three minutes, Qi Jing directly sent him an MP3 file and said with a gentlemanly smile, ¡°I finished recording. I did my best to make an impression of him, try listening to it¡ªdoes it sound simr?¡±


    <i>How long away is forever</i> sent him thanks, then their conversation ceased for a moment as he presumably went to listen to it.


    Qi Jing waited for his reaction, a smile still on his face.


    As expected, this guy¡¯s voice was all shaky by the time he came back¡ªit could even be described as crudely as howling from joy, ¡°Aaaaaaaah, Return Date-sama! Return Date-sama! It¡¯s so simr, really so simr! It¡¯s almost as if Sleek Horses-sama recorded it himself¡ª¡±


    Qi Jing smiled impishly as he added in his mind, <i>It¡¯s not almost, it¡¯s indeed your Sleek Horses-sama himself who recorded it~</i>


    ¡°It¡¯s simr enough to imagine it being true, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, mhm! You¡¯re so amazing!¡±


    <i>Really, such a gullible fellow...</i>


    At this time, <i>How long away is forever</i> said something he didn¡¯t seeing, ¡°This way I will be so motivated when studying for my high school finals! Thank you, Return Date-sama!¡±


    <i>Wait...</i>


    ¡°High, high school finals?¡± Qi Jing gasped in surprise, ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m seventeen.¡±


    When this number got said with the uncle voice, Qi Jing felt his whole worldview crash.


    This guy probably also expected that he would react this way andined grumbly, ¡°I know that my voice doesn¡¯t sound young, but it¡¯s been like this since I went through mutation. I always get asked to y uncles, fathers and so on by the producers, I really can¡¯t help that...¡±


    <i>Child... you have it hard too.</i>


    But this way, this young girl-like behaviour would also make more sense.


    In the online voice acting circle, a person¡¯s true age would always be different from their voices¡¯ sense of age, not only for<i> How long away is forever</i> with his uncle voice, but also Shen Yan who was once titled as ¡°Forever a Grandpa¡±.


    And there was also <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>¡ª


    Qi Jing was still getting over the shock of getting to know <i>How long away is forever</i>¡¯s real age as the discussion around <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>¡® ¡®sense of age¡¯ unfolded in the public chat. Or rather than calling it a discussion, it would be better to call it an argument, as both sides were inches away from a full-on battle, the smell of gunpowder thick in the air.


    The reason was the uing start of the group No.20¡¯s audition, still between ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± and ¡°Yan Buliu¡±.


    And as for the contestants, it was ¡¾Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿vs.¡¾Went off with a bang¡¿.


    Audience 1: ¡ã¡£¡ã(((p(¨R¿Ú¨Q)q)))¡ã¡£¡ã Awoooo~ Little Noodles! Our family¡¯s Little Noodles will finally have his first audition today!


    Audience 2: ¡ã¡£¡ã(((p(¨R¿Ú¨Q)q)))¡ã¡£¡ã Aaaah, I¡¯m so nervous!! Break leg Little Noodles!! Big sis will vote on you in each audition, Little Noodles is the best!


    Audience 3: ...Why did it have to be Crossing the bridge noodles? He¡¯s too noob, he will drag down Bang Bang¡¯s score.


    Audience 4: The one above, don¡¯t bitch around! Little Noodles also can do the youth voice! (¨s£­£ß£­)¨s¨k¨k


    Audience 5: Youth voice is a youth voice, but it¡¯s still too young¡ªan educated but inexperienced youth can¡¯t pull off that bearing. And don¡¯t you say that I didn¡¯t listen to him and don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about, I have heard his ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± audition for semi-finals. The cold demeanour wasn¡¯t that bad, but since there was no intense scene, you wouldn¡¯t hear his shorings, but the scene chosen for the finals is a showdown between two powerful opponents. It¡¯s just perfect for our family¡¯s Uncle Bang, but how about your family¡¯s Little Noodles? (picks nose)


    Audience 6: Seems like Crossing the bridge noodles has always been ying young boys, so he himself is probably also pretty young. The voice can be imitated, but it might be worrying if he¡¯s not able to make his demeanour stronger.¡¾I¡¯m not a fan of either of them, don¡¯t take it personally¡¿


    ...


    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder people would worry...¡± Qi Jing shook his head slowly before the screen.


    In all of the <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>¡¯ works he listened to, he would always do the same type of role¡ªeither the ¡®inexperienced boy¡¯ type the audience mentioned or a youth type. The roles he received were also either a refined schr or a sickly beauty, always sounding like a youth in his early twenties, maybe twenty four or five at most, nothing more.


    ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± was described to be twenty seven, so this role could be a bit hard to pull off for Noodles.


    Those fans of Went off with a bang weren¡¯t wrong¡ªduring a usual dialogue, it¡¯s not easy to catch the imperfections, but once there¡¯s a need to manifest a strong bearing, people with a young-sounding voice would have it harder.


    During the time when Jade Butterfly tried to drive a wedge between them, Qi Jing went through his weibo to understand him as a person, even finding a few recordings of his personal YY channel¡ªhe wanted to try listening what he would usually say to his fans, whether he would act the same as great god <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>.


    But in the end, what he heard left himpletely stumped.


    ¡°Little Fox hid under mom¡¯s belly, walking while blinking its round eyes, looking curiously here and there. After a while, a spot of light appeared ahead. After seeing it, Little Fox said, ¡®Mom, a star fell there, right?¡¯¡±


    His voice was even softer than in the audio dramas, as he used this very gentle and calming tone to read a children¡¯s book slowly.


    He would narrate the descriptions so, and whenever there was a dialogue between characters, he would also switch to the acting mode, like this part of dialogue where Little Fox spoke to its mom, where <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>¡¯ voice suddenly turned high-pitched as he asked childishly, sounding so naive and sweet¡ª


    At that time, Qi Jing thought only one thing. And that was¡ª<i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> actually reads children¡¯s books in his YY channel! He, he, he seemed like such a simple and rational guy on weibo, but he would actually use this tone to read children¡¯s books!


    And ording to what Ning Xiaoxiao said, <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> would never mention his IRL activities when he was in his YY channel or wouldn¡¯t talk of the 2D gossip, wouldn¡¯t sing karaoke, do Q&As, organise any activities... He would only read books, and it would always be niche children¡¯s books. Most of <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>¡¯ fans were young girls that took pleasure in listening to it, even finding it very cute.


    Only Qi Jing didn¡¯t know what to think of it.


    Once he kept being viewed through these lenses, it was no surprise that people in the circle would think of <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> as ¡°pitiful and adorably pure boy¡±...


    This inherent impression made Went off with a bang, who was in a team with him, quite angry, but he still said with a fake courteous smile, ¡°Ranked third in semi-finals¡ªI hope you live up to that achievement.¡±


    <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> didn¡¯t say a thing. His words only indirectly mocked <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>¡¯ advantage of his fans¡¯ support in votes, questioning his ability to keep this title.


    Went off with a bang was the champion of ¡°Yan Buliu¡± semi-finals audition, so he initially rejoiced in being able to get paired with the third ce for ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±, but once he saw <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i>¡¯ ID, his joy disappeared immediately. Crossing the bridge noodles was a very recognisable member of the online voice acting circle, the main reason for that being his ship with <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>, as well as his ¡°lovable little shou voice¡±.


    <i>Went off with a bang</i> never got along with <i>Bronze Sparrow Terrace</i>.


    <i>Went off with a bang</i> didn¡¯t like gays, and he especially didn¡¯t like the ¡°effeminate¡± gays.


    Went off with a bang also took it for a fact that <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> was only capable of hindering him, so from the very moment he got put on the mic sequence, his attitude was simply mocking.


    After tossing out his first remark, the other didn¡¯t reply at all, so he couldn¡¯t stop himself from continuing haughtily, continuing with the second one, ¡°Just don¡¯t get attached just because you¡¯re ying with a man, little girl.¡±


    This one was clearly meant to mock his sexuality.


    Without waiting for his fans to fly into rage, the previously quiet <i>Crossing the bridge noodles</i> suddenly returned the jab, his tone indifferent, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your voice is years apart from fitting my criteria for men.¡±


    ¡°Pfft...¡±


    As a man No.1 to fit this criteria, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help augh from escaping his lips.


    A/N:


    As a man No.2 to fit this criteria, Five is getting covertly bullied in this chapter, pft...


    I will also say in passing that Kitty¡¯s Papa voice also doesn¡¯t fit Noodles¡¯ ¡°criteria¡±.


    T/N:


    Luci: *grabs a popcorn to watch Noodles y*

 Chapter 118

    <h4>Chapter 118</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    Went off with a bangpletely didn¡¯t expect that he would get a tic for his tac from this person. A vein on his temples probably bulged as his voice growled, ¡°You little... Fine! I will show you what a man looks like!¡±


    Hearing this, Crossing the bridge noodles seemingly chuckled lightly. ¡°Such a pity that thepetition doesn¡¯t allow turning on the cameras, otherwise I would really be able to have a look.¡±


    A part of the audience didn¡¯t understand, while the other one got it.


    Qi Jing belonged to the part that only got it after a couple of seconds. Once he understood the double meaning of Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ words, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from bursting out inughter while smacking the desk¡ªand for the reasons he couldn¡¯t possibly tell Shen Yan why, what an agony.


    Audience 1: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Pfahahaha! Have a look at what¡¯s a ¡°man¡±... Contestant Went off with a bang truly is a charitable guy!


    Audience 2: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä My goodness, Little Noodles is actually capable of saying something that would make people blush this hard!


    Audience 3: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä I actually got it, but I swear I¡¯m pure of heart!! (serious face)


    Audience 4: A man... Pfft. I honestly believe that contestant Went off with a bang is very ¡°manly¡±, cough cough...


    Audience 5: A good kid like me really has no idea what the people above are talking about!!


    Audience 6: A good kid like me really has no idea what the people above are talking about!! ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨s


    Even Yuan Zhengming in the background sputtered with a short ¡°pfft¡±, presumably also enjoying the bustling atmosphere of the scene during the wait.


    Went off with a bang was stumped for a good while before he finally realised that his taunt just now got twisted by Crossing the bridge noodles into apletely different direction. He probably found it too much of a disgrace, especially since it stepped into the one territory about men he didn¡¯t want to step into the most, so he couldn¡¯t squeeze out any response for a good moment as only his heavy breathing could be heard.


    At that time, Crossing the bridge noodles said with much ease, ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    Yang Chunqu was probably stillughing, as her voice was a little bit shaky, the upbeat tone of her voice quite easy to hear, ¡°If contestant Went off with a bang agrees, then group No.20 can officially begin. Is that okay?¡±


    Went off with a bang hummed nasally with a ¡®humpf¡¯, so it could be counted as consent.


    Went off with a bang¡¯s voice was indeed that of a real man, and his bearing also that of a real man, so judging by the ¡®power¡¯ and ¡®steadiness¡¯ in his voice, How long away is forever was still appearing bleak inparison. As someone who had previously auditioned for ¡°Old Man Xiaoshan¡± with great achievements, it wasn¡¯t difficult for him to y an old grandpa, not to mention a fifty-to-sixty elder man. Even without the surprising contrast How long away is forever¡¯s performance had, his first line was still just as capable of catching everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Fang, Yi, Sheng.¡± First three words, each enunciated strongly.


    The way he handled it was a bit different from How long away is forever, with not only shock and fear hidden in the dark undercurrents behind this force, but also hate. This way, the feeling it gave was as if he gnashed his teeth while speaking.


    ¡°You actually... didn¡¯t die?¡±


    ¡°Yan Buliu¡¯s¡± informationwork wasn¡¯t all that simple, so when ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± didn¡¯t end up dying that year, he actually left some traces behind. But when the man himself appeared before his very eyes, living and breathing, the impact was still too big, uncoveringyers uponyers of the hate he felt towards this man.


    If he couldn¡¯t use him for his own cause, then killing him was the only option.


    And as he failed to even kill him, of course he would start to hate, start to resent, so furious that he beganughing instead¡ª


    ¡°Haha... To have tricked the Heavens and us all,ing back to life once dead. Lord Fang truly isn¡¯t but a normal man!¡±


    The short, coldugh before the line was like a crucial final touch of a painting as the chilling acmation at the end resounded clearly, making his stance overbearing and immediately elevating the rivalrous atmosphere between them to a climax.


    Truly worthy of first ce in semi-finals.


    Qi Jing intended to mock this Uncle Bang¡¯s shorings, but he realised that after going through so many auditions in thepetition, his abilities began to shine through even more with his current voice acting skills and newfound understanding of the character. This, coupled with him being gifted with good voice qualities and having the right skills to act, made Qi Jing actually nod in silence despite himself after hearing those few lines.


    Audience 1: ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sAaoooo!! This fellow Went off with a bang isn¡¯t bad!! Such a fine man!! ¡¾Cough, I really only mean it in a literal sense¡¿


    Audience 2: I haven¡¯t listened to the semi-finals, I heard he got first ce? Now that I hear him he sounds so hot! Go on, go on! Looking forward to this performance!


    Audience 3: After all he was a runner-up in the previouspetition, so he can¡¯t be bad. I had a good feeling about him during the semi-finals, yes... I don¡¯t know if Crossing the bridge noodles can y into such a strong opening... (thinking real hard)


    That was the reaction from the usual listeners, but the Rice Noodles Fans¡¯ reaction was so much more... distressed.


    Audience 4: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Ah... Scary scary scary, I¡¯m hiding back our Little Noodles!


    Audience 5: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Girls, let¡¯s all wish Little Noodles good luck!¡¾I heard that this Big Uncle Bang is really fierce¡¿


    Audience 5: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò I listened to Little Noodles¡¯ semi-finals, and I honestly feel like his youth voice can do it! I¡¯m just afraid that he won¡¯t be able to keep his demeanour up to this guy¡¯s.


    And at that time, a short snicker could be heard, the disdain within palpable.


    ¡°Hah.¡±


    Augh of someone who has just heard a banal joke.


    Laughing not because of its content being funny, but because the person who said this joke himself was just a clown.


    Crossing the bridge noodles has always only received the pure and virtuous roles, either utmostly polite or utmostly soft, all of them the prime example of easy to bully characters that even if they smiled, the smile would be faint and gentle. And this voice of a man looking down with a sneer on the other person, as if thinking him a clown,pletely toppled his previous bashful image in the eyes of his fans.


    Everyone held their breath as they continued listening.


    ¡°I have said before, ¡®the court up on high, the Jianghu faraway¡¯¡ªthose two never cross together.¡± The moment he spoke, he immediately gave a feeling of a young man. It seemed like he made a note of the feedback at the end of semi-finals and worked on his too low of an age impression, leaving no trace of that inexperienced youth to be found, ¡°The one to die was the ¡®Lord Fang¡¯ you just called, but the only one standing today before you... is Fang Yisheng.¡±


    Then, his tone suddenly turned chilly.


    ¡°That year, Lord Yan had Lord Fang dead, but right here, right now, you, Yan Buliu, will not have this, Fang¡ªYi¡ªSheng, die¡ª!¡±


    Just like Went off with a bang, he enunciated each syble of this name with force, his voice getting more fierce with each word, especially ending as he ended with that ¡®die¡¯.


    Who knows if he managed to surprise Went off with a bang, but he certainly did surprise the entire audience, shaking everyone to the core.


    ¡°Wow...¡± Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help the itch arising in his heart, really wishing that he could go up and take part in this scene. Every time he heard other contestants doing amazing with their part in a joint performance, he would always feel an urge to also get there and voice act a couple of lines.


    For it to have such an effect on him, it was enough of a proof that this group had nailed the dynamic of the scene.


    For Qi Jing it was the first time to hear Crossing the bridge noodles perform like this too, so not only he found it novel, but was also pleasantly surprised. This guy¡¯s voice was so gentle, so it really was an interesting feeling to hear him voice act a scene of a showdown between well-matched opponents.


    Its feeling was different to his own interpretation of the scene.


    If he could be likened to an unsheathed sword, cutting steel like mud, the de clean and sharp, then Crossing the bridge noodles was more like an iceberg¡ªcold and cheerless, yet not at all fragile. He was firm, resolute, and even the fiercest of the opponents wouldn¡¯t make him budge a step. It was this haughty ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± that was most suited to Went off with a bang¡¯s overbearing ¡°Yan Buliu¡±¡ªif it was How long away is forever¡¯s interpretation of ¡°Yan Buliu¡±, the effect wouldn¡¯t end up half as good.


    Just as Pu Yuzhi had said, it was the ¡®synergy¡¯ that was the most precious in finals.


    Audience 1: Awooooo! Little Noodles so hot!!


    Audience 2: Wow... I didn¡¯t expect Crossing the bridge noodles to have such powerful moments, it¡¯s so good! I¡¯m really taking a liking to him!


    Audience 3: I have always liked the silly and soft Little Noodles, but now I¡¯m loving this Noodles too! ¡¾That¡¯s right, I¡¯m a hardcore fan of Little Noodles, no matter what style he goes for I¡¯m digging it all (£þ¦á£þ)¡¿


    Audience 4: ¡ã¡£¡ã(((p(¨R¿Ú¨Q)q)))¡ã¡£¡ã Seconding thement above!


    Audience 5: ¡ã¡£¡ã(((p(¨R¿Ú¨Q)q)))¡ã¡£¡ã Seconding thement above! +1


    Audience 6: ...Fine, I think I¡¯m the only one to think this: should I reach out to Noodles-sama after thepetition to y this type of role?¡¾I¡¯m already sick of hearing feeble shous ¡ûno offence¡¿


    After getting such a strong strike back, Went off with a bang seemed to be caught by a surprise, but fortunately this moment was a juncture of the character¡¯s feeling changing, so it managed to cover it.


    But with their exchangeing to this point, it wouldn¡¯t work for him to smile gloomily like How long away is forever did, so he only kept adding to the rage of being tested to his limits. Without even a trace of a smile, the killing intent in his voice grew heavier to a terrifying degree, ¡°Seems like today is the day... when either you die, or I perish!¡±


    And the way Crossing the bridge noodles cut off his words was simr to Qi Jing¡¯s, ¡°No¡ªtoday, it is only you who will perish.¡±


    At this point, Went off with a bang was finallypletely immersed in the scene, forgetting all about his adversary being Crossing the bridge noodles, only hollering loudly, ¡°Nonsense!¡±


    This point of the scene was a rapid exchange, the linesing close one after another, so if both of the contestants were in their form, it would sound especially dynamic. But during this critical moment, no one expected Yuan Zhengming to shout unfeelingly, ¡°CUT¡ª¡±


    Eh...


    It was as if he tripped and fell hard to the ground after getting ready to jump high to the sky, leaving him feeling especially frustrated.


    Teacher, Yuan, are, you, for, real¡ª?


    Considering how there was not as much time allotted for the auditions in the finalspared to semi-finals, only one minute each, Yuan Zhengming lowered his criteria for cutting the performance by quite a lot to make it fair¡ªhe would rarely shout ¡®CUT¡¯ before hearing thetter part of the scene. This time was definitely one of histest cuts, right before the end.


    ¡°Teacher Yuan?¡± Went off with a bang probably also felt this pain of getting cut short, so he asked frustratedly.


    ¡°About that,¡± Yuan Zhengming smiledzily, ¡°Your current situation was too intense, it started to derive from the feeling of ¡®surging undercurrents¡¯ from the original work. ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯, you are not supposed to be such a brash person.¡±


    Crossing the bridge noodles agreed with a soft hum, seemingly having already realised what was the problem.


    But Went off with a bang couldn¡¯t hold himself from thrashing around from anger, ¡°I knew it! I just knew that a brat like you would get in my way¡ªit¡¯s your fault!¡±


    Without waiting for Crossing the bridge noodles to speak, Yuan Zhengming retorted with an impish smile, ¡°Aiya, aiya, you had your part in it too, ¡®Yan Buliu¡¯. After getting agitated by him, towards the end, you didn¡¯t realise that it began to turn into a shouting contest, spinning out of your control.¡±


    But neither Noodle¡¯s fans nor Bang¡¯s fans would care about the actual facts, only raising a noisy hubbub.


    Audience 1: /(¨Òo¨Ò)/¡«¡« I don¡¯t understand what Gorri Teacher is talking about! What are you doing bullying our Little Noodles!


    Audience 2: /(¨Òo¨Ò)/¡«¡« I don¡¯t understand +1086! It sounded great when I listened to it just now, why did you have to cut it! (rolling all over the floor)


    Audience 3: (¨s£­£ß£­)¨s¨k¨k Why is it always that Bang Bang gets duped by the judges! Do you actually have any understanding of the aesthetics of voice acting?! It¡¯s clear as day that Bang Bang got led astray while acting, he¡¯s innocent!


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Crossing the bridge noodles spoke suddenly, catching everyone, along with Qi Jing, by surprise, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. It¡¯s because I got offended, so I got too into disying my own strength and forgot to hold back and ended up going too far, wanting only to outdo him.


    That getting offended was of course pointing to the ¡®don¡¯t get too attached¡¯ and the ¡®little girl¡¯ments from the other one.


    I didn¡¯t expect him to be sopetitive¡ªQi Jing thought.


    ¡°Haha, aside from the fact that you needed to stay consistent with the character settings, your group¡¯s performance was very riveting.¡± Yuan Zhengming smiled cheekily, also not forgetting to praise Went off with a bang, ¡°If your opponent didn¡¯t go strong, you also wouldn¡¯t go that far.¡±


    Went off with a bang was still upset, only grunting back at him angrily.


    The audience could also only bite their handkerchiefs while grumbling angrily along.


    Qi Jing had more or less noticed the problem even before Yuan Zhengming¡¯s exnation, and the exnation itself was also fair and square, leaving no ce to retort, so he could only sigh with regret while giving them his votes to show his support. Although they did get cut, it still didn¡¯t hold them from getting scores that went far beyond the average.


    ¡¾Group Score¡¿: 4.0, 3.5, average score 3.75


    ¡¾psed Time¡¿: 53 seconds = 0.53 points


    ¡¾Audience Votes¡¿: 88.5% voting ratio = 0.885 points


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall group score: 3.75£«0.53£«0.885= 5.165 points


    ¡°Crossing the bridge noodles¡± individual score:


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿: 4.0, 3.5, average score 3.75


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿: 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.0


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿: 4.0, 3.5, average score 3.75


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿: 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.0


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall average scores: 3.75£«4.0£«3.75£«4.0= 15.5 points


    Additional audience vote points: 85.1% voting ratio = 0.851 points


    Overall score: 15.5£«0.851£«5.165 = 21.516 points


    ¡°Went off with a bang¡± individual score:


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿: 4.5, 40, average score 4.25


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿: 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.0


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿: 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.0


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿: 4.0, 3.5, average score 3.75


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall average scores: 4.25£«4.0£«4.0£«3.75 = 16.0 points


    Additional audience vote points: 79.2% voting ratio = 0.792 points


    Overall score: 16.0£«0.792£«5.165 = 21.957 points


    It was also a difference of only half a point, but Crossing the bridge noodles would probably find it a pity... At least Rice Noodles Fans certainly did, since he didn¡¯t manage to outdo Went off with a bang with his individual score.


    Still, having experienced this battle, Went off with a bang would probably never dare to call him ¡°girly little shou¡± again.


    So that was not that bad either.


    ¡°I hope that Noodles himself doesn¡¯t mind it too much...¡± Just as Qi Jing muttered to himself, he suddenly heard Crossing the bridge noodles replying to him in his headphones.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    Qi Jing heard himself reply ¡°Is that so¡± instinctivel, before he realised that something was wrong.


    Weird, the contestants should get off the mic before the scores were out, so why was he still able to hear Crossing the bridge noodles talking in the voice channel? And even more weird was, why was this guy able to hear him talk to himself?


    ¡°And that¡¯s because now, in the next stage, there¡¯s me,¡± As if knowing what he was thinking, Crossing the bridge noodles replied lightly. After a short pause, he added the remaining two words, ¡°...and you.¡±


    Only now Qi Jing suddenly remembered that the group just now was numbered 20th, and among his audition groups, there was a group No.21.


    Noodles had two consequent groups?


    ¡°Hah,¡± He was so into listening to thepetition that it only urred to him now. Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°Turns out we got put together¡ªdo you still remember how we were even saying in the semifinals that we never got to work together. Of course, that one time for the opening doesn¡¯t count.¡±


    ¡°Of course I remember.¡± Crossing the bridge noodles chuckled lightly, ¡°Now is a good opportunity.¡±


    The Time Limit shippers in the audience couldn¡¯t get more excited.


    Especially since this audition was for the very very much a ssic for the Time Limit, ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± and ¡°Lu Wei¡±.


    One was Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s noble voice, the other one was Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ youth voice. There were no surprises with the voice types for them, but who knows if there wouldn¡¯t be any surprises when they¡¯re thrown together? Even that alone was enough for the discussion thread in the rted topic on the forum to grow in pages.


    Audience 1 : o(*////¨Œ////*)o Aaaah! It¡¯s the ¡°Time Limit¡± duo! (scratching the table from excitement)


    Audience 2 : o(*////¨Œ////*)o Aaaah my goodness, I would never expect that I would be able to see the Time Limit¡¯s CP here! ¡¾What nonsense, the two of them clearly have a pure master and servant rtionship¡¿


    Audience 3: (*ÆH¡¯*) Cough cough... What to do, I love the master x servant ships the most...


    Audience 4: (*ÆH¡¯*) Cough cough, I quite like master x servant too. Time Limit ship doesn¡¯t need to toss us crumbs so carelessly!! ¡¾don¡¯t listen to me¡¿


    Audience 5: YO!!!! ¡û Aside of this sound, I really don¡¯t know how to express the feelings in my bubbly girl heart!


    Audience 6: YO!!!! ¡û Same girl heart¡¾Also,menter above, didn¡¯t you already express that? And you weren¡¯t stingy with words too, pfft...¡¿


    The spirit of ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯ still hasn¡¯t left Crossing the bridge noodles with him having just left such an intense scene, yet he already had to be ¡°Lu Wei¡±, making it quite a challenge.


    Qi Jing teased him deliberately, ¡°You need to tone your demeanour down, otherwise I don¡¯t think I will hold up against it.¡±


    Crossing the bridge noodles replied with much generosity, ¡°I have already said before, I can be a bit of a ¡®little girl¡¯ for someone whose voice I like.¡±


    He both replied to Qi Jing¡¯s question and once again made Went off with a bang stamp his feet from anger¡ªit was easy to imagine this picture being quite amusing.


    The Time Limit shippers in the audience also couldn¡¯t be more excited.


    Yuan Zhengming¡¯s voice could be heard faintly from the background, ¡°I¡¯m saying... Aren¡¯t you two afraid that your boyfriends will get jealous?¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t dare.¡±


    They spoke at the same time, and thenughed at the same time. The present Time Limit shippers already didn¡¯t know how to describe their feelings.


    Yuan Zhengming¡¯s mumbled ¡°Young people these days¡± got cut covered by Yang Chunqu¡¯s timely cough, ¡°Then, I will ask our two contestants to prepare yourself for the start.¡±


    A/N:


    Time Limit shippers winning ¡û no they¡¯re not


    T/N:


    Luci: Digging it regardless, all hail to the multishipping! (gets dragged away)


    Also, sorry for the scuffed editing for this chapter, I¡¯m scheduling it on the fly as I¡¯m prepairing for my flight (hehe, did you get the pun? *silence*), so sorry for the scuffed editing. I will polish up the editing when I¡¯m back in my country next week ^^

 Chapter 119

    <h4>Chapter 119</h4>


    unedited


    Only after the audition started Qi Jing realised what Crossing the bridge noodles meant by being able to be a bit of a ¡®little girl¡¯. Turns out he wasn¡¯t just joking¡ª


    ¡°My lord...¡± He heard a shy and limpid voice of a boy, sounding so pinchable as if he would shed droplets of pure and clear water upon squishing him. He only heard this boy call him probingly before he stammered slowly, ¡°My lord, how is Your body? Does it still hurt, do You want Lu Wei to serve You?¡±


    Like a young and obedient little wife, shifting closer while gently asking if his lord was cold.


    Especially that ¡®serve You¡¯, even though everyone knew very well that it was meant literally, but for some reason hearing it would make one¡¯s thoughts go astray...


    Audience 1: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã Holy crap??


    Audience 2: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã Holy crap?? The change was so instant, damn!!


    Audience 3: Pfhahahaha, the two above are surely hearing Little Noodle¡¯s actual voice for the first time? This is Little Noodle¡¯s real form! ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    Audience 4: Wait... I feel like Noodle¡¯s actual voice isn¡¯t this, it should be the youth voice~ Just listen to how he normally speaks during the beginning and you will know. It¡¯s just, he would always take the roles of this type of soft and feeble bunny-like shous, so everyone just... mistook it for his real voice.¡¾Pfft¡¿


    Audience 5: I, I¡¯m hurrying up to tell the one above¡ªI actually like this Little Noodles more!!¡¾That¡¯s right, I¡¯m a proud bottom lover¡¿


    Audience 6: Hahahaha, he really sounds like a girl this way, so adorable! And as for serving and all of that... Return Date-sama, quick, give him some love! Otherwise I will take him for myself! (smitten stare£©


    Fortunately, Qi Jing was listening to Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ audio dramas before and had some awareness of it, and only thanks to that he didn¡¯t crack up andugh on the spot. But the corners of his lips still twitched in spite of his effort.


    As he smiled, the ¡°Qi Jing¡¯s¡± little smile just perfectly morphed into ¡°Fang Yisheng¡¯s¡± bitter one.


    He didn¡¯t know how it was for other people, but for him, the expressions were very crucial when voice acting. Often to reflect a character¡¯s emotion, he, as a VA, needed to shape this emotion both through his voice and his face¡ªbe it joy, anger, or sadness, if a person stays expressionless, then their voice would sound ¡°fake¡± too.


    Qi Jing lowered his gaze, his tone and a faint sigh heavy, but he still needed to make people hear that ¡°smile¡±.


    So he put that smile of his into the sigh, both of them mixed together as making them inseparable was what he aimed for.


    ¡°The re ups from the remaining poison have passed already. It doesn¡¯t hurt now, I¡¯m merely tired.¡± His tone was just asposed as before, the mannerism of the Listen to the Wind Inn¡¯s owner still there in its full glory, but when faced with this page boy who had apanied him for so many years already, his tone would get more familiar, like an elder¡¯s. This way, the listeners from the audience could easily imagine him reaching his hand out to rub the boy¡¯s head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid... Lu Wei, don¡¯t be afraid, this lord won¡¯t die.¡± He said slowly,forting the person before him in a soft voice.


    ¡°My Lord,¡± Suddenly, Crossing the bridge noodles choked with tears. This time, the way he called him was even more miserable than before, as he even sniffled twice, seemingly trying to control his sadness, ¡°It was You, my Lord, who saved Lu Wei¡¯s life. If one day my Lord was gone, Lu Wei wouldn¡¯t have a ce to go anymore, so he would stay guarding Your grave till death.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡± Qi Jingughed, having a coughing fit in the process. It was as if each time heughed was incredibly difficult for him, every single sound coughed straight up his lungs¡ªa very image of a person on a sickbed.


    ¡°Silly child, a dead person will only turn into a pile of dried up bones, what¡¯s the use of you guarding them? The world is so big... A man¡¯s ambition shouldn¡¯t stop at that. If there¡¯s one day when I really pass away, you should leave this ce, go wherever you wish to go, live the life of your dreams.¡±


    So calm towards life and death, yet so distressed towards parting away.


    This is the true man of flesh and blood¡ª


    This dialogue should happen in thetter part of the novel, as theyy low while living in a forest. During his life, ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± experienced numerous deceit and he was also a ruthless man himself. But for ¡°Lu Wei¡±, this simple and oblivious boy who grew up in a vige, he became a normal person, a master, a brother, no longer having to always be on guard and scheming.


    This was yet another face of the cutting de-like ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± thatQi Jing yed in his previous audition. Each of his words was from the bottom of his heart, his tone warm and sincere.


    And set off against the sobbing tone of Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ boyish voice, it sounded especially gong¡ªdeep, low, and doting. And with those emotional and earnest lines, it really sounded... quite ambiguous.


    Although in reality, it was only sentiments between a master and his servant, there was already no stopping to the listeners¡¯ thoughts reeling in a different direction.


    Audience 1: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò The beauty! Of! Master! X! Servant! Those two types of voices really suit each other so well! Aiyayaya, so beautiful! Begging you guys toter y a CP together!


    Audience 2: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò What thementer above said!! I have only listened to Bronze Sparrow Terrace (not listening to him anymore though, hmpf) doting on Little Noodles, but I didn¡¯t expect Don¡¯t ask for my return date to fit him so well, so cute aaah... This type of tone isn¡¯t too much, but at the same time, it makes me feel like he really loves Little Noodles, *sobs*... Begging for more of Time Limit!!


    Audience 3: (*ÆH¡¯*) Begging for more Time Limit!! +10086¡¾To be honest, my brain right now ispletely full just thinking whether it¡¯s the older bottom or the older bottom that would work best¡ûOi¡¿


    Audience 4: (*&#k8278;¡¯*) For now the older one should top, he will get his share of it in the future!!&#k3010;Oi oi oi&#k3011;


    Audience 5: (*&#k8278;¡¯*) giving my probs to the enlightened brain cells of the one above!&#k3010;oi oi oi oi oi&#k3011;


    Audience 6: &#k2026;Cough cough, a silent fan of the original novel passing by. Although I have no idea what the ones above are talking about (do I really though), ording to the original novel, little Lu Wei is really soft and obedient. So I really want to say that, the way they brought out the sadness of the boy feeling hurt for his master, and the doting in inn owner Fang¡¯s voice, isn¡¯t it all beyond amazing!! Now I want to beg for inn owner Fang¡¯s to dote on me lovingly too!!&#k3010;Just scram already, you&#k3011;


    When, in this atmosphere full of positivements, a different kind ofment suddenly appeared, it quickly caught everyone¡¯s eyes.


    <i>¡ª¡±Disgusting¡±.</i>


    This differentment really was too incongruous with the rest. The sender also specially chose to use an eye-catching red and big font, spamming it in the chat in a chain of messages. Qi Jing¡¯s gaze only sweeped by the chat, but he still saw it clearly.


    It¡¯s still the middle of the performance, I can¡¯t get distracted¡ªhe thought, trying to remain calm and carry on steadily with the acting.


    This listener with an ID ¡°Dissing g Men¡± was incredibly persistent, unrelenting in spamming the whole chat, to the point where neither Qi Jing or Crossing the bridge noodles could ignore it. The wholement barrage turned red, filled with those two words as if thismenter wanted to create a ruckus so big, they couldn¡¯t continue acting.


    Audience 1: = = ...Who is that guy above?? Have some dignity, won¡¯t you??¡¾The ID is so low-brow too¡¿


    Audience 2: = = ...Maybe it¡¯s a fan of that Went off with a bang just now?


    Audience 3: Oi oi oi, don¡¯t be so quick to take a blind shot, us Bang Bang¡¯s fans aren¡¯t this bored~ (shrugging)


    Audience 4: (sneer) Those two are only ying those lines ording to the script, it¡¯s just us in the audience who are brain rotting here. There¡¯s nothing wrong with them, so if you need to curse people out,okay, just don¡¯t curse the contestants?


    Audience 5: ¨r(¨s£ß¨t)¨q I feel like this person is only trying to cause trouble, can we have the moderators ban them?


    Audience 6: ¨r(¨s£ß¨t)¨q Also asking the moderation for that ban!! It¡¯s already influenced the contestants¡¯ chances in thepetition, so the organisers wouldn¡¯t possibly ignore that.


    Of course the organisers wouldn¡¯t ignore that. Not even ten seconds had passed before thements from this user ceased in the chat¡ªit seemed like the management took care of this ount behind the scenes. But it was hard to deny that the chat barrage full of those red words just now ruined the atmosphere of the audition to some extent, with the voices previously lively discussion about ¡°Time Limit¡± disappearing almost entirely. On one hand, their enthusiasm got put out, and on the other, they didn¡¯t want to cause their favourite contestants to get even more undeserved hate.


    Fortunately Qi Jing and Crossing the bridge noodles were both pretty calm about the hate, not letting it affect their minds, so that the performance could go on.


    Just as everyone present was ready to pretend nothing had happened, a particrly eye-catchingment suddenly appeared in the chat¡ªeven the font size was the same as that Dissing g Men¡¯s, the colour too.


    Their ID was very simple, they called themselves ¡°Doing good deeds in passing¡±.


    Doing good deeds in passing: ¡°Dissing g Men¡±¡ªthe owner of ¡°Little Private Room¡±, no other channel information aside from that, probably a side ount. IP address XXX.XX.XX.XXX. That¡¯s all, you¡¯re wee. (¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å


    Audience 1: =¿Ú=


    Audience 2: =¿Ú= Holy heck!! Wild tech god??


    Audience 3: =¿Ú= What kind of situation is this? Did they look into thepany¡¯s servers that they knew what channels this person has created? (By the way, ¡°Little Private Room¡± makes me think of a certain type of channel, cough cough) But how did they get to this guy¡¯s IP? ¡¾I went through the channel index and the information was matching, so could it be that this IP is also...¡¿


    Next moment, there were already more people who called from surprise.


    Audience 4: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õSo this ¡°Doing good deeds in passing¡± is a ck vest!!


    Audience 5: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õck vest ount? Holy... So is it some actual worker from thepany? Do we really have such a high-level person listening to thispetition?


    Audience 6: Oooh, I heard that YY employees can check users¡¯ IP, so that IP above can actually be real?? (If it¡¯s an employee from YY, then they would surely take responsibility for what they¡¯re saying, so the probability of this info being true should be really high). I can¡¯t, I can¡¯t¡ªit¡¯s the first time for me to see a ck vest... It looks so handsome and mighty!! (starry eyes)


    Fortunately, this ¡°Doing good deeds in passing¡± fellow waited until both of thempleted their lines before speaking, otherwise everyone¡¯s attention would probably getpletely led away.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you don¡¯t forget to vote.¡± Yuan Zhengming had to give the listeners a friendly reminder. He also noted with distress that his existence was being pretty much overlooked tonight...


    During the voting period, Qi Jing hurried to send a private message.


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿: Noodles, do you know this ¡°Doing good deeds in passing¡±? Can it be one of your fans?


    ¡¾Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: I don¡¯t have any impression of this ID, and I can¡¯t say for sure if they¡¯re my fan, but I don¡¯t know any YY administrator in person and I also didn¡¯t hear of anyone like this being among my fans. If they are, then they¡¯re the type to always stay silent.


    ¡¾You¡¿said to¡¾Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿: I also have no impression of seeing this ID. *scratching walls* I¡¯m really so curious now!


    ¡¾Crossing the bridge noodles¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: I looked up that IP quickly, their localisation is in C city.


    ...C city. A blurry light shed in Qi Jing¡¯s mind, and after thinking with his brows furrowed for a moment, he finally remembered who lived in C city. Almost at the same time, him and Crossing the bridge noodles said this person¡¯s name: ¡°Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡ª¡±


    Still, Qi Jing shook his head slightly, turning this guess down. Although Bronze Sparrow Terrace was shameless, he was still clever and craftful. This almost childish way to spam the chat to vent didn¡¯t really suit the slick style he always presented. And today, he was also one of the contestants, so he probably wasn¡¯t as idle as to register a new side ount solely to haul abuses at them.


    Butpared to this type of haters, Qi Jing was more interested in knowing where that ¡°Doing good deeds in passing¡± came from.


    Just as they talked, the scoring results were finally out.


    ¡¾Group Score¡¿: 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.0


    ¡¾psed Time¡¿: 60 seconds = 0.6 points


    ¡¾Audience Votes¡¿: 89.1% voting ratio = 0.891 points


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall group score: 4.0£«0.60£«0.891= 5.491 points


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡± individual score:


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿: 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.0


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿: 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.0


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿: 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.0


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, average score 4.25


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall average scores: 4.0£«4.0£«4.0£«4.25= 16.25 points


    Additional audience vote points: 80.9% voting ratio = 0.809 points


    Overall score: 16.25£«0.809£«5.491 = 22.550 points


    ¡°Crossing the bridge noodles¡± individual score:


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿: 4.5, 40, average score 4.0


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿: 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.0


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿: 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.0


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, average score 4.25


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall average scores: 4.25£«4.0£«4.0£«4.25= 16.5 points


    Additional audience vote points: 83.8% voting ratio = 0.838 points


    Overall score: 16.5£«0.838£«5.491 = 22.829 points


    ¡°Not half bad, we got a pretty high group score.¡± Qi Jing said with a smile. This team score was currently among the very best so far in its category, so even just this was enough to make Time Limit shippers happy for quite a while.


    In terms of individual scores, Crossing the bridge noodles took the win with his voice suitability and the amount of fan votes, but aside of those two points, the two of them were basically equally matched.


    While closing his chatbox with Crossing the bridge noodles, he took a look at the progress of thepetition. His next team was 52, so it was still early. He could spare himself a short rest.


    But Shen Yan was about to start his first group audition in a few minutes. Even after finishing his audition, Qi Jing had to take care of all kinds of matters that cropped up during it, so he didn¡¯t have a chance to talk to him... Suddenly, he felt a bit guilt-stricken, so he hurried back to the QQ window to poke that person.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Sorry, are you still there? T__T


    Geese Fly North: Mhm.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: It¡¯s because I couldn¡¯t find time to chat, before I went to ask for a recording for that ¡°How long away is forever¡±, andter I had to go to inquire about that hate spammer in the chat from just now, I think you saw that too.


    Geese Fly North: Mhm.


    Was he just imagining it... He kind of felt like Shen Yan was a bit quiet.


    Although he never was as articte of a person, but with him, he wouldn¡¯t really act this sulky. Qi Jing realised that there seemed to be something unusual between the lines. He didn¡¯t even bother to type a message, calling him directly through a voice chat, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did something happen?¡±


    There was nothing amiss in Shen Yan¡¯s tone, it was just as warm as always, ¡°Nothing happened. Why are you asking?¡±


    Hearing him say so, Qi Jing calmed down. He said with a chuckle, ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I thought that something was on your mind. Just now, when you were messaging me... It kind of felt a bit different from usual.¡±


    When he said so, Shen Yan fell silent for a moment, then finally sighed and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°...Was it really so obvious? I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t intend to sound like that.¡±


    So I didn¡¯t just imagine it?


    Qi Jing asked with worry, ¡°What happened?¡±


    The other man hesitated for quite a long before finally admitting slowly, ¡°Actually I... I am a little bit jealous.¡±


    A/N:


    (¤Å£þ3£þ)¤Å Happy Mooncake Season!! Everyone have a happy Mooncake Season!!


    Speaking of Mooncake Season, it throws me back to the time when 2Yan first went to send Kitty¡¯s Papa mooncakes, only to steal some nces and get a stealthy sleeptime picture of him, hahaha


    Although Time Limit is sweet, but my OTP is still Returning Geese~ (heart)


    T/N:


    Luci: damn, Returning Geese sounds so <i>mmmh </i>for a ship name, I can¡¯t... qaq

 Chapter 120

    <h4>Chapter 120</h4>


    unedited


    Saying this, Shen Yan sighed for the second time. ¡°But I know that there¡¯s nothing between you guys, it¡¯s just me... I¡¯m not generous enough as a boyfriend.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing came back to his senses after a moment of shock, finally realising what Shen Yan was so worked up about. His face suddenly turned hot, his heart speeding up.


    ¡ªTurns out this guy really can get jealous.


    This clearly wasn¡¯t the ce to smile, but the sweetness he could feel up his throat made him forget about keeping the corners of his lips in check, letting them curl up slightly. And it wasn¡¯t only his lips, as his eyes narrowed into smiling crescents too, ¡°Are you jealous?¡±


    Shen Yan was probably feeling a bit uneasy, his hum in response almost inaudible before he also added an even softer ¡°Only a bit.¡± Qi Jing could imagine how this man would look away from the screen at this moment¡ªreally, it was so... cute.


    If someone put a mirror before him right now, Qi Jing would surely get embarrassed with how he stared at the screen with the silliest of smiles. But he was incredibly happy, as well as didn¡¯t at all mind admitting to that. ¡°Honestly, you being ¡®not generous¡¯ like this makes me very happy.¡±


    Shen Yan was probably taken aback, as he didn¡¯t reply for a moment.


    Qi Jing¡¯s smile didn¡¯t fade, and even his voice had a tint ofughter to it, ¡°Meeting you made me feel so blessed, and your everything makes me feel... so incredibly blessed as well. Shen Yan, there is only you in my heart, so you can say as loud as you wish that this ce is yours, and no one else cane or be allowed in.¡±


    Sure enough, Shen Yan remained silent for a long while. Qi Jing was about to continue when the phone on the table suddenly started ringing. After he unlocked it, he saw a message sent quietly by the man he was talking with just now. The content of the message was just a short and simple ¡°Mwah¡±.


    Seems like he understood it earlier today...


    This time Qi Jing chuckled loudly, then lowered his head to the phone screen,ying an actual kiss on it and letting the sound pass through the mic. There was no need to say anything anymore¡ªwith this tacit show of affection, he had already saved up enough sweetness for him to live off until he got back home.


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m also jealous of Big Goose and Little Return Date, since they get to be hugged by you.¡± Meanwhile I still need to wait the full two days. Saying this, Qi Jing used a sulky tone on purpose, sounding particrly realistic.


    ¡°Haha.¡± He finally amused Shen Yan, who onlyughed without anyment.


    ¡°You also need to try your best in a moment, I¡¯m looking forward to listening to your first performance in the finals.¡± Qi Jing alsoughed along with him, onlyter returning to the main point.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± It was still the same hum, yet there was no trace left of that dejection from just before, even leaving a trace of warmth, soft and clear like the December sunlight.


    Shen Yan¡¯s first group number was 29, not that far away from number 21, so with the two of them chatting, the time for audition was quick to arrive.


    ¡°Ah, the group number 28 has already finished, so let¡¯s leave it at that for now, you quickly go and prepare yourself.¡± Afraid of missing the timing, Qi Jing would take a look at the channel window every now and then. Once he saw that the group before Shen Yan¡¯s already entered the scoring stage, he quickly reminded him.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shen Yan smiled slightly. There was nothing he particrly needed to prepare, he mainly only had to adjust his mind.


    With his heart at peace, everything else was bound to go smooth as well.


    At that time, the host Yang Chunqu already instructed the management to move the contestants up the mic sequence. Qi Jing only heard Shen Yan fiddling with his equipment before he said simple goodbye, ¡°I¡¯m going then, I¡¯ll see you in a¡ª...¡±


    Then, his voice ceased suddenly.


    Like when the tape of a cassette, which has been functioning just fine a moment before, begins to twist and tangle out of a sudden, making the pause in his voice seem especially abrupt.


    It caught Qi Jing by surprise. He didn¡¯t know why Shen Yan would stop mid-sentence like this¡ªthe person was still there, he didn¡¯t end the call.


    Could it be that his headphones broke?


    Or perhaps... Was it Shen Yan¡¯s mic that broke?


    At least the former wasn¡¯t the case, since at that moment, he clearly heard the apathetic rustling of some person snacking on something. Shocked, Qi Jing shot his head up, his gaze locking onto both of the contestants¡¯ IDs.


    The group No.29 was ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡± with ¡°Qin Tuo¡±.


    And on the line-up of contestants, two IDs were listed clearly for this group: ¡¾Kitty ¤Î Papa¡¿vs.¡¾Gimme a proper dub, dumbass¡¿


    Histter assumption was also wrong, because at that time, Shen Yan made a quiet noise, and only this single noise, his voice hoarse, ¡°¡ªAh...¡±


    This choked sound made him immediately think of the signs of the iing muteness re-ups from the videos he watched.


    Qi Jing shook suddenly.


    But the other person seemed to have not realised who ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± was, still snacking on his potato chips, even snorting at the unconventional ID of the contestant he got paired with, ¡°Heh, ¡®Kitty noPapa¡¯? What¡¯s up with that, did youe up with this name for the girls to squeal about?¡±


    ¡ªSeems like this guy didn¡¯t listen to Shen Yan¡¯s auditions, that¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t show any unusual reaction. Qi Jing thought. Yet he didn¡¯t know if it was good or bad news.


    Qi Jing had only once mentioned ¡°Two¡± to Shen Yan before, and it wasn¡¯t even directly, as he used a pretext of listening to his audition to rope Shen Yan into listening to the recording from it, secretly taking a close look at the changes in his face.


    When ¡°Two¡± appeared in the recording, Shen Yan¡¯s expression changed slightly, sinking as he listened to his performance, even all the way to the end of the feedback section.


    Qi Jing still remembered as when ¡°Two¡± brought up the past matters, when he said that ¡°To this day, some of the pack went their way, some of them got busy, some gotzy, and now I¡¯m also just like everyone else, only looking at the script while ying a one-man-show¡±... Shen Yan lowered his head, his furrowed expression lined with a certain sense of guilt, gaze pained.


    Of course, other people wouldn¡¯t possibly know about that. Seeing the two of the most praised IDs appear together, the listeners¡¯ feelings right now could only be described as &#k2018;crazy with joy¡¯.


    Audience 1: Holy!! Holy!! Both of my most admired contestants actually got grouped together!!&#k3010;Cries while rushing to spread the news&#k3011;


    Audience 2: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Aaaah! What am I seeing! Kitty¡¯s Papa and Two! ¡¾grabs heart¡¿


    Audience 3: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Aaaah, I can die happy now! ¡¾grabs heart +1¡¿


    Qi Jing remained silent, his nerves stretched taut as he watched the seconds pass on the system clock. Between two people, there had to be someone who would have to start the conversation first.


    Finally, he heard Shen Yan take a deep breath. No one could hear in his voice how much he had struggled to find it back, leaving it a bit hoarse still, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Two.¡±


    ¡°Crunch.¡± Before the abrupt stop, thatst bite on a crisp was especially loud, probably because that guy bit too hard into it because of the shock.


    A long while passed, and he still had to extricate himself from that state. It took him quite a moment before, in a half-denial, but already sure, he said ¡°...Six?¡±


    Shen Yan had no intention to conceal it, as he replied honestly, ¡°Yes.¡±


    After another long while, ¡°Two¡± suddenly snickered coldly, only for the next thing he heard to be that guy vexedly tossing the stuff in his hand on the table, shocking everyone with his words, ¡°Boring... This audition really is so boring, you guys actually grouped me with this type of guy to act? Haha, whatever, I¡¯m not going along with it¡ªI¡¯m forfeiting, you guys y your games however the heck you want.¡±


    Saying this, he seemed to be about to take off his headphones and mic.


    The host waspletely shocked.


    The audience waspletely shocked too.


    The whole scene fell into chaos in an instant.


    Even though he already made mental preparations for that, ¡°Two¡¯s¡± reaction went way beyond what Qi Jing had expected. It made him feel a chill wash over him, as if he got drenched from head to toe in cold water on winter day, proving his mental preparation way too insufficient.


    At that time, Shen Yan suddenly spoke up, calling out in a stifled voice, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ª¡±


    Qi Jing held his breath, not even daring to blink.


    He felt like if he blinked for even the smallest of moments, that ID would immediately disappear from the list, vanishpletely from this world. But when he couldn¡¯t help it and had to blink once, then second time, third, that ID... it was still there, on the list.


    Seeing this, Qi Jing breathed a sigh of relief.


    Still, it was impossible for him to feelpletely relieved, as he could only stare fixedly at the still grey mic icons by both of their IDs.


    In the end, it was still Shen Yan¡¯s icon that first turned green. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Between, there was a long silence that separated them.


    Then, he repeated for the third time, ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±


    At that time, Qi Jing heard him adjusting the mic slightly¡ªit was Shen Yan¡¯s habit to do so whenever he was nervous or uneasy. His voice now was much more stifled and low than usual as well, closer to the past him, who struggled inside his own memories.


    Qi Jing¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t take it, but the receiver of the apology himself was unmoved, even smiling with contempt, ¡°What¡¯s the use of apologising now, when the things already came to this point? You didn¡¯t even say goodbye when abandoning us, you traitor¡ª¡±


    Audience 1: QAQ!! That¡¯s too much!!


    Audience 2: QAQ!! Although during the semi-finals this contestant Two¡¯s snarkiness was cute, but, but... It¡¯s just too much when it¡¯s directed at Kitty¡¯s Papa!!


    Audience 3: QAQ What kind of bizarre development is it? So they actually know each other? (But calling people ¡°traitors¡± is really too much!)


    Audience 4: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Don¡¯t... I really like both of those two contestants, so when I first saw them being grouped together I almost went crazy from joy... But now...


    Audience 5: ¨“¨Œ¨“ The one above! You have to be that other me in this world! (hugs while crying)


    Audience 6: Hugging everyone above to cry!! Just now I seem to have heard our fellow Two call Kitty¡¯s Papa ¡°Six¡±?? So I think it makes them past buddies?! And it seems like they haven¡¯t contacted each other for a long time, but can you guys not make the atmosphere so stifling right away aaahhh... _(£º§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Shen Yan¡¯s icon once again returned to grey, not even flickering.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Perhaps thinking that Shen Yan had no way to refute words, ¡°Two¡± became more animated, sneering tartly, ¡°Did I say something wrong? It was you who left without a single word. We agreed to all voice act together, yet it was you who abandoned us first, so what else would it make you if not a traitor?¡±


    Ah¡ªQi Jing suddenly remembered what ¡°Two¡± had said during ¡°Qin Tuo¡± audition: ¡°people who just leave at the drop of a hat also make me fume¡±. Could it be that... This was the reason behind this group breaking apart?


    Two¡¯s activity icon continued to flicker menacingly, the disparity between it and Shen Yan¡¯s unchangingly grey icon iparable.


    Qi Jing¡¯s heart squeezed as he listened, so he quickly sent Shen Yan a message in QQ chat:¡¾You¡¯re not this kind of person, I know it for sure. So tell him all that you wish to say, he will listen to you.¡¿


    The things ¡°Two¡± had said before in the semi-finals... It wasn¡¯t something an unreasonable person would say. His heart wasn¡¯t bad too, so there had to be some misunderstanding there.


    After he sent the message, Shen Yan didn¡¯t reply for a long time. Panicked, Qi Jing was already considering whether he should call him at home, but at that very moment, he heard his stifled and heavy voice.


    ¡°At that time, my grandpa had passed away.¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t expect that.


    This... even for him, it was the first time to hear about it. And because he knew Shen Yan¡¯s family situation and so connected the dots, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a dull pain in his chest, as he hurted for this person.


    And it seemed like ¡°Two¡± also didn¡¯t expect that. His activity icon suddenly no longer flickered after he heard this, returning back to grey.


    The public chat momentarily turned quietly as well, as if to grieve silently for that elder. The air became heavy, like a long since stagnant mud, slowly stirring in the shades of grey. Shen Yan¡¯s voice also sank along with it, almost mechanical as he narrated this part of the past.


    ¡°I lived with my grandpa since I was a kid. After he passed away so suddenly... I couldn¡¯t take the blow. My old condition rpsed, so, I couldn¡¯t continue with voice acting.¡± The more he spoke, the more his voice began to break, as he had a hard time continuing speaking.


    Qi Jing suddenly really wanted to go over and give him a big hug¡ªunfortunately, he wasn¡¯t there for him.


    Audience 1: QAQ


    Audience 2: QAQ ...Kitty¡¯s Papa...


    Audience 3: QAQ ...I just remembered, I think that he had said before during the ¡°Old Man Xiaoshan¡± semi-finals that it was tomemorate his grandpa or something...¡¾sobs, I¡¯m about to cry¡¿


    Shen Yan¡¯s activity icon once again returned to the grey state, the passed time not in the least short. At the same time, Two couldn¡¯t sit still while waiting¡ªperhaps because of his conscience, his voice was a bit stiff. ¡°Your old condition rpsed... What do you mean?¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t reply immediately. It took him a long time to finally say quietly, ¡°I have never told all of you before, but ever since I was a child, I had a speech disorder called ¡®selective mutism¡¯. Although as I grew up, it slowly got better, but if there was some severe external stimulus, it would still...¡±


    He once again stopped at this point. As if it was difficult for him to piece together words, it took him a long while before he heaved a long, shaky sigh. ¡°At that time, not to mention voice acting, I-, I couldn¡¯t even speak.¡±


    Didn¡¯t want to say a single thing.


    Didn¡¯t want to see a single person.


    Just like this, he wanted to disappear quietly, to leave nothing behind¡ª


    ¡°...Then wouldn¡¯t it be fine if you just told us the reason?¡± Two was still unwilling to give in, feeling guilty yet still refusing to admit it, even turning to ming to question Shen Yan back.


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t say it.¡±


    ¡°What was there that you couldn¡¯t say,¡± Two seemed to have not yet realised Shen Yan¡¯s plight, getting extremely vexed with this secretive way of talking, ¡°If you told us that you were leaving because your grandpa passed away, not because you were abandoning us, I wouldn¡¯t misunderstand you all the way until now! Or is there something else you can¡¯t talk about?¡±


    Shen Yan went even more silent.


    Just at this moment, an angryment popped out in the chat, probably because someone really couldn¡¯t bear listening to him anymore.


    Doing good things in passing: Two... You dumb, insensitive nutjob, shut your trap right now. = =


    A multitude of big red-letteredments washed over the chat, making it hard to ignore. Even the person being lectured had no way of ignoring it.


    Two cried in surprise with no prior thought, ¡°Ah? And who the hell are you?¡± Then again, he asked angrily, ¡°And who the hell are you calling a dumb insensitive nutjob?¡±


    Audience 1: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õAh!! They¡¯re back!! The ck vest!!


    Audience 1: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õThe ck vest is calling our buddy Two ¡°dumb¡±!¡¾Even using that stare to look down on him!!¡¿


    Audience 3: Pfft... I was so hurt listening to it... And suddenly I got so amused by that ¡°dumb insensitive nutjob Two¡± above, now I can neither cry norugh... (flops to the ground)


    With all of this happening, the previously almost frozen atmosphere rxed by quite a bit. The listeners calmed down, even starting to join the group mediating for peace.


    Audience 4: o(¡¨¡®¨Œ¡¯¡¨)o Aaa... Since everything already got straightened out, may we beg both of you sirs to reconcile~


    Audience 5: o(¡¨¡®¨Œ¡¯¡¨)o Right, right! Both of you can now sit down and talk it out, right? No matter what, to restore this sort of old friendship really is worth celebrating!


    Audience 6: o(¡¨¡®¨Œ¡¯¡¨)o If you reconciled already, then continue acting together!! Two, you just look at how even Six (that¡¯s what he¡¯s called, right?) got back to voice acting, and even does so well at it. I¡¯m really looking forward to both of you working together on something!! ¡¾In my opinion, both of you are really good at what you do, so just thinking of it makes me excited¡¿


    ¡°Heihei.¡± It seemed like this time, Yuan Zhengming was plenty satisfied with just being a background sound this time.


    Although both of them had long since passed the time limit for the introduction, almost everyone got captivated by their conversation and there wasn¡¯t a single voice of objection, so he generously listened along with them. But listening to this point, heughed yfully¡ªthe most interesting point of the finals wasn¡¯t individual skill, but ¡°cooperation¡±.


    There was no denying to both of those two¡¯s individual skills. But for whether they would be able to cooperate... He was quite curious how that would go.


    On one hand, Two¡¯s performance during the semi-finals showed clearly that he was of the type that didn¡¯t do well getting along with other people, that¡¯s why he decided that there was no way for him to get into the professional circle, where he would have to cooperate with other people.


    On the other hand, the past experience with speech disorder ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± himself had just described even more caught him by surprise. And isn¡¯t a speech disorder a form ofmunication disorder as well?


    Then, how would it turn out if they got put together? It really made him want to see how it would go¡ª


    ¡°How about it, do you still want to forfeit?¡± Yuan Zhengming reminded Two with a cheekyugh, even going out of his way to poke fun at the stuff he said in anger at that time, scaring everyone so much that people in the chat started crying in protest.


    Two didn¡¯t say anything, as if pondering something in silence.


    But then, a low, hurried and choked voice could be heard, the grief in it ptable, grabbing everyone¡¯s attention in an unbelievable speed, ¡°All of this... it¡¯s all my fault.¡±


    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 121

    <h4>Chapter 121</h4>


    unedited


    ¡°Eh?¡± This noise from Yuan Zhengming was very quiet¡ªexactly the type of sound one would unconsciously make in spite of oneself,sting not even a second. When he realised that it was ¡°Qin Tuo¡¯s¡± first line, he quickly shut his mouth.


    By the time the management hurriedly set the timer, Two had already finished this line, five seconds having passed. Under Yuan Zhengming¡¯s rule of scoring based on psed time, he was giving himself a disadvantage, throwing away 0.05 point for nothing.


    The audience, including Qi Jing, only now managed to process it.


    And everyone¡¯s feelings right now could be summed up to that ¡°eh?¡± as well.


    Audience 1: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã Eeeehhhh?


    Audience 2: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã Are?? Wai, wait a moment, it started just like this?? ¡¾That¡¯s Qin Tuo¡¯s line, right?¡¿


    Audience 3: Our fe Two, you... Don¡¯t just start with no word of warning, my heart might fail from the shock... This delivery of the emotions is on point, but are you really fine with losing that 0.05 point?¡¾Ah, I¡¯m speaking as your fan, I¡¯m just worried for you that¡¯s all¡¿


    ...


    Still, everyone uniformly thought of one thing: doesn¡¯t that mean that Two didn¡¯t forfeit, agreeing to perform with Kitty¡¯s Papa?


    He himself was too self-conscious to admit that, so he just did it right away, or at least it could be interpreted like this¡ªQi Jing guessed what Two¡¯s currently thinking, smiling instinctively; this weight was finally off his shoulders.


    But Shen Yan¡¯s next line once again disturbed his heart. And it was not because of the line itself, but rather the tone it was said with¡ª


    Calm like dead still water, one which even though has no waves to be heard, one can still hear it colliding time and time again in their heart¡ªa tone that gives rise to sorrow upon listening.


    Even more so if it was the voice of an aged old man.


    ¡°Qin Tuo...¡± The man speaking didn¡¯t sound quite like a human being, but more like a y figure, the words he uttered hard like a dry earthenware, ¡°What are you hiding from me?¡±


    When Two heard Shen Yan ask this, a panicked gasp found its way into his choked voice, staying there for a moment. He stopped breathing for a second or two, then swallowed. His tone changed along with his breathing, strong at one moment, faint and quiet at the other, even starting to shake slightly.


    ¡°This student lied to the Master, hiding away from him the fact that, he¡¯s in contact with the Twelve Wulin Alliance...¡± He hardened his resolve, bringing the truth of his association with the rebels to light.


    ¡°Qin Tuo¡ª¡± He didn¡¯t even have a chance to finish before the other man harshly cut him short.


    ¡°What, are you hiding from me?¡± This time the old man¡¯s voice finally showed some billows. This character¡¯s temperament was profound like a sea, so although this small, meagre wave didn¡¯t sound as much, it actually took a great deal of effort for him to ask that shakingly. Each word he spoke was weaker than the previous, as he slowly seemed to start losing control, his whole body shaking faintly.


    ¡ªAs if he knew from the very start that his student was telling lies, and he knew that rebels and whatsoever were nothing but a pretence, a disguise for something else.


    ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡± loved ¡°Qin Tuo¡± dearly, and rarely spoke from his position as a sect leader to this student of his. But now, when he suddenly showed this stern side of him, it was like deep still waters disturbed by a hit of a stone¡ªeven though the ripples weren¡¯t quite the majestic and billowing waves, it still could make a person shake.


    This gap.


    So this was the gap between them¡ªQi Jing suddenly felt how away he was from those two in terms of the skill. This time, it was even more evident than when hepeted with Two in the individual auditions during the semi-finals.


    His two auditions for ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± just now both weren¡¯t half bad. But both stillcked maturity.


    If the previous scene between ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± and ¡°Yan Buliu¡± was a ¡®dynamic conflict¡¯, with intense shes in dialogue and great dramaturgy that could easily move the audience... Then the current scene was a ssic example of a ¡®static conflict¡¯.


    There was no tit for tat in the lines.


    There were no heart-stirring cries.


    ¡ªThe un-der-cur-rent.


    Under those circumstances, for the tension that could catch every listener¡¯s attention only through the contestant¡¯s control of their own voice... It was truly a difficult feat.


    People would say that the shouting scenes could bring out the entirety of a voice actor¡¯s skillset, but it isn¡¯t exactly the case.


    Just as with two movies of the same length, an action movie would always have it easier grasping the audience¡¯s attention than an arthouse movie, with its quick pace and clear-cut conflicts. And an arthouse movie would often appear rather simple production-wise, but to attain the same result, the requirements for the actors¡¯ skills and performance of the lines would be much stricter.


    The voice actors would always fear such works, because if they didn¡¯t perform up to standard, it would be easy for the acting to fall t with no appeal, and so their still not that bad skill would inevitably get looked down on and picked on.


    And voice actors feared voice acting in pairs for such works even more¡ªbecause with two people, it would be much easier tomit a mistake than alone, as even the smallest of mistakes would turn out double as severe.


    This scene between ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡± and ¡°Qin Tuo¡± was precisely this type of ¡®static conflict¡¯.


    And within the duration of those three, four lines, there was close to no activity in the chat, until the first person finally uttered at loss, ¡°&#k2026;I, I¡¯m kinda worried.¡±


    Once this got out, the other listeners finally started to add to it as well.


    Audience 1: &#k2026;I, I¡¯m worried too now.


    Audience 2: ...I¡¯m also a bit worried...


    Audience 3: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ So is it because I¡¯m worried that those two won¡¯t cooperate well, or because I¡¯m too immersed in their performance, I can¡¯t tell already...


    Audience 3: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ I think it¡¯s because of the breath control... It sounds so stifled, that¡¯s why it¡¯s so heart-wrenching (holds heart from the pain)


    Audience 5: They¡¯re doing so well keeping the tacit flow... This is quite a difficult part of the dialogue, but it actually makes it feel as if it flows naturally... When I first saw their lines, I thought they should be stuttered and disjointed, but they actually got the grasp of the transition points so well without getting stuck with any of them. It sounds so lifelike!


    Audience 6: I don¡¯t think you could do that without both sides cooperating on the highest level... Aaah, to think that this is their first work together after their reconciliation, and it¡¯s so great, it makes me so emotional! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Control over the breath was Two¡¯s strong suit.


    To fill out the nk left by the internal struggle of the character between the lines, he didn¡¯t waste a single moment, using all kinds of changes in breathing to paint a living image of this man. This man, kneeling before his master, on the brink of resisting his grief, wavering and uncertain after getting hit by his master¡¯s words¡ªQin Tuo.


    His mic was probably of quite good quality, as it caught all of the little details in his changing breathing, making it sound even more lifelike. And he also took care to keep a control over the choked sob of a character in grief, not inserting it everywhere to be heard, but only showing it emerging every now and then, painting an immensely vivid image.


    And as for Shen Yan, up till now it sounded as if he had two lines, but in reality, he only had one: ¡°What are you hiding from me¡±.


    There was nothing to pick about whether his old man voice suited the role, so the main point was how he would take one identical line, and differentiate the context and tone between them. And more than that, he also had to consider how to y along with Two¡ªwhich was anything but an easy task.


    The first line was when he heard his student break into sobs, and understood that most of his guess was real. His heart went cold, and his tone sank along with it as well.


    The second one, was when he heard his student refuse to tell the truth, sorrow and worry rushing right into his head, the usually calm andposed heart in disarray.


    The same line, yet twopletely different mental states, as well as differentyers of them. If he and Two left it without either of these, there would be no chance of creating an effect this natural.


    If it wasn¡¯t known that it was just now that they¡¯ve reunited, and if it wasn¡¯t for the randomised selection for the audition group, people would certainly assume that they¡¯ve practised it multiple times beforehands.


    At that time, Shen Yan suddenly began to cough, as if from having spoken so urgently, that he couldn¡¯t help a coughing fit. The previously full of tension atmosphere loosened to a certain degree, now midways between tense and calm.


    As he coughed chestily, Two¡¯s voice suddenly got closer to the mic, making it feel as if the character leaned over, now calling out nearby, ¡°Master... Master¡ª¡±


    Such an earnest and troubled image, so vivid that one could virtually see it before their own eyes.


    The listeners too breathed a sigh of relief, oblivious to the fact that the next part of dialogue was the one that was about to deliver the stab, tearing out hearts and shedding blood.


    Shen Yan¡¯s coughing gradually grew weaker and scarcer, finally disappearing. He finally asked, ¡°Those twenty seven people from the Tuo Yang sect¡ªwho killed them?¡±


    At this moment, an indistinct sound from Two¡¯s throat showed his faltering while speaking, ¡°...The imperial soldiers...¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The abrupt cut here sounded almost callous, but in reality, it was one from a pained heart as heughed slowly, hopelessly; an indescribable misery. ¡°It was your Senior... It was your Senior, wasn¡¯t it? The owner of the Listen to the Wind Inn, he was also poisoned by him, wasn¡¯t he?¡¯


    After no reply was heard from Two for a long while, his breath suddenly got more urgent, as if he stood up from the ground having settled on some decision, then said through gritted teeth, ¡°I¡¯ll go down the mountain to find him, and I will drag him right back here!¡±


    ¡°Qin Tuo!¡± Shen Yan called even more heavily and urgently to stop him, his voice shaken and brimming with grief, ¡°As your master, I can¡¯t be more clear about your senior¡¯s character. If he can even harm his benefactor, then... he can also harm you as well.¡±


    ¡°Master, my senior, he... he wouldn¡¯t do something like that.¡±


    In this old man¡¯s life, bloodshed between the brothers was thest he would wish to ever see, there was no way ¡°Qin Tuo¡± didn¡¯t know that.


    So when Two said this line, his voice was faint as if each word he said was made out of cotton, with the hollow, surface-level optimism and filling to support it. Even he didn¡¯t believe his own words, having to convince himself so, squeezing out a shadow of a weak, pale smile.


    ¡°He would.¡± But the old man was already resigned to this reality. He gradually curbed his grief, only leaving the numbness behind, ¡°If one day, he will think of killing you, posing a threat to your life¡ªat that time, you...¡±


    At this point, the pain in his voice stopped him from speaking further.


    Saying it out loud would be to foresee the end of the child he had brought up with his very hands. As a man, a teacher, a father, he couldn¡¯t ept it through neither feelings nor reason, yet he still couldn¡¯t stop the pain from twisting its de in his heart.


    ¡°You... eradicate this traitorous disciple in my name.¡±


    Even with thingsing to this point of no turning back, the old man still stressed that ¡®in my name¡¯ strongly. The morals codex of Wulin, the principles of the sect, all of those could be put aside... To have raised a child like this, it was all his fault, and the one to make up for it had to be him as well.


    If Bai Ke alreadymitted his crime, his sins deserving death, then... At least if he was the one to give the order, it would keep his heart from breaking.


    The timer stopped at ¡°0:55¡±.


    Since Two started early, they also finished five seconds early.


    After this conclusion, the listeners couldn¡¯t free themselves from that sorrowful atmosphere for a long while, one after another breaking in tears.


    Audience 1: QAQ ...Master...


    Audience 2: QAQ ...At first my heart was already squeezed in the ball, it got a bit easier in the middle, but I didn¡¯t expect the end to be the real killing blow...


    Audience 3: QAQ Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s voice was so miserable, I¡¯m crying!! And fellow Two¡¯s voice was so desperate, it made me cry too!!


    Audience 4: QAQ The way Two portrayed Qin Tuo being unable to talk and swallowing it back in silence, making it even more hard to bear for the Master... I don¡¯t have enough tissues for that...


    Audience 5: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò I can really virtually see it... I¡¯m imagining the animated effects after this appears in the game... It¡¯s straight up an onion ninja siege!


    Audience 6: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Everytime I hear Kitty¡¯s Papa ying a grandpa character, it¡¯s so realistic and moving... There¡¯s even no saying about whether he suits the role anymore, his tone always makes me think of a benevolent and warm elder. But because his disciple hadmitted an unforgivable sin, he had to put justice before his family, so he certainly feels so pained about that too, sobs...


    ...


    It was finished now.


    So great.Qi Jing sniffled quietly¡ªhis nose was getting more and more runny as he listened. He couldn¡¯t help but admire how those two¡¯s skill managed to pull himpletely into the plot of ?Order to End the Heavens?.


    When the final score calction showed, everyone epted it wholeheartedly.


    ¡¾Group Score¡¿: 4.5, 4.5, average score 4.5


    ¡¾psed Time¡¿: 55 seconds = 0.55 points


    ¡¾Audience Votes¡¿: 93.9% voting ratio = 0.939 points


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall group score: 4.5£«0.55£«0.939= 5.989 points


    ¡°Gimme a proper dub, dumbass¡± individual score:


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, average score 4.25


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, average score 4.25


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿: 4.5, 4.5, average score 4.5


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿: 4.5, 4.5, average score 4.5


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall average scores: 4.25£«4.25£«4.5£«4.5 = 17.5 points


    Additional audience vote points: 88.9% voting ratio = 0.889 points


    Overall score: 17.5£«0.889£«5.989 = 24.378 points


    ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± individual score:


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, average score 4.25


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, average score 4.25


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿: 4.5, 4.5, average score 4.5


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿: 4.5, 4.5, average score 4.5


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall average scores: 4.25£«4.25£«4.5£«4.5 = 17.5 points


    Additional audience vote points: 90.7% voting ratio = 0.907 points


    Overall score: 17.5£«0.907£«5.989 = 24.396 points


    Audience 1: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Two bullied Kitty¡¯s Papa! So I won¡¯t give you a vote, no matter how well you perform! Humph!¡¾Okay, I actually voted¡¿


    Audience 2: ¨“¨Œ¨“ That¡¯s right! I decided to bully him back in Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s name! Humph!¡¾I actually voted too...¡¿


    Audience 3: Hahaha! You weak minded peasants, I¡¯m the one who actually didn¡¯t vote!! (Although I¡¯m sure that he isn¡¯t short of that single vote)... See how you will bully Kitty¡¯s Papa now!! Huh!! This time it¡¯s you that¡¯s losing in individual scores to him, huh?? ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨s¡ûmental case


    Audience 4: But now that we¡¯re saying this, those two really are so incredibly skilled... The difference in score is also only because of the votes, and even Teacher Pu gave both of them 4.5, I¡¯m on my knees.


    Audience 5: Isn¡¯t the group score the most terrifying one?


    Audience 6: Isn¡¯t the group score the most terrifying one? +10086


    The group score was definitely the most terrifying one¡ªboth Longbow and Teacher Pu gave them 4.5 points.


    This one... It really couldn¡¯t be outdone.


    Speaking from a VA¡¯s point of view, it would certainly feel a bit upsetting, but there was no logical way to refute this score. Perhaps someone would say that both of them yed roles which they ranked first in semi-finals, so there was an effect of two powerhouses working together at y. But it wasn¡¯t like any other two first ces would mesh together this well.


    Qi Jing smiled lightly, then opened the QQ chat window.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ^_^ I¡¯m so happy. For both of the results, the one from the audition, and the other one as well.


    Geese Fly North: Mn... Thank you.


    Geese Fly North: Ah, Two is messaging me in YY DMs.


    Geese Fly North: He probably has something to say, and I also want to take this opportunity to have a good talk with him... Qi Jing, wait for me for a while, I will be back in a moment.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Mhm.


    This time, it was his turn to hum dejectedly.


    When Shen Yan listened to him and Crossing the bridge noodles perform together... That¡¯s probably how he felt, right?


    ¡°What to do, I¡¯m also getting a bit jealous...¡± Qi Jing muttered half-jokingly, half-serious to himself, propping his chin as he stared at the chat window¡ªthere was no new message in it for quite a long time, making him feel a bit deste.


    ¡ªBut thinking of this now, it was his first time hearing Shen Yan acting with someone else aside from him.


    ¡ªAnd thinking of this now, the performance between him and Shen Yan... Aside from the staff from ?Trap? production group, there was not a single person who heard it.


    It was a very long time ago when Two and that group had already started practising with Shen Yan, and even though they almostpletely broke apart before, their understanding of each other was still as good even long yearster, it really made a person...


    ¡°So envious.¡± Qi Jing chuckled bitterly, lowering his embarrassed gaze as he said those words. Just so envious...


    A/N:


    Patting 2Yan¡¯s shoulder, honestly, I think that among the little buddies, only Two can manage that, does that make you feel any better? (Eh, why does it keep getting worse...)


    P.S. It¡¯s not like every single of the little buddies are so amazing at voice acting, the strongest two had already appeared, the rest of them aren¡¯t as impressive... But they each have their own strengths. If, if you think that this is too much of a cheat, then... I have no choice as well (kneels)


    <strong></strong>

 Chapter 122

    <h4>Chapter 122</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    At first it was by voice that he got to know him.


    At first, there was close to not a single person who knew him¡ªback then, Qi Jing was still hiding under the ID of ¡°Grandpa¡¯s Fan¡± to leave a message in the ?Trap? audio drama thread, feeling unreconciled at the sight of his silent support getting no reciprocation.


    And now...


    His voice was being heard by more and more people, and that small and inconspicuous message also seemed to slowly fall back into the corner among the loud apuse. It wasn¡¯t like he was unhappy, he was only thinking that... Maybe it would be better to leave that message remain there in a corner, bringing it back now wouldn¡¯t quite match the current him.


    Right now, if the ID of¡¾Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¿was put side by side with his, maybe... It really wouldn¡¯t suit. He wasn¡¯t as good as Two yet.


    ¡°Crap...¡± Was he having a downer or something? Qi Jing shook his head. While at the stage of apetition, having negative thoughts and self-doubt is the biggest obstacle, but he fortunately realised that soon enough to steer away from it. Still, he still couldn¡¯t help a troubled smile.


    ¡°Shen Yan,pared to being a ¡®fan¡¯, I¡¯d much rather hope to be your ¡®partner¡¯¡ª¡± Just as Two and their group.


    Anyone could make a fan, but only a special person could be a partner.


    And it wouldn¡¯t be toote to be as confident as he wants while making their rtionship known online when he finally gets good enough. Only this way he would have the assurance to tell everyone that this was his boyfriend, leaving the antis with nothing to say. For now... He was fine with only Shen Yan himself knowing who ¡°Grandpa¡¯s Fan¡± was, and only him knowing that in Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s heart, there was only Geese Fly North.


    ¡°But I also know that, and I don¡¯t think that there is any problem with matching or whatsoever.¡± Two went straight to the point as he continued to snack on his crisps noisily.


    Qi Jing face-palmed in silence.


    Again, how did he even end up talking about this topic with Two?


    Ah, right...


    After twenty minutes had already passed since that ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a moment¡± from Shen Yan, someone finally poked him on YY, even sending a voice call invitation. He even thought that it was Shen Yan who came back, but upon taking a closer look, he realised that it was Two.


    ording to his own logic, it was because ¡°Either way Six is about to start the next audition, so I made him go make some preparations. And since I heard that it was you who convinced him to sign up for thepetition, I came over to talk for a bit¡±¡ªtruly the type to act out his words right away.


    Qi Jing stared helplessly at the flickering sound volume icon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date,¡± That guy said thoughtfully, ¡°I think I heard that ID somewhere...¡±


    ¡°We were adversaries during that audition for ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯, you even cursed me out.¡± You wake up already. But of course, Qi Jing didn¡¯t say thosest four words aloud.


    ¡°Ah, it was you,¡± The other person seemed to have remembered, now speaking with the suddenly gained understanding, ¡°You were the guy who got smeared by that birdy something fellow, right?¡±


    Just how much you can¡¯t remember other people¡¯s IDs... That great god birdy something would be about to cry, you know?¡±


    Qi Jing cleared his throat, then couldn¡¯t help the curiosity and asked, ¡°Can I ask you who Six introduced me as to you?¡±


    ¡°He said you¡¯re his lover...¡± Saying this, Two paused suddenly for a moment with a short ¡®eh¡¯, probably only now having realised that there was something amiss with this ¡°lover¡¯s¡± gender. Qi Jing waited quietly for his next reaction, but he didn¡¯t expect this guy to only take a couple of seconds to ept this reality, ¡°Oh... Turns out the two of you are the type to like the same gender, huh. Doesn¡¯t matter, either way you¡¯re both amazing at voice acting, so you¡¯re a good match.¡±


    ¡ªI say... Is this something that you would finish processing in two seconds?¡ªAnd you¡¯re missing the point here, fellow Two!


    Even though he made quite a fewints in his thoughts, thatst sentence from Two quickly made him feel much better and he instinctively cracked a smile. Once he calmed down, he told Two his previous thoughts without realising it, which ended up with Two telling him those words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like there¡¯s any problem with you two matching, you¡¯re already really good, so what¡¯s wrong with telling others that you two are a thing?¡± And Two even reiterated that.


    ¡°But I¡¯m not as amazing as you.¡± Qi Jing wasn¡¯t stingy with praise.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ...And you really aren¡¯t modest...


    ¡°To be fair, rather than me being worried about what other people think, I want to give myself a goal,¡± With a goal, there¡¯s also the motivation. Qi Jingughed lightly, ¡°I admire that feeling of being equally matched and moving forward hand in hand, just like you two. Really admire it.¡±


    Suddenly Two asked him, ¡°Then if that¡¯s what you think, how about joining us?¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing was taken aback.


    Without waiting for him to answer, Two once again shouted loudly, ¡°Ah! It started, it started! I will listen to it first then we¡¯ll talk again!¡±


    Turns out it was about the time for Shen Yan¡¯s audition group No.42, so the two of them temporarily stopped talking and listened carefully in silence.


    But it wasn¡¯t like Shen Yan would be lucky enough to be continuously paired with the experts like Two. The contestant he met this time was aplete nobody that didn¡¯t rank that high, who upon seeing that his opponent was Shen Yan first started with a shaky ¡°I, I¡¯m afraid I will burden you.¡± This really made every Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s fan, including Qi Jing, break in a cold sweat. Fortunately the final oue wasn¡¯t that bad.


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried at all, after all Six is great at making people get in a role.¡± Two smiled calmly. It seemed like the conflict between them was indeed already a thing of the past.


    ¡°Meanwhile the more I listen to it, the more conflicted I feel.¡± Qi Jingughed helplessly.


    Even a stranger could openly act with that man... While on the surface, they were merely two contestants that never even interacted.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t like this before.¡± At that time, Two spoke suddenly, ¡°Before, even though he was conscientious about voice acting, he only ever apanied us with practice, never taking initiative to ask us for anything, always only ying the roles we asked him to y. It was as if he was just a great voice acting machine.¡±


    Pu Yuzhi had said this before as well. Qi Jing nodded slightly.


    ¡°But now, he sounds so much more ¡®alive¡¯. You can hear that he really loves to voice act stuff, and chooses the roles with an idea in mind. He told me that it was all thanks to you¡ª¡± Saying this, Two surprisingly had a moment of straightforward honesty, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t say a thing, only lowering his eyes as he smiled.


    Suddenly, he wasn¡¯t as envious of other people.


    Why envy anyone? After all he... held special, irreceable meaning for Shen Yan. The sheer thought made him feel fulfilled.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Hehe. ^&#kUU3U;^


    Geese Fly North: Sorry, I was only able toe back now&#k2026; What¡¯s up, why are you so happy?


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Nothing. ^&#kUU3U;^


    Geese Fly North: (smile)


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Shen Yan.


    Geese Fly North: Mn?


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: The thing is, even if it¡¯s just for a single practice... Can I join you guys? It doesn¡¯t have to be official, no need to get me into any audio dramas orpetitions, just practising a bit when there¡¯s some time would be nice.


    Saying this, he didn¡¯t forget to add two words at the end¡ª¡±With you¡±.


    Shen Yan probably hadn¡¯t expected Qi Jing to say this, it took a while for him to return his signature ¡°^£ß^¡±. Looking at this smiling emoticon, Qi Jing also smiled quietly before his screen.


    Just then, his right eyelid suddenly twitched a few times.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Qi Jing rubbed his right eye, bewildered. That ¡°all things adverse¡± in the perpetual calendar were clearly off the mark, since the support he just got from Shen Yan was obviously a happy asion. And speaking of all the things that happened that night, there was nothing that made him particrly crushing, so why was his eyelid twitching again?


    Qi Jing quickly closed his eyes and rubbed them a few times before the twitching stopped.


    And right in this moment, he heard the host¡¯s upbeat announcement in his headphones: ¡°Next, I will ask the contestants from group No.52 to prepare¡ª¡±


    He didn¡¯t pay attention when he was rubbing his eyes, so it was only when he lowered his hand and opened eyes when he finally saw the IDs on the contestants¡¯ list¡ªhis eyes shot open as he froze from the surprise.


    ¡°...You¡¯re kidding me...¡± Qi Jing stiffly spat those few words out.


    Yet woe was he, as those IDs were listed in to see on the screen, living no room for anyone to doubt their eyes. What¡¯s more, even Yuan Zhengming slipped an ¡°Oh wow¡± in the background.


    Audition No.52, ¡°Emperor Chang¡± against ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±: ¡¾Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¿vs.¡¾Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¿


    Turns out that it was here where ¡°all things adverse¡± awaited him¡ª


    He didn¡¯t even blink his eyes, his expression gradually turning from shocked to serious¡ªhe really couldn¡¯t even pull off a fake smile.


    ¡°...Truly enemies on a narrow road.¡± He couldn¡¯t give a fake smile, so he was only left with a sneer.


    Audience 1: ......


    Audience 2: ...... = =


    Audience 3: ...... = = This group choice...


    Audience 4: ...... = = Don¡¯t ask for my return, and... Bronze Sparrow Terrace... Ah.


    Audience 5: ...... = = That¡¯s going to be bloody... (I¡¯m feeling like both of them are about to shoot to kill)


    Audience 6: ...... = = The moment I see those two IDs together, my whole body is starting to feel bad... (I¡¯m feeling like both of them are about to shoot to kill)


    The scene seemed to have frozen in a second, even a water drop would turn into ice. There couldn¡¯t be a better example of an awkwardly chilly atmosphere. As long as a listener followed the course of the events, everyone knew about the beef between those two VAs¡ªespecially if one was interested in the voice acting circle. Really... there was no more unfortunate group choice than this.


    With things like this, Qi Jingughed instead. ¡°Haha...¡± Shoot to kill? ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea¡ªafter all, I think we didn¡¯t get a full satisfaction out of taking our shots thest time?¡±


    Since he turned up in the finals, then didn¡¯t that mean that he still lived, and still nned to kill his way out of his predicament? ¡ªBronze Sparrow Terrace, for you to persevere all the way up to now, I still can¡¯t help but admire you.


    The corners of Qi Jing¡¯s lips turned up a bit, but his gaze made this smile cool down below freezing point.


    It didn¡¯t matter.


    Putting his bone to pick with Bronze Sparrow Terrace, if he had to act together with him, then he still had this bit of professional ethics as a VA to go through with it. At least if Bronze Sparrow Terrace didn¡¯t pull any tricks with ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±, then that would make things even. He didn¡¯t need to dwell on the whole matter of giarising his ¡°Emperor Chang¡±, that would only make him seem petty.


    Of course, if Bronze Sparrow Terrace wanted to go down the bloody route, then he would be more than happy to do so as well¡ªeither way all the pretence was gone, so who should fear who?


    Having said that, for someone who had their reputation in the ?Order to End the Heavens?petition already tarnished to this point, yet still got the courage to show himself up, this Great God Birdy Something¡¯s face... It truly was thick and could take a beating.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Teacher Pu,¡± Qi Jing¡¯s voice lowered alongside his gaze as he muttered, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that this time, I can¡¯t really ¡®treasure the cooperation¡¯.¡± As he said so, he straightened his back and face expressionless, rolled up both his sleeves, then made the cuffs perfectly neat, as if really reading himself for a grand battle. After he did soposedly, he calmly pressed the F2 key.


    The moment she saw those two IDs listed together, the host Yang Chunqu probably got bbergasted as well. It took her a while before she stammered out, ¡°Ah... I will ask both of the contestants to prepare... before the start.¡±


    Prepare to start right away? The host was truly a consideratedy, she even took an initiative to spare them having to make an opening for themselves, probably out of fear that it would only spawn troubles.


    Yet Qi Jing smiled gracefully, stubbornly taking initiative to ¡®reminisce¡¯ with the great god at this very critical moment. ¡°Turns out it¡¯s you. Thest time I yed with you would be back during the first episode of ?Trap?¡ªah, sorry, I already left the team, so maybe let¡¯s not mention this sort of past matters.¡±


    And so he went straight to poking the elephant in the room¡ª


    His cocky attitude only fueled the tension among the audience.


    Audience 1: ...Don¡¯t ask for my return date, you...


    Audience 2: ...Don¡¯t ask for my return date... you¡¯re kinda... (thumbs up)


    Audience 3: Wow, is Don¡¯t ask for my return date really about to get into a fight to the death with Great God? (I¡¯m kinda hyped though¡ûoi oi oi)


    Audience 4: I remembered how it went down for them during the semi-finals... My heart is hurting so much aaaaah! But I¡¯m also both hurting and hyped!! (Oi)


    Audience 5: Datey! Mess him up, mess him up! (¨s¿Ú¡ä)¨s


    Audience 6: Although I also want to see how Return Date would mess him up (cough cough), but... this isn¡¯t a duelpetition, but a cooperative one. And isn¡¯t a cooperative audition about working together... After such an antagonistic start, how are they even going to cooperate? _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Whether or not they would be able to cooperate still depended on how Bronze Sparrow Terrace would react.


    The reason why Qi Jing provoked him on purpose right away was to see if he would fly into a rage out of a sudden, bursting into swearing. But he got surprised¡ªBronze Sparrow Terrace didn¡¯t react at all. The man was still online, but his activity feed was still dull grey, not flickering even once.


    ¡°Hah.¡± Qi Jingughed lightly. Interesting. So he wants to y deaf, make it seem as if he didn¡¯t hear anything, nothing happened? ...Fine.


    The other weird thing was, usually the great god would always bring a flood of fans cheering for him, yet today they were nowhere to be seen in chat... Could it be that the always ostentatious great god suddenly changed his ways and didn¡¯t want to boost his support anymore, didn¡¯t want to use his superstar effect to win the votes?


    This was simply inconceivable¡ª


    Really, as if he didn¡¯t have any wish to fight for the win. Qi Jing furrowed slightly, unable to fathom what in the end that guy was nning.


    ¡°Ah, if contestant Bronze Sparrow Terrace doesn¡¯t have anything to say, then, let¡¯s...¡± start it.


    Yang Chunqu¡¯s awkwardugh was probably meant to make it seem as if there was nothing wrong between those two. She tried to maintain a peaceful atmosphere of thepetition, but unfortunately her endeavours only made the issue seem more jarring. Hearing her voice, probably most of the audience could easily imagine her troubled image behind the screen.


    Qi Jing waited calmly in silence, well-tempered.


    Yuan Zhengming tapped his fingers on his desk, as if thinking of something, but making noment.


    At that time, Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s activity feed finally flickered shortly, only for them to hear him reply with the shortest of ¡°Mn¡±. Qi Jing raised his brow¡ªturns out contestant Great God decided to ignore him.


    <i>Then, he intended to get to it fair and square... Fine. </i>


    Qi Jing remained calm, quietly adjusting his mic, preparing to crash this ¡°most unfortunate cooperation¡±.


    Meanwhile Yang Chunqu was very happy with things turning out this way, hurriedly announcing start of the audition, ¡°Well then, dear listeners, next we have audition group No.52¡¯s ¡°Emperor Chang¡± against ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±¡ªstart the time!¡±


    ¡°Ding¡ª¡± The timer window that popped out was like a giant noise-canceller, momentarily sucking the stage dry out of any sound. The scene was death silent, the audience focused as never before.


    0:00.


    The first line belonged to ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±. He was meant to open the scene, and ¡°Emperor Chang¡± was to follow him.


    Qi Jing¡¯s expression was serious as he silently stared at the lines chosen by the organisations. He generously passed the initiative Bronze Sparrow Terrace, wanting to see how he would perform and think how he would adjust himself to it.


    0:01.


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s activity feed was grey.


    0:03.


    Still grey.


    0:05.


    Eh? By the time it got to the fifth second, and the other still didn¡¯t say half a word, Qi Jing finally realised that something was wrong here.


    The lines issued by the organisers had a set order. ¡°Lord Shunyang¡± had to go first, otherwise ¡°Emperor Chang¡± wouldn¡¯t be able to continue with the performance. The time during the finals was extremely limited, so if they didn¡¯t start during the first five seconds, the time for thetter lines would be rather tight, so much so that... they probably wouldn¡¯t have time to finish properly.


    And not finishing properly meant an instant disqualification.


    Qi Jing shook with a sudden thought.


    Audience 1: Eh...


    Audience 2: Eh, what happened? Why is there no sound?


    Audience 3: Great God Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s mic is still turned off... = =


    Audience 4: If God Bronze Sparrow Terrace doesn¡¯t start the first line for any longer, they will end up short on time!! The finals only have a minute for a performance, you won¡¯t make a do wasting it like this, oi!


    Audience 5: I, I suddenly thought of something...¡¾I have a bad premonition¡¿


    Audience 6: Thement above, tell us what you thought of... I feel like I probably thought of the same thing... = =


    Needless to say, Qi Jing also thought of it. The moment he did, he bursted out inughter. He leaned back on the chair as he watched the timer already getting to ¡°00:10¡± with a cold gaze.


    So that¡¯s how it is...


    So that¡¯s how it is.


    So you n on sabotaging me, am I right? Bronze Sparrow Terrace?


    At that point, even if he were to steel himself and start on his own from the second line, as long as Bronze Sparrow Terrace persisted in saying silent and not saying the third line, it would still be of no use¡ªthis whole situation was bound to end in a deadlock since the very beginning.


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace was willing to abandon his chances for ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± to make him lose ¡°Emperor Chang¡±.


    So the case of him indirectly causing Great God to lose a main male role... Turns out he was still holding onto that grudge.


    And the drama around ¡°Emperor Chang¡± was no less than the biggest blemish in his reputation. If he couldn¡¯t get what he wanted, then he wouldn¡¯t let Qi Jing have it too. Quite a feat of hurting himself to kill the enemy¡ªalthough it came with a price, at least it was able to deal a fatal blow to the enemy.


    Qi Jing was so angry heughed instead, his fist clenched tight on the desk.


    At that moment, he really could only resign himself to his fate,pletely unable to retaliate. This sacrifice by Bronze Sparrow Terrace was truly great, but just look how well it worked, simply extraordinary! He didn¡¯t even have a chance to fight back¡ªsuck it up!


    There were some people protesting among the audience, but everyone was helpless in this case, only able to stare as the seconds on the timer wasted away.


    Audience 1: So vile, AHHHH!! I didn¡¯t expect Great God to go for broke!! And even in death he has to take Return Date down with him, like that¡¯s some great damn true love story!! As a Great God¡¯s anti + Return Date¡¯s fan, I really can¡¯t stomach this, ahhh!!!! (¨s¨F¿Ú¡ä)¨s


    Audience 2: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Nooooooo, I want to listen to contestant Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s neurotic Emperor Chang... (oi)


    Audience 3: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Bronze Sparrow Terrace and Don¡¯t ask for my return date... So this is doomed to be a ¡°Return to Ashes Together¡± ship...


    Audience 4: ¦²(¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||)¦õAh ah ah? ¡°Return to Ashes Together¡±, I didn¡¯t even think of this ship for a name...


    Audience 5: ¦²(¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||) It really is ¡°Return to Ashes Together¡±...


    Audience 6: ¦²(¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||) This ship name is amazing, we truly have a prophet here!!


    Return to ashes together, huh...


    The timer was already at the ¡°00:15¡±, really a case with no way out¡ª


    Qi Jing slowly rxed his fist and closed his eyes, acknowledging that he underestimated his enemy. This feeling of having lost despite not being able to even begin the fight was truly suffocating.


    Then he finally heard Yuan Zhengming, who after listening to all of it in silence finally broke this deadlock, ¡°Enough, no need to count down anymore.¡±


    Hearing him say so, Qi Jing slightly pressed his lips into a line, his heart turning cold. Just look at it, even Teacher Yuan gave up on it... He didn¡¯t expect to get pped this hard by Bronze Sparrow Terrace during the finals. It was so discouraging.


    Just as he was about to quickly get off the mic, already moving his finger to the F2 key, Yuan Zhengmingughed, then said unhurriedly, ¡°I already predicted that something like this could happen, so I came prepared¡ªmanagement, I¡¯ll trouble you to reset the timer, we will start it again in a moment.¡±


    Qi Jing was bbergasted. We¡¯ll start again?But it¡¯s no use even if we start again, Teacher Yuan. As long as Bronze Sparrow Terrace refuses to let go, no matter how many times we try, it¡¯s all useless¡ª


    ¡°He won¡¯t speak.¡± Qi Jing told Yuan Zhengming bluntly.


    ¡°I know.¡± Yuan Zhengming replied in an uncaring tone, confusing Qi Jing even more instead. If that¡¯s the case, then what¡¯s the use in resetting the timer?


    At that time, he suddenly heard Yuan Zhengming calling a certain name clearly: ¡°Longbow.¡±


    He froze, dumbstruck, then hurriedly turned his head to the contestants lineup.


    ¡¾Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¿had already disappeared from there, and¡¾Judge ¨C Longbow¡¿appeared quietly in its ce. Clearly Yuan Zhengming gave some instructions to the management behind the scenes.


    Qi Jing suddenly thought something, and his breathing stopped momentarily, only for him to hear Yuan Zhengming say with an indolent smile, ¡°Youe over and y ¡®Marquess Shunyang¡¯, be this boy¡¯s opponent¡ª¡±


    When he heard this, Qi Jing¡¯s heart skipped, the fear he felt far greater than the joy.


    <i>You¡¯re¡ªkidding¡ªme!</i>


    And Longbow didn¡¯t seem to treat this as a joke. With that low and clear voice of his, he said unhurriedly, ¡°Yes, Teacher.¡±


    A/N:


    2Yan, do you feel pressured now??

 Chapter 123

    <h4>Chapter 123</h4>


    unedited


    ¡°Aya¡ª!¡± The audience was the first to exim.


    Even if only a text could be passed through the chat, those rows of exmation marks were almost like a scream audible to the ear¡ªan over hundred decibels one.


    Audience 1: (/¡Ý¨Œ¡Ü/) (/¡Ý¨Œ¡Ü/) (/¡Ý¨Œ¡Ü/) TEACHER LONGBOW!!!! TEACHER LONGBOW, AHHHH!!!!!


    Audience 2: (/¡Ý¨Œ¡Ü/) (/¡Ý¨Œ¡Ü/) (/¡Ý¨Œ¡Ü/) We can actually hear Teacher Longbow appear in a live performance, I can die happy now!!!!


    Audience 3: o(*////¨Œ////*)q Holy!! Teacher Longbow... I am such a fangirl of Teacher Longbow... Previously, when he was still active as an online voice actor, I really loved his works. I always wanted to hear him y as a loyal dog gong, so the role as Lord Shunyang is just right for it, kyaaa~


    Audience 4: o(*////¨Œ////*)q Cough cough, the one above, you need to calm down! This is clearly a mainstream work! And they¡¯re brothers!¡¾But... But I also want to hear it¡ûoi¡¿


    Audience 5: Hahahaha... Love to see it! I really love to see it!¡¾My man Don¡¯t ask for my return date straight up profited of his own disaster!¡¿


    Audience 6: Help... I¡¯m so excited just thinking about how Teacher Longbow is about to y together with Don¡¯t ask for my return date!! It¡¯s my first time seeing a judge stepping down to act as a fill-in, I¡¯m so excited for that, waah!!


    As the still shocked Qi Jing took a long while getting back to his senses, the little light by Longbow¡¯s ID flickered, ¡°Good evening.¡±


    After that, he seemed to consider something for a while, then said with a smile, ¡°During the finals, contestants don¡¯t have an assigned number, I can¡¯t call you by one. So, can I just directly call you Return Date?¡±


    No wonder the voice described as ¡®like basking in a spring wind¡¯ within the circle, this description was very much deserved. Even without looking at the chat, Qi Jing knew that it definitely erupted into the squeals of infatuation.


    ¡°Sure...¡± Qi Jing steeled himself and smiled. Right now, he was only praying for one thing: he hoped that there won¡¯t be any ¡°Long Term¡± sort of ship thread cropping out the next day in the forum. No¡ªway¡ªin¡ªhell.Teacher Yuan... Your messing with the rules sure gives me a high blood pressure, mayhaps You know that?


    Of course Yuan Zhengming knew. He was even immensely proud of his handling of this matter, ¡°Since cooperative acting is the key feature of the finals, there¡¯s no telling if some kind of issue won¡¯t ur. Once someone can¡¯t show up, it can get thorny, so I nned a countermeasure beforehands¡ªin this situation it would be also unfair to rearrange the audition with another contestant, so the judges themselves would fill in instead.¡±


    All that logic and reason, but it¡¯s all just because of your weird inclinations. Qi Jing dissed inwardly.


    Longbow himself didn¡¯t have any objections, ¡°Of course, I will go along with Teacher¡¯s arrangements.¡±


    Qi Jing had no words to say. How could such a hoodlum of a teacher bring up this kind of meek and well-behaved pupil, it really made one ponder life... In introspection, someone of Two¡¯s sort would be more suitable as Yuan Zhengming¡¯s student...


    Outside of thepetition, Two sneezed, oblivious.


    ¡°Return Date.¡±


    ¡°...Yes, sir!¡± Qi Jing suddenly heard Longbow calling him and replied instinctively¡ªand even subconsciously using the roll call reply from the military training he did back in his student days. After saying this, he stared awkwardly, cringing.


    The audience burst out inughter. Longbowughed along, hisugh truly reminding one of a sweeping spring wind, ¡°Are you very nervous?¡±


    ¡°A bit...¡± Qi Jing smiled, embarrassed.


    Audience 1: ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sPffft, Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s voice is shaking!!


    Audience 2: ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sPffft, it really is shaking...


    Audience 3: ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sPffft, just now he was so cocky and arrogant towards great god, so seeing him now getting so meek in an instant is so so cute~


    Audience 3: ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sPfft, Return Date sir, before Lord Longbow you are like a living image of a student who forgot to do his homework and now is afraid of getting scolded by the teacher!!


    Audience 5:¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sPffft, I won¡¯t say anything, I¡¯m lining up.


    Audience 6:¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨sPffft, as above, I¡¯m holding the line. ¡¾I heard that Teacher Longbow¡¯s voice is really pleasant, *rolls around with face in hands*¡¿


    Qi Jing silently stared at the chat, his gaze dead¡ªdon¡¯t sabotage me in a ce like this, what happened to the mutual lenience between us?


    Quality-wise, there was a bit of a simrity between Longbow¡¯s and Shen Yan¡¯s voice. But Longbow sounded more upper-ss, as if he was from a big-name influential family, while Shen Yan gave a more down-to-earth, steady impression¡ªin a word, both were a great choice to indulge one¡¯s ears.


    Nheless, this person was a professional voice actor, a veteran among veterans.


    As this thought appeared in his mind, the stage fright also kicked in. He who was absolutely fearless when facing Bronze Sparrow Terrace... was actually scared.


    ¡°No need to be afraid, just treat me as a usual contestant.¡± As if understanding Qi Jing¡¯s hesitation, Longbow encouraged him with a faint chuckle. Qi Jing was just in the middle of considering how he could possibly brainwash himself into thinking of a judge as a contestant, when Longbow suddenly added, ¡°After all, it¡¯s not favourable for you to get teamed up with me.¡±


    Qi Jing and everyone else were all just as dumbfounded. Longbow continued speaking calmly, ¡°Since I¡¯m a professional voice actor and a judge at the same time, for the sake of making it as fair as possible, I will give all of the initiative to you¡ªyou will be the one guiding the performance of characters¡¯ emotions. Outside of the first line that needs to be started by me, my acting will bepletely dependant on your acting, so your ¡®Emperor Chang¡¯ will decide on how my ¡®Marquess Shunyang¡¯ will turn out.¡±


    Thest part was the crucial one. ¡°In other words&#k2014;if there¡¯s any mistake in your acting, I won¡¯t be correcting you, only going along with the wrong interpretation.¡±


    Ah... I get it now. Qi Jing suddenly understood it.


    That ¡®unfavorability¡¯ Longbow spoke about was in fact connected to the ¡®importance of synergy¡¯ Pu Yuzhi spoke of before¡ªwhen two contestant performed together, if one of them deviated, as long the other one had the skill to do that, they would be able to correct each other through the changes in their tone, slowly getting them back on the right the right tracks. This way, they would still be left with some hope. This was the means ofpensating each other¡¯s ws that wasn¡¯t there in the semi-finals, and only appeared in the very finals.


    And with Longbow saying so now, it was nothing else than just telling him that this time, the performance depended solely on him, and that he lost that chance to pensate¡¯ each other. Not only that, he also had to be the one taking the lead. And his weakness was no other than precisely being easily led astray by the others voice actors, being the rather passive type of a VA. This time, for him to have to give momentum to a veteran much more experienced than him like Longbow... would he really be able to manage that?


    Qi Jing¡¯s throat bobbed slightly. He felt as if something was stuck there, hard and stinging, making it hard to even speak. He thought back to the feeling from years ago, when he couldn¡¯t find the feeling and was hence repeatedly cut&#k2014;it was about the same as now.


    That won¡¯t do.That wouldn¡¯t do, he had to clear his thoughts¡ªwhat kind of person was ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± from the novel?


    Although heter listened to the recording of the entire audition... Shen Yan¡¯s non-canon ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± left him with the biggest impression, etched deep inside his mind, unforgettable. Other peoples¡¯ more canon interpretation of ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± on the other hand didn¡¯t leave much impression on him, all sticking to the appropriate norms.


    ¡ªIs that the first impression being the strongest?Qi Jing smiled bitterly. That didn¡¯t fare him well...


    Looking at the chosen lines, the scene at question was that of forcing the emperor to abdicate, with ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± inter stages of his ckening, nothing like the currently speaking urbane and spring wind-like Longbow. Right now, his mind was nk, unable to think of any suitable n.


    ¡°Then, how about we begin now?¡± Longbow asked.


    ¡°Okay...¡± Fortunately Longbow would be the one to take the first step, he was the one to follow. But he was still nervous inside.


    How was it possible for a person as gentle as Teacher Longbow to allow Qi Jing to imagine him as a callous warrior forced onto the ruthless path by his own brother?


    Someone as gentle as Teacher Longbow¡ª


    ¡°Your Highness.¡± Two words, yet they already crushed his previous misgivings.


    Qi Jing felt like if his hearing nerve got pulled at by something, his body involuntarily sitting straight up, as if a wet, cold brush scrubbed at his back.


    ¡°It is only Your Highness¡¯ servant here,¡± The voice of the man in the headphones came through unhurriedly, ¡°There is no other person.¡±


    If a person¡¯s tone could be likened to the surface of water, then those two sentences didn¡¯t rise even the slightest ripple.


    Yet Qi Jing felt as if there was a wall pressing over ahead of him.


    Incredible¡ªIt was said that the professional voice actors all underwent strict training. Once Longbow spoke, the core quality of his voice changed in an instant¡ª with the projection of his voice shifting to the back of his nasal cavity, and so the slight change from rich to unclear wasplete. This way, the resounding depth and steadiness required for the ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± was brought out in a moment.


    More than that, his voice clearly was backed by a powerful aftereffect¡ªjust like the lower body of a true martial artist that could seem to stand like any normal person, but no amount of pushing would make them budge. Longbow¡¯s tone was insipid, but deep inside, each of the words he said had plenty of weight, releasing a terrifying pressure all around him.


    Such a strong foundation... Not just any other online VA couldpare.


    Qi Jing shook slightly, sure enough crushed by this sudden onught of pressure. With this added to the already great pressure of having to act along with Longbow, his throat was a bit hoarse when he spoke.


    ¡°You¡ª...¡± At this point, this was still half ¡°Qi Jing¡±, not aplete ¡°Emperor Chang¡± yet.


    Maybe because there was a certain ovep in their scared mindset at that moment, so the fact that he didn¡¯t yet get immersed in the scene got slightly covered, but as teachers, Yuan Zhengming and Pu Yuzhi should have probably heard it?


    Qi Jing was clear about it himself¡ªhis speed of getting into the acting mindset was at least twice as long as Longbow¡¯s.


    He realised that in reality, the actually capable VAs like Two, Shen Yan, Longbow and so on all shared a trait, and that was the speed of getting immersed into the scene.


    Because there was only one person per audition during the semi-finals, whether one did or didn¡¯t get immersed depended solely on their own figuring out of the emotions, he didn¡¯t experience it as much. But once he got to the finals that required both parties to perform their lines in turns, it was much more evident who was quicker and who was slower at it.


    The more he understood this gap... the more he feared.


    He could almost see the description of this part from the ?Order to End the Heavens? before his eyes. ¡°Emperor Chang¡± fell to the ground from his throne, while ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± with the great victory at the reach of his hand closed the door of the secret pass slowly, walking over step by step.


    Qi Jing gave a start, then clenched his fists with a furrow.


    That¡¯s not right¡ª


    He couldn¡¯t only disy the emotion of ¡°fear¡±.


    In fact, no matter how afraid, how miserable he was, in his bones, ¡°Emperor Chang¡± was still a monarch, and he despised his low-born brother from the bottom of his heart. He was afraid, yes, but even while afraid he still had to put his high and royal nature before that, especially prompted by his pride as the legal son of the previous emperor¡¯s first wife.


    He had to first forget that the man before him was Teacher Longbow he so respected, forget that this man was more seasoned than him, more experienced, with better skill.


    He had to look down from up above at him, mock him arrogantly, belittle him.


    He had to, as the proud Son of Heavens¡ª


    As he thought of this, his lips moved instinctively, their corners curling up a bit.


    ¡°Haha.¡± Probably because his teeth were still shaking a moment before, when he opened his mouth to speak now, theugh that escaped his throat had a peculiar morbid taste to it¡ªlike that of a person who was so afraid, they turned calm instead, making it hard to say whether they truly calmed down or turnedpletely insane.


    The audience momentarily forgot to type, turning all of their attention to listening.


    That voiceughed slightly twice, then suddenly raised high, like the change of when one suddenly raised their hung head. It was clearly the emperor who just fell from the throne, but he still had the frivolity to look down with contempt at the other, ¡°Calling yourself Our ¡®servant¡¯, yet you still dare to not kneel before Us?¡±


    Audience 1: ...Woah...


    Audience 2: Woaaaah... I¡¯m starting to feel it!


    Audience 3: Datey like this is so moe! I really love him in this kind of deranged character roles~¡¾Oi¡¿(¨R¨Q)


    ¡°Your Highness... is frightened.¡± At that time, Longbow lowered his voice a bit, even retracting a bit of that overbearing demeanour¡ªlike when a sword edge hits a stone b, knowing that hitting any further would only damage the de, he instead chose to slide down its surface uhurriedly. After putting away the sword, the sharp feeling he caused also weakened slowly.


    Longbow¡¯s tone seemed to have reverted back to ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡¯s¡± days of being a loyal subject when he urged gently, ¡°This servant, didn¡¯t mean to harm Your Highness. As long as Your Highness hands over the imperial seal, this servant will...¡±


    Qi Jing cut him short harshly. ¡°What? You keep calling Us ¡®Your Highness¡¯, yet you still don¡¯t understand the difference of status between a master and a servant?¡± Why did they have to rebel, why did this man have toe here and speak of handing the imperial seal. Getting bitten by a dog he once trusted didn¡¯t spark just a simple anger, but more so the indignation and grief of getting betrayed. Though his rage was so strong that heughed instead, there was still a trace of grievance in hisughter, ¡°You little... you traitorous puny servant, what right do you have to make Us give you Our imperial seal?¡±


    Longbow¡¯s backing down was indeed to follow his acting. Once he thought that, something in him got spurred, and so his voice raised higher as he spoke, to the point where he was just short of shouting out those frenzied words to curse him. The situation turned momentarily, with ¡°Emperor Chang¡± taking the main spot on scene.


    ¡°Ha, hahaha, is it not because you¡¯re already thinking yourself a noble?¡± Qi Jingughed eerily¡ªbut it wasn¡¯t augh of a normal person, more like that of a deranged lunatic. He also used the characteristic of his voice that would raise higher at the end, adding a bit more of the mocking tone to this question.


    He actually liked ying the temperamental and twisted characters, but because of his voice sounding too characteristic, all he would usually get to y would be the well-bred and gentlemanly sons of nobility. So now that he got the rare chance to voice act lines like these, it was surprisingly easy for him to get into the role.


    After his mocking, he took a breath, thenughed viciously through gritted teeth, ¡°But no matter if it¡¯s for seniority or status, you¡¯re still... lower, than, me!¡±


    Even when abandoning their roles as monarch and his subject, even just in the capacity of brothers, when he dropped ¡°Us¡± for ¡°I¡± to refer to himself, he still held the other in contempt.


    Although his background wasn¡¯t the same as Longbow¡¯s, he also underwent professional voice training as a TV reporter, but its goals were a bit different, with the most importance attached to ¡°quick, precise, and clear speech¡±, as well as making the news sound more captivating. Those few things... he could use them all just perfectly here.


    Audience 1: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò So! Handsome! Ah! I actually love this mental case of an emperor who put the majority of his skill points into ridicule!! ¡¾Oi¡¿


    Audience 2: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Aaaah... Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s lunatic is even more handsome than his nobleman!!¡¾Eh, I mean it in a positive way, I really do...¡¿


    Audience 3: Teacher Longbow actually got suppressed...


    Audience 4: Teacher Longbow carried on with it so well, andter Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯seback really is so hype, ahhh!! No wonder big brother Emperor is a major viin, he feels like such a sadist!


    Audience 5: Back to sadist, great. His initial shaky voice reminded me more of a masochist (pfft), it really made me fear for him... Now it seems like he can finish the acting smoothly~


    Audience 6: (*¨R¨Œ¨Q*) Good luck Datey, just like this!! Keep it on!!


    With such positive feedback from the audience, his confidence grew as well. And he was just in the high of his performance, with his momentum as ¡°Emperor Chang¡± growing stronger with each moment. ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± also had a pretty long pause from speaking, so it was just perfect for him to continue showing off his acting skill.


    If he could keep it on like this, then he should be able to¡ª


    Qi Jing opened his mouth, getting ready to also shout out the next line with his current impetus, but he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.


    ¡¾You¡¯re just a bastard the previous emperor abandoned outside, with no name or status, yet you still desire to rob me of thisnd... You should never be born to this world in the first ce!¡¿


    ...Right... The emperor cursed him in the novel, and it was meant to humiliate the marquess, so of course he would mention it, even aggravating the wound with all his savagery.


    ...But...


    Shen Yan¡¯s hoarse voice from his memory suddenly overtook his mind, each word hitting like so many bullets.


    ¡¾I clearly... deep in my heart, I utterly detest you. But, you¡¯re... my only family in the world.¡¿


    When Qi Jing opened his mouth, no sound came out, as if he froze.


    In the story, the previous emperor passed away early, and although ¡°Emperor Chang¡¯s¡± mother got married as an empress, her background was humble. Before she bore the crown prince, she would often get mocked by the concubines in the harem, and after passing away from the illness she only left him as a single lonely son, with no brothers or cousins to rely on. That¡¯s why, wasn¡¯t ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± ¡°Emperor Chang¡¯s¡± only family as well?


    The emperor worked his hardest to support the position he only took these years alone, and probably also went through no small amount of schemes and treacheries, yet he had no trusted person by his side.


    He certainly... had also wished for this ¡°family¡± for himself.


    Even though he knew that Shen Yan¡¯s performance didn¡¯t stick to the original novel, the logic was there. If ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± went down this route, then ¡°Emperor Chang¡± should also¡ª


    ¡°...Gh..¡± Qi Jing trembled, as if able to see the view of this scene, see the face of the man standing before him.


    When acting with another person, the actor didn¡¯t only have to read the other¡¯s voice, but also read their silence. Read their bodynguage, expressions and such.


    Right now, Qi Jing felt as if he could see ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡¯s¡± expression.


    When the emperor said this, the other didn¡¯t say anything in reply, eyes looking down in a numb expression¡ªan expression of having his wounded heart getting gouged out from his chest. And when he also imagined it appearing on Shen Yan¡¯s face as ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡±, he suddenly realised that he was there, listening.


    <i>¡ªShen Yan was listening. </i>


    His lips moved as he instinctively changed his tone under the look of those eyes. ¡°You were just abandoned by the previous emperor outside...¡± At this point, his voice paused, like when a long crack climbs up the tall wall that is about to copse. The wavering was especially prominent in thest word, said almost as if he didn¡¯t want to hurt this man, ¡°...A bastard.¡±


    I¡¯m finished. At that moment, there were only those two words in Qi Jing¡¯s mind.


    I¡¯m finished, I¡¯m finished...


    This was a tant mistake, one he couldn¡¯t cover up anymore.


    A/N:


    2Yan got imprinted with the first impression Kitty¡¯s Papa made, what a tempting demon... (What a pity, he also couldn¡¯t voice act in ?Trap? because of that very reason, *wipes fake tears* ¡û Eh?)


    PS: I also kinda ship ¡°Long Term¡± ¡û I¡¯m also a ¡°Time Limit¡± shipper £¨Kitty¡¯s Papa: ¡°.....¡±)

 Chapter 124

    <h4>Chapter 124</h4>


    Editor: Whitere


    The first thing he realised was that he screwed up.


    The second thing he realised... was the fact that Yuan Zhenming still hadn¡¯t called cut on him, and that the timer was still counting down.


    With things like this, I might as well make the best out of this mistake¡ªQi Jing closed his eyes, resigned to his fate, no longer trying to keep that tottering wall from falling. Instead, he just watched as it turned into sand, flowing down in an unending stream. His words were also scattered like so many grains of sand, ¡°With no name or status, yet... You still desire to rob me of thisnd...¡±


    With emotions out of control, he couldn¡¯t even make an entire coherent sentence, yet what it conveyed wasn¡¯t ¡°hate¡±. It was more as if there was some kind of struggle inside him. Rather than hate, it was closer to grievance¡ªgrievance about how the feelings between brothers, between the monarch and his subject couldn¡¯t evenpare to the mere position of an emperor¡ªit chilled his heart.


    Cursing in a shaky voice to this point, he thenughed neurotically, his reason finally reaching its end as he spat out viciously, ¡°You should never be born... To this world in the first ce¡ª¡± After he finished, he once again bursted into a fit of crazedughter.


    As it slowly began to die down, its tone also changed from frantic to cold, and in the end, theughing part of it faded, eventually letting the sobbing buried deep under it to be heard.


    At that time, Longbow called quietly, ¡°...Your Highness.¡±


    This was supposed to be the part where ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± couldn¡¯t keep on listening to ¡°Emperor Chang¡¯s¡± humiliating him, and spoke up to stop him. Butpletely unlike the acting prompts described, there was not a single bit of that ¡®coldness¡¯ in his tone.


    More than that, there was even a trace of warmth to it. As if he could hear that his brother couldn¡¯t bear to deliver the blow in thatst moment, so even when he cursed him, there was no real harm to it at all. With all of his feelings mixing into a single mess, he also started to choke up with sobs,ughing bitterly ¡°Your Highness... Say no more.¡±


    Audience 1: QAQ Aaah...


    Audience 2: QAQ This somehow kinda makes my heart soft... aah...


    Audience 3: I always felt it that the brotherhood between Emperor and Marquess (honestly, it would be great if it wasn¡¯t only brotherhood¡ûeh?) was overflowing in between the words of this dialogue... Sobs.


    Audience 4: At first I thought that Don¡¯t ask for my return date made a mistake, but listening to this now, I feel like no matter if it is a mistake, or if he interpreted it this way in the first ce... At least I was moved. And for him to dare to y like this in apetition, he really is brave.


    Audience: Yup yup, even if it¡¯s a mistake in acting, I can still experience the characters¡¯ emotions... (I actually cried a bit just now)


    Audience 6: QAQ If it only weren¡¯t apetition... I wish.


    That¡¯s right, if it only weren¡¯t apetition¡ª


    ¡°Cut.¡± Qi Jing wasn¡¯t at all surprised hearing that, and even took a long breath, his expression relieved.


    If it weren¡¯t apetition, then maybe Yuan Zhengming also wouldn¡¯t call a cut on them.


    But unfortunately, thepetition also had its own rules.


    ¡°Ding.¡± When the timer stopped counting down, there were still fifteen seconds left on it. There was also another small part of the dialogue they didn¡¯t manage to perform, which would affect the final score. Still, since he already made a mistake, it didn¡¯t matter how much time he spent.


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Before the other man couldment, Qi Jing took the lead in apologising, chiefly to the fans that supported him, and only then to the judges.


    ¡°You really are something...¡± Yuan Zhengming didn¡¯t say anything for a long while before he hmph-ed nasally and said out loud, ¡°You sure have guts, a crooked seedling getting even more crooked the more it grows.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, once my thoughts took a wrong turn, I instinctively went down the wrong path.¡± Qi Jing repliedposedly.


    ¡°Tell me, what were you thinking of when you made such a half-turn midways?¡± Yuan Zhengming asked suddenly, seemingly rather curious to know about Qi Jing¡¯s train of thought. Qi Jing was surprised and didn¡¯t reply for a moment, stopping for a long while before sorting out how to exin himself.


    ¡°At that time, I felt as if for a moment I could see Marquess Shunyang¡¯s expression. I felt that if I were Emperor Chang, I would surely be soft-hearted¡ªafter all, he¡¯s my only little brother, so seeing him hurt would make me feel sorry for him.¡± Saying this, he realised that he was questioning the original novel, so he promptly smiled and made his stance clear, ¡°I know that the character in the novel doesn¡¯t think so, so I admit that I acted it out wrong. It was only right for Teacher Yuan to stop me at that point.¡±


    After hearing him say so, Yuan Zhengming chuckled twice. ¡°To have a different interpretation and opinion about one work, even one character, isn¡¯t all that weird. But... The organisers had already written out the voice prompts clearly, yet you still insisted on acting ording to your own vision?¡±


    Qi Jing also smiled, ¡°No, I usually follow the original novel when voice acting, but... This time was an exception.¡±


    ¡ªAs if he got possessed, Shen Yan¡¯s ¡°Marquess Shunyang¡± drew out a unique ¡°Emperor Chang¡± out of him. But even if he lost points because of that, he still felt satisfied.


    Especially when Longbow followed his suit and matched his course, the enmity and wounds between those two characters scattered like smoke, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.


    This was the kind of conclusion he wished for.


    Nevertheless, going against the original novel was ultimately still wrong.


    ¡°Return Date¡¯s performance style kind of reminds me of another contestant.¡± At that time, Longbow added with a soft chuckle.


    ¡°I was also met with a simr situation during the semifinals¡ªcontestant overturning the source novel, actingpletely ording to his own idea, making even more drastic changes than Return Date yet still keeping it coherent and reasonable¡ªall of it with quite an unusual charisma. Teacher, does it ring a bell for you?¡±


    As Qi Jing heard it, he could only see the cursor on his screen tremble a bit¡ªit was his hand that shook uncontrobly. He held his breath, staring at the voice activity lights of the two judges. He didn¡¯t expect for him and this man to be mentioned by an ¡°outsider¡± in one breath right now...


    ¡°Oh, I know who you¡¯re talking about.¡±Yuan Zhengming¡¯s avatar flickeredzily. As a voice director, aside from the finals, he naturally had to listen through the semifinals carefully as well.


    Not only he remembered that¡ªwhen Longbow said so, the listeners also startedmenting spiritedly.


    Audience 1: He means Kitty¡¯s Papa!


    Audience 2: &#k3012;&#k25KB;&#k3012; He must mean Kitty¡¯s Papa!! Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s Marquess Shunyang forfeit&#k2026; The eternal source of pain in my heart!!


    Audience 3: &#k3012;&#k25KB;&#k3012; The eternal source of pain!! +1


    Audience 4: The eternal source of pain!! +2 (Hearing Teacher Longbow say so, they really are simr)


    Audience 5: Aaah, they really are&#k2026; But Don¡¯t ask for my return date only changed the character midways, while Kitty¡¯s Papa did that from the start, even adjusting the cement of the lines. The organisers wouldn¡¯t possibly tolerate a performance this willful, so in the end, he still forfeited out of his own volition&#k2026; But there¡¯s no denying that it was captivating!


    Audience 6: Although it was a huge mistake to not follow the original, I still need to thank Return Date-sama for bringing us this different version of Emperor Chang! The interpretation of his psychologyter was also very reasonable, I can understand your train of thought. Good luck! Even if you lose points, it was still awesome! >£ß<


    ¡°They give me the impression that they¡¯re ¡®voice acting¡¯, but not peting¡¯.¡± Longbow said with a slight smile, sounding kind of regretful.


    ¡°Hah,¡± Yuan Zhengming showed neither obvious support nor reproach to that attitude, onlymenting objectively, ¡°It¡¯s obvious that amercialpetition doesn¡¯t suit them, promising seedlings all grow more or less crooked.¡±


    ¡ª ¡°Them¡±Being referred to as such suddenly made Qi Jing feel immensely satisfied, and immensely happy.


    He stared unmovingly at the words rolling through the chat, then slowly moved the cursor of the mouse, clicking the QQ chat window with ¡°Geese Fly North¡± open. There was no new message inside; it stopped at thest exchange they had before.


    He looked as the cursor kept flickering, the light in his irises shing along with it as his expression slowly turned into a reminiscent of the ¡°^_^¡± kaomoji Shen Yan sent him.


    He was just about to write a few words to send him, but it was then when the score got announced.


    ¡¾Group Score¡¿: 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.0


    ¡¾psed Time¡¿: 45 seconds = 0.45 points


    ¡¾Audience Votes¡¿: 88.5% voting ratio = 0.885 points


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall group score: 4.0£«0.45£«0.885 = 5.335 points


    Since Longbow couldn¡¯t give a score as a participant, it was Yuan Zhengming who gave his score for these criteria instead.


    For this group score to actually overtake the one for ¡°Time Limit¡¯s¡± group, it actually caught him by surprise. Qi Jing expected Yuan Zhengming to be harsh and deduct him two or three points for misguiding Longbow... Not only that, but even Teacher Pu gave them a high score of 4.0 points. He didn¡¯t know why, but that made him feel somewhat guilty instead.


    Yet, Yuan Zhengming dispelled his guilt with a cheeky smile, ¡°You were cooperating quite well at the start, and even though it got a bit off-trackter on, you did splendidly in terms of naturality. Let me put it like this¡ªa straight line is a line, and a diagonal line is a line as well, so as long as they link up well, it shows that there is some kind ofpatibility between those two people. Those who aren¡¯tpatible will only create a bunch of dots strewn around that even when trying to link them together would still result in a chaotic mess.¡±


    Thest time Qi Jing heard a description like this was during the higher algebra sses at college.


    Teacher¡¯s Teacher sure was profound...


    Next there was the individual score. Again, Longbow couldn¡¯t give himself a score, so only Qi Jing¡¯s part was disyed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡± individual score:


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿: 3.5, 3,5, average score 3.5


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿: 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.0


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿: 4.0, 3.0, average score 3.5


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿: 4.0, 4.5, average score 42.5


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall average score: 3.5£«4.0£«3.5£«4.25 = 15.25 points


    Additional audience vote points: 76.6% voting ratio = 0.766 points


    Overall score: 15.25£«0.766£«5.335 = 21.351 points


    He originally already made preparations to frankly ept a miserable score, yet he didn¡¯t think that the oue woulde out much better than he expected.


    Longbow was always the one to judge kindly, and this time wasn¡¯t an exception, and Pu Yuzhi, who was consistently pretty strict, actually gave him the highest 4.5 score for ¡®charisma¡¯. When he first saw it, Qi Jing thought that he saw it wrong, and so he stared at it for a long while before snapping out of it. But she also deducted two whole points for the foundation points score, probably as the price for his interpretation of thest few lines going against the canon plot¡ªbut it was a small price nevertheless.


    It wouldn¡¯t count as an ideal score, and it wouldn¡¯t even stand up to thepetition. Despite that, for Qi Jing it was still the audition he was the most proud of... because in this evaluation, ¡®he¡¯ finally became ¡®them¡¯.


    In the empty chat box, he typed in one word: ¡¾Us¡¿


    Just as he was about to press send, his phone rang suddenly. He took a look at the disy and the corners of his lips curled up slightly. Turns out that man didn¡¯t message him on QQ because he was waiting for the scoring to be finished so that he could call him directly.


    After answering the call, he didn¡¯t say ¡®hello¡¯ as he would do with any stranger, opting for a gentle nasal hum instead. It was soft and indolent, like thezy image of how every morning he would pretend to not hear his boyfriend¡¯s rm clock, more interested in snuggling into this man¡¯s embrace and loathing to part with the bed.


    After taking off the headphones, the noisy mour and hubbub of the 2D world stopped momentarily, as its power got cut off, leaving the surroundings quiet. At this time, the wind outside became clear to hear. That sound of sweeping gusts had quite an effect on his cooled yet slightly feverish auditory nerves.


    Qi Jing stood up from his chair, walking over to the window. Even when he was done doing that, the man on the other side of the call still had yet to speak.


    Qi Jing also didn¡¯t hurry him, offhandedly pulling the curtain a bit, watching the night scenery outside. The business hotel he was staying in was rather close to the centre and his apartment was facing away from the main road, so the sight from his window wasn¡¯t like that in most of the brightly-lit metropolises he had been seeing so often.


    The main colour outside was still ck. The light inside the apartment stayed easily within the window panes, reflecting his room as well as his own person.


    As he waited, he suddenly got in a good mood, so he moved closer to blow hot air on the window, then drew a heart in the centre of its fogged white surface. Just as his finger connected the start and the end of the heart¡¯s shape, he finally heard that man¡¯s voice through the receiver.


    ¡°Youe back now, please?¡± It was somewhat sheepish, a bit like a childish pleading. When said in that low and husky voice, it simply made his heart squeeze momentarily.


    ¡°Mn.¡± Even though he clearly knew that it was impossible, he still looked down and agreed with a soft chuckle, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Another spell of silence.


    He stood quietly for a long time by that window, his finger continuing to write a ¡°Yan¡± character inside the heart, his smile unchanging as he listened to that not so even breath of the man on the other side. As that rapid breath slowly calmed down, the struggle in his heart also seemed to have finally passed, finally turning entirely into a dejected sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m not really saying for you to...¡± Come back. This kind of an unreasonable request would only be troublesome.


    ¡°I know.¡± Of course Qi Jing knew, because, ¡°For a person like you to actually say something that might trouble me... It¡¯s even more difficult to do than my going immediately to buy a return ticket right now.¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t reply, only taking a slow, deep breath¡ªit seemed like he still hadn¡¯t calmed down entirely yet.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t hear him speak, so he just listened to the noise of the static in the background, which surprisingly let his mind rx a bit. It¡¯s only that, as the fog on the window started to disappear, he watched the ¡°Yan¡± character framed inside the heart fade away, the expression on his reflection slowly turning mncholic as well¡ªin the end, he still admitted to his loneliness.


    At that time, Shen Yan suddenly spoke and asked, ¡°Qi Jing, did you... because of me...¡±


    Qi Jing understood what he was asking about immediately, but he didn¡¯t answer it directly, only smiling as he replied with another question, ¡°What is it? Did you feel moved by me, hm?¡±


    Shen Yan sighed again. ¡°You really don¡¯t have to worry about me, I¡¯m already fine.¡±


    ¡°If I shouldn¡¯t worry about you, then how about missing you?¡± Qi Jing spoke in a low voice, supporting his head against the window ss. There was a certain rich quality and vour to hisugh, like that of a melted chocte, slowly seeping through the call between them. For a moment, Shen Yan wasn¡¯t able to say anything.


    Qi Jing raised his head, gazing at the star-like lights outside as he continued his murmur. ¡°You know, I... Before, I would always have to run around outside, travelling for business trips; the time I spent in the hotels was probably more than my time at home. Sometimes, I would go gathering news for the whole day and only get back at midnight, with no appetite to eat and unable to fall asleep, so I would sit alone, spacing out by the window. At those times, I felt that staying at a hotel wasn¡¯t different from staying at home at all, it was all dark outside, maybe with few windows lit up, always the same no matter where I was... But now it has changed.¡±


    He stopped for a moment, his voice getting lower. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m looking at the Beijing nightlights, but I feel like they¡¯re not as warm as those I see back at home¡ª¡± Not as warm as those I see by your side.


    ¡°Mn.¡± After a while, Shen Yan replied in a low voice.


    ¡°Does it prove that I¡¯m getting old?¡± Qi Jingughed. Shen Yan alsoughed along softly, a faint yet rich emotion flowing in his breath, pouring out from between the sounds.


    When the call ended, the phone in Qi Jing¡¯s hand was warm, so warm that the warmth of the room became kind of redundant.


    Qi Jing returned to his chair satisfied.


    The good side of having a numbered line-up for thepetition beforehands was that he could estimate the time they had left, and so he estimated that it was about the time for their next auditions before he finished his call with Shen Yan. And unsurprisingly, by the time he got back to theputer, there were still two audition groups before it was his group No.66¡¯s turn.


    This time it would be ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± against ¡°Bai Ke¡±.


    He had to temporarily get out of that crazed Emperor¡¯s mindset, once again changing into that cold and aloof Lord Fang, Inn-owner Fang.


    ¡°For the next stage, we will ask the contestants of group No.66 to take the field!¡± The other two contestant groups didn¡¯t take that much time, and after a short while, it was finally his group¡¯s turn. As always, Yang Chunqu controlled theing and going of the contestants in a neat and methodical manner. Although up to that point, a few mishaps happened during the finals, the overall tempo of the auditions was quite good, in great part thanks to her hard work.


    Qi Jing took a slow breath in, trying to keep calm. He¡¯d better try to rid himself of the influence left by his mistake during thest audition, only this way he would be good to go.


    He wondered who he would stumble upon this time...


    Before he could even look at the contestants list, he abruptly heard a pinkish bubbly old uncle voice in his ears, ¡°Return~ Date~ Sa~ma~¡±


    Qi Jing was petrified and his skin crawled with goosebumps. No, freaking, way?


    Group No.66: ¡¾Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¿vs.¡¾How long away is forever¡¿


    Qi Jing momentarily saw ck before his eyes.


    ¡ªAgain?¡ªJust how many times do I have to ¡°Never Come Back¡± with this guy?


    ¡°Return Date-sama~¡± How long away is forever didn¡¯t at all realise the speechless terror that washed over Qi Jing. He sounded even happier than previously, announcing the joyous news to everyone present, ¡°I got to meet Return Date-sama again! I¡¯m so happy!¡±


    Qi Jing silently turned his face away.


    Ever since he ¡°did an impression¡± of Sleek horses run fast that one time, this kid seemed to really believe that it was him who recorded him and started to treat him as his second idol. If he knew it would turn out this way, he wouldn¡¯t try to get that recording from the real deal... Qi Jing regretted it deep in his heart.


    But if they got put together by a random draw, then there was nothing he could do about that.


    ¡°So... you actually also signed up for ¡®Bai Ke¡¯.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! I signed up for three roles, that is ¡®Yan Buliu¡¯, ¡®Bai Ke¡¯ and also ¡®Emperor Chang¡¯! But I didn¡¯t get into the top ten for thest one, so I couldn¡¯t proceed into the finals.¡± Even mere listening to his tone made one imagine a QAQ-like expression he was probably making right now. Qi Jing turned his face even further away.


    ¡° Just... how much do you like to y viins?¡±


    ¡°Eh, how did Return Date-sama know? Is it because we have a telepathic connection?¡± The pink bubbles only intensified.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s because it¡¯s so in to see, kiddo!


    Under these circumstances, the audience made its way happily to cause some trouble.


    Audience 1: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Pffhhahahaha, it¡¯s ¡°Not Coming Back¡± group, it¡¯s ¡°Not Coming Back¡± group again!!


    Audience 2: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Pfft... So clingy, you simply just can¡¯t shake him off!! Datey, what will you do about that??


    Audience 3: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Our fellow How long away is forever really is smitten devoted~


    Audience 4: Waah, do you treat my Time Limit ship as dead! Little Noodles, quick,e here, your family¡¯s little top¡¾although only in 2D¡¿stumbled across a stalker!


    Audience 5: A stalker... Hahahaha, this description fits quite well. Saying that, during today¡¯s auditions, it¡¯s the first repetition in groups, so could it be that contestant Forever really has some stalker tendencies? (rubs chin)


    Audience 6: ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q Don¡¯t be like that, you need to have some sympathy for Don¡¯t ask for my return date-sama...


    This fellow at the end, yourment and emoji don¡¯t quite match up¡ªQi Jing felt as if he already used up his month¡¯s worth of snark.


    At that time, the hostdy who didn¡¯t cut in all the way up till then finally interrupted How long away is forever with a cough, saying with a weak apologetic smile, ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry, I actually wanted to say, this kind of arrangement... ording to our rules, it¡¯s not allowed.¡±


    Qi Jing was dumbstruck.


    How long away is forever was dumbstruck as well, and so asked foolishly, ¡°Ah? What not allowed? Why is it not allowed?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because contestant How long away is forever has already auditioned in a group with contestant Don¡¯t ask for my return date,¡± Yang Chunqu exined patiently, ¡°If it was an audition for a different character, then there would be no issue. But in the current repeated line-up, contestant Don¡¯t ask for my return date is again ying ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯... With the same partner and the same role to y, it¡¯s about the same as if the two of you already had a run-through. Your tacit understanding of each other is surely higher than that of other people¡¯s, so it would be unfair for the rest of the contestants.¡±


    ¡ªThat¡¯s true... Still in a daze, Qi Jing considered Yang Chunqu¡¯s words¡ªthe organisers had a point by making such a rule.


    How long away is forever had already heard his ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± twice, so he was already familiar with his voice acting style, so he was probably more confident than if he met another ¡°Fang Yisheng¡± which could cause other contestants to object.


    Hearing this, How long away is forever wailed inint with that big uncle voice of his. ¡°What tacit understanding! I have just cooperated with Return Date-sama once, just once! I want my second chance to cooperate~ I beg you, miss host~¡±


    ¡°I... I¡¯m sorry.¡± Yang Chunqu nervously wiped off a handful of sweat.


    ¡°Return Date-sama, quick, help me beg miss host!¡± How long away is forever turned to the tactic of roping him into his shenanigans.


    ¡°I have no say about this. It¡¯s all about how the organisers want to handle it.¡± Qi Jing was still turning his face away. How long away is forever once again whined miserably while the chatughed their heads off, the atmosphere incredibly merry.


    ¡°Ugh... In a case like this,¡± Yang Chunqu seemed to leaf through to something by the mic, as only a sound of turning the pages could be heard. Then, her activity light shone once again, ¡°I just looked through the rules to confirm¡ªif there¡¯s a repeated group with at least one character ovep, the contestant for the repeated character will be moved to the next group with the same line-up of characters.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing opened his eyes wide, instinctively holding his breath.


    ¡°The next group with the same ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯ and ¡®Bai Ke¡¯ line-up... Ah.¡± Yang Chunqu paused a little, her voice brightening up, happy with finding the answer she was looking for so swiftly, ¡°67.¡±


    TN:


    Luci: Merryte Christmas everyone! Sorry for thete update, this chapter is a chonky one and I got caught up with the preparations for Christmas... But I hope you¡¯re spending the end of this year all warm andfy ^^


    Whitere: dundundun! 67 :O?


    Haha, hope everyone had a great holiday~

 Chapter 125

    <h4>Chapter 125</h4>


    Editor: Whitere


    His heart instinctively reacted to that ¡®67¡¯ number¡ªit thumped twice, striking his chest with a slight pang of pain. All the sounds around seemed to have been thrown back to somece where his hearing couldn¡¯t reach.


    He didn¡¯t know what the host had said after that, he also didn¡¯t know what the audience said... He could only hear the beating of his heart growing louder.


    Qi Jing slowly sat up from his seat almost mechanically, standing straight up.


    ¡°Contestant Don¡¯t ask for my return date will get moved to the group No.67, is that alright?¡± At the scene, Yang Chunqu was asking him for his opinion.


    She waited a long while, yet didn¡¯t hear an answer.


    Yang Chunqu was bewildered. ¡°Contestant Don¡¯t ask for my return date, your group number will be changed to 67, is that alright with you?¡± Although the arrangements have been made already, she still needed to ask him this routine question out of courtesy.


    This time, she finally heard the rustling sound of the microphone being moveding from the other side, then, the other¡¯s activity light flickered, that soft ¡°mhm¡± basically inaudible unless one really strained their ears¡ªbut it still counted as a reaction. Yang Chunqu breathed a sigh of relief and proceeded to let the group No.66 begin first.


    Qi Jing still stood unmoving in the same ce. His mind waspletely empty, a clear nkness as if covered with a snow-white tablecloth, hiding away all of his thoughts, covering it all, leaving him momentarily, utterly dazed.


    Once his shock peaked, he gradually started to settle down instead¡ªnot that he wasn¡¯t nervous anymore, but he had already lost the cognition of his own ¡®nervousness¡¯. Yet his physical reaction was clearly not catching up to that¡ªas he slowly turned the hands he supported on the desk up and looked down on them, he saw his palms covered in ayer of sweat, fingers still shaking. This way, he knew that he was in fact still very much nervous.


    So he went to the bathroom to ssh some cold water on his face.


    Just like the droplets of water rolling down the side of his face, the rush of his heartbeat changed from frenzied to less rapid, only to slow down gradually with great difficulty, then finally stopping, just like the water droplets gathering under his chin.


    ¡°Phew...¡± Qi Jing exhaled deeply, turning the faucet off. He pped both his cheeks twice, the pain causing him to calm down a whole lot.


    His mood right now was basically one of someone who, despite expecting that only a lifetime of poverty awaited them, suddenly struck gold and won a million yuan in a lottery.


    His shock and euphoria were real, but the cardiac arrest he barely avoided was just as real too.


    Thinking of this, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help butugh. Looking at the sorry picture of himself in the mirror only amused him even further, and so he covered his face with a towel whileughing, trying to dry the droplets quivering at his hair ends along with hisughter. Finally, he curbed his surging sentiments, atstposing himself while going out.


    As he returned to his desk, the disy of his phone had just turned off¡ªit seemed like he got a message. Of course, Qi Jing knew very well who the sender was.


    When he opened it to take a look, there was not a single word mentioning anything rted to thepetition, only a very short sentence:¡¾I¡¯m holding the button in my hand right now. ¡¿


    ¡°So sly...¡± Even though that man clearly knew that he didn¡¯t have anything by his hand, nothing to reach for, to touch.


    He quietly muttered hisint, yet his brows unfurrowed slightly and he lowered his head with a smile. After going back... he would probably also need to rip off a button from that man¡¯s shirt as revenge.


    Immersed in those thoughts, he was still smiling silently when he suddenly heard the host calling him in the headphones. ¡°Contestant Don¡¯t ask for my return date, the next audition will be group No.67, thank you for your understanding for this unusual arrangement¡ªright now, I will have the moderators give the mic ess to the rted contestants.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing¡¯s throat bobbed a bit.


    Only for him to see the line-up on the screen change, showing thebination he didn¡¯t even think of hoping to see that evening.


    Group No.67: ¡¾Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¿vs.¡¾Kitty ¤Î Papa¡¿


    He thought that he already prepared himself plenty for it, but when he actually saw the two of their IDs appear alongside each other, Qi Jing straightened his back instinctively, even feeling a sudden urge to go ssh his face with cold water once again.


    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have time for that.


    Although he was nervous, since he knew about it beforehands, at least on the surface he didn¡¯t have too much of a reaction.


    And as for the oblivious audience, the moment they saw this group line-up, it was as if a drop of water fell into a pot of boiling oil¡ªthey exploded momentarily, the chat bursting with the shrieks of joy.


    Audience 1: What!!?? Datey and Kitty¡¯s Papa?? Aaaaaah, for the love of me, this line-up... I¡¯m not okay, not at all!!


    Audience 2: Aaaaaah! This line-up was so, so unexpected!!


    Audience 3: ( ¨s¨F¿Ú¡ä)¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø Abination like this actually appearing towards the 70th group numbers, are you really not going to let us sleep!


    Audience 4: ( &#k256U;&#k2035;&#k53R3;&#k2032;)&#k256U;&#kUR35;&#k2534;&#k2500;&#k2534; Either way, with so many groups out there it already made me give up on my sleep, so one more won¡¯t change a thing! (sobs, actually I¡¯m so hyped already!)


    Audience 5: Holy! Crap! Don¡¯t ask for my return date and Kitty¡¯s Papa! (This line-up really is hype!)


    Audience 6: Holy! Moly! Those two are actually in an audition together! I was already getting tired from listening all the way up till now, but all the fatigue was gone the moment I saw those IDs, it woke me up right away! I¡¯m really really really really really looking forward to it, kyaaaaayayayah! (¡ûgot so excited that my tongue twisted...)


    ¡°I will ask both of you to prepare your equipment before starting.¡± Yang Chunqu greeted them with a smile. The heated discussion in the chat was in to see and she had a very favourable impression of those two, but a host is still a host¡ªshe had to remain impartial towards all of the contestants, so it was only her voice that conveyed a bit more of her smile than usual.


    Qi Jing¡¯s palms were still wet¡ªwhether he didn¡¯t wipe them thoroughly after sshing his face, or was he still sweating, he didn¡¯t want to think about that now at all.


    After pressing ¡°F2¡±, he felt as if he had be a cursor¡ªthe shing tempo of the one on-screen just about matched the pulse of the heart that rushed up his throat. He knew that everyone was waiting for him, this cursor, to move forward, type something out, but faced with this nk page, he just couldn¡¯t muster a single word.


    While on the other side, that man was waiting there silently.


    He suddenly remembered how the first time they met, that guy also didn¡¯t take an initiative to speak, waiting silently for the PIA to start on the side, a living image of diligence. And he got curious about this man like a shadow, so he casted a single ray of light at him. He only wanted to take a closer look, yet he didn¡¯t expect that what he casted a light on, was their first crossing in their lives¡ª


    At that time, what did he say?


    At that time...


    His lips opened involuntarily, like the cursor that finally moved by a two words¡¯ worth as he spouted in a daze, ¡°Hello Grandpa.¡±


    The man on the other side also seemed to get struck with a daze, then Qi Jing next heard his low chuckle from the other side, his breath falling on the mic causing a small puff noise. But the atmosphere was somehow indescribably harmonious.


    Meanwhile, the audience burst withughter.


    Audience 1: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Hahahaha, what kind of greeting is that~


    Audience 2: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä Hahahaha, Return Date-sama, don¡¯t bully Kitty¡¯s Papa like this right away~ (faking a grandpa voice isn¡¯t all that easy)


    Audience 3: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä I really looked forward to Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s quirky opening (it¡¯s already became a scenic point, you can already try applying for the rights to it /h), but I honestly didn¡¯t expect the first sentence to be this, pfft...


    Audience 4: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä didn¡¯t expect the first sentence to be this +1


    Audience 5: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä didn¡¯t expect the first sentence to be this +2


    Audience 6: o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä So happy!! Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s meeting him for the first time, yet he¡¯s already getting so tantly yed with??


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t their first time meeting. But this really was the first thing he said when they met for the first time. And using this to y with this man, it really was...


    Qi Jing¡¯s ears flushed slightly. Aside from them, no one on the scene knew of this. At that time, he only jokinglyughed a bit about this because he heard that Great God¡¯s substitute was a ¡°heavenly immortal style¡± of a grandpa voice, who got temporarily invited by the audio drama staff to help them. At the same time, he knew that this person was the kind that never chatted on QQ, even using the YY voice chat for the first time. Aside from that, the reason why he cracked a joke like this as a greeting was also because he wanted to take the burden off this man, so that they could go through a PIA together with an ease of mind.


    He just didn¡¯t expect that... The one to be unable to leave his burden behind this time would be him instead.


    ¡°Are you still okay?¡± At this time, that man asked so in a low voice, with a trace of audible smile in it, both mild and sweet.


    With a ¡®still¡¯ added to that ¡®are you okay¡¯, itpleted the span from their first knowing each other to old friends.


    Qi Jing¡¯s heart grew warmer. ¡°Mhm...¡± He almost didn¡¯t make a sound while replying, only his breath making a noise as it spilled over with warmth.


    ¡°You sound nervous, your voice is shaking.¡± That man listened for a bit to his breathing, then voiced his concern with all sincerity.


    Qi Jing controlled his racing heartbeat, but he didn¡¯t go out of his way to control the slight tremble in his voice, letting ite out naturally as he replied hoarsely ording to the truth, ¡°I am,pared to when I acted with Teacher Longbow before... I¡¯m even more nervous now and more afraid.¡±


    ¡°What are you afraid of?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be a match for you.¡±


    ¡°No way,¡± That man chuckled, his voice calmer than ever, yet his words were also much more surprising than what he ever said, ¡°When we first yed together before everyone, it was you who took an initiative to match with me, telling me to not be nervous¡ªdo you still remember this?¡±


    Saying this was nothing else than actively denying them being strangers.


    At the beginning, Qi Jing was considering whether they should pretend that they don¡¯t know each other before the audience, so that his haters wouldn¡¯t have a chance to also involve this guy. But...Qi Jing suddenly felt a piece of his heart being pulled apart and something both sweet and sour spilling out, reminding him of that feeling of drinking a bowl of hot soup from the street side vendor in the middle of winter¡ªa feeling of being so content, that he held his breath with his tears about to spill.


    ¡°...I remember,¡± He paused for a bit at that point, repeating in a voice even huskier than before, ¡°Of course, I remember.¡±


    ¡°Mn, in that case it¡¯ll be okay if we do it like before.¡±


    The tone of the man at the other side was indeed in no way different from how they were used to talking¡ªlike two cordial friends talking about daily trifles under the eyes of everyone, just as when they chatted by the table, at the balcony, and on the pillows, leisurely and carefree, not at all bothered by other people¡¯s gazes.


    Just as if, there were only the two of them in this world, only them in each others eyes¡ª


    Audience 1: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã ...Eh...


    Audience 2: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã ...Eh, eeehhhh?


    Audience 3: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã The first time ying together? Wh-when, is it not actually the first time now??


    Audience 4: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤ÃBut from what I remember, those two didn¡¯t meet each other in the finals? Can it be... Can it be that they already knew each other before? (Holy! The gate to apletely new world just opened for me!)


    Audience 5: The way they¡¯re talking is so... I don¡¯t know how to describe it... So warm? (I¡¯m already making no sense)


    Audience 6: They already know each other, and their rtionship is also pretty good?? Aaaaaaaah! What to do, I¡¯m suddenly feeling just! So! Fired! Up! But speaking of that, during Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s semifinals, didn¡¯t someone say that Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s voice is very simr to Mr tmate¡¯s...?


    It was still fine before, but the moment ¡°the tmate¡± theory got brought up, the chat instantly boiled up like a kettle on a stove, boiling over from the shock like the puffs of vapour at the kettle beak.


    Audience 1: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤ÃDamn!! Didn¡¯t the folks from the forum already dig out that Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s tmate is that already retired Sleek Horses Run Fast!?


    Audience 2: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã Damn!! Could it really be Don¡¯t ask for my return date?? (Me who¡¯s nowpletely on fire)


    Audience 3: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã Is this news about to blow up real big?? (Me who¡¯s nowpletely on fire too, I¡¯m with you, buddy from above)


    Audience 4: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã Will! You! Let! Me! Sleep!


    Audience 5: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã Can someone check their IPs? Right now I really need to know if they share the IP, aaaaaaah!


    Audience 6: There is someone, there is! I think our ck Vest can do that!! Our man ck Vest, begging for another good deed in passing!! I beg you, quick, tell us if their IPs are the same, I don¡¯t need to know their address, I¡¯m only asking you if it¡¯s the same!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò (Rolls around, cries bloody tears begging)


    This time, the situation got way out of hand. They revealed their rtionship as ¡®old friends¡¯, but... should they really appear publicly as ¡®tmates¡¯? To be honest, he felt like they already revealed enough and it wouldn¡¯t do them any good to continue any further. Not knowing whether that ck vest user would react in any way, Qi Jing was kind of nervous.


    The ck vest did indeed react, but their reaction was rather ingenious.


    Doing good things in passing: ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q Oh my, since so many people is asking, I can just say first, provided that there will be no privacy infringement involved¡ªin short, their current IP is different,pletely different~


    This was true. Qi Jing secretly rejoiced that he was currently away from home.


    Probably because the ck vest was too mighty, even using such a definitive word as pletely¡¯, their words immediately extinguished the high fires of the ¡®tmate theory¡¯. Some of the listenersmented that ¡°It seems like it was actually Sleek horses run fast¡±, while others added, ¡°So it¡¯s not Don¡¯t ask for my return date... That¡¯s kind of a pity¡±, but all of them abandoned this hypothesis, proceeding to channel their thoughts in a different direction.


    But this ck vest user deliberately added that ¡®currently¡¯, which made it sound as if the meaning between the words hinted that ¡®at least currently it¡¯s different¡¯, leaving a bit of freedom of interpretation there.


    In the end, Qi Jing felt an itch of curiosity at the back of his mind, wanting to know just who this esteemed ck vest could be.


    ¡°Cough cough, then, let¡¯s begin?¡± It was when the silence between those two continued for a few seconds already, when Yang Chunqu finally snapped out of it and remembered her duties as the host, and so she coughed hurriedly and asked them.


    Just as Qi Jing was about to reply, he heard the man from the other side of the call speak softly to stop her. ¡°Wait. Before we begin... I have a request.¡±


    Eh... Qi Jing was dumbfounded.


    Yang Chunqu was also very curious about that, ¡°Please ask, contestant Kitty¡¯s Papa.¡±


    That man¡¯s voice was unruffled like a water¡¯s surface when he said unhurriedly, ¡°I want to change my ID to my real one right now, I hope that Miss Host will allow me.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s head shot up suddenly. He heard a buzzing in his ears, as if someone struck a gong just by him, his brain rendered so numb that he couldn¡¯t even budge.


    He wanted to type something, but his fingers got too stiff to type.


    He wanted to say something, but his voice got caught in his throat.


    With his reaction like this, the chat that instantly went on fire created a stark contrast¡ª


    Audience 1: Awooooooooooooooo!! ¡ã¡£¡ã(((p(¨R¿Ú¨Q)q)))¡ã¡£¡ã


    Audience 2: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s real ID!! Awooooo!! (My excitement metre reaching its absolute MAX)


    Audience 3: ¨“¨Œ¨“ I knew that an ID like ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± had to be a smurf!!


    Audience 4: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Aaaaah, the blood is rushing to my head!! I¡¯ve beenining in the forum that there was no one who dug up Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s actual ID before, but now he¡¯s actually about to say it himself, that¡¯s, so, ahhh!!! (pardon me, I¡¯m really too excited right now ahhhh!)


    Audience 5: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Is that some great god? He certainly is some great god from the circle, if not then maybe a professional VA? (Holy, my heart is about to give up)


    Audience 6: ¨“¨Œ¨“ No matter who he turns out to be, I¡¯m looking forward to it~ Come, hit us with it!


    In theory, it didn¡¯t matter at all if the contestant changed their ID on the spot. As long as the person stayed the same, there was no rules vition to speak of. So Yang Chunqu agreed, stupefied, ¡°Okay...¡±


    That man said in a low voice, ¡°Thank you host.¡±


    The next moment, the ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± ID on the contestant list changed into three back into words¡ªthe same three words he used when he first met ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡±.


    ¡¾Geese Fly North¡¿


    Having returned to that point after a lengthy detour, for it to be their finish, he couldn¡¯t say that he didn¡¯t feel some sort of fulfilment.


    ¡°During this audition, I want to go back to my actual ID, and I will only use it for this one audition. Because...¡± He went silent for a short moment, then smiled lightly, ¡°Only this way is it special.¡±


    A/N:


    I¡¯m having such an urge to put an¡¾END¡¿, but it would get me killed... _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_


    I feel thatpared to waiting for other people to dig out their real rtionship, it¡¯s much more meaningful for them to admit it openly. Kitty¡¯s Papa gives me such a top vibes... (holds her cheeks starry eyed) ¡û man¡¯s been the top since the very beginning though??


    PS. During this time, I attended one funeral and three interviews, I feel like has been so many turning points in my lifetely, I didn¡¯t have much rest these days, I¡¯m very sorry. At least... At least I will write this novel to the end... (lies down crying)


    T/N:


    Luci: Although I would hate for this story to end here, I need to admit that this chapter gives me such aforting sense of closure... They started off only acting together covertly, each with their broken part of heart, yet now they can be facing each other openly, with no fear or open wound to be scared of showing... Damn.


    Aaaaaand, happy New Year everyone! I hope it will bring you a lot of joy and luck, but for now, please stay warm andfy <3


    Whitere: SY really does mic drop well... That ID reveal was sublime.

 Chapter 126

    <h4>Chapter 126</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    ¡¾Special¡¿


    Up till that point, these words almost didn¡¯t have any particr presence in Qi Jing¡¯s life.


    He was born to a family with an older sister and a younger brother, so since he was young, no matter if it was something he ate or what he used, it all had to be shared among the three of them. He never enjoyed the preferential treatment of the special, only child.


    After he grew up, he chose an upation that revolved around teamwork, where neither finding news orpiling and editing them was never done alone. The achievements at work were also not supposed to be attributed to one person only, so even when he once got the award for the best news at the end of a year, it was also under the name of a ¡®team¡¯.


    Even when... he fell in love with that man during college, there was still another someone by that man¡¯s side.


    He was already used to being one of many. There has never been someone who clearly thought of him as a ¡°special¡±, aside from¡ª


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyes suddenly became wet.


    But he also felt that, for him to shed tears because a phrase this simple in his age would be too useless, so he grit his teeth trying to hold it back. But his fingers still instinctively tapped at the F2 key, turning the mic off for a moment, so as to avoid letting anyone hear him choking with a sob.


    ¡°...So sly...¡± It was said in such a calm and easy tone, yet it still made him find it sly.


    It slyly took all of his previous envy towards other people, the anxiousness he felt about himself, as well as the worry about their real rtionship attracting other people¡¯s disapproval, and dispelled them all.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even have the chance to ask for it, yet you already gave it to me.¡± He sniffled slightly, thenughed helplessly, ¡°And how am I supposed to try to properly best you in?¡±


    No wonder that someone had said before that... the producers who already got themselves exclusive rights would take their sweet time with the production, as they didn¡¯t have to worry about other people snatching it away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t spoil your boyfriend too much.¡± Otherwise, what if I lose the drive to progress?


    Although he did say so, the voice he said it in was hoarse and apanied by a low chuckle. In the end, he raised his hand and rubbed the corners of eyes with a sleeve, only then pressing the F2 key.


    Right now, it was¡¾Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¿and¡¾Geese Fly North¡¿that figured on the contestant line-up.


    With those two lined up side by side, he felt a surge of gratification wash over his heart.


    Even though, for the onlookers, it didn¡¯t bring them any sort of gratification, quite the opposite even. This unforeseen discrepancy between the expectation and the truth only let them down, leaving them indifferent¡ª


    Audience 1: Eh... Geese Fly North? Geese Fly North... Who is that...?


    Audience 2: Eh, is this really Kitty¡¯s Papa actual ID? I, I¡¯ve never heard that at all... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Audience 3: Eh? So he isn¡¯t some great god¡¯s side ount? _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Audience 4: ...I also haven¡¯t heard it before, I kinda feel disappointed like the folks above... Turns out it¡¯s some ordinary ID I¡¯ve never heard of...


    Audience 5: Huh?? Kitty¡¯s Papa isn¡¯t some great god?? If he is not, then is he really just a nobody?? But with his skills, he makes the title of ¡®great god¡¯ kinda pale inparison... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Audience 6: To be honest, I¡¯m a bit disappointed, since I was positive that Kitty¡¯s Papa was some god¡¯s, or maybe some professional voice actor¡¯s, side ount. I¡¯ve been trying so hard for a long time to dig this info up to no avail, but when he in turn made it public himself, it turned out that I¡¯ve never even heard of this ID... Sigh, that¡¯s basically the same as if he didn¡¯t reveal that, and I¡¯m the one being worldly-minded.


    In the chat, a whole lot of listeners were asking each other around who ¡®Geese Fly North¡¯ was, with nock of people expressing their disappointment. Perhaps they were too sure that they would see some great god¡¯s ID before, so when they saw apletely unaplished one, even more unfamiliar and low-profile than ¡®Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯, the previous excitement slowly shrivelled back, as if poured over with icy water.


    It could be even said that, after thispetition, there was more people knowing the fake ID of ¡®Kitty ¤Î Papa¡¯ than ¡®Geese Fly North¡¯.


    Qi Jing furrowed a bit, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    It was also like that before.


    Before, he would also quietly help all those producers in a hurry to find people to fill in under an inconspicuous name, disappearing the moment he was done with his part of work. Because he would basically only ept the most walk-on characters with barely a few lines of dialogue, the ID of ¡®Geese Fly North¡¯ often would only appear at the very end of the cast credits and if sometimes someone forgot to add it, no one would even realise that, nor would it change anything.


    And just like this, even though he secretly filled in for the great god for the run-through with him, when the audio drama got published, no one even mentioned this fact, afraid of offending the great god as well as his fanbase.


    And just like this, when he was secretly going through his darkest days, under the name of ¡®Geese Fly North¡¯, he looked out for him, cared for him...


    ¡ª¡ª¡¾Doesn¡¯t ¡®Geese Fly North¡¯ mean the arrival of spring?¡¿


    ¡ª¡ª¡¾You¡¯re the first person to say that.¡¿


    ¡°I like it, this ID.¡± He spoke suddenly, ¡°Thank you for changing it back.¡¯


    Wasn¡¯t him changing it back basically saying, ¡°It¡¯s only you I would apany under this ID¡±?


    Hearing this, that man seemed slightly dazed, thenughed faintly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s not really famous.¡±


    ¡°No need to bother with things like this,¡± Heughed, ¡°You¡¯re yourself, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± That person didn¡¯t say much more. Having been by each other¡¯s sides all that time, it only took slightly touching upon a topic for the other to understand, their hearts no longer a mystery, ¡°Before you, I can go back to being myself&#k2014;thank you, Return Date.¡±


    He called him ¡®Return Date¡¯ only ever so softly, yet just like this, he opened the floodgate in his voice. All the emotions this gate that had been holding behind it poured out in a great plenty, the warmth and tenderness indescribable.


    The listeners got instantly shocked silly. Up till before that moment, most of them were still debating the problem of the ID¡¯s recognisability, but at that point, the audience¡¯s attention already got pulled back to them.


    Audience 1: ...Eh?


    Audience 2: ...Eh? I don¡¯t know why, but I feel a need to hold my heart... (Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s tone is so... gentle)


    Audience 3: ...It really is tender. (Especially when he said ¡®Return Date¡¯, it hit me right in my heart)


    Audience 4: ...This, although I know that they¡¯re only friends, but I, can I... can I ship them a bit in silence? (covers face)


    Audience 5: QAQ I don¡¯t even care what he¡¯s called or what ID he uses, I just cherish VAs like him so much!! His conversation with Return Date is so moving!! (But speaking of it, are they really just friends??)


    Audience 6: QAQ Datey said right, it doesn¡¯t matter if Kitty¡¯s Papa is some famous VA, don¡¯t we all like him because of his person, his acting?? (The person above, why need to only ship them a bit? To be honest I ship them a whole! Damn! Lot!! With them being old friends, there¡¯s already the emotional foundation, and listening to them talk is even more heartwarming aahhhhh!¡ûI¡¯m so sorry for Datey¡¯s IRL boyfriend)


    Probably because Qi Jing had been brought into a mess too many times before, this time a bunch of his fans quickly spoke up to speak on his behalf.


    Audience 1: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Ahhh, although I want to ship it... But wouldn¡¯t it bring him problems if we ship him haphazardly like this? After all he had already said it himself, he has a boyfriend IRL.


    Audience 2: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right! As Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s fan, every time I see antis hating on him for using people or stuff like that when he¡¯s being shipped, it makes me feel so helpless~ (Even though he¡¯s so low-profile himself)


    Audience 3: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ Saying this, wasn¡¯t that one time when he got most hated on in the forums because of the people shipping him with Bronze Sparrow Terrace at that time? They shipped him so hard at first, now they¡¯re hating him even harder, Lord Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans sure are daring both in love and in hate...


    Audience 4: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ It¡¯s not good if we¡¯ll continue to fantasise like this... Kitty¡¯s Papa will probably find it ufortable, right?? (He has a rtionship in IRL too)


    Audience 5: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ Uh, who knows, maybe Kitty¡¯s Papa also knows Return Date-sama¡¯s boyfriend, wouldn¡¯t that be even more awkward...?


    Audience 6: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ Yup, yup, Datey and Kitty¡¯s Papa, just ignore us! We just happened to ship you guys in a moment of weakness (Cough cough, I also shipped Time Limit and Long Term¡ûlooks away in shame) But shipping aside, we don¡¯t intend to confuse your online presence with your IRL and cause you trouble!! We know that you¡¯re only very good friends, so no worries!!


    ...Pfft.


    Seeing this, Qi Jing really was at a loss of whether tough or cry¡ªsure enough, the tale of ¡°The Boy and The Wolf¡± really had its roots in reality.


    Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t care about whether they were regarded as friends or something else. As long as they could perform together, even if it wasn¡¯t as lovers, and even if it wasn¡¯t as friends, even if it was only as theplete strangers meeting for the first time just as that time they first met¡ªhe would let himself be guided by that man¡¯s voice that roused all kinds of emotions within him, attracting him, then let it apany him in searching for the breakthrough in his own acting.


    He smiled peacefully behind the screen for a while, then out of nowhere, he called this man a pet name he never used, yet always looked out for the opportunity to try out, ¡°A-Yan.¡±


    ¡ªHe would treat that as a small response to the other man¡¯s ¡®slyness¡¯. He would be too embarrassed to call him that in his face, so he was only able to do that now.


    He didn¡¯t know what the man from the other side was thinking right now, he didn¡¯t say anything for that little bit.


    But he didn¡¯t need to worry, it was fine as long as he heard it. Qi Jing bit his lip slightly, trying his best to curb the chuckle in his voice, ¡°I¡¯m ready, and you?¡±


    It took a long while before he heard that man reply in a low voice, ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Qi Jing really wanted to see his expression right now.


    He didn¡¯t know what expression the man in question made, but the listener¡¯s expression was incredibly uniform, almost amusingly.


    Audience 1: ¨“¨Œ¨“ ...!!!!!! (¡ûOnly those exmation marks can express my feelings now)


    Audience 2: ¨“¨Œ¨“ ...I have clearly already made my mind to not indulge in my fantasies anymore, but s... Are you trying to make me repress them till it causes me internal damage!? (rolling, rolling all over the floor!)


    Audience 3: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Just! What! A! Yan! Is! That! (It hit my heart harder than that ¡°Return Date¡± just now)


    Audience 4: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Just! What! A! Yan! Is! That! (I have no idea what to say, I can only howl)


    Audience 5: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Just! What! A! Yan! Is! That! (Turns out they don¡¯t only know each other, but their rtionship is already this good?)


    Audience 6: ¨“¨Œ¨“ I don¡¯t give a damn, 2D is 2D, please give me the permission to ship Returning Geese! Returning Geese gives me that ¡°rainbowes after storm¡± feeling!


    ¡°Well then, time starts for group No.67¡ª¡± Yang Chunqu¡¯s rose her voice, its brisk tune finally able to pop out among the heated debate, bringing everyone¡¯s attention back to herself.


    But this focus soon shifted away again, as for the following sixty seconds, everyone¡¯s attention was entirely upied by the lights by¡¾Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¿and ¡¾Geese Fly North¡¿those two IDs, loath to miss even a single second.


    During the time it took for the timer to jump from 0:00 to 0:01, Qi Jing lowered his eyes, shut them. As if shutting off the door to reality.


    It was all dark around.


    It was all hush around.


    The image from the beginning lines he had just skimmed through started to appear in the darkness, the words like so many letterpress types, popping out from the screen, changing into the sounds as they fell before him¡ªsounds from far away to near. He seemed to hear the wind blowing and grass dancing, and the barely audible rustle of the clothes during movements. But among those indistinct background noises, none caught his ear as quickly as the single sound of smashing, trapping him in that scene.


    In this scenery, there were only two sitting people, one radiant moon, one tree shadow alley, one residence room, one lengthy table, one jug of wine, and one pair of cups.


    ¡ªAnd one of those cups just got smashed.


    ¡ªIt got smashed because the hand in which he held it shook, releasing its hold on it, hence it fell to the floor and broke. And the reason why his hand shook so was because the man before him caught his wrist in a crazed outburst.


    Here, ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯ didn¡¯t have any line of dialogue appearing yet, it was ¡®Bai Ke¡¯ who was supposed to take the lead.


    Nevertheless, ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯ should be the first to show a reaction. Unlike the already edited audio drama, there were no sound effects at y now, so the main issue at hand was how to let the listeners hear the movement of ¡®Bai Ke ruthlessly caught Fang Yisheng¡¯s hand¡¯.


    ¡°Ugh¡ª¡± Thinking this, he felt a chill in his heart and instinctively sucked in a mouthful of breath with a muted groan of pain.


    Since it was harm made in a craze, Bai Ke used no small amount of strength and his wrist would probably hurt as if it got broken. Since he had experienced the shock caused by the pain of his bones breaking, he easily got into his mindset at the time, the cry he let out incredibly life-like.


    It wasn¡¯t just his hand¡ªthe throat that had just felt the burning of the potent wine hurt too, the pain travelling all the way to his stomach like a twisting knife. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was caused by the wine itself, or by the poison inside.


    Indeed, the poison in the wine.


    Since he had already known about it before drinking, the moment the poison acted up, he didn¡¯t show any sign of surprise, choosing to bear the pain instead. His voice followed his train of thought as after the first grunt of pain, he grit his teeth, not letting the second one out.


    At that time, there was a sudden roar in his headphones. ¡°Fang Yisheng¡ª¡±


    Compared to Qi Jing¡¯s indistinct breathing, this roar was plenty powerful, like a bullet shedding its case and hitting his ears. But it wasn¡¯t one shot from a steady hand, more like a stray bullet from the trembling hands¡ªit was obviously powerful and piercing, yet it actually made one hear the weakness in it.


    Because the impetus of this voice was too strong, Qi Jing actually shook violently, as if really shot with a bullet, his breathing stopping momentarily.


    But the second time that man spoke, his voice sank low, as if he realised that his wavering proved that there was still some part of him that didn¡¯t want to kill the other. This realisation left him rmed, angry, spiteful, and also slightly hesitant. ¡°...Fang, Yi, Sheng.¡±


    He took a shaky breath, then called him again. ¡°...Fang Yisheng...¡±


    After he called him for the third time, that man started to pant heavily. His voice was still trembling, shaking out muffled, broken sobs from between those pants. ¡°Wu¡ª...¡±


    Qi Jing felt something squeeze in his chest, leaving him unable to speak.


    If Bai Ke¡¯s first cry was a shot of a bullet, then the second and third one was slowly carving the bullet out of the wound. The former was an attack, but thetter was a torture.


    Right at that point, they were supposed to be enemies. But... Listening to it now, he didn¡¯t only hear the spite and hatred. It wasn¡¯t because the person performing with him was his beloved¡ªeven with listening to him just as the character, he also heard traces of ¡®emotion¡¯ progressing through those three calls.


    Audience 1: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò ...This plot line...


    Audience 2: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò ...They actually chose this plot line ahhhhh!! (Organisers! You really are the masterminds of angst!)


    Audience 3: I knew that it was doomed to be angsty when I saw those two characters for the audition... _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_


    Audience 4: The moment I saw that Kitty¡¯s Papa is going to y Bai Ke, I knew that he would surely deliver the pain... It¡¯s because he makes it feel like each hateful person has some pitiful side (it¡¯s mainly because of his voice type and acting style both being at y), and then when Iter saw that Datey¡¯s gonna be Fang Yisheng, I just... (mainly because that contrast from that fluffy opening bit before is a bit jarring.) _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_


    Audience 5: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò Just as the one above is saying... when I remember their previously harmoniously blissful (?) times, it makes it hurt even more, ahhhh!!


    Audience 6: ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò What is up with you if you catch their hand after poisoning them?? (If this isn¡¯t the romance route)


    The scene chosen for the finals was the scene of ¡°Bai Ke¡± poisoning ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±, which was also the scene that symbolised the break of their rtionship.


    ording to the novel description, Bai Ke took a kind of an unusual poison from Yan Buliu¡¯s ce and covertly added it to the wine, asking Fang Yisheng out for a small drink just as usual, then proposed a toast to him. He didn¡¯t expect at all that Fang Yisheng would actually raise his cup to empty it in one swig. At that time, he wavered and instinctively caught the other man¡¯s hand, but unfortunately, by the time the cup fell to the floor, half of the wine in it was already gone.


    Up to this point, the only words that were officially written out in the lines were ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±, those two words¡ªbut the content that was brought to life by the actual voices was far more than that. An inhale, a gasp, a sob... all of it was a ¡®performance¡¯.


    Up to this point, only a mere dozen of seconds passed, but the performance let the audience hear the span of dozens of minutes, days, even years of the characters growing and changing behind those seconds.


    Fang Yisheng had only about two types of people around him in his life.


    One type was people like Yan Buliu, who always were on guard, using every advantage they got and getting rid of any obstacle they met, each moment only a spell of inattention away from losing their lives. The other type was like Lu Wei, who respected and honoured him dearly, holding aplete trust towards him, even willing to give his life up for him.


    And Bai Ke didn¡¯t belong to any of those types.


    Or to be exact, at this point of time, Bai Ke had the characteristics of both of those types. The previous reverence and gratitude, the following hatred and vengefulness, they all blended together, no longer easy to describe. That¡¯s why, among those three times he called Fang Yisheng, there was also a shift from twopletely opposite mindsets¡ªfrom killing intent to worry.


    There were also two ways Fang Yisheng treated others and conducted himself in his life.


    Towards those like Yan Buliu, he would always be scheming and working his way ahead step by step with a shrewd and enigmatic astuteness. Towards those like Lu Wei, he would instead be honest and calm, acting naturally and never mincing his words, with no deliberation or schemes in his heart.


    But his attitude toward Bai Ke didn¡¯t belong to any of those either.


    From the very beginning what he said wasn¡¯t entirely true, half a truth mixed with half a lie, so when Bai Ke questioned him heartlessly, he didn¡¯t say a single word, unable to exin his actions clearly. But seeing the other distrust this half truthpletely after himself having told him a half lie, it was really... an agony.


    An agony so so strong, that when he lowered his eyes and saw the cup of poisoned wine this man was passing him, he didn¡¯t refuse. But even at the end, this man still regretted it.


    It was even more paining...


    He knew that that was this man¡¯s first time actually killing a person.


    He knew that despite not being as benevolent and having a quite gloomy and entric nature, this man wasn¡¯t evil at heart. With him being forced into a position of killing someone, for Fang Yisheng, rather than his first reaction being to me Bai Ke, ¡°so you actually became such a person¡±... It was more likely for him to me himself, ¡°turns out I was capable of forcing a person to such an end¡±.


    Shen Yan had said before¡ªif it wasn¡¯t for his grandpa, he would perhaps also be a ¡°Bai Ke¡±.


    What kind of a person was Bai Ke?


    When still under his master, the novel described this usually meticulous to a fault, strict and unsmiling Bai Ke as the ¡®cold-faced gentleman¡¯. In other people¡¯s eyes, he was like a pond of clear water¡ªyet they never realised that under this water, there wereyers uponyers of mud that would turn the whole pond turbid upon disturbing.


    Despite that, as long as the mud sunk to the bottom, his inner quality was still that of a clear pond.


    And exactly because of this contradictory nature, ultimately it wasn¡¯t him, the one who got poisoned, but the poisoner himself who struggled more, was more despaired. Would Fang Yisheng, the one to witness it all from the side, not take any action at all?


    ¡ªHe would not.


    At this moment, Qi Jing¡¯s lips moved slightly, as he asked ever so faintly, ¡°Have you ever, killed a man?¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s breath stopped for a moment.


    Qi Jing heard a slow gulp. This person¡¯s throat have moved with much difficulty, only then letting the breath back into his lungs¡ªbut this time it was rough and unsteady, the sound of a man refusing to speak with all he¡¯s got, only the raspy nasal breathing making any noise, yet it was even more stifling than if he made no sound whatsoever.


    Bai Ke¡¯s ego was beyondrge.


    So even if it was his first time, he wouldn¡¯t admit it, not wanting to let a single person notice his fear.


    Yet Fang Yisheng knew that he was afraid, hence this wasn¡¯t a question, but more of a beginning of his statement. Qi Jing rid his voice of any emotion, mechanically narrating the truth.


    ¡°There is a strong malice to your de, but no stench of blood.¡± Indeed, so unlike him, who had killed countless many people. ¡°Unlike... me.¡±


    He thought of the blood that soaked his hands and heughed self-deridingly, hisugh a few parts forlorn as heughed at the retribution that had finally arrived for him that day.


    But this man thought that he was mocking the fact that he hadn¡¯t killed before. His breathing suddenly became more rough, a sharp wheeze cutting his throat time and time again, his voice shaky and out of control, just like his emotions. ¡°You... foresaw that already? You already knew that I was a coward, unable to kill you, unable to deal the final blow, so you didn¡¯t even avoid it, waiting for me to make a fool out of myself, for you tough at?¡±


    Here, his voice paused suddenly.


    These lines were supposed to create an esction, not only of the voice getting stronger and higher, but the emotions as well. Any other contestant would choose to continue this rise, elevating thest line to the climax¡ªbut Shen Yan chose to cut it here, and as everyone expected him to pull them all to the higher heights, he rapidly plunged down.


    The more vicious, the more fierce was the previous part, the more the following reminded a death of a heart¡ª


    ¡°Fang Yisheng,¡± He no longer shouted, no longer yelled, as if returning to that previous pond of clear water, so silently still that there was not a ripple disturbing its surface. But in its essence, it was already just a pool of dead waters, ¡°From the bottom of your heart, you really... look down on me, don¡¯t you?¡±

 Chapter 127

    <h4>Chapter 127</h4>


    unedited


    ¡ª¡¾From the bottom of your heart, you really... look down on me, don¡¯t you?¡¿


    ¡ª¡¾Qi Jing, what should I do, to make you need me more?¡¿


    Qi Jing was dazed.


    Two different sentences from two different people, yet at this moment they resonated together, ying back simultaneously by his ears.


    It was the inferiority.


    It was the inferiorityplex that linked those two sentences, the mentality of wanting to be needed by the other person the same in both¡ªbut those two approaches were different, one negative, one positive.


    Bai Ke always kept alone in everything he did, never particrly good at speaking up and showing his vulnerable side, and even more so he would never admit to his inferiorityplex. This dark side, like from a muddy swamp in which one would have to sink low to scoop it out for the world to see, was only for one sort of person to ever see¡ªif it wasn¡¯t someone he cared for, how would he be able to ask this? Asking this at least proved that it was someone who had a very important ce in his heart.


    The reason why he chose to put his voice low for this line instead of shouting it out... turns out it was to bring out this detail.


    Other contestants would easily regard this character as ungrateful and petty, yet they never consider that there was an emotional backstory for this current ¡®ungratefulness¡¯, hence it was easy to make him into a one-sided viin.


    Inparison, this ¡®Bai Ke¡¯ made people more... sympathetic.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never, ever disdained you.¡± Fang Yisheng sympathised with him, that¡¯s why he would say it so clearly.


    But he wasn¡¯t the same as normal people. He experienced too many great storms in his life and grew a hard shell around his heart, bing numb to many things along the way. So even if he felt sympathy, it wasn¡¯t exactly the usual form of it, influenced by his ever so arrogant character.


    While pitying Bai Ke¡¯s misfortune, he also berated his forsaking, ¡°It¡¯s you who always disdained yourself.¡± At this moment, his tone turned colder, harsher. He didn¡¯t help Bai Ke to cover up the mud at the depths of his heart, scooping it up and cruelly forcing him to look straight at it instead.


    Sure enough, that man¡¯s voice shook, infuriated by this viciously precise strike, ¡°...You... shut up.¡±


    ¡°No matter if it¡¯s before me, your Master, or Junior, it¡¯s always only been you who held yourself in contempt,¡± Qi Jing instinctively furrowed his brows along with the progressing of the linespared with him previously, still in a tight spot, the demeanour in his voice now changed like a turned de, starting to cut straight into this man, ¡°The one to treat other people¡¯s goodwill as a charity, to drive away people from around you, to drift so far away, it was all also you¡ª!¡±


    Thest ¡®you¡¯ was still only half-said, but that man¡¯s raspy roar already cut it short, ¡°Shut up!¡±


    The listeners didn¡¯t even dare to breathe.


    But Qi Jing didn¡¯t leave them a space to breathe, biting hard into the finish of Shen Yan¡¯s ¡®shut up¡¯ and also cutting back harshly, ¡°Bai Ke, you can¡¯t always just deceive yourself, deceive everyone!¡±


    ¡°Shut up¡ª!¡± In the end, it was during thest, most frenzied, most crazed part of this confrontation when he roared like a wounded beast. Qi Jing could even hear the sudden background sound of the objects being brutally sweeped off the table.


    He remembered that in the novel, this was the moment when Bai Ke lost control and pushed Fang Yisheng to the ground, taking out a dagger with the desire to kill him.


    ¡°Ngh...¡± He understood what kind of movements the characters would do, so he responded timely with the sound of a struggle.


    All this time, he was hearing the raspy inhales and exhales of the man¡¯s heavy breathing, running through the whole scene, reflecting both his movements and mind. The voice source seemed to stay close to the mic, the little distortions that usually aren¡¯t supposed to appear in professional acting actually adding the intense background effect for this moment.


    ¡°Fang Yisheng...¡± The hoarse voice started repeating like a broken record in a crazy amok, ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, I¡¯ll kill you, I¡¯ll kill you¡ª!¡±


    After Qi Jing¡¯s breathing calmed down a bit, he imagined a dagger before his very eyes¡ªthis dagger was loath to fall; but for whether he rejoiced or bemoaned this, he was no longer clear. Despite that, it was the moment he was faced with the other¡¯s choked curses when his moment of tenderness left a deep cut in the heart.


    ¡°If it can make you look back,¡± He suddenly moved his lips slightly, his sigh almost inaudible, ¡°...Then kill me.¡±


    ¡°<i>Ding</i>.¡±


    Sixty seconds had passed at that very moment.


    That low, finishing sigh slowly turned into a long exhale as Qi Jing closed his eyes and sloped over his desk¡ªit was finished, he persevered all the way to the end.


    Just as he wanted to spend a momentying down like this to replenish some energy, he suddenly heard Yuan Zhengming utter feebly, ¡°...Cut...¡±


    <i>Wait a moment...</i>


    Even if Qi Jing wanted to continue lying down, he just couldn¡¯t¡ªhis head shot up drastically to look at this judge¡¯s ID in the channel members list. The sixty seconds were clearly up on the timer already, what the heck did Yuan Zhengming mean by calling a cut on them?


    Of course, the listeners also rose in protest.


    Audience 1: ¨“¨Œ¨“ I was just pulling paper towels while crying! So Macaque Teacher, just what¡¯s up with this cut!!? Scram up whatever part of your Huaguo Mountain is the coldest!! (¡ûrude)


    Audience 2: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Which part of it called for a cut!! Orangutan Teacher, if you don¡¯t give us a viable reason for that, I¡¯ll be roasting orangutan meat everyday!!


    Audience 3: ¨“¨Œ¨“ The time has passed already, so what the actual hell do you still call a cut for?? Teacher, get it together already!!


    Audience 4: ¨“¨Œ¨“ I already got pummelled into tiny bits by the angst, I have no me left to roast Ape Teacher...


    Audience 5: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Already got pummelled into bits by the angst, no me left to roast Ape Teacher... +1


    Audience 6: ¨“¨Œ¨“ Already got pummelled into bits by the angst, no me left to roast Ape Teacher... +2


    ...


    Faced with such numerous voices of criticism, the reason Yuan Zhengming gave was actually, ¡°...I just, I got too immersed, so it was only when the time was up when I realised that something was wrong.¡±


    <i>Teacher Yuan, you...


    </i>


    <i> </i>Qi Jing face-palmed in silence.


    Nevertheless, Yuan Zhengming surely had his reasons to point stuff out like this.


    Actually, Qi Jing didn¡¯t care much about whether his score was high or low, but as a voice actor, he wanted to know what kind of problem could ur between him and Shen Yan. To be honest, he was already satisfied with the performance they gave just now, so he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to change much now even if he tried, but a professional-level mentor sure could give a professional critique¡ª


    What he didn¡¯t foresee was that the ¡®critique¡¯ Yuan Zhengming gave would be so beyond his expectations. ¡°I¡¯m telling you guys... Bai Ke and Fang Yisheng by you two, you kinda made them look like a couple.¡±


    Qi Jing momentarily gotpletely stumped, then his cheeks suddenly flushed bright red. He instinctively covered his mouth, holding back theugh that almost escaped his lips.


    He couldn¡¯t possibly expect this kind of reason.


    To have changed a characters¡¯ dynamic from &#k2018;enemies¡¯ to &#k2018;lovers¡¯&#k2014;there was simply no other reason for a cut that could make him more happy. And for Yuan Zhengming to only remember to call cut after finishing listening to it, it proved that he also found this effect very natural&#k2026;


    He didn¡¯t feel like he was being criticised by Teacher at all, the corner of his lips curling more and more up.


    Audience 1: Pfft¡ªmade them look like a couple... I can¡¯t support this reason more!! ¡«\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/¡«


    Audience 2: Pffffhahahaha, Orangutan Teacher is so real for this!! A reason like making them look like a couple, you just love! To! See! It! (I¡¯m sorry, as a novel reader I should be respecting the actual nature of the work, I shouldn¡¯t go delusional about it... Although when I first read the novel, I already thought that their rtionship was very ambiguous, cough cough)


    Audience 3: (*ÆH¡®*) You love to see it~ You really love to see it~


    Audience 4: (*ÆH¡®*) This whole ¡®they love each other, but they also want to kill each other¡¯ thing got me shipping them to the point of crying bloody tears... Awooooo! I didn¡¯t expect that Macaque Teacher would also hear that! Although it never got rified in the novel, I always felt that they really used to have something going on...


    Audience 5: (*ÆH¡®*) All that time when Kitty¡¯s Papa and Return Date were confronting each other I¡¯ve been clutching my heart until the end, aaaah! Begging for those two CPs to do it once, ahhhhhh!! (rolling all around)


    Audience 6: You guys... And you too, Teacher Yuan... You¡¯re making my, someone¡¯s who already decided to ship those two CPs quietly in the dirt below, feelings, hard to hold back... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ (To hell with that,eee, let¡¯s all ship it together ¡û wha-)


    ...


    ¡°They felt very much like a couple, very very much, to the point I almost forgot that they¡¯re actually not.¡± Yuan Zhengming continued to chatter away. As a voice director, he sure wanted to adhere strictly to the character settings of the original novel.


    Qi Jing¡¯s smile was getting more and more radiant.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± At that time, Shen Yan admitted to the mistake in a low voice.


    ¡°Ai, the feeling you created felt like that of a couple, but in terms of acting it was all ording to the script, so no need to feel like youmitted some kind of a mistake.¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t say anything, listening with a smile.


    He knew that Shen Yan only said sorry because he knew that their interpretation of the emotions overstepped the original work a bit, yet he didn¡¯t regret performing it this way... And Qi Jing himself also didn¡¯t regret it.


    As for whether it was for good or bad, they would leave that for the others to evaluate at their own pace¡ª


    ¡¾Group Score¡¿: 4.5, 4.5, average score 4.5


    ¡¾psed Time¡¿: 60 seconds = 0.6 points


    ¡¾Audience Votes¡¿: 90.7% voting ratio = 0.907 points


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall group score: 4.5£«0.60£«0.907= 6.007 points


    Once the group score was out, Qi Jing himself was taken aback by it, leaning in to take a closer look at this first and probably thest time when a group score starting with a ¡°6¡± showed on his screen.


    They caught up...


    They caught up to the previously highest group score between Shen Yan and Two. They caught up with the judges¡¯ evaluation, also winning in terms of the votes, overtaking it by the smallest of margins. At this point, Qi Jing finally realised why other people would say that when they would get a rush of dopamine up their head, they would need to go out to run a fewpses. Right now, he couldn¡¯t even sit still and had to sit up from his chair, pacing a few steps back and forth beside it.


    Nevertheless, in terms of the personal score points, he still ced a bit below Two.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡± individual score:


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿: 4.0, 4.0, average score 4.0


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, average score 4.25


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, average score 4.25


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿: 4.5, 4.5, average score 4.5


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall average score: 4.0£«4.25£«4.25£«4.5 = 17.0 points


    Additional audience vote points: 85.3% voting ratio = 0.853 points


    Overall score: 17.0£«0.853£«6.007 = 23.860 points


    ¡°Kitty ¤Î Papa¡± individual score:


    ¡¾Voice Quality¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, average score 4.25


    ¡¾Enunciation¡¿: 4.5, 4.0, average score 4.25


    ¡¾Foundation Points¡¿: 4.5, 4.5, average score 4.5


    ¡¾Charisma¡¿: 4.5, 4.5, average score 4.5


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C


    Overall average score: 4.25£«4.25£«4.5£«4.5 = 17.5 points


    Additional audience vote points: 88.4% voting ratio = 0.884 points


    Overall score: 17.5£«0.884£«6.007 = 24.391 points


    As he saw these scores, he also saw two messages sent by Two.


    ¡¾Gimme a proper dub, dumbass¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: Hah, you¡¯ve been worrying about this and that before, but look at you, wasn¡¯t this performance damn good?


    ¡¾Gimme a proper dub, dumbass¡¿said to¡¾You¡¿: But of course you will still have to work hard to outdo me~


    ¡°Pfft.¡±


    <i>Really had to stress thattter part, didn¡¯t you? Fair.</i>


    This performance right now had already gone beyond his original level of skill, he had no regrets. He really didn¡¯t.


    His smile slowly died down, slowly giving the ce to a forlorn expression, just like the moment of colours fading away after the most brilliant of fireworks went off in the sky, slowly falling to the ground. He had no regrets, but he couldn¡¯t deny that he didn¡¯t want to part with this moment... He didn¡¯t want it to conclude, he didn¡¯t want to bid it a goodbye.


    There were so many words he wanted to say but couldn¡¯t, no amount would be enough, but there were two that could summarise them all.


    ¡°Thank you...¡± His voice shook slightly.


    Thank you to all the fans who withstood the hate from his antis, supporting him quietly from below, letting him know that there were actually so many people supporting him silently from behind, cheering him on.


    Thank you to Teacher Longbow, who when his creation got giarised ignored the racket of the great god¡¯s fans, letting everyone see the truth.


    Thank you to Teacher Pu, who when he didn¡¯t know how to bring Shen Yan out, slowly led him from under the shadows onto the scene.


    Thank you to Teacher Yuan, who in the crucial moments always pulled him forward in his own unique way.


    And...


    <i>Thank you, Shen Yan.</i>


    He slowly raised the phone in his hand to his eye-level, looking at a message just sent a few seconds ago.


    ¡¾The button already got heated warm by now¡¿


    He lowered his head with a smile, patiently typing out the reply with his slightly shaky fingers, then sending it:¡¾Substitutes won¡¯t cut it, next time you¡¯ll need to heat the real deal warm.¡¿


    <i>That¡¯s right, thank you, ¡°A-Yan¡±.</i>


    No need to list the reasons one by one, just your appearing in my life is already the most beautiful gift of all¡ª


    ¡°I love you,¡± He said in a soft voice, ¡°I have no regrets.¡±


    But Ning Xiaoxiao couldn¡¯t disagree more. ¡°...I regret... so... much...¡±


    She heard her own upset voice passing through from between her teeth¡ªit was the day after the finals, the moment when she rushed to open the official page of the ?Order to End the Heavens 5?petition.


    These two days she travelled with her boyfriend to his home, and because his parents¡¯ house didn¡¯t have inte connection, coupled with how she had to apany her future inws all around, shepletely lost the chance to listen to it live. It wasn¡¯t until the day after when she finally had some time to browse the page on her phone in secret, more than eager to know who ultimately won the roles.


    But when she hurriedly scrolled through the name list, then the second time, then third, and still didn¡¯t see the ID she wished to see, she called Qi Jing¡¯s number with ¡°nothing left to live for¡± written out in bloody capital letters on her face.


    She started calling him in the morning, and at first, she couldn¡¯t get the call to connect no matter how many times she tried.


    Qi Jing¡¯s phone was turned off all that time.


    She vaguely remembered that it was the day of Qi Jing¡¯s return from Beijing, he could be on the ne with his phone turned off, so at that time she didn¡¯t think much about that. But when she finally waited until noon and yet still didn¡¯t manage to call him, then the same in the afternoon, she couldn¡¯t help but start to worry.


    When after running in circles she finally waited until 6 PM, Ning Xiaoxiao once again dialled his phone number without much hope. But she didn¡¯t expect that the ringback suddenly paused after two sounds, indicating that the other person took the call. But she didn¡¯t hear his voice in the receiver, only a faint rustling noise of something dragged over a cloth.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    This time, the rustling became more pronounced.


    ¡°Hello? Senior?¡±


    Her nervousness was peaking, but then she finally heard the familiar, slightly hoarse voiceing from the other side, ¡°...Xiaoxiao.¡±


    Hearing him speaking up, Ning Xiaoxiao breathed with relief.


    ¡°Senior, why did you only turn your phone on now!¡± While breathing with relief, she also couldn¡¯t help but start to grumble withint, ¡°And here I was thinking that something happened to you, I was even thinking whether to call the police!¡±


    Of course, calling the police was just an exaggeration, but her worry was not.


    She kept talking on her own for quite a while , but the person on the other side only listened quietly until she finished. After she did, he yawned with azy smile, his voice sounding a bit fuzzy.


    ¡°Mn... I¡¯m sorry, I only woke up now.¡±


    ¡°Eh, Senior, you¡¯ve been sleeping?¡± Ning Xiaoxiao covered her lips, realising herck of manners. She suddenly remembered that this Senior of hers would always have a weird rest pattern due to his job, as if there was no difference in day or night, so this time might have been his moment to catch up on sleep¡ªshe began to feel a great deal of guilt.


    ¡°Eh, then I will wait for a while and then...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, either way I¡¯m already awake.¡± Qi Jing seemed to be smiling on the other side of the call. His breathing was very deep and calm, at times audible and at times not in the receiver, with the slight rustling of something moving on the pillow to be heard between them. Ning Xiaoxiao suddenly realised that he was still in the sheets, talking to her while stillying on bed.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Her sense of guilt doubled, ¡°Senior, so you¡¯re actually still in bed... I, I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, go on.¡±


    After getting his permission, Ning Xiaoxiao finally released a whole days¡¯ worth ofins she was holding in, ¡°Senior, I really really really regret it so much¡ª¡±


    The man on the other side got surprised by her outburst, then she could hear a light disturbance of the breath from him. It was himughing. ¡°Even you¡¯re saying so?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    Not even twenty four hours after the finals concluded, aside of Ning Xiaoxiao, an uncountable lot of peoplemented on Weibo, QQ and forums, all of them uniformly crying about ¡®regret¡¯, and ny percent of them would also add a string of noodle tears emojis; the reason was simple.


    ¡°Senior, you actually, actually...¡± Ning Xiaoxiao couldn¡¯t get it out in one breath, her voice so shaky she was about to start bawling, ¡°You actually didn¡¯t get a single role aaaaahhh¡ª!¡±


    Qi Jing burst outughing loudly.


    Indeed.


    In the third edition of ?Order to End The Heavens? voice actingpetition, ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡± finished all of his auditions as a double runner-up, handing in the exam answers he found rather satisfactory.


    But those answers made everyone that supported him stamp their feet from regret, leaving them quite dissatisfied.


    For ¡°Emperor Chang¡±, because of his previous mistake, he fell behind other contestants with the score, butter he tried his best during the joined section of the finals, with male and female contestants performing together, so it was already a great feat for him to get this second ce.


    For ¡°Fang Yisheng¡±, he actually finished the male section of the finals with first ce, but unfortunately he performed a bit ¡°t¡± when faced with a female VA for the second female lead. With no mistake but also no particr stand-out, he ultimately fell to second ce with his overall score.


    As for describing why it turned out this way, to use Yuan Zhengming¡¯s words at the time...


    ¡°You turned enemies into a couple, and a couple into siblings.¡±


    Qi Jing imitated Yuan Zhengming¡¯s helpless tone at the time, exining it to her. Ning Xiaoxiao really was just a bit short of changing into a handkerchief-biting rodent.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so distressed, I personally don¡¯t find it regretful. After all, it¡¯s not only the skill, but also the luck that matters in professionalpetitions.¡± The female VA Qi Jing met during the finals was fair, and their group¡¯s results also weren¡¯t particrly outstanding. He smilednguidly, ¡°There¡¯s so many incredible people, so to be honest, getting two second ces is already way more than I expected... And I¡¯m very satisfied. And I also really wanted the prize for second ce. I always wanted to try this type of capacitor microphone, so now I don¡¯t need to fish out money to buy it myself, and I even got two sets.¡±


    ¡°But what use would you have for two sets...¡± Why would one person need two of the same microphone?


    ¡°As a backup.¡± The person on the other side paused for a moment, then smiled slightly. She felt like there was a double meaning to his words.


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s so regretful, so regretful... Sigh, Senior, if you just weren¡¯t this ¡®brotherly¡¯ back then...¡± Ning Xiaoxiao got back to the original topic and continued pouting in grievance, ultimately still unable to ept this oue.


    If she had a handkerchief in her hands right now, it would most likely really end up shredded into pieces from her biting.


    Hearing her say so, he retaliated a bit with an equivocal smile. ¡°Just as your Sister Jade had said before, I really am not suited to voice acting with a girl in a straight romance.¡±


    He had already spilled the beans about the matter with Jade Butterfly to his Junior before the finals, so now it became one of the jokes he used to tease Ning Xiaoxiao¡ªhe kept using the same reverent ¡°Sister Jade¡± she used when she still held Jade Butterfly in esteem, wanting to poke fun at her.


    As expected, once she heard it, she was quick to change into an image of a timid hamster hiding its teeth and curling its paws before its trembling chest as she begged him pitifully, ¡°Wu... I, I was wrong. At that time, she talked and coaxed me into mediating between you two, it¡¯s all my fault that you ended up in such big trouble, Senior.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I can¡¯t me you for that. At that time, no one would imagine just what kind of person this ¡®Sister Jade¡¯ was, what she was really nning, right?¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Alright, don¡¯t worry too much about that.¡± Qi Jing simply skimmed over the topic, ¡°This time she didn¡¯t get the first female lead she wanted so much, so it counts as her getting retribution.¡±


    It really was a curious coincidence, for the first female lead Jade Butterfly signed up for, Su Miaoyu, she actually bumped into Kitty ¤Î Papa she was so keen on.


    Just, she forgot that it was with him as Bai Ke¡ª


    When she saw that her opponent was Kitty ¤Î Papa during the opening before the audition, her overjoyed mood showed clearly in her voice as it got high and clear from tedness. She even spoke self-assuredly about her ns to ¡°bring him back on the right track¡± so that he, to use her words at the time, ¡°Doesn¡¯t get led astray by people like Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡±.


    Yet she didn¡¯t expect that the other person would cut her short before she even finished, asking the host to begin as if he didn¡¯t hear a single thing. After she angrily proceeded into the performance stage, the scene just turned out to be the scene of Bai Ke threatening Su Miaoyu, and Kitty ¤Î Papa¡¯s tone was very... lifelike.


    The oue is easy to imagine.


    ¡°She actually got scared into forgetting her lines by Kitty¡¯s Papa.¡± Shepleted thest part all stammering, her performance ruined.


    Ning Xiaoxiao lit her past goddess a candle in her heart.


    Qi Jing on the call didn¡¯t reply, onlyughing slightly. But based on her understanding of him, Ning Xiaoxiao could guess that his current expression waspletely at ease, a smile of someone who just watches the fun with a lukewarm attitude.


    Talking about this, Ning Xiaoxiao suddenly remembered the other big reason for her call today.


    ¡°Senior! Senior!¡±


    ¡°Mn?¡±


    ¡°Now that we¡¯re at this, Kitty¡¯s Papa actually got a double champion!¡±


    Double champion¡ª


    As an NPC role, the champion for Old Man Xiao Shan was published after the male side of the finals concluded, there was almost no suspense here.


    And he kept the high standard for Bai Ke from start to finish, so he also got a steady win after the concluding finals.


    With a skill matching the reputation, he became a double champion with no controversy about the oue.


    ¡°This, this... Now that we¡¯re on the topic of Kitty¡¯s Papa...¡± At this time, Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s tone suddenly became excited, reminding of a small hamster pricking its ears up with joy while awaiting a delicious snack, ¡°Senior! Please, you need to introduce me to Kitty¡¯s Papa¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Mn?¡± The man on the other side seemed to flip to the side lightly,ying his face on a pillow, causing this soft nasal hum toe out bothnguid and content.


    ¡°Kitty¡¯s Papa! You actually know him, you actually know him!¡± If eyes really could shine, then Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s would shine enough for her to work as a lighthouse in the docks. He knew that Qi Jing was intelligent and knew what she was talking about, but also yed with her on purpose, so she got even more vigorous at pursuing the matter.


    ¡°Mn?¡± This time, she could hear that this man wasughing quietly into the pillow.


    ¡°Senioooooooor!¡± An excited gal she was, she even began to make her own echo effect, ¡°Please introduce meeeeeeeee! You actually got to know such an amazing VA in secret, even tricking me by saying that you don¡¯t know him, I only got to know it after I listened to the recording today and read the gossip on forum aaaaaaahhh! It¡¯s just! Too! Much! But I won¡¯t dwell on it if you introduce us to each other!¡±


    Her soul of an audio drama staff was ming high, thirsting for the talents. Right now, it wasn¡¯t easy to find a good VA.


    ¡°Oh? What is the gossip on the forum saying?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re saying that... Eh, wait, did I get led off topic by you... I don¡¯t care! I¡¯m begging you for an introduction! Introduction!¡± It was rare for Ning Xiaoxiao to not get tricked by him.


    There was a short period of silence on the other end of the call, then she finally heard Qi Jingughing softly. She didn¡¯t know why, but that day, his voice was even lower than usual, even fuller of this mild sexiness of a fever-touched huskiness. ¡°...Didn¡¯t I introduce you to him before?¡±


    ¡°Ha?¡±


    ¡°Kitty¡¯s Papa,¡± He spoke unhurriedly, like a cat basking in the sun on a winter day, enjoying it with leisure, ¡°Didn¡¯t I introduce you two right away? You even saw him, hm?¡±


    ¡°Hah? When did I...¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao waspletely oblivious. She was about to inquire further, but she heard a slight noise in the call, as if the phone changed direction to face another way. Qi Jing seemed to no longer be speaking to the receiver, because his voice was further away, the one he spoke to was also no longer her.


    But she clearly heard him say, ¡°Kitty¡¯s Papa, do you want to say hello?¡±.


    Her heart suddenly skipped a beat¡ª


    At that time, she heard a vague noise of bed squeaking. Someone at a very short distance¡ªat least very close to Qi Jing¡ªturned over their body. After the rustling of the bedsheets, a man¡¯s voice appeared in Qi Jing¡¯s ce.


    ¡°Hello, Xiaoxiao.¡±


    A/N:


    For this chapter... Out of pity, I shall light hundred candles for little Junior, hahaha (speaking of which, it¡¯s a rare urrence of a Junior POV)


    So how about it, can you guess why 2Yan was sleeping all the way until evening? (honest face)


    T/N:


    Luci: The sudden plot-twist with Qi Jing not winning any role QAQ But I¡¯m also so proud of Shen Yan venturing out onto the big scene and winning two first ces in one fell swoop!


    P.S.: We¡¯re approaching the end of the story and the chapters are only bing longer. At the same time, my exams are nigh and I need to spend extra time on studying, so I might slow down with the updates and take a hiatus for both of my exam weeks at the start of February. Sorry!

 Chapter 128

    <h4>Chapter 128</h4>


    unedited


    Ning Xiaoxiao waspletely dumbfounded. Next second, she howled loudly. As a result, her hand shook and she actually identally ended the call in her stupor.


    As Qi Jing wasughing while lying on Shen Yan¡¯s chest, she called him once again.


    This time Qi Jing didn¡¯t wait for Ning Xiaoxiao to speak, ordering her straight away with a cheeky smile, ¡°An hour from now, at the same buddhist restaurant as thest time¡ªyour treat.¡±


    He of course stressed thest two words.


    After he said that, heughed as he ended the call to the sounds of Ning Xiaoxiao howling yet again.


    Once he released his grip, the phone fell somewhere on the pillow¡ªhe was toozy to even get up a bit to put it back properly.


    He had just emptied his hand, but there was already another one circling him from behind to hold it, someone¡¯s fingers one by one moving in between his own until all ten of them intertwined. The thumb of the man behind him gently held most of Qi Jing¡¯s hand, while he curled his pinky to hook this man¡¯s hand¡ªa childish, intimate y of tit for tat.


    ¡°It tickles.¡± Qi Jingughed first, turning his head to kiss that man with a smooch.


    That man didn¡¯t say anything, only burying his head lower. His nose fitted right into the hollow behind Qi Jing¡¯s ear, and he closed his eyes to enjoy the scent there. The previously wet from the sweat hair ends had yet to drypletely, a few strands fell down. When they brushed by his skin, it actually tickled a bit, so Qi Jingughed softly and shrunk his shoulders. And at that moment, the man behind him suddenly gathered him closer into his arms, holding him tightly in his embrace, the face pressed against his back slowly moving lower.


    A kiss fell onto his nape, then the second, third...one after another, moving lower and lower down his naked back.


    ¡ªBy that point, it was no longer a matter of being ticklish.


    ¡°Ah...¡± Qi Jing gasped slightly, unable to exert any force and falling to the pillow without even realising. It took a while for his fingers to grope for a pillow corner to grip.


    Their movements made the down duvet that covered him slip from their bodies at some point. Assaulted by the dry and cold air of a December evening, Qi Jing curled up his body and moved his knees, but then he moved his calves back, searching with his toes deep under the duvet for Shen Yan¡¯s ankle, rubbing a few times against it pleadingly.


    ¡°I¡¯m cold and hungry...¡± He smiled while gasping, making his tone sound like that of a pitiful little beggar.


    He wasn¡¯t actually all that cold, but he was indeed hungry¡ªtruth to be told, he didn¡¯t eat anything at all since hended at the airport, and it was also the time when the food was to be served in the households in this old part of the city, so the warm scent of food wafted over¡ªhow could he not be hungry?


    ¡°It¡¯s all because you ate me for dinner, I didn¡¯t get to eat anything for myself.¡± He said on purpose. Even though after the two of them returned home from the airport, the one who tossed the suitcase without any care to the floor was him, and the one to first undo this man¡¯s tie, unfasten his buttons and kiss him was also him¡ªbut of course, if the other man didn¡¯t have the same ideas, then they wouldn¡¯t end up staying in the bed for so long.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Because his lips were pressed against Qi Jing¡¯s back, the words he said came out a bit muffled. With each word, those heavy and warm breaths brushed against his skin.


    That¡¯s why... he wasn¡¯t all that cold.


    Qi Jing buried his head in the pillow, his heart filled with bliss as he closed his eyes and said with a faint smile, ¡°We would have to get up if we were to prepare food ourselves, so let¡¯s better wait for a bit and eat outside, I had Xiaoxiao treat us a meal.¡±


    The meaning behind it was¡ªif we have time to prepare food now, why not use it to rest for a bit longer.


    ¡°Mn.¡± Shen Yan replied with a low hum. He reached his hand out to pull the duvet, once again covering the two of them, not at all thinking of getting up quite yet.


    The twilight had already reached its brightest, itsst faint remains on the wall slowly turning grey, causing the room to start to fall into darkness. Outside, two, three street lights started to light up one after another¡ªthis way, it seemed like a window film pasted on the panes, its starlight flickering calmly and gently, flowing.


    The floor in the bedroom was still coloured gentle red. Two sets of their clothes were strewn across it, bathed in the afterglow, as if soaked in ayer of diluted watercolour.


    ¡°Even the sky is dark already...¡± Qi Jing pillowed his head on Shen Yan¡¯s arm and looked outside the window with a faint chuckle.


    ¡°Do you need to take a shower?¡± Shen Yan lowered his head to ask him.


    ¡ªHe definitely needed a shower. A few hours ago, his whole body got sweaty and although it already dried up by that time, there was still ayer of sticky saltiness covering his skin. Before they fell asleep, he only did the most basic cleaning, wiping the parts below that needed it with tissues and changing the underwear to a clean one, but he didn¡¯t have time to take care of anything else.


    But...


    ¡°I want to, but I can¡¯t stand up,¡± Qi Jing rubbed against his arm,ughingzily as he spoke, ¡°My waist is so sore, can you massage it for me?¡±


    Little Return Date would also meow in a spoiled tone like this when asking for a cuddle.


    Shen Yan had no idea at what point Big Return Date learned Little Return Date¡¯s tongue, but it was only right for him to be rendered helpless by it.


    He sighed with a smile, his hand unhurriedly circling and holding Qi Jing¡¯s waist. With his thumbs on his lower back, Shen Yan kneaded up the sides of his spine with just the right strength, not too light or too strong. Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help a satisfied grunt, instinctively straightening his body. Shen Yan¡¯s hands pressed all the way up to his shoulder des, then passed by the ce where his shoulders and nape met, using a bit more strength to give him a shoulder massage.


    Qi Jing closed his eyes, groaning softly as he enjoyed this preferential treatment.


    Whenever the kitties at the clinic got a massage like this every day, they would surely lie very obediently, tail wagging and hitting the desk back and forth. It¡¯s such a pity that he didn¡¯t have a tail himself, otherwise he would curl it around this man¡¯s body, rubbing it against him to show his contentment.


    ¡°Does it feel good?¡±


    ¡°Feels good...¡± So good that he didn¡¯t even want to move, what to do?


    Hearing this, Shen Yan smiled slightly, moving closer to kiss his hair while his hands continued to go up and down his back, kneading the area around his waist in particr.


    Having been massaged by him for a while, and with their skin rubbing pressed close against each other under a warm duvet on this winter day, it was unavoidable for Qi Jing to get a bit aroused.


    It was dark after a dusk at that moment, the most suitable time for a little mischief¡ª


    His hands suddenly caught Shen Yan¡¯s, rested on the side of his waist, slowly guiding them down, below the small of his back. When their fingertips touched his underpants, he didn¡¯t stop, the hands guiding the other man¡¯s hands unhurriedly reaching under this warm cotton fabric, lifting it up, letting those two hands in along with this movement.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡± At that time, Shen Yan panted slightly. His hands stopped, not going any further.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t see Shen Yan¡¯s face right now with his back facing him, but he could hear the breathing behind him, some breaths deeper and some shallow, thrown into a disarray as if he was enduring something.


    Of course Qi Jing knew what he was enduring¡ªheughed while flipping over indolently, brushing against the other¡¯s Addam¡¯s apple with his fingers and asking huskily, ¡°You don¡¯t want it?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want it. Shen Yan took his hands back out, sighing as he hugged him, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say yourself that we¡¯ll be going out to eat in an hour?¡±


    ¡°Is one hour not enough?¡± In fact, if they were to go out to see Ning Xiaoxiao, then they would have to deduct the time for a shower, the time for dressing up, and also the time for walking there&#k2026; They wouldn¡¯t be left with any time. Qi Jing knew that very well, but while finding it a pity himself, he also wanted to tease this man a bit as well, that¡¯s all. He rested on Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder with his eyes narrowed, now looking up, his gaze staying on the other man¡¯s face for the entirety of that time as he deliberately twisted the fact of themcking time into something else, ¡°Turns out you¡¯re actually this greedy, one hour and yet it¡¯s still too short? Mn? Kitty¡¯s Papa?¡±


    Shen Yan gazed at him for a long time, then he suddenly lowered his head and brushed away a lock of ck hair beside his ear before speaking right by it.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to... call me ¡®A-Yan¡¯?¡±


    Qi Jing froze, then his face momentarily flushed red.


    ¡¾A-Yan¡¿


    He only once called him so to his face after his return¡ªwhat¡¯s more, it was as he was gasping for air beneath this man when he called him so hazily.


    And as a result... he still couldn¡¯t get up.


    His cheeks were burning hot, so he hid his face in the other man¡¯s chest and refused to look up. He circled his hands under Shen Yan¡¯s armpits, hugging him tightly without a word in reply. It took him a long while before he gave him an unjustifiable reason, ¡°...Won¡¯t it lose meaning if I call you this a lot...¡±


    Shen Yan felt the ear beside his lips growing hot andughed knowingly. This man probably didn¡¯t know that when his face was blushing a lot, the tips of his ears would flush red as well, even giving off a very delectable smell. Despite not being food, it made him so tempted to take a bite.


    ¡ªAnd so he did.


    ¡°Ngh...¡± Qi Jing let out a small groan.


    ¡°A-Jing,¡± After the bite, Shen Yan alsoid a kiss on the mark left behind, smiling with a sigh, ¡°Get up.¡±


    One hour, it¡¯s far from enough¡ª


    One hour was indeed not enough.


    For Ning Xiaoxiao, who had to think through what face to make and how to behave when meeting her Senior, it was far, far from enough.


    But what had to be faced ultimately would have to be faced, so she mounted her high heels heroically and rushed to her execution apanied with their cking. Before her ¡°execution¡± ground, just short of kneeling instead of sitting in her seat, her posture with two palms put together, head unmoving in a bowed down position and neck stretched out... it was a spitting image of amb humbly awaiting its sacrifice.


    Qi Jing sat opposite to her, giving her a gentlemanly smile, ¡°Come, choose your way to go.¡±


    She lifted her head slightly, stealing a careful nce at her Senior, then another one at the owner of the shoulder Senior was now iming.


    Those two had clearly just taken a shower, their hair was still half-wet. Linking that to what she heard before in the call... She gulped.


    ¡°...Spoiled to death with PDA...¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such option.¡± Qi Jing raised his brows, pinching her cheek with a smile until she howled, begging for leniency with a sour expression. And meanwhile, Shen Yan continued sitting quietly on the side, calmly cooking and fishing out the dishes in the hot pot.


    Ning Xiaoxiao blocked her cheek with one hand, not letting Qi Jing pinch her anymore, while picking the food Shen Yan put on a tray to cool as she stole the covert nces at those two with a guilty conscience.


    Shen Yan¡¯s manners were about the same as when she met him thest time, still as thoughtful and courteous, not at all different because of the change in his identity. He was also the same toward Qi Jing¡ªor no, it should be said that he was even more considerate of Qi Jing, even in a trivial detail like him gently passing Qi Jing condiments, there was a kind of...


    Pampering.


    This word suddenly pawed at Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s heart a few times as emotions surged in it.


    ¡ªTurns out Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s ¡°tmate¡± was her Senior!


    ¡ªTurns out the one Kitty¡¯s Papa confessed to was her Senior!


    ¡ªTurns out Kitty¡¯s Papa and her Senior already... Did! It! All!


    After she got to know about the ¡°Dr Shen=Kitty¡¯s Papa¡± equation, she felt an urge to go back a few months into the past and shake the past herself by the neck. At that time, she was still one of Bronze Sparrow Terrace fans, andplemented Qi Jing¡¯s ex, and had all kinds ofints about the suitability of his current boyfriend, saying that he wasn¡¯t good enough for him...


    ¡°Senior¡ª!¡± Her ck history shed by in her mind, so at that point, she couldn¡¯t help but wail, taking an initiative to move her face closer for Qi Jing to pinch, ¡°Senior, pinch me hard! As hard as you can!¡±


    Qi Jing was very happy to pinch both her cheeks once again.


    Ning Xiaoxiao held her face that got pinched into swelling as she gave Shen Yan an embarrassed smile, starting a new topic, ¡°Turns out you two got to know online because of ?Trap?...¡±


    Hearing this, Shen Yan first paused, then lowered his gaze with a soft ¡°Mn¡±.


    The outsiders who only looked at the cast list and only saw him ying the minor role of the main character¡¯s grandpa wouldn¡¯t possibly know that he was filling in for the great god at the time, and that he had once voice acted with Qi Jing... If this were to be known to the public, who knows whether it would only add to Qi Jing and other staff members¡¯ problems, so they chose to keep it a secret.


    Qi Jing raised a brow, ¡°Eh, how did you know? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve mentioned ?Trap??¡±


    A hopeless expression of ¡®Senior, you¡¯re so out of the loop¡¯ was written all over Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s face. She pouted and snarked quietly, ¡°...Did you not follow the gossip on the forum these two days? Do you know how big of an uproar you and Kitty¡¯s Papa starring together in ?Trap? caused?¡±


    ¡°I actually really don¡¯t know,¡± And don¡¯t really care. Qi Jing chuckled, ¡°These two days I was so busy that I couldn¡¯t even check it, I had to take part in thepetition and run around CCTV¡ªif I had any time at all, I left it for the rest. So, what are they talking about?¡±


    ¡°Look here, look here!¡± Ning Xiaoxiao came prepared. She hurriedly put the tablet stand she brought on the table, even going out of her way to open the posts for Qi Jing and Shen Yan.


    At first, the discussion was still focused in the thread dedicated to ?Order to End the Heavens?.


    It was Shen Yan¡¯s revealing of his identity that sparked the heated discussion¡ª


    ¡¾Comment 4194¡¿


    Geese Fly North! Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s Real ID is Geese Fly North!!


    But, who the hell is Geese Fy North... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    I actually have no impression of it, could it be that he¡¯s really just a small nobody?? Th-th-this, how many self-proimed ¡°Great Gods¡± got a p in the face by this... The same goes for that ¡°Gimme a proper dub, dumbass¡± as well (that¡¯s one hell of a long name... OTZ), I¡¯ve never heard of him, unless it¡¯s a fake identity as well.


    ¡¾Comment 4195¡¿


    Aaaaah, I¡¯m so shocked!! Just now I searched the forum with ¡°Geese Fly North¡± as the keyword and you won¡¯t guess what I found!!


    It¡¯s ?Trap?!! He took part in the first episode of ?Trap?!! ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã


    Although it was only a background grandpa character, but... but... He¡¯s on the same cast list for ?Trap? as Don¡¯t ask for my return date, don¡¯t you guys thing that it¡¯s an amazingly good find?!


    ¡¾Comment 4196¡¿


    ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã ?Trap?? Are we talking about the modern mafia drama with Bronze Sparrow Terrace and Datey as the main characters, this ?Trap??


    ¡¾Comment 4197¡¿


    Replying to thement above, that¡¯s right, exactly that one (although Don¡¯t ask for my return date has already left the production).


    Shaking my paw through time and space with the poster of the 4195thment, I also searched this ID up after I saw it~


    I discovered that aside of ?Trap?, all of the few works this ID appeared in are either unpopr and forgotten dramas or one-shots, and it¡¯s always either some minor roles as grandpa or uncle, about the same type as ¡°Old Man Xiao Shan¡±... So unremarkable OTZ (But since the dramas themselves aren¡¯t particrly popr, it seems like Kitty¡¯s Papa isn¡¯t picky about the staff or cast of the production...)


    But it¡¯s certain that it¡¯s only ?Trap? that stars both Don¡¯t ask for my return date and Geese Fly North!! I don¡¯t know, maybe this is the one they said they were ying together in before??


    To be honest, I don¡¯t really like Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s attitude towards acting in the dramas, I feel like he easily goes OOC when voice acting a character, but his brain dead fans will insist that his voice acting is amazing, so in the end, I didn¡¯t listen to ?Trap?... Can someone who had listened to it tell us if there was a scene between Kitty¡¯s Papa and Don¡¯t ask for my return date in it?


    ¡¾Comment 4198¡¿


    There is no scene between little gong¡¯s grandpa and little shou in ?Trap?... *sweats*


    Little gong¡¯s grandpa only appears for a few lines, it¡¯s less than thirty seconds altogether (but it¡¯s really well done, you can go listen to it when you have time ^^). It¡¯s also in the part during little gong¡¯s shback, by the time the main story happens, the grandpa has already passed away, so there¡¯s no chance they would act together.


    Can it be that they had another work together before ?Trap?? But that¡¯s impossible, I searched for ¡°Geese Fly North¡± everywhere, yet he¡¯s been only in those few works altogether, there¡¯s no other drama where Return Date appears with him...


    ¡¾Comment 4199¡¿


    (*ÆH¡¯*) Help... I just want to say¡ªI got diabetes after listening to their opening!! (I don¡¯t know why I feel like I got fed with a mouthful of sweet fluff!!)


    ¡¾Comment 4200¡¿


    (*ÆH¡¯*) Me too, we can make a diabetes club~


    That one ¡°A-Yan¡± from Don¡¯t ask for my return date got me right into my heart! At first I only admired his character after he pped the Great God¡¯s face, his voice is also of the type I like, but what to do, I kinda started liking his person as well...


    ¡¾Comment 4201¡¿


    (*ÆH¡¯*) I think I like Kitty¡¯s Papa more, his skills are so good!


    And as for his conduct (at least from what we can see now), he seems so honest and humble!


    So turns out he appeared in a work as popr as ?Trap?... But because it¡¯s so popr, the other big names in the cast would easily pull the attention away from him, wouldn¡¯t it be so hard to notice his minor character? Even if some producers noticed him, they would only continue to invite him to y old grandpas, who would have thought that his youth voice is so good~~~


    Also... Now I want to know if the person he confessed to is in the circle as well! (Awoooo, if it was Don¡¯t ask for my return date then I will scream! So! Hard!)


    ¡¾Comment 4202¡¿


    ...I...


    ...I came after listening to Fang Yisheng and Bai Ke auditions... My heart is shattered... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    I need to say, Teacher Yuan¡¯s summary was very on point¡ªtheir dynamics for a ship is so godly! Their chemistry is crazy good too! If they can officially y a CP one day... (ssobs, just let me be delusional and brain rot White Square fics)


    Later, because there was a lot about ?Trap?, to separate the ?Order to End the Heavens? discussion from the ?Trap? rted discussion, part of the people moved to the post thread for the first episode of ?Trap?, starting to flood it with posts.


    Only some people in the online voice acting circle listened to ?Order to End the Heavens?petition, as the ones to get the most excited about it was either the original novel fans or the game fans. Other listeners were all just casual passersby who came to support their favourite VA with a vote. Those who listened to the entirety of it weren¡¯t all that numerous, and there were even less people who knew what actually urred between Bronze Sparrow Terrace, Don¡¯t ask for my return date and Geese Fly North.


    So when the outsiders came flooding to the drama thread, the drama-only fans who never even heard about thepetition got a scare.


    Hence in the ?Trap? Episode 1 post thread¡ª


    ¡¾Comment 3811¡¿


    Wha... What happened? What are those people above talking about, why are they discussing some minor character?


    What about the second episode of my Sparrow as the main character? I¡¯ve been waiting for it for so long... Come out quickly please... ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    ¡¾Comment 3812¡¿


    Did the Don¡¯t ask for my return date fanse up with something weird again, is that why they¡¯re spamming the thread?? Aren¡¯t you tired??


    And who is that Geese Fly North... Oh, isn¡¯t that the one from little gong¡¯s grandpa? Isn¡¯t that a minor role? So Don¡¯t ask for my return date got together with some minor character? Hehe, he really has a ¡°good¡± eye.


    Doesn¡¯t matter, he only deserves to find a ship like this, Great God certainly deserves a much better little shou~ ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    ¡¾Comment 3813¡¿


    What the hell is that ?Order to End the Heavens?petition? I keep seeing that post thread, but I have no interest in listening to it. Can someone exin how is it rted to ?Trap??


    ¡¾Comment 3814¡¿


    Replying to the person above, ?Order to End the Heavens? is a court drama wuxia novel. It got popr after it got good sales when published,ter it got adapted into a famous game. Thispetition is for choosing the actors to voice act the characters in the game.


    A few of the cast members of ?Trap? took part in thispetition, hence the brief discussion here~


    P.S. Both the main actors didn¡¯t get any roles, yet they actually let the VA of some minor character get double win, really, public integrity is only getting worse and worse these days~ ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    ¡¾Comment 3815¡¿


    Hehe, our esteemed sarcastic fellow from above came over to show off their IQ?


    VA¡¯s skills are not rted to whether they y the main role or not??


    Can¡¯t someone ying a minor role have great skills?


    Also don¡¯t use words like ¡°both the main actors didn¡¯t get any roles¡± to lump Bronze Sparrow Terrace and Return Date together¡ªit¡¯s true that Return Date didn¡¯t get any role, but he became a double runner-up fair and square¡ªand I think I don¡¯t have to exin how big of an achievement getting a double runner-up is. (And as for why I used a term like ¡°fair and square¡±? Just take a look below.)


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace copied Return Date¡¯s performance during the semi-finals, did you all already forget about that?? You almost attained godhood with your godly ability to selectively purge your memories...


    During the finals, Bronze Sparrow Terrace wanted to drag down Return Date by not saying his lines, thenter casually made up a lie like ¡°My ount got hacked¡± to exin himself, is there really no one discussing that here?


    His ability to gaslight everyone, himself included, is also god-like.


    I have no words left to say, I¡¯m leaving this thread to bleach my eyes.


    ¡°His ount got hacked?¡± When he saw thisment, Qi Jing snorted coldly and said with a raised brow, ¡°He didn¡¯t say anything during the audition that day and now he¡¯s suddenly saying that his ount got hacked? I would think that not even a primary student would believe in such a shoddy excuse.¡±


    He continued scrolling down. Turns out that day Bronze Sparrow Terrace posted a long statement on Weibo, saying that he didn¡¯t n to participate in the audition that day, but unfortunately someone hacked his YY ount. As for why this person showed in thepetition channel, Bronze Sparrow Terrace exnation was¡ª¡±Competition channel was one I used the most these days and it appeared first in the quick choice menu, so it¡¯s not all that surprising that the hacker chose this channel to enter and grind the channel points.¡±


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans also came forth in masses to vouch for his words.


    There were two reasons:


    First, if Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s ount didn¡¯t get hacked and he intended to participate in the finals, then they would surely get notified beforehand to go and support him. And in reality, the fans got a notification in the group chats, saying that Bronze Sparrow Terrace wouldn¡¯t appear in the finals, so the fans ¡°shouldn¡¯t even listen to it¡±.


    Second, if Bronze Sparrow Terrace didn¡¯t get hacked and he intended to participate in the finals, then why would he even abandon all of hister auditions and roles in it for dragging down a small nobody like Don¡¯t ask for my return date? This kind of suicide attack wouldn¡¯t make any sense; Bronze Sparrow Terrace wasn¡¯t stupid, he wouldn¡¯t do that. It was the hacker who realised that his mic was one, so he didn¡¯t dare to speak up out of his guilty conscience.


    Indeed.Qi Jing also felt that it was a bit weird that Bronze Sparrow Terrace would sacrifice so much to attack him, but he also thought that using his ount ¡°getting hacked¡± as an excuse made this situation sound so logical that it only appeared fishy instead.


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace loved his ego, loved his fame. If he could use any means to fight for the roles before, then why would he now be so quick to abandon them only for them to perish together? That was the only part Qi Jing couldn¡¯tprehend, unless this guy¡¯s hunger for retaliation was so great, that it ultimately overshadowed the final prizes and fame he could obtain.


    ¡°Xiaoxiao, you lurked some time in his fans¡¯ group chat. Did he say any reason when he sent the notice about not participating in the finals?¡±


    ¡°He did,¡± Ning Xiaoxiao nced at him, ¡°Because he didn¡¯t want to see you and ¡®Little Noodles he once used to love so dearly¡¯ flirting together.¡±


    ...It¡¯s so in to see that it¡¯s a fake reason...


    ¡°Although this reason is fake, but for great god to dare to say this, his face has to be of no ordinary thickness¡ª¡± Qi Jing felt a deep respect for Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s ability to thicken his face. Listening to it all, he was basically sure that Bronze Sparrow Terrace had another reason for forfeiting the finals.


    At that time, Ning Xiaoxiao winked at him mysteriously, ¡°He said the same when he was being questioned by people on Weibo, but when he posted this statement, it immediately got quoted by Crossing the Bridge Noodles.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What did Noodles say?¡± Qi Jing was very curious.


    CV-Crossing the Bridge Noodles: Delusional disorder is an illness, it needs to be treated. //@CV-Bronze Sparrow Terrace: I didn¡¯t n to participate in the finals at first, because I didn¡¯t want to see Little Noodles I once used to love so dearly to bill and coo with another man before my eyes. It hurt me so much to see him getting together with Don¡¯t ask for my return date, so how could I try my best to audition with my heart and mind in disarray? So I gave up on the finals, the one who appeared there that day wasn¡¯t me.


    ¡°Pfft...¡± When Qi Jing saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but p the table¡ªNoodles-kun sure hit hard with hisments!


    ¡°Senior, Senior,¡± Ning Xiaoxiao waved at him to calm down, ¡°It¡¯s not yet the most miraculous part of this development.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Could there be an even more miraculous development than this?


    ¡°The key point is, after the hit from Crossing the Bridge Noodles, that diehard fan of Bronze Sparrow Terrace, Da Qiao, came out to start a public witch hunt against him.¡± Once Ning Xiaoxiao entered the gossip mode, shepletely forgot that she came with the purpose of apologising¡ªwhen entering the most interesting part, she was just short of a fan to wave around to emphasise her narration.


    Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Harem: Hehe, if you have it in you, why not just try and look for a god greater than Bronze Sparrow to cover for you? Try it, why not look for one? If you can¡¯t, I¡¯m here calling for the girls to mess you up, you won¡¯t even have time for regretting! //@CV-Crossing the Bridge Noodles: Delusional disorder is an illness, it needs to be treated


    Qi Jing remembered this Da Qiaoss, she was the president of the fan group, thinking she was the head empress of the emperor¡¯s grand harem, her loyalty to Bronze Sparrow Terrace was no joke. So even if he was the previously ¡°official¡± CP, once Crossing the Bridge Noodles made ament this openly hostile, she didn¡¯t hold back to bite back at him with all she had.


    But Crossing the Bridge Noodles probably wouldn¡¯t even care about that.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that he would reply.¡± Qi Jing didn¡¯t have a heart to look at thements below, it was probably Noodle¡¯s and Bronze Sparrow¡¯s fans battling each other bloody, then the former Moss shippers holding their heads and bawling their eyes out... This ce sure was one hell of a mess.


    ¡°Indeed, he didn¡¯t reply,¡± At that time, an excited expression appeared on Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s face, ¡°But someone else replied for him.¡±


    CV-Sleek horses run fast: How about me? //@Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Harem: Hehe, if you have it in you, why not just try and look for a god greater than Bronze Sparrow to cover for you? Try it, why not look for one? If you can¡¯t, I¡¯m here calling for the girls to mess you up, you won¡¯t even have time for regretting! //@CV-Crossing the Bridge Noodles: Delusional disorder is an illness, it needs to be treated


    The chopsticks in Qi Jing¡¯s hand dropped to the table the moment he saw this quote post as he froze dumbfounded.


    ¡°Five¡±, you...


    You¡¯re unhappy that this whole situation isn¡¯t messy enough for your taste yet, aren¡¯t you?


    T/N:


    Luci: When the chaos needs a bit of vouring, you can always count on our fellow Five to add some spice to it, salute o7


    And bted happy Year of the Rabbit! I hope it brings you all luck and prosperity!


    P.S.: As I said in the previous trantor¡¯s note, I will be taking the next two weeks off to focus on my exams. Sending double the luck for my fellow students TAT

 Chapter 129

    <h4>Chapter 129</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    There were 4900 shares under this Weibo post, quickly approaching a five thousand milestone. As this was the fifth post of an already years-long retired god, this number was bound to continue growing¡ªa number of followers approaching six digits was not to be trifled with.


    Ning Xiaoxiao had alreadypletely abandoned herdy-like facade as she almost huffed and puffed through her nose, eximing loudly, ¡°Senior! Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s lit! Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s sweet! This is exactly the legendary ¡®Big Sleek Horse¡¯, Little Ninth¡¯s life core¡ªdid you forget it? The one who¡¯s the reason why you¡¯ve been called ¡®Little Sleek Horse¡¯ in the past? A VA of his rank actually came back from death to speak up for Crossing the Bridge Noodles! Ahhhhh~!¡±


    ¡°Junior, Junior, get a grip...¡± As someone who had already heard Sleek Horses Run Fast appearing in Crossing the Bridge Noodles ce in the background, Qi Jing waved his hand at her with rtiveposure, afraid that she would flip the hot pot in the moment of excitement.


    ¡°So handsome! So handsome! For the great god of his calibre, crushing you all is easy like crushing ants with this kind of power!¡± Ning Xiaoxiao remained deep in her fantasy.


    Like crushing ants... indeed. ¡°It really was a killing shot.¡± Qi Jing muttered subconsciously, suddenly empathising a bit with Da Qiao¡¯s predicament. You reap what you sow, and this time she sowed an utter defeat.


    Even if Sleek Horses Run Fast used a slightly smiling Weibo emote in this quote post, the butterfly effect it initiated... It wasn¡¯t something that could be softened by a single smile only.


    He could empathise with her mainly because back when it was him who was in the middle of hate from Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans¡¯, faced with the one-sided torrent of critique, he also experienced the feeling of being crushed like an ant between someone¡¯s fingers. The only difference was, he was innocent back then, while she got what she deserved.


    Who knows, maybe even the happy crowd enjoying the drama from the sides didn¡¯t even change¡ªthinking of this, he didn¡¯t have it in him tough at it easily.


    For good or bad, Bronze Sparrow Terrace himself had his godly halo and plenty of fans, so he would be able to survive such a situation. But a mere president of a fan group like Da Qiao was far worse off...


    Da Qiao quickly deleted that post after this situation, but since it got forwarded by a lot of people before deletion, this stain on her reputation would forever stay there, unwashable. She probably got quite scared, even disabling thements as herment section right now would certainly be full of derision.


    Thisdy might really have to kill this ID off because of this¡ª¡°Maybe it¡¯s a good thing, focusing on her real life and studies shouldn¡¯t be that bad for her.¡± He had heard that thisdy was still in the first year of uni, so this case would just perfectly let her gather her mind and return to reality. Qi Jing breathed a long sigh as he leaned back on a cushion.


    As the proverb says, ¡°take a look at the owner before hitting his dog¡±¡ªand Sleek Horses Run Fast was an individual so scary, he didn¡¯t even need to take a look at anyone¡¯s master. So if this dog¡¯s owner continued to stay silent for any longer, the next one to take a hit would be him.


    No matter if it was due to the pressure from the public or fans, Bronze Sparrow Terrace finally made an appearance.


    CV-Bronze Sparrow Terrace: To bully a littledy before so many people, is this really bing of a former great god? //@CV-Sleek horses run fast: How about me? //@Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrow¡¯s Harem


    ¡°...Wonderful.¡± Way to twist the situation.When quoting the post, he made sure to leave out the original part of Da Qiao cursing Sleek Horses out, while using everyone¡¯s inclination to side with the weaker and putting the emphasis on ¡°bullying a littledy¡±. What¡¯s more, he also intentionally or otherwise stressed this tad bit mocking ¡®former¡¯, giving him another push down¡ªtruly beautiful.


    Qi Jing realised that every time Bronze Sparrow Terrace handled a critical public image issue, he would always have to make an update for the high score of thickness this man¡¯s face could attain.


    Qi Jing thought to himself that he would never be able to outscore this achievement.


    But Sleek Horses Run Fast outscored it with much ease.


    CV-Sleek Horses Run Fast: In that case, I will ask the current great god to show me what¡¯s bing and apologise to Little Noodles in your littledy¡¯s stead? //@CV-Bronze Sparrow Terrace: To bully a littledy before so many people, is this really bing of a former great god?


    ...Help...Qi Jing could virtually see the scene of Sleek Horses Run Fast and Bronze Sparrow Terrace standing face to face, both giving each other a fake smile¡ªthis was simply too beautiful.


    But he had to admit, Sleek Horses Run Fast¡¯s response was really clever. He received the curveball Bronze Sparrow Terrace had thrown at him and even returned him a killing spike the other didn¡¯t even have time to react to, especially the way he used that ¡®current¡¯ to parrot the shade perfectly... Sure enough, Bronze Sparrow Terrace started ying dead afterwards.


    ¡°Big Sleek Horse sure isn¡¯t easy.¡± Qi Jing spoke without thinking.


    Because he got used to cute kaomojis he used like ¡°¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q¡± and ¡°(¤Å£þ 3£þ)¤Å¡± before, he forgot that this guy was also in possession of a ¡®great god¡¯ title. In this online VA circle ridden with haters and drama, those worthy of this title couldn¡¯t possibly be sweet and pure little sheep, they all had more than one trick up their sleeves.


    Also... This wasn¡¯t only him defending his lover before the public. It wasn¡¯t only protection¡ªhere, he took an initiative to attack as well.


    ¡°He can¡¯t possibly mean to drive Bronze Sparrow Terrace out of online voice acting?¡± Qi Jing said in half a joke, but Shen Yan, who had been looking at the screen without saying a word, actually replied to it.


    ¡°If he really sets himself on driving someone out, he has means to do that,¡± He paused here, his following words bleak, colourless and tasteless like the ss of water in his hand, making it impossible to discern any vour in his tone, ¡°And patience.¡±


    Hearing this caught Qi Jing by surprise.


    ...Huh?...


    But then, Shen Yan tipped his head to drink the remaining half ss of water.


    By the time Qi Jing turned his head to stare at him, stupefied, he already put the ss back on the table, silently wiping his lower lip. Along with the water, he seemed to also swallow back those words right now, only leaving the remaining couple of clear water trails at the inside of the ss¡ªeasily missed unless someone looked carefully.


    This is... just ament from an observer¡¯s point of view, right?Qi Jing opened his mouth, but before he could ask him, he was already outdone by the wide-eyed Ning Xiaoxiao sitting opposite to him, ¡°Eh, Kitty¡¯s Papa, how do you know that? Unless... Ah!¡±


    She got too excited for a moment and bumped the tablet with her hand, resulting in it falling on the table with a thump and a few droplets of broth falling on its screen, so she wiped it hurriedly. Her fingers swiped across the screen, and so Sleek Horses Run Fast¡¯s Weibo homepage got scrolled all the way down by her, stopping right at the message he posted two years ago.


    ¡¾I¡¯m sorry¡¿


    There was also a crying emote at the end.


    Shen Yan¡¯s gaze coincidentally passed by it, then suddenly stopped still fixedly. After a long while, he again lowered his gaze to look at the date of posting and furrowed his brow, then slowly looked away with an indifferent face. ¡°I don¡¯t know that.¡± He gave a rather simple reply, ¡°I guessed.¡±


    ¡°So you just guessed,¡± Ning Xiaoxiao was cleaning the sttered tablet with utmost care. When she heard him, she raised her head aggrieved, face coloured with disappointment after having her anticipation let down, ¡°And here I thought that you two knew each other...¡±


    Qi Jing came back to his senses, realising that this topic could be a bit too much, so he quickly smiled and gently diverged from the topic, ¡°But speaking of it, during a battle of reputation and fans, the old nobodies like us have no say here. At times like this, we can only join the people watching from the sidelines.¡±


    This was true.


    It wasn¡¯t only online voice acting, this stayed true no matter the circle. Sometimes facts don¡¯t mean anything¡ªif the opponent has a huge fanbase, they can gradually talk everyone into believing ck is white and vice-versa. Sleek Horses Run Fast had something him and Shen Yan didn¡¯t, and that was¡ªsupport.


    Hearing this, Ning Xiaoxiao said out of the blue, ¡°Senior, a VA with a personality like you... How to say this, although you won¡¯t have many fans, but you will have friends.¡±


    Qi Jing was stupefied by her words.


    ¡°I¡¯m chummy with a lot of staff members, and those who take their job seriously all speak highly of you, saying you¡¯re both gentlemanly and charming... It makes people think that you¡¯re worth getting along with for a long run.¡± Then she remembered something and added, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just the whole ¡®God of ying Dead¡¯ thing is scaring people off. They¡¯re afraid that you would drag out the recording process for way too long, so they don¡¯t dare to invite you...¡±


    Only after talking by herself to this point did she realise that Qi Jing was staring at her with a deeply shaken expression. ¡°...I never thought you would say something this rational, it makes me feel like my Junior finally grew up...¡±


    Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s face flushed red, then snatched a meatball from his bowl with her chopsticks and wolfed it down.


    Qi Jingughed heartily.


    ¡°But I¡¯m being serious here, your poprity literally exploded after the end of ?Order to End the Heavens?petition! Aside from the normal listeners, I¡¯m sure that a lot of staff members are talking about you two.¡± Although they couldn¡¯tpare with the great gods of Sleek Horses Run Fast¡¯s calibre, Ning Xiaoxiao still found it worthy of celebration, eating as she continued talking, ¡°Ah, right! Right! Kitty¡¯s Papa is going to go the ?Order to End the Heavens?¡¯spany headquarters in Beijing for signing the contract, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm...¡± Shen Yan nodded his head slightly.


    After thepetition concluded, the organisers sent an announcement through the mail, asking the champions for each character role to wait those two days until the notice about the next procedure. Aside from the official contract to voice-act in the game, the prize for the champions who were living across the country was a gift coupon for a return aerone ticket to Beijing¡ªthe full price of the flight, including taxes, was covered by the organisers. After signing the contract, the contestants would proceed to the professional recording studio there, with two days and one night for the recording process. The hotel for the stay during that period would also get arranged and covered by thepany.


    ¡°But Senior won¡¯t be able to go... such a pity.¡± Ning Xiaoxiao was still brooding about Qi Jing¡¯s whole ¡®double runner-up¡¯ case, bitterly chomping a bite out of a meatball.


    ¡°I can actually go if I want to, I just need to cover the expenses myself.¡± Qi Jing smiled and said.


    He already had ns for it. When the date for Shen Yan¡¯s trip to Beijing was set, he would go there with him under the name of a ¡®fan¡¯. After all, the developers¡¯ introductory event was open for fans, but he heard that they had to purchase a ticket... After all, what kind of amercialpany wouldn¡¯t take a chance to grab some cash.


    ¡°Oh, then if you¡¯re both going, then I beg you to persuade that ¡®Two¡¯ fellow to voice-act in an audio drama!¡± Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s staff-mode was now on. She was talking to Qi Jing, but her eyes were shining as she stared at Shen Yan. From the moment she got to know that Kitty¡¯s Papa knew ¡®Two¡¯, and that Kitty¡¯s Papa is Shen Yan, she was already making calctions on her small abacus.


    ¡°Junior, did youe here to atone for your sins or to fool around...¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I do both of the above?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± Qi Jing once again put on a gentlemanly smile, pinching her other cheek. Very well, very well, soon enough both will be swollen into symmetry.


    ¡°Gah...¡±


    The dinner meeting concluded sessfully in this boisterous atmosphere. Qi Jing and Shen Yan sent Ning Xiaoxiao to the bus stop, only then going back home.


    This hour was already past most of the people¡¯s rest time, leaving the streets bathed in silence, with only the rustling wind scraping by the tree branches. It wasn¡¯t a particrly pleasant sound, but it had a sense of peacefulness unique to the winter. The streetmps kept their solitary watch at the sides of the street, spreading ayer of pale warmth on the asphalt road beneath their feet.


    Aside from it, there were also two shadows casted on the road¡ªat first only side by side, butter conjoined together. It was because when they were going out, neither of them remembered to bring gloves, so Shen Yan just took Qi Jing¡¯s hand, putting it into his overcoat pocket alongside his own.


    Qi Jing was already used to this kind of small gestures of intimacy. The only difference was, when they usually held hands, it was Shen Yan¡¯s that were warmer. But now, Shen Yan¡¯s hands were colder than his. Qi Jing was afraid that he wore too little, so he quickly held it tighter.


    By the time they were back, the two of them were far from feeling tired, so he yed for a bit with Big Goose and Little Return Date.


    It was only as Shen Yanter opened theputer to check for the work emails as usual when he discovered that the developers of ?Order to End the Heavens? had already sent an email.


    ¡°There¡¯s an email from developers.¡±


    ¡°Ah, this quick?¡± He thought that it would take two or three days. When Qi Jing heard Shen Yan say so, he put Little Return Date who was rubbing against his thigh back at Big Goose¡¯s side, shifting over to take a look.


    There was an already published date for the contract signing in the notice, a week away from now.


    The contents of the email was only very formal thanks to every contestant participating and so on, with the flight gift coupon number and the address written at the very end of it.


    ¡°If it¡¯s next week, then...¡± Can you arrange some free time?


    Shen Yan had yet to finish his question when he suddenly paused. After opening the link, he was sent to the flight coupon exchange interface, and there, he clearly saw ¡°2¡± in the ¡°avable tickets¡± section.


    Qi Jing was curious why he stopped talking midways and looked at the screen, then he also couldn¡¯t help himself from eximing from surprise, ¡°The organisers actually gave you two flight tickets, huh.¡±


    Shen Yan stared at this ¡°2¡± for a long time, saying nothing for quite a while.


    But Qi Jing found an exnation to that¡ªShen Yan was a double champion, so it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if there were twice the amount of prizes prepared.


    ¡°Turns out the organisers really didn¡¯t spare the second ticket for a double champion... And here I thought that amercialpany like this would be a bit stingy, saving a bit on the fact that you¡¯re one person getting two roles.¡± Qi Jing said with a smile. At the TV station he would often hear about some professional voice acting projects where for the sake of skimping on the post-production, the investors would have one actor voicing multiple characters, no matter whether it was reasonable or not. Inparison, the developers of ?Order to End the Heavens? sure were quite generous.


    Shen Yan still didn¡¯t say anything, looking down without a word, as if pondering something.


    Qi Jing supported his chin on Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder, muttering to himself, ¡°But... This way I can apany you without having to buy a ticket for myself¡ªas if they knew that I want to go. It¡¯s almost too timely.¡±


    Hearing him say so, Shen Yan¡¯s eyes moved slightly. He looked up and stared at the webpage.


    ¡°Qi Jing.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Can you bring me a cup of warm milk?¡± Shen Yan turned his head to ask him. Usually, he almost never took an initiative to ask Qi Jing to do something for him in their daily life¡ªthis time was a rare exception.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Qi Jing was surprised at first, then smiled slightly and kissed his brow, going out of the study and to the fridge, taking out the milk to warm up.


    ¡ªThis would probably take about three minutes.


    After sending off Qi Jing with his gaze, Shen Yan went back to that email, clicking the ¡°official page¡± link included below.


    The official page of ?Order to End the Heavens? changed back to the default look. It was mainly about the current progress of developing the fifth instalment of the game, the usual character introductions for some of them, the in-game scenery wallpapers, the reviews for the original novel and so on. Aside from the time during thepetition when he came here to take a look at the list of contestants, he never paid attention to any of it at all.


    Shen Yan searched on the page for a while, finally finding a row of small letters at the very bottom¡ª¡±about us¡±. Opening it sent him to the gamepany¡¯s own main page. Shen Yan¡¯s gaze sweeped by the menu on the left side, stopping at the ¡°team introduction¡±. After he opened it, there was another page with a list of all the important workers in thepany, along with their names and positions.


    He slowly looked through it from top to bottom, the cursor of his mouse following each of the names his gaze passed by, as if to make sure that he didn¡¯t omit a single person.


    Suddenly, the cursor stopped.


    His eyes grew wide, his gaze as if frozen by the same ce the cursor did.


    ¡°Come with me.¡±


    Qi Jing came back from the living room with a steaming-hot cup of milk. When he came in, he heard Shen Yan, who was sitting before theputer with his back facing him as he said so, leaving him a bit lost.


    ¡°I intended to do so in the first ce.¡± He came over with a smile, putting the milk on the desk.


    ¡°I was afraid you wouldn¡¯t have time...¡± After all, Qi Jing had juste back from Beijing, if he were to go for another trip, who knows if his higher-ups wouldn¡¯t get angry back at the TV station.


    ¡°I will fight for the permission.¡± Qi Jing promised him.


    Shen Yan turned to him slowly, his expression tired for some reason. He quietly hugged Qi Jing¡¯s waist, resting his head against his belly like a child. Qi Jing had a hunch that there was something unusual in him doing so, but he didn¡¯t quite know why it was the case.


    ¡°Are you going to call them about that additional ticket, ask if they made a mistake?¡± It wasn¡¯t impossible for some worker to make an error. Qi Jing raised his hand to stroke Shen Yan¡¯s hair, the other one resting on his shoulder and pulling him closer into the embrace.


    ¡°No need to,¡± Shen Yan sounded muffled, a bit more hoarse than usual, ¡°No need to ask, if it¡¯s two tickets, then it¡¯s two tickets... It shouldn¡¯t be a mistake, so just use it.¡±


    Deep into the night, Shen Yan went alone back to the study, slowly pulling the chair back to sit down. He had already slept a few hours during the afternoon, so he wasn¡¯t tired yet.


    Although Qi Jing also wasn¡¯t tired, it was still a work day for him the next day, he had an interview he needed to wake up early to. What¡¯s more, after having just returned from afar and spending long intimate hours in the bed, he was certainly tired, so he couldn¡¯t change Shen Yan¡¯s mind on making him go to bed and rest.


    Shen Yan sat at the chair for a long time, then finally turned theputer on and downloaded Skype.


    Thest time he used Skype was many years ago already. Before YY became a thing, it was the main tform for online voice actors to practise acting with others, but these days, it was gradually getting forgotten.


    He remembered that after thest time he finished using Skype, he uninstalled this program from hisputer altogether. Now, he had to reinstall it if he wanted to use it.


    But he still remembered his old login and password¡ª


    Like an old directory. Even though he clearly hadn¡¯t contacted the people there for many years, he still remembered the faces of some of them, still recalled the scenes of some memories. Sometimes... he would have a thought of going back to leaf through it. And now, with a simr thought, he was quietly watching the instation progress bar filling, just like slowly opening the first page of the directory.


    ¡°Ding¡ª¡± After the software finished installing, a log-in window popped out.


    Shen Yan took a deep breath, typing in the login and password that he hadn¡¯t used in many years.


    ¡ªHe didn¡¯t know if he could still log in. With a bit of uncertainty, he hit enter. After a few short seconds of buffering, he actually managed to sign in.


    All contacts (1/5)


    Currently online (1/5)


    When he first saw that number ¡°1¡±, his back tensed a bit. But as he took a look, he saw that the one with the green online mark was ¡°IV¡±, not ¡°V¡±.


    He sat there in stupor, releasing a long breath out.


    The ¡°V¡± was grey, just as the ¡°I¡±, ¡°II¡±, ¡°III¡± above it.


    In fact, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem if it wasn¡¯t grey... Just, he didn¡¯t feel prepared to speak with him directly yet.


    At that time, a message popped out. It was probably ¡°IV¡± who saw him online and wanted to inquire about the situation, surprised.


    IV: ...Real deal?


    VI: Mhm.


    IV: Aaaaaah! Are you actually the real deal?!


    VI: Mhm.


    Unsurprisingly, the very next moment a green microphone symbol started shing. Shen Yan put the headphones on and prepared the mic, then epted this voice call invitation.


    ¡°Six?¡± He heard a young woman¡¯s voice. Unlike Jade Butterfly with her voice of a well-breddy from an affluent family, she gave an experienced and straightforward impression. ¡°Is that really you?¡±


    ¡°Long time no hear, Four.¡± Shen Yan greeted her lightly, ¡°Is Three on duty tonight as well?¡±


    ¡°He is. Surgeons sure have it hard.¡± She grumbled unhappily, ¡°It¡¯s so boring to be alone at home~¡±


    ¡°I had consulted him about the stuff to be careful about during the recovery from the bone fracture before; I still need to thank him for answering so many of my questions,¡± Shen Yan said quietly, ¡°Although I had thanked him then through the call... if it¡¯s convenient, I would ask you to pass it to him, thanks.¡±


    After he said this, the woman chuckled, herughter lined with deeper meaning.


    ¡°The one who broke the bone... he¡¯s your boyfriend, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t covert about it, admitting it withpleteposure.


    For a moment, ¡®Four¡¯ didn¡¯t say anything, as if figuring out whether theposure in his tone was really caused by the actual calmness in his heart. After a while and making sure that it was the case, she finally sighed with a smile, ¡°...And here I thought that you would never log into this Skype ount anymore. Having a person by your side really makes a difference¡ªyour boyfriend seems incredible. He¡¯s a good man.¡±


    Hearing this, Shen Yan understood that his previous conjecture was correct, ¡°Thank you for that time during thepetition too. That ¡®Doing good things in passing¡¯... It was you, right?¡±


    ¡®Four¡¯ seemed stupefied.


    Then, after a moment, he heard a puff preceding herughter hit the mic, brisk and jolly.


    ¡°I actually got seen through... Tell me, how did you know?¡± She said unhurriedly, not at all flustered like someone who had just gotten exposed¡ªmore like, leisurely content.


    ¡°The tone,¡± Shen Yan said calmly, ¡°Especially that tone when you talked to Two. I couldn¡¯t think of anyone else speaking like this.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you sure are sharp.¡± She fiddledzily with something on her desk at the other side of the call, causing a clear tinkling sound, her mood visibly merry, ¡°You don¡¯t actually have to thank me. Just as that ID says, I was just doing good things in passing, that¡¯s all. Butter on, you two need to be more careful. Nowadays, there¡¯s a lot of people who know how to check IPs. Even if during the finals your IP wasn¡¯t the same, all of the IPs for the semi-finals were identical.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Shen Yan said lightly, ¡°If there¡¯s anybody interested in checking it, then they may as well do that. It won¡¯t have any effect on our rtionship.¡±


    Hearing this, ¡®Four¡¯ clicked her tongue, but sounded as if she was smiling at the same time.


    At that point, Shen Yan suddenly said, ¡°There¡¯s one more thing I want to thank you about¡ªthank you for not letting Two continue asking that time.¡±


    The smile on ¡®Four¡¯s¡¯ face slowly washed away. ¡°This thing, huh,¡± She spoke slowly, as if she needed to consider every word before saying it, ¡°At that time that dumbass kept asking you questions like this was also because he¡¯s obtuse and insensitive. But aside from your grandpa passing away... you also had some other reason you couldn¡¯t talk about, right?¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything.


    After a long while, he asked in a low, hoarse voice, ¡°I never told that to anyone... How much do you know, after all?¡±


    The womanughed bitterly, ¡°Bingo. I wasn¡¯t supposed to know, but... Five... After he got drunk once, I heard him talking by ident. Ah, but don¡¯t worry, I haven¡¯t told the things I heard that day to anyone, even to Three.¡±


    This time the silence was even longer, even more pressing. Until Shen Yan broke it in a gravelly voice. ¡°What did he say?¡±


    ¡°He said,¡± She paused for a slight moment, hesitating for a while before continuing, ¡°Back at that time... It was him who drove you away.¡±


    A/N:


    We¡¯re starting to count the old scores...


    T/N:


    Luci: Back to the uploading and it seems like we¡¯re starting strong already! xD

 Chapter 130

    <h4>Chapter 130</h4>


    Unedited


    ¡°This thing¡ªis it true?¡±


    For ¡®Four¡¯ to ask this, it showed that she also didn¡¯t want to try believing it.


    ¡ªNo one would ever believe it.


    Shen Yan lowered his gaze, saying nothing, then finally rubbed his face with a tired expression. He couldn¡¯t tell whether it was his hands that were colder, or his face.


    ¡°No matter if it¡¯s true, it¡¯s already in the past.¡± That¡¯s right, it¡¯s in the past. Time can change a person, perhaps even two.


    He also didn¡¯t want to dwell on something other people wouldn¡¯t believe. Dwelling on it wouldn¡¯t benefit anyone. People like ¡®Four¡¯ and the rest of the bunch were, after all, outsiders, with little space to get involved¡ªonly between the involved could this matter get thoroughly unfolded and discussed. And as for that day, the only obstacle keeping them from doing that was the opportunity to talk face-to-face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at this, just forget what he told you.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s voice sounded a bit hoarse, as if he didn¡¯t rest for seventy two whole hours.


    ¡°...Fine.¡± When the woman heard him say so, she knew that he had his own sorrows. That¡¯s why she sighed and said with a bitter smile, ¡°Six, how to say that... Sometimes you¡¯re too considerate, caring too much about the bigger picture, putting up with everything. When Two was questioning you, you didn¡¯t mention Five¡ªit was to avoid driving a wedge between them, right?¡±


    ¡°Two¡¯s love for voice acting is genuine, he¡¯s not a scheming guy. And his rtionship with Five is good. It would cause no good if he knew about this.¡± It would only create more problems, so what¡¯s the use?


    ¡®Four¡¯ fell silent for a while. ¡°To be honest...¡±


    She seemed to waver if she should try to help that guy in restoring his impression for a moment, stuck ufortably for quite a while before she finally spoke. ¡°To be honest, Five is actually really thoughtful with his friends. For example Two, I don¡¯t know if you heard about it, but he worked as a professional voice actor for a while before. He got unlucky and was employed by a studio that treasured money more than talent, pushing him to voice act unreasonable stuff to ingratiate themselves with the clients, so he got mad and quit, refusing to have anything to do anymore with the professional circle... Frankly, with his skills, it¡¯d be too much of a waste. This time, Five half coaxed, half coerced him to enter the professionalpetition, and it was for someone to scout his talent once again.¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t make a sound.


    ¡®Four¡¯s¡¯ smile was a bit weak as she said slowly, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about what happened, but I hope that one day, the two of you will be able to sit together and make everything clear. If anyone did wrong, then admit to it; if there¡¯s a need, then beat each other up a good time. But don¡¯t remain standing in ce, refusing to move on for the rest of your lives.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± This time, he replied in a low voice. He replied twice, once for her, and once for himself, ¡°I know that...¡±


    After turning theputer off, Shen Yan left the study without turning the light on. The only source of light seeped in faintly from the streetmps outside, as if covering the ck walnut furniture with a thinyer of frost. Only one who felt this light on their skin would be able to tell if it¡¯s warm or cold, ck and white stark against each other.


    He stood there in ce for a long while, gaze moving around the apartment he once lived in with his grandpa. The number of residents in this apartment shrunk from two to one, then, after a long time, finally changed again into two¡ªhe didn¡¯t want to, nor would he let this number to once again go back to ¡°one¡±.


    ¡°Huu...¡± He released his breath, shaking his head slightly, and finally walked back to the bedroom door, gently turning the door handle.


    ¡°ck.¡± The moment the door opened, He suddenly saw something sh brightly in the dark¡ªit was somewhere around the pillow. At the same time, he could hear rustling of the duvet being pulled over, before all of it disappeared in the silence.


    Shen Yan was surprised at first, then understood it after a moment.


    He quietly walked over to the bedside, then suddenly pounced over, trapping the down duvet beneath him, along with the person hiding underneath. His attack seemed to have given quite a scare to that man¡ªhe sprung up beneath the thick duvet like a caught fish being pulled out of water in a fis, his struggling a spitting image of one thrashing about its tail in panic.


    ¡°So you¡¯re not sleeping like a good boy, even ying with your phone while hiding under the duvet?¡± Shen Yan said in a low voice.


    He didn¡¯t know at what point his hands found the other man¡¯s hands, not letting him hide the ¡°incriminating evidence¡± under the pillow. When Shen Yan spoke, his breath passed lightly by this man¡¯s cheek, blowing strands of the hair on his temples aside, the whole image feeling a bit... like a punishment.


    ¡ªHe got caught in the crime.


    Qi Jing momentarily blushed with shame.


    It wasn¡¯t actually any rming ¡°crime¡±, but being told off by Shen Yan like this, he couldn¡¯t stop the scalding warmth from creeping up his cheeks. He struggled a bit, but didn¡¯t manage to struggle free. And the man on top of him almost seemed to hug him still, his elbows at both of Qi Jing¡¯s sides limiting the space, not even leaving him enough to turn over, not to mention breaking free.


    He had no other choice but to consider employing the soft measures. ¡°I... couldn¡¯t sleep...¡±


    It was actually because he slept for too long during the day, so he was still full of energy at that point. During the time when Shen Yan was still in the study, he had been staring at the ceiling for half an hour and yet still didn¡¯t feel sleepy, so he only searched for the phone to browse Weibo when he was extremely bored. He didn¡¯t expect that he would get caught red-handed.


    ¡°It¡¯s so dark here, and the phone screen is so bright, do you want to ruin your eyesight?¡± Shen Yan not only didn¡¯t soften, he also furrowed his brows, voice getting even heavier with reproach, ¡°If you¡¯re not feeling guilty of anything, then why would you be so sneaky hiding it from me?¡±


    ...I feel guilty, of course I do. Qi Jing coughed slightly. Shen Yan was always resolute in his approach towards Qi Jing¡¯s health.


    ¡°Fine, fine, I was wrong. So, do release me, please?¡±


    Shen Yan did not release him.


    Qi Jing had no other choice.


    His hands weren¡¯t free anymore, his whole body wrapped still in the duvet like in a cocoon, and the man above was pressing on him with half of his body, leaving him unable to budge. The only thing he could do was to employ hisst move&#k2014;he suddenly lunged his body forward, head raised to search for the source of that man¡¯s voice, only to seal it viciously.


    ¡°Ngh¡ª¡± Shen Yan was about to open his mouth to say something, but Qi Jing¡¯s tongue already invaded it halfways, bringing with it some of the moistness, so sparse in the wintertime. It gently pushed what he was about to say back up, not letting him continue talking down at him.


    He closed his eyes subconsciously, breathing growing urgent. His grip loosened in this moment of inattention. Qi Jing took this opportunity to free his hands, peeling a hem of the duvet from himself, then peeling a hem of the outermostyers of Shen Yan¡¯s clothes along the way. He caressed and undressed him in the dark, pulling him into a snuggly entanglement of limbs under the duvet, kissing him wantonly for a longsting moment.


    Itsted until both of them were short of their breaths, when Qi Jing finally broke the kiss, nuzzling his nose against Shen Yan¡¯s.


    As his breathing slowed down, he suddenly felt yful. With a smile, he flipped over, pushing Shen Yan beneath himself, getting the man who had just pushed him down toy below him. Qi Jing buried his face behind his ear, rubbing against it, only content when their bodies were snuggled close against each other. Hezily hooked his finger around the button hanging on Shen Yan¡¯s vicle, ying with it in a good mood.


    To his surprise, Shen Yan actually let him have his way, choosing to not pursue the case of him ying with his phone, only quietly circling his arms around Qi Jing. He turned his head to kiss his hair, the kiss tender beyond any words.


    Suddenly, Shen Yan called him.


    ¡°A-Jing.¡±


    ¡°What are you...¡± calling me this for. He froze for a moment, face scalded with blush. He wiggled around beneath the duvet to hug this man even closer, bed sheets rustling.


    ¡°If,¡± Whenever Shen Yan started with ¡®if¡¯, it was always because he felt at loss and uncertain about something that happened in his life¡ªthis was what Qi Jing¡¯s experience told him. But what he said next, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t quite link with their current life, ¡°If one day, I was left with nothing... Even if this apartment, even if this ce we live in was gone, could I still remain by your side?¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback.


    ¡°What are you even talking about with someone who has neither an apartment or car?¡± When he came back to himself, he asked half-jokingly.


    But Shen Yan didn¡¯tugh, tightening the hold of his arms instead, as if he wouldn¡¯t let go before getting an answer.


    Qi Jing reined in his smile, fingersbing through Shen Yan¡¯s hair lovingly as he replied with utmost sincerity, ¡°Silly... Wasn¡¯t it you who said that the home is where your loved ones are?¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s head on his shoulder moved slightly. He only made a soft noise in reply, not saying anything more.


    Meanwhile, Qi Jing continued talking, ¡°If we can¡¯t stay in this apartment, then we will rent another one. Either way, next year we will also need to rent one when we go to Beijing.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°If we want to think further, then we can also slowly save up to buy one as well.¡± It¡¯s always good to have a goal in life.


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°To make it short, I will provide for you, don¡¯t worry.¡± Qi Jing used his most ¡®top¡¯ voice for this on purpose, then heard Shen Yanughing softly. He reached a hand to hold his, no longer saying anything.


    ¡ªIt was warm. Or at least it was warmer than on their way back home.


    So warm that he could keep holding it for the whole night, until the sun rose.


    Ever since he officially returned to working in the TV station, Qi Jing¡¯s days, busy with his work arrangements, also returned. To free up two days of leave for the sake of apanying Shen Yan to Beijing, he had to clench his teeth and cram a week¡¯s worth of assignments into five days, choke-filled with everything¡ªfrom interviews to gathering resources outside. This, coupled with Shen Yan¡¯s house being far away from thepany, meant that he would go out in the wee hours in the morning and return home after 9pm.


    ¡°Qi Jing, do you really have to push yourself so hard...¡± His colleague was outright appalled when he saw him sitting before theputer and writing a draft during the lunch break.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t, I won¡¯t be able to take a leave this weekend.¡± Qi Jing took a sip of coffee with a wry smile, ¡°End of the year will also be a hell of a busy time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, we¡¯re about to have Christmas and New Year.¡± Once the holidays arrived, every single worker of the TV station was like a ma tossed into a pile of iron dust, instantly attracting all the work, whether it was holiday specials or holiday parties... They were all too busy to find any free time.


    Fortunately, he would somehow find some time to have three meals a day on time with the boxed meals Shen Yan prepared for him beforehands, but he didn¡¯t have any choice for the resting time.


    After going home and having a shower, the remaining time would only be enough to get hugged gently into the bed by Shen Yan. He didn¡¯t even have a chance to use the things in the drawer¡ªwith a kiss from Shen Yan on his eyes, he was already deep asleep.


    And so it was four dayster when Ning Xiaoxiao finally passed him the news that Ninth Lady wanted to contact him urgently after giving him a series of desperate calls.


    The arrangements for his work that day were a bit unusual¡ªan interview with arge-scale exhibition in the afternoon and an obligatory attendance dinner party arranged by thepany, leaving him a little bit of time in the morning. After sending Shen Yann off to his work and preparing breakfast for Little Return Date and Big Goose, he finally got a chance to open his QQ.


    And Ninth Lady, the one he was always only be able to talk to in the mornings his time¡ª


    Sure enough, her QQ ount was online.


    Qi Jing quickly sent her his greetings.


    Don¡¯t ask for my Return Date: Ninth, it¡¯s been ages since we talked online, how are you doing? ^£ß^


    Ninth Lady: Aaaaaah! Return Date!


    Ninth Lady: (holds face) Speaking of which, why are you online at this time... Usually when I¡¯m online, you¡¯re off to that mess of a work and sleep schedule of yours...


    Don¡¯t ask for my Return Date: Ah, luckily today most of my job will be in the afternoon and evening, that¡¯s why I had some free time toe over to talk with a time-difference gang member like you. What¡¯s up, do the students have holidays over there in the US now?


    Ninth Lady: We have over a week off, but I followed my ssmates to go skiing in the national park after we were done with the finals, and we went camping too... After a few continuous days, I¡¯m dog-tired. Even after logging onto the forum I had no energy left to browse it...


    Don¡¯t ask for my Return Date: ...Me too...


    Ninth Lady: ......


    Don¡¯t ask for my Return Date: ......


    Ninth Lady: Pft.


    Don¡¯t ask for my Return Date: Pft.


    Ninth Lady: Same as always, aren¡¯t you~ ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    Don¡¯t ask for my Return Date: You too~ ^£ß^


    As the one who formally introduced ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date VA¡± to the online voice acting circle, Ninth Lady could count as one of his closest and most trusted staff members within it. He didn¡¯t have to be secretive when talking to her, he could let himself be at ease, with no burden weighing him down.


    Usually, the voice actors and staff members basically had a cooperative rtionship, so there were a lot of things that couldn¡¯t be said¡ªno one could say if the other person wouldn¡¯t stab them in the back when they didn¡¯t look.


    Unless their rtionship went up from ¡°cooperation partners¡± to ¡°friends¡±.


    And even at the ¡°friends¡± stage, it wasn¡¯t guaranteed they would tell each other everything.


    But Qi Jing had no such misgivings about Ninth Lady, he could basically be almost one hundred percent frank with her, aside from some especially private matters¡ªand as for those, she knew well enough to not ask about, so Qi Jing felt very much at ease around her. For a producer to be able to develop long-term within the circle, aside from contacts and skills, the most important was to understand how to treasure other staff members and voice actors. Only this way, one would have friends to help them when some ident happened.


    To quote Ninth Lady¡¯s own words, they would get ¡°tormented to hell and back by the antis if some of our chat logs got leaked¡±.


    Such as thements roasting Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡ªif anyone posted any of those online, the angry fans would finish up the author of thement.


    But Qi Jing knew that she wouldn¡¯t do that.


    She knew that Qi Jing wouldn¡¯t do that as well.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: March Bamboo Shoots told me that you had some urgent news for me?


    Ninth Lady: I do... A few days ago, I finally managed to get back to the dormitory, soakfortably in a warm bath, and then I opened myputer... The shock was so great that even my face mask cracked.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I think I can guess why you got so shocked...


    Ninth Lady: ......


    Ninth Lady: ......


    Ninth Lady: ...THIS LADY¡¯S MAIN LIFE CORE RETURNED!! Thisdy¡¯s main life core Sleek horses run fast suddenly returned!! Can youprehend my feelings when I saw my life core return after four years of retirement?!! (¨s£­£ß£­)¨s¨k¨k


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ...I can... But you calm down first... (((£þ£ß£ß£þo)¡«


    It really was because of Sleek Horses Run Fast¡ªQi Jing chuckled helplessly. It seemed like even someone as burnt out with the circle and almostpletely retired veteran staff member as Ninth Lady couldn¡¯t resist the impact of her life core VAing back...


    Before, when Sleek Horses Run Fast called him ¡°dumbass¡±, he only appeared for a mere sh, with no actual follow-up. But this time, with his tip-for-tac with Bronze Sparrow Terrace, he really... came back.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: So since the Big Sleek Horses returned, you came looking for Little Return Date to fangirl about him together?


    Ninth Lady: Of course not... Who are you taking me for =A=... My excitement about my main life core returning is true, but I came rushing for you with a serious matter.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ??


    Ninth Lady: The producer for ?Trap?, Rouge Flower, had retired from the circle yesterday¡ªdid you know about that?


    ...What...


    The previously merry atmosphere broke in an instant. Qi Jing¡¯s expression changed into a distressed one as he straightened his back slowly, face coloured with shock.


    ¡°Why...¡± A single word escaped his lips before something stuck in his throat, instantly breaking his thoughts into a disarray.


    He felt that his typing speed was no longer enough to keep up with his want for exnation, so he put the earphones on, starting a voice call.


    ¡°Just what happened, why did she retire?¡± No matter if it was for the voice actor or a staff member, retiring from the circle was a very big decision for them all. Qi Jing furrowed slightly, an unpleasant premonition forming in his mind.


    ¡°Eh,¡± Ninth Lady sighed faintly. After all, as a seasoned producer experienced with years of the online voice acting circle drama, she was ratherposed when talking about this sort of matter, ¡°When I got back from my outing four days ago, I found a message she left me on QQ. It was a pretty long and messy one, the gist of it being how much she wants to apologise to you, that it was her who looked for you to y in this drama and yet it turned into a huge mess like this. Because it was me who gave her your contact info, she also passed her apologies to me.¡±


    ¡°I was so puzzled. I tried asking her what happened but she didn¡¯t reply to me, and two days ago she suddenly @ed everyone in the production crew, Bronze Sparrow Terrace included, saying that... Because of the various idents that urred during the ?Order to End the Heavens?petition, as well as your quitting, she spent too much time looking for the new voice actor for the second episode. And because she couldn¡¯t reach an agreement about the new voice actor choice with the other staff members, coupled with the great increase in her IRL studies workload, she wishes she could manage it, but she has no strength to do so.¡±


    ¡°So, she decided that she¡¯s no longer able to continue being in charge of ?Trap? production and concluded that from that day on, she gave up her duty as the producer, passing the right to thetter two episodes.¡±


    When Qi Jing heard that, his heart staggered. ¡°Who did she pass it to?¡±


    ¡°To the main force behind looking for the new VA... Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s close confidante, as well as the sound designer for ?Trap?.¡± Ninth Lady¡¯s tone was especially gloomy.


    ¡°It¡¯s finished...¡± Qi Jing¡¯s first thought was only this, ¡°This audio drama ispletely finished¡ª¡±


    ¡°Seems like it... It¡¯ll certainly be popr, after all they still have the advantage of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s great god title. But the original plot will probably get obliterated.¡± Ninth Lady said.


    ¡°Let me guess¡ªif that sound designerdy is responsible for finding a recement VA for me, then the new guy she found is around 0.5 shou, an androgynous voice of a graceful beauty?¡±


    ¡°Eh, how did you know?¡± Ninth Lady¡¯s reaction confirmed his conjecture. He facepalmed in silence.


    Since the beginning, A Lifetime¡¯s Lock wasn¡¯t choosing people in ordance to the original plot, but rather ording to ¡°whose voice type would suit the CP with Bronze Sparrow Terrace the best.


    As expected, from what Ninth Lady managed to gather, the newly chosen person was exactly this type of sweet beauty voice, as well as a moderately famous pinky voice actor in the circle. He was also one of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace fans and had a very good rapport with Da and Xiao Qiaos, as well as with Lifetime¡¯s Lock.


    ¡°So the producer... No, the previous producer saying that she couldn¡¯t reach an agreement about the choice of the candidate was pointing to...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Rouge Flower didn¡¯t want to use this person, but the sound designer hardly insisted on using him, so the disagreement within the production crew was too great. Now that I think of it, it might be that Rouge Flower¡¯s retirement could also be forced onto her.¡±


    Qi Jing listened to all of it with his brows furrowed, not knowing what to say aside from sighing.


    He didn¡¯t actually feel all that aggrieved when he left the production, it was only a sacrifice of two versions of dry recording and a dozen or so hours of recording and retaking some parts. But for Rouge Flower, Puppet Show, and Knives cutting in from four corners, who did it out of love and poured their lifeblood into creating it, the scale of this impact waspletely different.


    ¡°Is it because I was too impulsive at that time?¡± To be honest, he was the fuse for this situation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think like this,¡± Ninth Lady said bleakly, ¡°In our circle neither creating audio dramas nor voice acting for them are paid for, so there¡¯s no reason for you to still continue recording if other people inconvenience and bully you. No one owes anyone anything, if the cooperation doesn¡¯t work out, then it simply disbands. When thisdy first started working on audio dramas, people like Bronze Sparrow Terrace weren¡¯t even there yet. If he wants to court a disaster, then let him court it.¡±


    Qi Jing wanted tough at it, but couldn¡¯t really muster himself to.


    With all said and done, he really felt sorry for it¡ª


    ¡°The producer left the production and the sound designer took her ce. She will certainly act as both, so how about the original script-writer and director?¡±


    ¡°The script-writer girl is so unlucky... She already finished writing the script for the second episode, but now, with the transfer of the rights, she can neither withdraw the script or leave it in their hands... So the sound designer girl made a smart move, quickly saying that since she already handed the script for the second episode, there¡¯s no take-backs, and that she also already began to edit the background sound effects ording to it, so it can¡¯t be withdrawn. The script-writer girl is such a meek sweetheart, she couldn¡¯t argue with her, so she just agreed. She asked them to find someone else for the third episode, as she was busy with her IRL matters and couldn¡¯t continue... Of course, it¡¯s obviously an excuse.¡±


    The script for the second episode sure enough was already finished a long time ago, and it was quite probable that the one for the third episode could already be done as well, only waiting for the final approval.


    This Puppet Show was a very honest girl, so she probably felt terrible getting caught in a crossfire...


    ¡°Then how about the director?¡±


    ¡°The director girl was even more straightforward¡ªshe straight up shared the producer¡¯s weibo post with a quote saying ¡®I¡¯m sorry, I also couldn¡¯t reach an agreement about the new choice for the main role with other staff members, especially with the new producer, so as the director, I can¡¯t possibly continue working on this audio drama. Please don¡¯t notify me about the changes in the staff, see you never again in Jianghu.¡±


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help a bitterugh when he heard that.


    Wouldn¡¯t that clearly show that they parted their ways because of the break in their rtionship? ...It definitely matched Knives cutting in from four corners¡¯ style.


    But with only one episode out, to already have one of the leads, producer, script-writer, and even the director publicly announcing their quitting... ?Trap? really could count as one of the ¡°wonders¡± in online voice acting circle¡¯s history.


    ¡°So, Return Date. Do you have any ideas?¡± At that time, Ninth Lady suddenly asked him.


    T/N:


    Luci: I¡¯m terribly sorry for another dy,tely I didn¡¯t have time or the attention span to trante, hence the continuous hiatuses... I¡¯m working on getting back into shape though. Thank you all for your patience!

 Chapter 131

    <h4>Chapter 131</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    Did he have any ideas¡ªHe could think of many ideas in a moment, but upon closer thinking, most of them would get veto-ed, being too unrealistic.


    Qi Jing smiled indifferently, shaking his head slightly, ¡°I don¡¯t have any.¡±


    At least, he didn¡¯t have any substantial ones.


    Ninth Lady replied with a soft grunt at the other side of the call, as if not at all surprised by his reply. She only said, ¡°For me... During thosest two, three years, I¡¯ve been slowly finishing my old long-running projects, nning to retire by slowly ending them all and not starting any new audio dramas. I only know a very few of the neer staff members and VAs, so starting a new project would be a pure self-torture... But if you ever want to ask me, Return Date, I will help you to the end with all my honour.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing suddenly felt warmth in his heart. He thought that there was some worth in voice acting for those three years¡ªat least he made a great friend. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Ninth Lady went straight to the point. ¡°With me saying this, I guess you already guessed what I¡¯m thinking of.¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t reply for a moment, only smiling silently. After a while, he finally asked in a low voice, ¡°...Are the rights for ?Trap? exclusive?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it also doesn¡¯t really matter,¡± Ninth Lady said decisively, ¡°If it¡¯s not, then it¡¯d be easy, we could just ask the author for the rights to the second version. If it is, then it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to snatch it.¡±


    ¡ªSnatch. This one didn¡¯t sound all that nice.


    ¡°But if we were to snatch it, that would cause a lot of trouble, right?¡±


    ¡°Hm... It wouldn¡¯t be that much of a problem, but we would probably have to use some underhanded methods, so it wouldn¡¯t give us much of a good look in the public eye, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Snatching the production rights was regarded as rather unsightly in the online voice acting circle, they would usually involve some kinds of schemes behind the scenes. As a producer, Ninth Lady had always advocated for keeping away from the battle of tricks and treachery between other staff members. She just wanted to do an honest-to-god job making the audio dramas and never yed with scheming, so when she herself proposed to ¡®use some underhanded methods¡¯... It really proved that she thought this problem to be a thorny one.


    But Qi Jing didn¡¯t wish for her to betray her principle as the producer for this sake.


    ¡°Forget it,¡± He said cheerlessly, ¡°What good coulde out from dirtying your hands because of those people? Aside of that, I have already taught Bronze Sparrow Terrace a good lesson in ?Order to End the Heavens?petition, so it¡¯s not like I need to have a yet another fight with him right away.¡±


    ¡°Then if we can have the second production rights, would you consider it?¡± Ninth Lady still insisted.


    Qi Jing sighed. ¡°First, let¡¯s not even talk about how leaving one edition only to quickly jump onto the second one would tantly be going against Bronze Sparrow Terrace, a clearly unjust motive. It would invite people¡¯s criticism and sound like I¡¯m caring about getting a revenge against the great god more than about ?Trap?... Also, you are a producer, you know more than me about how many hardships there are to producing an audio drama. Didn¡¯t you even just say that to someone who¡¯s half-retired like you, being in charge of production and finding people would be a self-torture?¡±


    To create an audio drama, aside of the two VAs for the main roles, there was also a great deal of secondary and background characters that needed them as well. No matter how extraordinary the main roles, if the secondary and background characters couldn¡¯t match their level, it would only create a contrast and ruin the immersion.


    And as long as the candidates knew of the animosity between Bronze Sparrow Terrace and Don¡¯t ask for my return date, they would also know that joining them would be equal to publicly setting themselves against the great god¡ªa lot of them wouldn¡¯t dare to enter the muddy waters. This would only make the already difficult process of finding VAs even harder for the producer.


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace and his crew¡¯s VA resources were all already there, while if they wanted to make another version, they would have to start from scratch.


    Hearing this, Ninth Lady also heaved a sigh, ¡°For VAs, an old-timer like me can still try going around asking the friends. The staff members would be a bit easier, but the only problem would be finding a sound designer¡ªthe current producer of ?Trap?, Lifetime¡¯s Lock¡¯s skills are beyond anything else I ever heard of. I have listened to the first episode, as well as her other works, and she really is exceptional at sound design. There¡¯s nothing I could possibly pick at with her handling of the voice lines and background noises, her use of BGM is also very on point. If we leave her moral quality aside and only consider her skills, I would probably give her a nine out of ten.¡±


    The reason why Rouge Flower used to try her hardest to put up with all the troubles caused by Lifetime¡¯s Lock and DaXiao Qiaos, even imploring everyone else to endure it with her, was precisely because she knew that it was way too hard to get a sound designer this talented.


    Although it was only because Bronze Sparrow Terrace yed the main role that Lifetime¡¯s Lock took on this audio drama, aside from the voice acting being out of character, the sound design part of the finished product had almost nothing to pick about. Although Lifetime¡¯s Lock character wasn¡¯t particrly pleasant, she had definitely mastered her craft. Within the online voice acting circle that currently put a lot of importance on the sound design, it had to be said that she brought up the quality of ?Trap? by more than one level.


    That¡¯s right.


    Producing an audio drama was different from a voice actingpetition¡ªit didn¡¯t only rely on the VA¡¯s performance, both the script and the sound editing were crucial to whether the oue would be good. Not a single one of the three could bepromised.


    Ninth Lady also understood that.


    ¡°I keep saying that I¡¯m a veteran, but to be truthful, I don¡¯t know that many good sound designers, even more so if we¡¯re talking about those at Lifetime¡¯s Lock¡¯s level. During all those years, I only got to know three¡ªthe first one¡¯s character was even worse than Lifetime¡¯s Lock¡¯s, she has already gotten cancelled into oblivion back in the day and disappeared from the scene; the second one fell down the abyss of online games and from that point on, she became aplete passerby in the online voice acting sphere. I heard that because of her continuously putting off her work on the recordings, the production of the audio drama she took on two years ago flopped miserably, so I wouldn¡¯t trust this kind of person. And for the third one... She went off to marry and have a child. She¡¯s way too busy with her IRL, so she has no way of epting any new projects.¡±


    ¡°...Then what¡¯s the difference between this and just saying that ¡®there¡¯s no better sound designer out there¡¯?¡±


    ¡°...None.¡±


    Qi Jing held his forehead in his hand. ¡°Even if we manage to fight for the double production rights, what¡¯s the meaning if the second version doesn¡¯t outdo the first one?¡± He smiled bitterly. ording to his understanding of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fans, it could even end with them getting criticised for it instead.


    ¡°That¡¯s true as well,¡± As rare as it happened to her, Ninth Lady¡¯s tone turned gloomy. ¡°Our chances aren¡¯t very high if we don¡¯t find a good sound designer...¡±


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t worry about it anymore. I didn¡¯t really intend to create my own version in the first ce.¡± Qi Jing chuckled and said tofort her. It should be him feeling dejected now, but now it sounded like Ninth Lady was more dejected than him, so he naturally felt sorry.


    Later, they chatted about all kinds of stuff for a bit, but because of the time difference, it was already her rest time, so she went offline after a short while.


    After she went, Qi Jing took a look at the time. There was still half an hour before he had to go, so he just spaced out while looking at his list of contacts on QQ.


    He clicked on the ¡°group chat¡± section&#k2014;the group chat they created before thepetition was still there. He hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he opened it and typed a message there, sending it.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I heard about the matter with ?Trap?. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m partially guilty for that too... I hope that all three of you can find peace of mind and continue making amazing works. ^_^


    After sending this message, he was about to close QQ, but he didn¡¯t expect replies to appear in the group chat.


    Puppet Show: /(¨Òo¨Ò)/~~ Aaaaaaah, Return Date-sama!!


    Knives cutting in from four corners: Aaah! Return Date, you actually took an initiative to contact us... QAQ (I¡¯m kinda moved)


    The script writer and the director were still there, only the producer¡¯s avatar was still grey.


    Qi Jing moved the cursor, checking Rouge Flower¡¯s signature. When he saw that ¡®Already retired, will no longer use this ount¡¯, he felt a hard to exin pang of pain in his heart.


    Puppet Show: Rouge had retired yesterday... I don¡¯t know if you know that or not Sir... ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Mn... I know, but I didn¡¯t know that she would even abandon her QQ ount.


    Puppet Show: She only used this ount for the online voice acting, so naturally, she wouldn¡¯t use it anymore after retiring. ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I heard that you two also left the production.


    Puppet Show: Yes, although I can¡¯t say I¡¯mpletely out yet, since the second episode has yet toe out, and they¡¯re still using the script I wrote... ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Knives cutting in from four corners: Hehe, I was telling Puppet to just have them give the script back to her, but she¡¯s such a softie. She got pushed around by the sound designer and went along with it. ¨r(¨s_¨t)¨q


    Puppet Show: Knives Cutting, you... don¡¯t nag me like this, you¡¯ve been doing it for long enough already... /(¨Òo¨Ò)/~~


    Knives cutting in from four corners: Right, Return Date, I went to listen to ?Order to End the Heavens? after that.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: You did? ^£ß^


    Knives cutting in from four corners: And actually... Uncle Yan also went, aaahhh! And he also became a double champion, Uncle Yan is so cool!! I just knew that he¡¯s got the skills!! QAQ


    Puppet Show: Aaaaaaaaah, Uncle Yan!! Speaking of him, Return Date-sama, did you actually keep in contact with him all that time!!


    Puppet Show: So after that time he asked for your QQ number, you actually became friends in private!!


    Puppet Show: You know that I went to listen to thepetition live, but I didn¡¯t dare to believe it when I listened to that voice (his voice isn¡¯t all that distinct, it¡¯s not my fault... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ ). It only got confirmed when he revealed himself on spot, I was simply howling from the excitement at that moment!!


    ¡°Hehe...¡± Qi Jing chuckled subconsciously.


    They counted as the first group of staff members who heard Geese Fly North doing a youth voice, so whenpared to their ¡°first meeting¡±, the excitement brought by meeting again this way was even stronger.


    Even more so since at that time, ¡°Geese Fly North¡± and ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡± had once again performed together for them to hear¡ª


    He quietly smiled for a while, then decided to reveal a part of the truth to them.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Mhm, we turned out to live in the same city. Andter... We actually had a lot of interactions IRL.


    Puppet Show: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã


    Knives cutting in from four corners: ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã


    Knives cutting in from four corners: I-, I-, I-, IRL?? You two met IRL?? And even live in the same city?? (Heavens, my little heart almost skipped a beat, ahhhh!)


    Puppet Show: I knew it!! I just knew that you two had to contact each other afterwards, and that you would certainly hit it off!! Especially during that one opening during the finals... My heart condition also almost acted up!! ¡ã¡£¡ã(((p(¨R¿Ú¨Q)q)))¡ã¡£¡ã


    As long as he didn¡¯t touch upon their rtionship as boyfriends, only touching upon the subject shouldn¡¯t do them any harm. Qi Jing believed so because he trusted those two quite a bit. After all, there was no third party that knew about him and Shen Yan having a run-through together before. The sheer fact that even after the surge of gossip caused by the ?Order to End the Heavens?petition, it didn¡¯t get brought up by people, was enough to prove that they were all tight-lipped gals who knew how to keep their tongues at check all the way through, even during the heated debate of gossip theories.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I will have to ask you two to keep this a secret, please don¡¯t make it public to anyone.


    Knives cutting in from four corners: Don¡¯t worry! I don¡¯t know how many staff members and listeners came to us to ask about the story behind you and Uncle Yan meeting through ?Trap?. Me, Puppet and Rouge had already talked it through beforehands, and agreed to not disclose it to anyone. (Fortunately the sound designer didn¡¯t know with whom you¡¯ve done that run-through with, phew...)


    Puppet Show: /(¨Òo¨Ò)/~~ Right, right, please rest at ease, we won¡¯t be causing you any troubles~


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Thank you. ^£ß^


    Knives cutting in from four sides: Return Date, I know what you¡¯re thinking of. You¡¯re both getting a lot more popr these days, but if the news of him recing Bronze Sparrow Terrace for the PIA could even end up attracting a lot of hate, and even if it didn¡¯t, making it public under these circumstances would still remain dangerous... We also more or less know the rules in this circle, and wouldn¡¯t involve you into gossip for a short-lived pleasure of sharing it.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I¡¯m actually indifferent to it myself, but he¡¯s a rather low-key person. It was already challenging for him to take part in thepetition, so I hope that he can continue voice acting in peace without getting disturbed by the outside world. ^£ß^


    Knives cutting in from four sides: Yup!! It¡¯s kind of a pity that a VA this good stays so low-key, but it¡¯s his choice, and we will respect it.


    Puppet Show: Yup!! We¡¯ll respect his choice!! (shakes fist)


    Knives cutting in from four sides: But I have to say... Your audition with you two in ?Order to End the Heavens? was so, so, so beautiful!! For a director like me, this level of performance was simply a pure pleasure to my ears, I cried while listening to it... ¨“¨Œ¨“


    Puppet Show: I agree so much, it was extremely beautiful!!


    Knives cutting in from four sides: Your acting was even more perfect than during your first run-through together! I didn¡¯t even think that Uncle Yan would also be so terrific at ying a viin, and you were amazing too, Return Date (so sad about the double runner-up situation), I wanted to just run outside and scream ¡°I KNOW THOSE TWO VA¡± aaahhhh (but I had to endure)... ¨“¨Œ¨“


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Haha, thank you girls. After that time, I alsopletely gave up on retiring from the circle. From now on, I will continue to y with all I¡¯ve got, I hope we¡¯ll coborate again in the future if there¡¯s a chance~ (¤Å£þ 3£þ) ¤Å


    Knives cutting in from four sides: For sure!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Puppet Show: For sure indeed!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    After talking with those two girls, his previous regret about ?Trap? receded slowly.


    He had finally figured it out for himself¡ª


    Some people voice act for poprity, just like Bronze Sparrow Terrace; some people voice act to ovee their disorders, just like Shen Yan; some voice act to forget about being lonely, just like himself. There were all kinds of reasons to be a VA, but what he ultimately figured out was the same as Pu Yuzhi had said before.


    It was only when he discovered the excitement and joy he brought to the listeners that he realised that there was a value to his hard work, and found pride in it.


    For this one particr matter, he and Shen Yan could both openly say to Bronze Sparrow Terrace: ¡°I won.¡±


    And with the oue already decided, there was no need for further fighting.


    It would of course be nice if he could voice act ?Trap?, but if he couldn¡¯t, then he wouldn¡¯t insist on it. He realised that after losing this audio drama, he gained so much more valuable things: confidence in himself, respect, mentors, friends, and family¡ªhe was already content.


    So satisfied even, that during their flight to Beijing, Shen Yan, who was sitting beside him, asked why those two days he would space out alone, smiling to himself. ¡°What are you thinking about? Seems like it¡¯s something pleasant?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really thinking of anything.¡± Startling back to reality, he gave this man a radiant smile, pulling cheekily on his fingers below the nket provided for the flight. From the start to the end, he didn¡¯t tell Shen Yan about the mess within the ?Trap? production crew. He felt that there was no need to make one¡¯s vexation a two people¡¯s problem, especially since he wasn¡¯t vexed about it anymore.


    Now, they could finally focus on their trip to Beijing.


    ¡°When we get there in a while, should we split and act separately?¡± Qi Jing seriously considered whether he should go with Shen Yan while he lowered his head to look at the map provided by the organisers.


    ¡°No need to.¡± Shen Yan replied lightly, ¡°Juste with me.¡±


    ¡°My voice is easily recognizable, aren¡¯t you afraid that your fans would recognize me, making it into a problem?¡± The introductory event of ?Order to End the Heavens? voice acting cast was open to the public, so most probably, there would be quite a bit of fans showing up. Qi Jing himself wasn¡¯t afraid of getting recognised, only saying so jokingly as he watched how Shen Yan would reply.


    Shen Yan shook his head slowly, returning the grip of his hand. ¡°If you¡¯re not afraid, then there¡¯s nothing for me to fear.¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t for the passengers in the adjoining seats, as well as the stewardess going back and forth, Qi Jing would really want to scoot over to give him a big kiss on the cheek.


    It was snowing that day in Beijing, leaving the sky and earth covered in a white expanse of snow. Thest time Qi Jing came it was already past the snowing. This time, the tiny specks of snow were still falling, melting as they touched on his cheeks, while the snowkes that fell onto his scarf and cor remained there like a fine disy of sifted frost, both exquisite and adorable.


    Fortunately, the hotel arranged by thepany behind ?Order to End the Heavens? was very close to the metro, so it was easy to get there directly from the airport. They didn¡¯t have to spend too long of a time bracing the snow outside.


    This hotel¡¯s first and second floor provided all kinds of food and recreational facilities, as well as a couple of venues for business events, one of which would be used this time for ?Order to End the Heaven? developers to throw the official introduction event. From the third floor up were the hotel rooms, which was where the contestants were supposed to check in.


    Originally, Qi Jing was prepared to get another room for himself, but he didn¡¯t expect that when Shen Yan went to the reception desk, the receptionist would take a look at his data and tell them that the room the developers prepared for them was a standard double room, allowing two people to check in at the same time.


    ¡°So is it okay for just anyone to check in?¡± Qi Jing was astonished.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The booking is only under Mr Shen¡¯s name, the other one isn¡¯t specified. You can check in as long as you have an ID.¡± The receptionist replied to him with a standard business smile.


    Yet Shen Yan didn¡¯t appear surprised, only saying lukewarmly, ¡°The tickets were for two people¡¯s worth, so it¡¯s not all that strange for the room to be double as well.¡±


    It sounded logical, but it was a bit... beyond expectation. It was kind of unimaginable for a businesspany to be this generous.


    It was especially when they entered the room to leave their luggage and saw that the standard room had a double bed, leaving Qi Jing blinking, full of disbelief. ¡°...Just what are the organisers thinking? What if the one apanying you isn¡¯t me, but your normal friend or a normal fan?¡±


    Shen Yan only smiled without a reply.


    After the two of them left their luggage, they took a look at their watches and noted that they still had some time left. Qi Jing remembered that there was a coffee shop nearby, and since the freezing day made him want to drink some hot beverage, he went down with Shen Yan to buy some hot coffee. Along the way, they watched Beijing adorned in decorations for the uing Christmas.


    After strolling outside, they still had half an hour before the start of the event, but at some point, the signs for the ?Order to End the Heavens? introductory event got put by the hotel¡¯s entrance¡ªit seemed like the organisers had already arrived.


    ¡°Seems like the people from thepany already came to prepare the event. Do you want toe in now?¡± Qi Jing asked with a smile. Contrary to him who came under the name of a ¡°fan¡±, Shen Yan was one of the candidates. It could perhaps make the impression he left on the producers better if he came before time.


    Shen Yan stood silently in the snow, as if not intent on going there right away.


    Qi Jing noticed that the vapour escaping his lips was a bit heavier this time, denser, shielding his expression from perceiving.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Even though he couldn¡¯t see clearly, he could feel that Shen Yan was uneasy.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± He released a long exhale, the white vapour rolling and breaking apart as he spoke, making the snowkes on his hair ends sway before finally dropping, ¡°...Let¡¯s go, we¡¯re going in.¡±


    Walking into the hotel, Qi Jing brushed theyer of snow off their clothes before walking into the lift.


    As he watched the lift door close, Qi Jing suddenly saw a man walking over, seemingly wanting to go upstairs as well, so he hurriedly reached his hand out to stop the door from closing.


    The other man seemed to have heard the sound of it opening again, and so the previously lowered eyes looked up and met Qi Jing¡¯s gaze. Then, he nodded his head in thanks.


    Qi Jing returned the nod with a smile, shifting a bit to make him some ce.


    After the man got inside, Qi Jing secretly sized him up, curious.


    It was a young man of a slender build and with ck square-rimmed sses, which paired with his somewhat stern look gave him a very particr aura, adding even more vour to the already attractive face. He seemed to have also juste from the outside, there was still some snow on his shiny leather shoes and his coat was hanging neatly from the crook of his arm. He was wearing a standard ck suit, probably scrupulously ironed beforehands for it to look so perfectly straight¡ªfrom the very first nce he looked especially well-bred and orderly.


    ¡ªWas it someone from the ?Order to End the Heavens?pany? Or maybe a guest staying at the hotel for his business trip?


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t guess that right away, so he smiled politely and reached his hand in preparation to push the floor button for him, ¡°Excuse me, which floor would you like to go to?¡±


    The moment he spoke, that person lifted his head in surprise, staring fixedly at him for a moment. In the end, he faintly said two words with an inquiring tone.


    ¡°Return Date?¡±


    When Qi Jing heard his voice, he also stared at him, dumbfounded, eyes going wide.


    Hepletely didn¡¯t expect to hear the voice he recognised from this man¡¯s mouth¡ªbecause his impression of this voice was sopletely in dissonance with the person before him, so far away from his expectations.


    ¡°Eh...¡± He gave a weak, awkward smile, afraid that he would call the wrong ID, but he just had to make sure for himself, ¡°...Noodles?¡±


    A/N:


    Kitty¡¯s Papa, there¡¯s a love rival ahead of you! (no there¡¯s not)


    Don¡¯t forget that Beijing is the homeground of the Time Limit shippers (sips tea) ¡û Actually, the author a captain lingreader of the Time Limit ship (Hey)


    T/N:


    Luci: I love them smooth-voiced but stern-looking,nky four-eyes xD We¡¯re over 100 chapters into the novel, nearing the end of it, but damn, if I¡¯m not enjoying this little non-canon side-ship... Joining the author for that one!

 Chapter 132

    <h4>Chapter 132</h4>


    unedited


    The event was happening on the first floor, so not even three seconds passed before the lift arrived.


    Within those three seconds, it was as if Qi Jing¡¯s entire worldview got F5-ed¡ªwas this guy really ¡°Crossing the bridge noodles¡±?


    Crossing the bridge noodles managed to win the ¡°Lu Wei¡± role during the finals of ?Order to End the Heavens?petition. Although it was only a small NPC role, he still had to go through the fiercepetition in semi-finals and finals to get it. During that, his voice acting skills were more than enough to p the faces of those who used him of hyping a ship for fame and borrowing great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s position for his own advantage.


    It wasn¡¯t weird at all that they would meet him at the introduction event.


    But the weird thing was, based on Qi Jing¡¯s impression of him, he was supposed to be like a soft clear water, a...


    Qi Jing quietly shaked the term ¡°youth¡± out of his mind, then thought a bit before doing the same with that ¡°like a soft clear water¡±


    No matter how he looked at it, the man before him had nothing to do with those two descriptions... More like a cold and serious type of elite gentleman?


    ¡°Ding¡ª¡± The sound of the lift arriving at the floor made Qi Jing startle back into his senses before he walked out.


    After leaving the lift, the first thing that man did was to take a card out of his pocket in a very businessman-like manner, giving it to Qi Jing. ¡°Here¡¯s my business card.¡±


    If he didn¡¯t know his identity already, Qi Jing could even mistake it for being at the interview, with the man opposite him as some kind of young and famous entrepreneur. Mostly because whenever he did interviews of this kind, all of the interviewees would introduce themselves in such an official and conventional manner.


    But with a single nce at the content of the business card, Qi Jing understood why.


    ¡¾Tan Zixian, Lawyer¡¿


    ...So that¡¯s how it is...


    ¡°So you¡¯re actually awyer.¡± It was both a surprise and to be expected.


    Qi Jing first thought of this person¡¯s precise judgement of truths and falsehoods on Weibo, then connected it with this formal attire, and by adding to all of it this title, everything suddenly made perfect sense.


    ¡°But, why would you need to dress so formally to just attend an introduction event?¡± Qi Jing of course knew that thewyers needed to dress like this in their workce, but Crossing the bridge noodles wasn¡¯t attending his job, yet he still wore a full suit. He thought to himself that maybe this introduction event was supposed to be high-end, that they missed some official announcement about the dress-code, that maybe Shen Yan was supposed toe wearing a suit?


    The other man¡¯s reply was unfazed, ¡°I didn¡¯t, I just dressed casually.¡±


    Qi Jing scanned his impable suit all over again, the corner of his lips twitching.


    ¡°How is this casual...¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t wear my tie.¡± Tan Zixian pointed at his cor. Indeed, he didn¡¯t wear a tie, and upon closer look, thest button of his shirt was also left undone.


    Qi Jing suddenly realised that there was a huge gap in their understanding of ¡®casual wear¡¯...


    ¡°You really do think like awyer.¡± A gap was a gap, but fortunately it wasn¡¯t one in their social outlooks. It brought Qi Jing a lot of joy to know that they werepatible in their understanding of rights and wrongs.


    ¡°Mhm. If you ever need something, you can let me know,¡± Tan Zixian suddenly gave him a smile, ¡°Especially if it¡¯s awsuit for the charge of defamation.¡±


    Qi Jing was surprised at first, then, realising that he was taking a jab at Jade Butterfly and those haters from the voice acting circle, he got amused intoughter. ¡°If you ever need some media exposure for a legal case, you can also find me.¡± Since it wasn¡¯t a work trip and he didn¡¯t bring a business card, Qi Jing just shed his press ID card with a smile. He was most interested in news and legal journalism, so he was even more pleased after knowing this man¡¯s upation.


    ¡°So you¡¯re actually a reporter,¡± Tan Zixianughed as he took a look at his ID card, ¡°I remember that you had a lot of posts in regards to current news on Weibo, and your writing is very thorough, so I thought that maybe you were from media industry¡ªno wonder.¡±


    At that time, his gaze shifted from Qi Jing to the person at his side, scrutinising him thoughtfully for a moment, ¡°If you came, then... this should probably be ¡®Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯.¡±


    Shen Yan bowed slightly and greeted him, ¡°Hello.¡±


    Simple from his appearance to his voice, but alsopletely upright&#k2014;after noting that, Tan Zixian asked suddenly, ¡°So did you guys meet &#k2018;that guy¡¯ already?¡±


    Qi Jing got thrown off his bnce, the sudden change in subject making it hard to react for him, ¡°Who?¡±


    Tan Zixian said, ¡°Who could ¡®that guy¡¯ possibly be?¡±


    Qi Jing suddenly understood who was he pointing at, getting caught by surprise, ¡°&#k2026;Eh? That guy also came?¡±


    Tan Zixian nodded.


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t quite process it¡ªcould it be that Sleek horses run fast also took part in thepetition? Impossible... He certainly didn¡¯t take part in it, if he did, then how would he miss it when listening to all of the recordings from the auditions? In that case, was he also here to join the fun as a ¡°fan¡± like himself?


    No matter what, this news really caught himpletely off-guard. And if he wasn¡¯t prepared for it, then Shen Yan even more so.


    Once he thought of how there was some really bad blood between them, Qi Jing felt his heart squeeze, and so he promptly turned his head to warn him.


    ¡°Shen Yan, Five...¡± will also be here.


    He didn¡¯t even finish his words before he stopped. And he did so because he realised that Shen Yan wasn¡¯t listening, or even wasn¡¯t looking at him¡ªhis eyes were turned to a different direction, his expression unsettled. A kind of heavy and deep emotion was weighing on his gaze, like the weighty clouds on the brink of spilling the torrential rain. It wasn¡¯t sure if the rain would fall, it didn¡¯t have to, but that stifling restlessness of waiting for it was still there.


    Qi Jing was taken aback, not knowing if he should turn his head back or not.


    Even without looking, he knew what Shen Yan was seeing. Still, he finally couldn¡¯t help it and followed his gaze, turning his head.


    And there, there was a man slowly walking toward them.


    The neer was d in a dark grey suit with white striped pattern and a ck shirt below, looking very official with a grey tie to it, the entirety having a kind of British style to it. Maybe because he had to match it with the suit, his hair was alsobed back, making him look both valiant and elite in spirit. He was also incredibly tall as well, looking quite a bit like the models from magazine covers.


    And as for his face...


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t know if Jade Butterfly had ever seen how the man she once used to pursue looked in real life before, but if she had, then she would probably never give up on making a ruckus and not letting go?


    That face, it actually really matched his own voice¡ª


    For the second time that day, Qi Jing felt self-conscious of being a ¡®little nobody with an average lookl. And that was all because of those two for the contrast...


    Just as he thought so to himself, that person had already arrived before them.


    With a quick nce, Qi Jing noticed a work badge hanging on his chest, its content making him skip a breath.


    Indeed, that was a work tag issued by the ?Order to End the Heavens?pany. Under thepany name and logo, a row of letters was printed in a standard, deep grey font.


    ¡¾Qiu Tianyang, Operation Department Director¡¿


    ...Ah.


    It was as if all of the previously scattered dots linked into a line, stroke after stroke, painting out the answer to a riddle Qi Jing wanted to solve for the longest time.


    He understood it now.


    Before, he had an inkling that Sleek horses run fast maybe had some connection with the organisers. At first, he thought that maybe he also had ¡®someone inside¡¯ there like Jade Butterfly, but he didn¡¯t expect that this guy wouldn¡¯t even have to seek out connections¡ªhe was his own ¡®insider¡¯ there.


    The tasks of amercial gamepany¡¯s operation department included being in charge of the marketing, product advertisement and research, as well as organising online customer service and nning the offline events. Most of the game developers would choose to outsource the voice actors. They wouldn¡¯t opt to use the in-house voice acting personnel, instead choosing to hire an outside studio, or a professional voice actingpany for a cooperation¡ªand both contacting the third party and discussing the work process was all handled by the operation department.


    And among those, it also included holding the ?Order to End the Heavens? voice actingpetition¡ª


    But in reality, the operations would go through the hands of managers from different sectors, such as thispetition that was most probably handled by the event nning manager.


    ¡®Director¡¯ was none other than the boss of all those sector managers from the operation department. He was most likely in charge of ¡®the people¡¯, with the right to have the final say in everything.


    ¡ªIt was him, it was him!


    Qi Jing¡¯s heart shook.


    He still remembered how when Yuan Zhengming first appeared to take Northwest Road¡¯s ce under his identity as the voice director, he said that he had ¡®the full support of the Operation Department Director¡¯. And it was actually this guy... who made it possible by himself.


    Nevertheless, no matter how skillful he was at handling the online matters, no matter how sessful he was at everything in real life, right now, that face that was supposed to look bold and spirited was scrunched in a slightly uneasy expression. He couldn¡¯t really look straight at Shen Yan in front of him, leaving not a speck of that grandiose self-confidence and elegance of the department director.


    He stopped about a metre from them. Even this distance was carefully deliberated by him, analysed based on the other man¡¯s current frame of mind.


    ¡°Long time no see.¡± Qiu Tianyang greeted him softly, his voiceing out a bit unsmooth.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything, only looking at him indifferently.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t know that Shen Yan could make this kind of face¡ªShen Yan always gave him a warm feeling, like a calm sea that could always smooth out the gravelly sand that bruised the bottom of his heart, but it wasn¡¯t so now. Now... he felt like he was standing at the edge of the billows.


    Although the waves weren¡¯t hitting him, he still couldn¡¯t help but break in a sweat at the sight. If he were to measure the awkwardness levels on a 100-points scale, then right now, its current level would be at 120 points.


    Shen Yan¡¯s gaze didn¡¯t budge, while Qiu Tianyang¡¯s eyes dodged to the side, not daring to look straight at him.


    Qi Jing held his breath when watching them for a while, then quickly took a nce at Tan Zixian at his side who still didn¡¯t take any action. Tan Zixian only shook his head, signalling him to not do anything.


    At that time, Qiu Tianyang finally found the second thing to say.


    ¡°...Thank you for being willing toe.¡± His voice was deep in the first ce, but right now, it went even lower. But there was none of his confidence and ease in it anymore, only a trace of hoarseness. Only the moment when his gaze fell on Qi Jing, there was a bit of relief in his tone. ¡°Return Date also came, that¡¯s great.¡±


    Who knows if he said this for Qi Jing to hear, or for himself.


    Shen Yan was frowning all that time¡ªit was almost imperceptible, but indeed an actual frown, but after he heard this sentence, it eased slightly. But his expression was still nd, so much so that one couldn¡¯t really distinguish the vour behind it, leaving them unable to tell what he was thinking at that time.


    And out of a sudden, he reached his hand out toward the person in front of him.


    ¡ªA motion of invitation for a handshake.


    Qiu Tianyang got caught by surprise, and so did Qi Jing.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Qiu Tianyang even let out a surprised noise, seemingly shocked by the other man taking an initiative to shake hands. He momentarily snapped his head up, just in time to meet Shen Yan¡¯s eyes, then quickly turned his gaze away, embarrassed. At the same time, he reached his right hand out, hesitating for a moment before shaking them together.


    Watching this from the side, Qi Jing¡¯s heart was rushing, all tense during the entire process.


    ...Okay, that¡¯s down to 80 points.


    Although it was still awkward, at least it wasn¡¯t as bad as before.


    The handshake itself was short, a simple shake, and it was already over.


    ¡°Then,¡± As if he saw a ray of hope, Qiu Tianying¡¯s voice dialled up by a bit, his tone now brighter by a notch and he smiled cautiously, ¡°I will take you to...¡±


    But without waiting for him to finish, Shen Yan suddenly cut him short, ¡°No need to.¡±


    ¡ªAh, and now it¡¯s back to 100. Qi Jing noted with rm.


    Qiu Tianying seemed shaken by him being like this, unable to say anything for a moment. He could only stay awkwardly where he stood, looking at Shen Yan for a long while before all of a sudden, he said with a bitter smile, ¡°Right now, I actually wanted to say, ¡®I will take you to sign the documents¡¯. It didn¡¯t want to... take you to see anyone.¡±


    These words caused a tremor to run through Shen Yan¡ªhe pursed his lips without a word.


    Qiu Tianyang gave a smile, crooked with frustration, ¡°I came here alone today, there¡¯s no one else here¡ªdon¡¯t worry.¡±


    90, 80, 70...


    The awkwardness-metre¡¯s readings slowly shrunk as the silence in the hall grew longer, the atmosphere was also no longer as cold.


    ¡°...No need to,¡± Shen Yan stood silently in ce for a moment, only speaking after a long while¡ªbut he still declined. Although his voice was small, it left no space for bargaining, ¡°I will find it myself.¡±


    After that, he slightly turned his body to pass by Qiu Tianyang, brushing past him and walking toward the other end of the corridor.


    Qi Jing heard Qiu Tianyang heaving a low sigh at that point. It was hard to tell whether it was one of relief, or disappointment.


    Qi Jing was still in the process of going through the load of information from what had just urred before him and didn¡¯t realise that Qiu Tianyang walked over to him, waiting for him toe back to his senses¡ªto his surprise, his sleeve already got caught by the other man. He almost leaped from the fright¡ªright now, the man before him was looking at him with abandoned puppy eyes, evenining in a tiny voice, ¡°Return Date, he just won¡¯t acknowledge me... What should I do...¡±


    Qi Jing had to do his best to notugh at this sight.


    This was Five. This was the Five he knew.


    When this thought came to his mind, it lessened the pressure by a half¡ªno ¡®Director¡¯ titles were fit for now anymore, it was him behaving like Five that let Qi Jing feel that he could handle it.


    But they weren¡¯t online right now, there was no screen or kaomojis, yet the scene of the grand, immactely dressed Department Director recreating the QAQ face at him was especially amusing.


    Qiu Tianyang was about to continue his teary-eyedints, but at some point, Shen Yan suddenly turned back, and frowning, silently held Qi Jing¡¯s hand in a secure grip, pulling him away from Qiu Tianyang¡¯s side.


    ¡°We¡¯re going.¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay...¡±


    Qi Jing replied to him, but at the same time he could only turn his head and smile helplessly at Qiu Tianyang before gettingpletely taken away, mouthing at him ¡°I¡¯m sorry, can¡¯t help you now¡±, then followed Shen Yan.


    ¡°Sigh.¡± Staring at hisst driftwood of hope to keep him afloat disappearing at the end of the corridor, Qiu Tianyang sighed once again, then chuckled bitterly.


    ¡°Do I just... always let things turn out the wrong way?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you actually knew that?¡± Hearing this, the man who was standing behind all that time, only observing silently, smiled, not showing any merciful empathy and adding to the damage instead.


    ¡°You¡¯re being too much.¡± He lowered his gaze,ining about this backstabbing. But at the same time, he reached his hand back slightly, as the reflection on the window showed him the silhouette of the person behind approaching him. As expected, his fingers soon touched other man¡¯s hand.


    ¡ªUltimately, he still had a second hope to grab onto, enough to keep him from drowning right away.


    ¡°If I¡¯m too much, then it counts as you getting a retribution for your wrongdoings.¡± He really was too much¡ªQiu Tianyang held his hand in his own, yet Tan Zixian still mimicked a knife stabbing into his palm like a thorn.


    ¡°Retribution for the wrongdoings, haha. Yes, you are,¡± Qiu Tianyang chuckled quietly, looking at his sorry state that he couldn¡¯t quite conceal reflecting in the ss. He turned his body slightly, resting his head on the other man¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Then let me just... continue receiving my retribution.¡±


    A/N:


    Hm... If we judged solely by the faces, then: Five>Noodles>2Yan>Kitty¡¯s Papa. If the overall vibe got added into the mix, then to each their own... But only the first two sirs can be called ¡°eye-catching¡±. (I really like writing my mains as simply normal... OTZ)


    Of course, if they got judged by their moral standing, then this would lookpletely different...


    T/N:


    Luci: The imagery of Qiu Tianyang acting like an IRL discord kitten in a suit and with those hot-man looks is kinda sending me...

 Chapter 133

    <h4>Chapter 133</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    Shen Yan¡¯s hands were shaky.


    At first, Qi Jing thought it was because he got angry and so, worried, he tried to think of something to say to calm him down, but it was only when heter saw how pale his face was that he realised that wasn¡¯t the case.


    The reporter¡¯s sixth sense was telling him that rather than Five himself, it was this ¡®someone else¡¯ he mentioned that was the cause here.


    At that time, Shen Yan stopped and took a long breath, leaning weakly against the wall on the side, like a man who had just fled a disaster finally catching a moment of respite.


    Qi Jing moved his lips, but then changed his mind at thest moment and decided not to actively ask questions, only keeping himpany by standing by his side in silence for as long as it took.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Shen Yan was the first to speak, admitting in a small voice, ¡°Just now... I lost control over myself for a bit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rare.¡± Qi Jing smiled faintly, no repreach to be heard in his tone.


    Shen Yan turned his head slightly, looking at him.


    Still good, at least his face isn¡¯t as pale as before¡ªQi Jing noted it and thought to himself.


    ¡°Did you know before that Five would show up?¡± Shen Yan¡¯s reaction at that time seemed to suggest so. As expected, Shen Yan nodded his head.


    ¡°I more or less guessed it when I saw those two flight tickets, then finally confirmed it when I checked the names of thepany employees.¡± Shen Yan instinctively pressed his thumb against the joint of Qi Jing¡¯s pinky, rubbing it gently. This was a little gesture of his for whenever he felt guilty. Every time he did it, his voice would also turn hoarse, ¡°I kept it a secret from you all the way until now... I¡¯m sorry. When everything¡¯s over and we get to rest in our room, I will exin it all to you, okay?¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s pinkie was itching, and so was his heart. He suddenly felt a need to finish what he didn¡¯t get to do on the ne, right then and there.


    Either way, there was no one around¡ª


    He lowered his eyes, about to move his face over, when suddenly, a crystal-clear voice came from below, ¡°Do uncles want to kiss?¡±


    ...Eh...Qi Jing and Shen Yan both went still, quickly pulling apart from each other. And upon looking down¡ªoh boy! There was no person left and right, but at some point, a little Lolita suddenly sprouted below out of nowhere.


    Because it was really a very small specimen, and because he would only see someone about his height when looking around, he didn¡¯t discover her at all before.


    Little Lolita¡¯s hair was jet-ck, braided into a thin braid on the left side and moved to her back. She had a pure-white cotton gown with wine-red leggings below, and two white pom-poms swaying on the sides of her snow boots, looking plenty adorable. Her eyes blinked as she stared at two people before her, as if not quite understanding why they chose to move away from each other. She cocked her head and asked, ¡°No kiss?¡±


    Qi Jing coughed. ¡°Little princess,¡± He knelt on one knee¡ªwhen talking to a futuredy, one needed to behave like a gentleman both in etiquette and words, ¡°Why are you running around alone, don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s dangerous? Where are your parents?¡±


    Little Lolita¡¯s eyes lit up, apparently very pleased with this form of addressing and gesture.


    But she still didn¡¯t stop pursuing the question, ¡°No kiss?¡±


    He had nned to before, but... He would have to think how to exin to this little Lolita and her parents why two uncles would kiss. The difficulty of that would be too great, so...


    ¡°No kiss.¡± He smiled helplessly, rubbing the little Lolita¡¯s head.


    This fe actually showed no fear at all. She stared at him for a moment, then suddenly, she raised her finger to point at him, ¡°I know you, you¡¯re the Emperor Uncle~¡±


    Empe-...Emperor Uncle?


    Qi Jing was baffled¡ªwas it because he called her ¡®little princess¡¯ that she came up with ¡°Emperor Uncle¡± as a nickname for him, or what?


    Little Lolita continued, ¡°Emperor Uncle, Emperor Uncle who talked from theputer to daddy~¡±


    At that time, Shen Yan cut in, ¡°I think she might be talking about ¡®Emperor Chang¡¯ you voice acted in ?Order to End the Heavens?.¡±


    Qi Jing suddenly understood. If little Lolita was really talking about ¡®Emperor Chang¡¯, then that person who ¡®talked with Emperor Chang from theputer¡¯ could only mean one person, the very one who voice acted in audition with him¡ª


    ¡°Eh?¡± He instinctively raised his voice higher, ¡°Little Princess, what¡¯s your surname?¡±


    ¡°My surname¡¯s Zhang.¡±


    ...Zhang, the ¡®bow¡¯ and ¡®long¡¯ Zhang. Bow and long, longbow.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Qi Jing raised his brows, finally understanding who this little girl was, ¡°Turns out you¡¯re Teacher Longbow¡¯s daughter¡ª¡±


    So Longbow was also there.


    It¡¯s just, as a father he had to be quite an air-head, not realising that at some point, his daughter ran away from the event venue. If his wife got to know about this, she would definitely hit high blood-pressure¡ªif not from anger, then from worry.


    So they quickly took the little Lolita to the event venue, looking for her dad.


    Following the navigation ques set by the organisers, they found the entrance to the venue. They didn¡¯t even have to open the doors when a man rushed out from the inside, almost knocking them with the door.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry&#k2026;¡± The man apologised quickly. As expected from a reporter, Qi Jing¡¯s eyes were sharp&#k2014;he already scanned the nametag on his chest, and sure enough, this name started with the surname Zhang.


    &#k3010;Guest, Zhang Cheng&#k3011;


    ¡°Good evening, Teacher Longbow.¡± He greeted the man with a wide smile.


    ¡°Eh?¡± When he heard his voice, Zhang Cheng shot his head up, astonished. He didn¡¯t even have time to call the ID he always connected with this voice, when something small dashed over to hug half his leg, bing a living image of one hugging a person¡¯s thighs, sticking to him like glue.


    ¡°Daddy!¡± Little Lolita eximed sweetly.


    ¡°Xiaomiao!¡± After his daughter walked away, Zhang Cheng rushed out to look for her, but now, when he saw her, he finally breathed with relief. He quickly bent down to pick her up, both distressed and doting in his nagging, ¡°I¡¯ve met someone I knew at the venue and only spoke a few words before I looked back and saw that you were gone. Really, you scared me silly here.¡±


    ¡°Those two Uncles brought me back.¡± Little Lolita pointed at Qi Jing at Shen Yan with her finger.


    Only now Zhang Cheng had a chance to talk with them.


    He first looked toward Qi Jing. ¡°This voice... Could it be, Don¡¯t ask for my return date?¡± Qi Jing¡¯s voice was unique-sounding, so sure enough, he got recognised right away. Speaking of which, that keen ear for the voices of that little Lolita had to be passed down from her father. But Zhang Cheng seemed to be very surprised that he showed up, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you woulde.¡±


    Qi Jing put on a dispirited expression and turned his face away, ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m not supposed toe if I¡¯m not a champion...¡±


    Zhang Cheng got dumbfounded, then promptly tried to exin himself, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me, I didn¡¯t mean it that way! I really didn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Pft...¡± So Teacher Longbow is actually a bit of a dork.


    Afterughing, Qi Jing spoke to him, his eyes smiling, ¡°I came here with him.¡±


    Saying this, he tugged at the cuff of the man beside him. At that point, Shen Yan slowly stepped forward and gave Zhang Cheng a well-mannered, courteous bow, ¡°Teacher Zhang, good evening.¡±


    When Zhang Cheng heard him, he gasped. Shen Yan¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t as easily recognisable, but once he linked him together with Don¡¯t ask for my return date and thought about it, the answer wasn¡¯t all that difficult to find. ¡°The double-champion¡ª¡±


    There were plenty of people who became winners, but there was only one double-champion.


    And clearly, Zhang Cheng guessed right.


    ¡°You said that you came with him...¡± He muttered to himself, then his gaze shook when he suddenly realised something, guessing the reason by himself, ¡°So that¡¯s how it was... I understand.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. I will have to ask Teacher to keep it a secret.¡± Qi Jing smiled cheerfully.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Zhang Cheng nodded, stupefied.


    Little Lolita blinked her eyes, ncing back and forth between them, signalling naively: maybe daddy understands, but I still don¡¯t.


    She just knew that this uncle was about to kiss that uncle, and only knew that that uncle was also willing, because he closed his eyes. But in the end, they didn¡¯t kiss.


    Little Lolita was kind of disappointed.


    The recording studio for this instalment of ?Order to End the Heavens? belonged to the filmpany Zhang Cheng worked at, so aside of appearing as the representative of the official judges, he was also there as the employee of theirpany. After the introduction event concludes, he would take the contestants with thepany cars to the recording studio, so that they could see and test the equipment. The next day would be the first official day of recording.


    ¡°Both of the Teachers said that they don¡¯t fit the rowdy ces, so they chose to wait for us at the recording studio.¡± Zhang Cheng told them the reason for Yuan Zhengming¡¯s and Pu Yuzhi¡¯s absence for the introduction event.


    ¡°Excuse me... Can I alsoe along? I can even take a taxi if that¡¯s okay.¡± When he heard that those two were also currently in Beijing, Qi Jing¡¯s eyes lit up as he asked.


    ¡°Haha, you cane along with us, it¡¯s not a problem. The Teachers will surely love to see you as well.¡±


    Maybe for them, Qi Jing¡¯s arrival might be just as much of a pleasant surprise.


    Zhang Cheng chatted away as he led the two of them to the venue. As it was still a while before the start of the event, the workers were still doing the final audio checks and a long line was already lining up for the check-in.


    There were two desks at the reception¡ªone for the contestants and another for the fans, who had to show their pass to get admitted inside. Qi Jing let Shen Yan go to the contestants¡¯ line, taking out the ticket he bought beforehand and lining up for the other one. This way, they split for the admission, avoiding the possibility of someone making any associations between them.


    There was a significantly greater amount of femalerades chattering on Qi Jing¡¯s side, visibly excited. Most of them came to see the voice actors, while the malerades like him were either the game¡¯s fans, or the fans of the source novel. He dly epted being mistaken as one and calmly lined up among those numerous girls, hence he heard the following exchange.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if Kitty¡¯s Papa came here, I¡¯m looking forward to seeing him!¡±


    ¡ªHe already came, he¡¯s right in the middle of filling the documents over there.


    ¡°I¡¯m kind of nervous... What if he turns out to look ugly? I appreciate Kitty¡¯s Papa voice acting a lot, but I¡¯m actually a face-con through and through...¡±


    ¡ªMn... Personally, I think that Kitty¡¯s Papa is very handsome, but thisdy, I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ll like Noodles or Five¡¯s type of by-the-book hottie more?


    ¡°It¡¯s such a pity that Don¡¯t ask for my return date didn¡¯t get in.¡± There were even some of his supporters among people here, how awesome.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying...¡±


    ¡ªAiyaya, this esteemed one is standing right behind you though.


    Just at this moment, the doors of the entrance got pushed open, and Tan Zixian walked in.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t see that with his own eyes¡ªrather, he heard the girls behind him suddenly growpletely silent, then eximing with a gasp, their voices rippling slightly, and inferred from this that they probably saw someone pleasing to an eyeing in. And when he looked back¡ªsure enough, it was him. But he didn¡¯t see Qiu Tianyang¡ªhe probably hid away somewhere after his encounter with Shen Yan.


    Qi Jing thought that if Qiu Tianyang was also toe in at the same time... the scene would certainly be quite ¡®splendid¡¯...


    ¡°Who is that guy who just came in? He¡¯s so hot!¡±


    ¡°He must be the gamepany¡¯s worker, he¡¯s wearing a full suit... Eh, wait! He went to the register for the contestants! He¡¯s actually a contestant!¡±


    Even without Qiu Tianyang not showing up, the girls¡¯ morale was surging high.


    ¡°I bet ten bucks on him being ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m betting twenty on him being ¡®Fang Yisheng¡¯!¡±


    ¡ªI¡¯m taking your thirty bucks, this guy is in fact the wife-material little page boy ¡°Lu Wei¡±. All that time, Qi Jing kept a deep smile of someone counting the newly-earned money on his face.


    ording to the arrangements, the contestants were supposed to be led by thepany workers onto the stage, while the fans would take a seat below, the flow of people separated away from each other.


    After filling out the paperwork, Shen Yan was continuously swarmed by the workers¡ªsome of them came to express their admiration, some to exchange polite nothings, and some just wanted to take a look at the double-champion, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to leave for a while. Once he remembered that after the start of the event he would have to go up the stage and would have no time to look for Qi Jing, he could only turn his head to steal a nce at him from afar.


    After he was done with taking care of things on his side, Qi Jing yed with Zhang Cheng¡¯s little Lolita in the corner while looking at the crowd of the people to search for the trace of that man from time to time, smiling quietly as he saw him being circled by so many people.


    When he saw Shen Yan looking at him, he chuckled softly and waved a hand at him, giving him an impable disy of ¡®don¡¯t worry about me¡¯.


    ¡°Uncle won¡¯t go there?¡± Little Lolita saw him getting distracted during ying, gazing toward the other uncle¡ªand it wasn¡¯t just gazing, Qi Jing wouldn¡¯t be content with just stealing a nce before having another one, so she grew curious. Whenever she was missing her daddy and mommy, she wouldn¡¯t have to be so stealthy about it and would just bolt over to them.


    Qi Jing smiled faintly and shook his head.


    ¡°He¡¯s talking with other people, uncle would only disturb him if he went there.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to talk with him, uncle?¡± Little Lolita¡¯s hunger for knowledge was like a bottomless well¡ªno matter how much you gave it, it would never get filled.


    ¡°I do,¡± Qi Jing poked little Lolita¡¯s nose, smiling as he watched her rub her nose with a puzzled expression, ¡°But you know, uncle will have a lot more opportunities to talk with him in the future... It doesn¡¯t have to be now. And uncle hopes for him to speak more with other people, to talk more.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± In little Lolita¡¯s tiny worldview, the word ¡®patience¡¯ didn¡¯t quite exist yet, just as there was no concept of wanting to let the other people grow.


    ¡°Wait for when you meet your own little prince, then you will understand¡ª¡± Qi Jing chuckled.


    ¡°Little prince~¡± Sure enough, the little Lolita¡¯s eyes lit up and she pointed toward Tan Zixian in the distance, ¡°Xiaomiao wants one like him!¡±


    ...This little Lolita¡¯s taste was definitely brilliant, she chose the best looking man present there. Qi Jing could only admire her eye for faces.


    The introduction event was about to begin.


    Qi Jing was about to say his goodbyes to the little Lolita and go look for a seat to wait for the event, but he noticed some peculiar behaviour in the workers around. Something must have happened, since the people withpany employee IDs were rushing in and out of the entrance, as if looking for someone. And the worker responsible for leading the contestants onto the stage also didn¡¯t begin for the longest time, stalling for almost ten minutes below it with a worried look on his face.


    ...Weird. Qi Jing thought to himself. On the asion of sending little Lolita to her dad¡¯s side, he quickly asked Zhang Cheng, ¡°Teacher Longbow, what happened? Is something wrong with the equipment?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no,¡± Zhang Cheng sighed, a bit helpless, ¡°It¡¯s like this¡ªright now, we still don¡¯t have our most important contestant, and at this point, we¡¯re already ten minuteste for the scheduled beginning of the event¡ªyet he¡¯s nowhere to be seen. If he doesn¡¯t arrive, we won¡¯t be able to conduct our contestant introduction segment, with the main role¡¯s actor missing and all.¡±


    Qi Jing was dumbfounded.


    The main character ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯¡ªwasn¡¯t that Two?


    ¡°The champion for ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯ hasn¡¯t shown up yet?¡± It was past the time already, yet an important contestant like him didn¡¯t turn up? But he didn¡¯t seem like someone who would forget about punctuality...


    ¡°He didn¡¯t answer the call.¡±


    Maybe because the workers really didn¡¯t know what to do, Qiu Tianyang also had to show up.


    Who knows if he was ¡®taking a refuge¡¯ in the backstage equipment room or what before, but Qi Jing saw him secretly sneaking out of a small room marked as ¡°?Order to End the Heavens? employees only¡±, still not daring to approach the contestants. When Zhang Cheng and Qi Jing came over, he was hiding in the corner, dialling a call after call with a frown.


    But Two didn¡¯t even answer it.


    Fortunately, the fans wouldn¡¯t mind as much if this sort of introduction event got a bit dyed, they just sat below the stage and chatted away. But if the dy got any longer, someone would surely begin toin.


    ¡°Begin the event first, if it really won¡¯t do then we¡¯ll just skip over ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯ first and begin with the other contestants.¡± If even Qiu Tianyang himself couldn¡¯t contact Two, then the organisers were even more helpless.


    The workers could only begin to prepare for the start of the event.


    ¡°In the end, Two...¡± why did he go missing? Qi Jing¡¯s reporter nature made itself known¡ªif he didn¡¯t understand the cause, then even if he went to sit down, he would still remain restless.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± Qiu Tianyang tried calling him, messaging, WeChatting, emailing, but it all remained unanswered, making him so tense that he started pacing in ce, anxious, ¡°Return Date, you first go find a ce to sit, it¡¯s enough for me as thepany¡¯s representative to handle it.¡±


    Qi Jing still wanted to say something, but at that time, Qiu Tianyang cleared his throat, speaking to him in the smallest of voices, ¡°...And most importantly, if you stand here with me, I... will get red at.¡±


    <i>...True. </i>


    Hearing him say so, Qi Jing raised his head to take a look at the contestant who had already gone on the scene, and as expected¡ªShen Yan was there, staring unmovingly at Qiu Tianyang with a frown, his gaze especially chilly.


    Aside from him, Tan Zixian also threw a sideways nce their way.


    ...The pressure on Qiu Tianyang was probably reaching its limit...


    Qi Jing wanted tough, but knew that it would be unbing of him in this situation, so he could only follow Qiu Tianyang¡¯s words and go look for a seat for himself first.


    Maybe influenced by following the camera crew to quite a few news conferences before, Qi Jing habitually went to thest, deserted row¡ªhe nned to ¡®record¡¯ the whole course of the event with his own eyes, like a camera would. Either way, most of the people sitting at the front were little fans doing their best to see the contestants¡¯ faces, he would gain nothing from fighting over the closest seats with them.


    For the beginning, the gamepany would surely send a high-ranking employer to deliver the opening speech.


    Initially, Qi Jing presumed it would surely be Qiu Tianyang, so he didn¡¯t expect to see a middle-aged and sly-looking man. But he seemed terribly proficient at juggling the official-sounding words, most likely well-versed to put on all kinds of pretences.


    ¡°This is the direct organiser of this voice actingpetition, our department¡¯s event manager.¡± As he was listening, Qiu Tianyang also snuck to thest row at some point. He initially wanted to sit in the seat right beside Qi Jing, but after a moment of consideration, he embarrassedly shifted a bit further, leaving one empty seat between them¡ªit was, of course, all to avoid ¡®getting red at¡¯.


    Qi Jing had to press his lips together to avoidughing, ¡°With the department director here, how can someone lower-ranking than you try to im this merit?¡±


    Qiu Tianyang gave him a look. ¡°...What do you think, with our voices being this recognizable, what would happen if we went up and spoke?¡±


    ¡°...It would get extreme.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m d that you understand.¡±


    Qi Jing saw him grip his phone tightly in his hand, but he wasn¡¯t calling continuously anymore. When he saw that things didn¡¯t seem to take a turn for the better, Qi Jing¡¯s voice fell, ¡°You still didn¡¯t manage to contact Two?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Qiu Tianyang looked up, a bit tired, leaning against the seat back as he massaged his forehead, ¡°I gave up. Now that I think of it, he didn¡¯t want to do it in the first ce. Tt was me who roped him into signing up¡ªthis boy previously got done dirty by a certain studio, so he holds a strong prejudice against professional voice acting now. It took me a lot of time to finally convince him to take part in thepetition, I thought that Teacher Yuan could give him the push he needed¡ªbut well, he might have thought about it and regretted agreeing to it.¡±


    Qi Jing listened quietly to that point, but then, he shook his head slightly, ¡°Though I haven¡¯t known him for as long as you, what I do know is that Two isn¡¯t the type of person to do something like this. He¡¯s the type that, if he agreed to do it, he wouldmit to the very end.¡±


    Qiu Tianyang was speechless. After a long while, he finally smiled faintly. ¡°You¡¯re right. We can still wait for a bit longer...¡±


    At that time, that event manager¡¯s speech also concluded. After he went off the stage, Yang Chunqu, ?Order to End the Heavens?petition¡¯s host now doubling as the host for this introduction event went up the stage with a smile.


    The impression she gave was about the same as her voice¡ªshe was a very tall north-east beauty, her face round and a slightly plump figure¡ªbut with her impressive height, her shapes looked proportional, a very standard of beauty.


    ¡°Next is the segment everyone was waiting for the most¡ªthe introduction from the champions of the third instalment of ?Order to End the Heavens? voice actingpetition.¡± The very moment she announced this, the fans below the stage bursted in exmations, the atmosphere turning even livelier in a moment. But Yang Chunqu had an announcement to make to everyone beforehand, and since it was a bad news, she gave a troubled smile, ¡°Today we were supposed to go through the introductions in the order starting from main characters, through the side characters to finally NPCs, but because of a various mishaps, the champion for the ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯ role is absent, so...¡±


    The moment she said that, amotion bursted from the originally jubnt crowd below, like a drop falling into a pot of boiling oil. Qi Jing even saw Shen Yan standing in the backs of the line of people making an astonished expression, then furrowing his brow.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is...¡±


    ¡°What is it! I only came all the way here to see ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯!¡±


    ¡°If the winner is absent, then doesn¡¯t that mean that he can¡¯t sign the contract? Doesn¡¯t that mean that the voice actor will have to be changed...? No, please! I beg you, don¡¯t change this voice actor...¡±


    When announcing this bad news, Yang Chunqu already foresaw people¡¯s reaction, continuing to speak with an unwavering calm, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, please rest at ease. Before our workers the details about his absence, no decision will be made, you can be sure of that.¡±


    Her words had a certain calming effect, so sure enough, the fans slowly settled down.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s begin our introductions with the champion for our first female main character, ¡®Su Miaoyu¡¯...¡±


    She was getting ready to proceed ording to the n, when suddenly, a loud ¡®bang¡ª¡¯ sound was heard from the main entrance, scaring her into a jolt as she stopped her words.


    Everyone¡¯s gazes swooshed uniformly to the door at that moment, and the entrance also opened in response, letting a man walk inside.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Someone cried from where the fans sat, then more and more started screeching.


    It was because of the blood¡ªthe neer¡¯s body was sttered with no small amount of it. His left arm had clearly been stabbed, the bloodstain there especially bad, with the sleeve of his coat shed open into arge hole, now held tightly by that person¡¯s hand.


    Faced with the venue-full of horror-like cries, that person remained fairly cool, only asking indifferently, ¡°Am Ite?¡±


    A/N:


    Little Lolita is so sweet~ (I think that maybe 2Yan and Kitty¡¯s Papa would be suitable to adopt a daughter, rubs chin)


    But aside of that, Longbow and his wife actually asked Teacher Yuan toe up with her name. Teacher Yuan chose this name out of his boundless love for his seedlings... (oi) I¡¯m actually also there with our Lolita, wanting to see the uncles kissing~ (oi oi oi¡ª)


    And Five had iting, he deserves getting red at ¨r(¨s?¨t)¨q


    As for Two... This sure is one hell of a shocking entrance... _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_

 Chapter 134

    <h4>Chapter 134</h4>


    unedited


    Qi Jing reacted as anyone with reporter instinct would upon encountering some exciting news, springing up to his feet. Qiu Tianyang was even a step ahead of him, sitting up in a blink of an eye, his expression shocked. ¡°Two?¡±


    The nickname he uttered only confirmed Qi Jing¡¯s first guess¡ªthis guy really was Two!


    But... Why would Two show up now looking like he escaped a chase for his life from an enemy? Could it be that he was dabbling in the underworld? How did a plotline looking like it was from ?Trap? find its way to ?Order to End the Heavens? introduction event?


    Just as everyone was losing their heads, a hotel security guard rushed inside, shouting continuously, ¡°Sir! Sir! You¡¯re running too fast...¡±


    It left everyone even more rmed. The security guard didn¡¯t manage to stop this man, so now he chased all the way here to catch him?!


    The security guard aside¡ªby the time a policeman followed huffing and puffing behind him, the whole gathering of people here couldn¡¯t be described with just a mere ¡®rmed¡¯ anymore.


    But no one expected that neither the security guard nor policeman would step forward to apprehend him¡ªinstead, the security guard stopped him, letting the policeman step forward to pass him a bag, saying repeatedly, ¡°Lad,d! Just look at you, so in a hurry! You even forgot to bring your luggage from the patrol car¡ª¡±


    Patrol car? Two actually got here in a patrol car?Qi Jing imagined the hotel getting surrounded by police cars like in so many gangster movies, his whole person ufortable at the sheer thought.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Two wanted to reach out to take it, but the security guard on the side saw that his hand was injured, so he decidedly picked it up in his stead, saying that he will leave it at the hotel reception. So Two nodded his head, thanking both of them, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I forgot I left it when rushing here, thanks.¡±


    Under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, Two send off the security guard and the policeman. By the time he went up the stage, the audience below was still unable to get out of the frozen state they were left in, as if someone had pushed the pause button for all the people in the venue.


    Yang Chunqu was the first person to unpause once again.


    Throughout this entire scene, she has been sweating while gripping the mic unmovingly, watching as this wounded yet still seemingly unaffected young man stepped closer toward her. Upon taking a closer look, if someone would take in any single characteristic of his face, none of them wouldn¡¯t necessarily look particrly dashing, but as a whole, it made a person feel some kind of sense of security¡ªhe looked very ¡®upright¡¯.


    She sighed with relief, only then beckoning at him to take ce by the mic stand dedicated for the contestants, then pulled on a weak smile, ¡°E-, excuse me, but what happened?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Two replied dismissively, ¡°I just caught two robbers on my way here, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ....Robbers??The faces of everyone present instantly turned =¿Ú=.


    Qi Jing sucked in a breathful of cold air as well, falling back into the seat¡ªjust what kind of ¡®that¡¯s all¡¯ is it?


    ¡°You¡¯ve been robbed?¡± And the opponents also seemed to have carried lethal weapons? Yang Chunqu¡¯s hand shook from the fright, she almost lost her grip on the mic. rmed, she stared at that long and deep gash in Two¡¯s coat¡ªit was easy to see how nasty was that sh.


    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t get robbed, they were mugging someone else.¡± He pressed down on the ce covered with bandages below the coat, off-handedly describing the details that could easily cause someone a heart attack, ¡°Two big guys tried to rob a woman, each with a third of a metre long machete, really, a disgrace as men. I got in a fight with one of them, I managed to seize that kiddo¡¯s machete, but earned a cut from the other one at the side when I wasn¡¯t paying him attention.¡±


    Saying this, he raised his brows proudly.


    ¡°Heh, but they only got one in to boast about, Iter gave them such a beating they couldn¡¯t stand back up, then dropped them off to the police. Later, I had to record the statement at the police station and get quickly patched up in their sickbay before they dropped me off here, that¡¯s why I¡¯mte¡ªsorry about that.¡±


    Below the scene, people instantly broke into murmurs.


    ¡°...And what¡¯s that, scaring me like this. Isn¡¯t that amazing?¡± Qiu Tianyang, who only stared dumbly up to that point, finally breathed with relief, slowly sitting down back to his seat. Then, the corners of his lips curled up without him knowing as he took the lead to p his hands in a loud and clear apuse.


    When he heard his pping, Qi Jing finally woke up from his shocked stupor, smiling as well and pping his hands along with him.


    Shen Yan also smiled silently on the stage, joining them.


    The whole venue momentarily erupted with apuse, cheering for Two while pping along¡ªthe sound of it continued uninterrupted for a while, the atmosphere jubnt. Two himself seemed to not think much of his meritorious deed, only giving aposed, slight nod to the crowd. But before he could even speak, someone already sat up from among the fans, red-faced as she ran over to pass him a bandage.


    ¡°Ah&#k2026; I-, I have a bandage here, you can change itter, it¡¯spletely new. I-if you need help with applying the medicine to the wound or some simple treatment, then I can also help with that&#k2026;¡±


    The one speaking was a gentle and shy-looking girl. She kept her head lowered when talking as her voice stammered, looking terribly embarrassed offering the bandage with both her hands, but also determined.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Yang Chunqu couldn¡¯t help butment on this little episode on-spot, ¡°A fan came over to the stage to give our ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯ something!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Two himself seemed puzzled by this and without much care for the blush spilling on the girl¡¯s face, he stared at her fixedly for a long while as he epted the bandage, like he was searching for the matching voice in his memory. After a moment, he finally remembered it. ¡°...Little Stammer?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± With him pointing that out, Yang Chunqu suddenly realised, ¡°Is this the Little Stammer contestant who previously qualified for the finals?¡±


    The girl¡¯s face became even more red. ¡°Actually, my ID isn¡¯t Little Stammer... It¡¯s Little Kapok.¡± But because during thepetition, she got so nervous that she would start to stammer, sheter got teased because of that, hence this nickname.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m nor particrly good at remembering other people¡¯s IDs,¡± Two said honestly, and this Qi Jing could vouch for. But he didn¡¯t feel self-conscious about needing to correct that, giving her a smile instead, ¡°I think Little Stammer is still easier to remember.¡±


    This time, the girl¡¯s face really became just as red as the blooms of the tree in her ID.


    ¡°Damn it... Two, that fellow...¡± Qiu Tianyang just couldn¡¯t continue listening to this shamelessness, tutting, ¡°This guy, he is so dumb with things like this. Even though what he said during the finals was enough to embarrass a person to death, he still was heartless enough to forget this girl¡¯s ID. For him to be like this again, he really is too much as a man¡ªeven though this girl clearly has some feelings for him.¡±


    Qi Jing coughed twice, agreeing silently.


    During the finals, Two, the ranking number one as ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯ after the semi-finals, was unfortunate enough to get paired with Little Kapok, who ranked ninth in her role category. At that time, she was ying ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯s¡¯ lover, the main female character ¡®Su Miaoyu¡¯. Her natural aptitude was pretty good and she usually performed very naturally when on her own, but she would unfortunately start to tense up and stutter whenever she had an audience. This greatly influenced her performance during the females¡¯ semi-finals, hence the low rank.


    When everyone saw that they got coupled together for the audition, they started sweating for Two, thinking it a bad luck that could cause his fall during the finals. Even the girl herself apologised to him before the start of the audition, sounding guilty, ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I-, I heard that you were the number one for the Qin Tuo audition in male characters semi-finals... I-, I easily stutter when performing with an audience, so I m-might, hold you back...¡±


    And at that time, Two just calmly tossed out a following phrase:


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to think of anything, just remember¡ª¡¯you love me deeply¡¯. That¡¯ll be enough.¡±


    These confident words.


    This confident tone.


    Although Qi Jing guessed that that was only his confidence in voice acting and in acting with others, as well as an instinctive act of guidance and encouragement for this girl... But, even as the member of the audience at the sidelines, he felt a bit embarrassed, not to mention the person in question herself.


    ¡°But that girl really didn¡¯t stammerter during the audition and she delivered the emotions between the characters just perfectly, so the final result was surprisingly good.¡± Qi Jing said with a slight smile. Little Kapok was probably the same as How long away is forever, both only able to show off a superb acting skill when their partner¡¯s voice acting is brought in the right direction. In the end, she had outdone Jade Butterly, who previously upied the spotlight, but still only ced third, ultimately not getting elected.


    ¡°There was no grand spectacle during the audition itself, but it¡¯s not half-bad to witness one outside of it.¡± Qiu Tianyang smiled like an old willy fox, pondering something.


    ¡°But speaking of it, why would this girl keep a bandage on her...¡± What an unusual habit.


    ¡°Seems like she¡¯s a nurse by upation.¡±


    ¡°...You would actually know that?¡± Qi Jing took a look at him, bbergasted.


    ¡°I did look carefully through the information about the semi-finals candidates, usually I¡¯m also a hard-working guy~¡± Whenever Qiu Tianyang used his gong voice to mimic a little daughter-inw¡¯s tone, even his gaze would be sultry, making people¡¯s skin crawl.


    Qi Jing looked away silently, deciding to take a thirty second break from this exchange.


    ¡°Next we¡¯ll have the official introduction¡ªthe winner of this instalment¡¯s ?Order to End the Heavens? main male character role, ¡®Qin Tuo¡¯!¡± After this little episode, Yang Chunqu quickly curbed her gossipy nature and resumed her professional behaviour as the host. She smiled and introduced him to the whole audience, ¡°With an ID ¡®Gimme a proper dub, dumbass¡¯, here he is¡ªYang Jie!¡±


    Two¡ªthat is, Yang Jie, took a step ahead, unperturbed, his greeting quite standard as he spoke into the mic before him, ¡°Ah, hello everyone.¡±


    ¡°After the episode just now, I presume our audience has some grasp on what kind of person contestant Yang Jie is, but I think everyone still has plenty of questions to ask, so let¡¯s quickly proceed to the Q&A segment.¡± Yang Chunqu said with a smile, ¡°Contestant Yang Jie, would you mind?¡±


    ¡°...What is Q&A section?¡± Yang Jie furrowed slightly, looking at the host, seemingly at a loss. Because of histe arrival, he had missed the entire exnation who came before.


    Qi Jing gave him a sympathetic look.


    ¡°It¡¯s the segment where we chose three of the fans from the audience to let them ask three questions,¡± Yang Chunqu exined patiently, ¡°It¡¯s a purely recreational segment, you can reply however you wish.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Yang Jie didn¡¯t seem particrly bothered, ¡°Am I supposed to choose then?¡±


    ¡°In theory, the host is the one responsible for that, but the contestants can choose the person themselves if they wish, there¡¯s no hard rules that would prohibit it.¡±


    ¡°Hm, I get it.¡± He replied lukewarmly. Then, he suddenly pointed straight at Ms Little Kapok, who got startled by his gesture, ¡°Thank you for the bandage¡ªto show my gratitude, I will give my first question to you.¡±


    The people below the scene started making noise.


    Qi Jing noticed that his seat was trembling a little¡ªwhen he gazed sideways at Qiu Tianyang, he saw this guy doing his very best to hold back theughter with as much grace as physically possible, the name tag on his chest shaking along with his body, shing back and forth against his tie.


    Little Kapok epted the mic passed over by the smiling worker, her face red, taking a while to choke out a single, ¡°...I-, I have a bag of crisps, so after this segment is done, do you want t-to, eat it?¡±


    Yang Jie replied without second thought, ¡°Want.¡±


    Below the stage, the noise grew even louder.


    After Little Kapok sat down, her friend sitting on her side keptining about how she wasted a question for nothing, that she should have asked him if he had a girlfriend. But she herself already seemed quite happy with it and didn¡¯t pay it much mind¡ªfrom the beginning to the end, there was a faint smile to Qi Jing¡¯s gaze. This kind of longing, feeling content so easily when in love¡ªhe had also experienced that.


    Following this, Yang Jie turned to Yang Chunqu, ¡°Okay then, you can choose the next two people for the remaining questions, host, it doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡±


    Yang Chunqu nodded, then chose the person for the second question from the multitude of hands raised high below.


    ¡°Hello, Mr Yang Jie!¡± The second person to ask the question was your normal fan, with her first words being also perfectly within the norms, but her question touched upon the topic everyone was curious about, ¡°¡®Qin Tuo¡¯ left a very deep impression on everyone during all the auditions from the semi-finals up to the finals, your performance of him was amazing! Especially your control over breath during the dialogues, it was very professional¡ªif you don¡¯t mind sharing this information, then I would like to ask you, Mr Yang Jie¡ªwhat¡¯s your upation? Is it something rted to professional voice acting? I¡¯m really curious!¡±


    ¡°No, my upation is in no way rted to voice acting.¡± Yang Jie¡¯s words were both a surprise and not really.


    There were a lot of amateurs participating in thispetition, so it wasn¡¯t rare for their jobs to bepletely unrted to voice acting. But because his performance was especially outstanding, when he said that, it made people¡¯s curiosity surge even higher.


    ¡°In that case...¡±


    ¡°Oh, after graduating from teacher training I kept working at high school.¡± Yang Jie replied easily.


    ......


    ......


    ......What, the, hell?


    People like Qi Jing, who could still remain calm when listening before, all got shocked into jolting by this sentence from Yang Jie, staring at him bbergasted.


    ¡°You¡¯re actually a teacher??¡± And what¡¯s more, a highschool one?? The exmation of the fan asking was very much the voice of everyone¡¯s minds at the moment.


    Only Qiu Tianyang alone, who knew about it beforehand,ughed himself breathless from the stage below, his shoulders shaking even harder than a moment before. Qi Jing felt that if he didn¡¯t pull him back, this guy would perhaps soon roll off the seat.


    ¡°Yeah, I am a teacher.¡± Yang Jie was indeed very straightforward, hiding nothing at all.


    ¡°Wha, what subject did you teach?¡±


    ¡°Physical education.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help butin in his heart¡ªWith things like this, I won¡¯t even be able to use that ¡°I learned my acting skills from a PE teacher¡± joke whenever my voice acting is bad anymore!


    The asking fellow seemed very excited by this and asked the following question; fortunately, the host didn¡¯t stop her. ¡°Then, you were able to settle the fight as a single person against two thieves armed with knives today¡ªwas it because you pay a lot of attention to exercising as a PE teacher?¡±


    ¡°That should be one of the reasons, yeah. I actually do exercise everyday,¡± Yang Jie thought for a bit, then continued,pletely earnest, ¡°Ah, if something else helped as well, then it probably should be because I previously trained mixed martial arts in the past as well.¡±


    The gasps of admiration resounded among the crowd, with fans throwing him gazes full of adoration.


    But he himself didn¡¯t think much about it, ¡°To be honest, those who bring the knives with them to mug people are usually some cowards with no confidence in their strength. They bring the knives to give themselves courage, only knowing how to scare people. You can easily handle guys like that in two or three moves, so I¡¯m not that amazing.¡±


    After a pause, he also added, ¡°If any of you happen to meet someone like that in the future, then no need to fear, it¡¯ll be fine as long as you remain calm.¡±


    ¡ªTruly much like a teacher, he even had that kind of guiding tone meant for the students in his voice. Still, he seemed like a good teacher.


    Qi Jing smiled, joining the people around who once again showed their respect for Two with an apuse.


    Yang Jie remained perfectly calm when answering the previous two questions, so in theory, it shouldn¡¯t go much different for the third one.


    But his expression changed visibly when it was asked.


    ¡°I want to ask contestant Yang Jie¡ªhow did youe up with the nickname ¡®Two¡¯? Apart from you, there¡¯s surely also ¡®One¡¯, ¡®Three¡¯, ¡®Four¡¯, and so on? At that time, what kind of group were you a part of?¡± The third person¡¯s question didn¡¯t only make Yang Jie¡¯s flinch, Qi Jing and Qiu Tianyang who were listening from below flinched as well, ¡°When I heard that Kitty¡¯s Papa is ¡®Six¡¯, I got even more curious about your group. Can you tell us the details?¡±


    ¡°We...¡±


    Much to everyone¡¯s surprise, Yang Jie, who remained calm saying just about anything all the way till that moment, stuttered slightly before the mic, pausing momentarily as if not knowing what to say.


    Qi Jing instinctively threw a nce at Qiu Tianyang.


    The name tag on his chest didn¡¯t move the slightest, his body still¡ªeven his lips were pressed shut, not saying a single word.


    Suddenly, Yang Jie turned his head back, gaze searching through the contestants, as if looking for someone. Then, he finally saw a rather average-looking man at the very back, waving his hand subtly toward him¡ªonly then a bit of light shone in his eyes.


    By the time he slowly turned back to once again face the audience, his expression was much more at ease, and continued with a faint smile, ¡°We... If one day, we can still gather back together, it won¡¯t be toote to introduce each of us to everyone. For now, think of it as a secret for the eventual future¡ª¡±


    A/N:


    Congrattions for Two for finally making an appearance IRL!


    Those few chapters we got quite a few new offline names, so for everyone¡¯s convenience, you can try remembering them with the method below:


    ¡¾Tan Zixian¡¿: Has a character for ¡®tan¡¯ in ¡®negotiations¡¯, so it¡¯s our professionalwyer Little Noodles~


    ¡¾Qiu Tianyang¡¿: This one¡¯s easy, because ¡®Qiu¡¯ is in his ID, ¡®Sleek Horses Run Fast¡¯.


    ¡¾Zhang Cheng¡¿: This one is also very easy, ¡®bow¡¯ and ¡®long¡¯ make up for the surname Zhang, hence Longbow.


    ¡¾Yang Jie¡¿: Honestly, Two¡¯s name came from the Eng Shen deity Yang Jian (because he¡¯s also the second son in the legend), so the pronunciation of his name is also simr to how you would pronounce ¡®Yang Jian¡¯.


    To be fair, I really like Two a lot... (covers face) Fine, but I still like Kitty¡¯s Papa and 2Yan the most, yup...


    T/N:


    Luci: ...I¡¯m so sorry, none of those exnations make any sense for English speakers ;;;


    Also, I¡¯ll be away for the next week, but happy early Easter! See you all in two weeks! <3

 Chapter 135

    <h4>Chapter 135</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    Every show needs its own climax. Preferably, the happier the better.


    When Two said that, his expression was happy indeed.


    But it wasn¡¯t quite the case for Five¡ª


    ¡°Hah.¡± He didugh once, but it was a bitter one. When Qi Jing heard this raspy sound from Qiu Tianyang, it made him turn his head toward the guy, only to see him with his head already down. His face seemed as if he was mocking himself for something. He rubbed it twice with his hands, looking incredibly weary.


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault...¡± He muttered quietly.


    Fault?Setting the rest of their past aside, no one could deny that thanks to him, Shen Yan could obtain the double-win, coulde here to meet Two, that it was him who fought for impartiality among the judges. In the case of gathering them all together, he was not only meless, but also worthy of praise.


    But with that being the case, why would he me himself so?


    At that time, Qiu Tianyang moved his knees, leaning forward slightly with his hands on the armrests, ¡°...I¡¯ll go outside to catch some fresh air.¡±


    Saying this, he was about to stand up.


    ¡°Five!¡± Qi Jing called him hurriedly. Probably because of how strict his voice came out, he seeded in halting this guy¡¯s movements.


    Qiu Tianyang who had just stood up from the seat once again dropped slowly onto it, leaning back.


    Seeing him sitting back, Qi Jing also didn¡¯t follow in standing up, breathing a sigh of relief instead. He asked in a small voice, ¡°Why are you running away?¡±


    Qiu Tianyang didn¡¯t say anything.


    Since he already started questioning him, then there was no need to beat around the bush anymore, going ahead in giving him every piece of his mind that he previously held back in one go, ¡°Just as you and Noodles, and that group of yours¡ªwhy do you always escape from facing it?¡±


    Qiu Tianyang replied, stupefied, ¡°It¡¯s easy for you to say.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing furrowed, deciding to confide in Qiu Tianyang on something.


    ¡°He had told me that he knew that you¡¯d be here before we came.¡± As he expected, when he said this, the look in this guy¡¯s eyes changed slightly, a sh of surprise in them. Qi Jing remained calm, continuing to slowly dig this stab deeper into this crack in his defence¡ªonly if it could hurt would he see the effects. ¡°That¡¯s why he definitely only came here after getting ready to see you, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t even show up. Even Shen Yan can face it, yet you can¡¯t?¡±


    Qiu Tianyang¡¯s voice was somewhat rough and his words were too¡ªweak and fragile like a scrap of a flimsy paper. ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Qi Jing interrupted him softly, but decisively, admitting honestly, ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re thinking, I just know that your attitude right now reminds me of my attitude before. Before, I... When it came to my feelings, I was even more pessimistic than you. I was afraid that I would once again lose something dear, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t even want to let myself begin. And indeed, you can¡¯t ¡®lose¡¯ anything if you don¡¯t begin it, but you also can never get it. When I think back to it right now... If I¡¯ve kept running away at that time, I would never be able to get together with Shen Yan, would never be able to be in such a happy ce as I am now.¡±


    With this, he returned back to the main point. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened between you, but if you sincerely wish to earn his forgiveness, then you will never get to earn it by only always running away.¡±


    Qiu Tianyang fell silent.


    Qi Jing went silent as well.


    ¡°...Haha,¡± After a while, Qiu Tianyang finallyughed once again¡ªbut this time, it wasn¡¯t as pitiful of augh as before. He abandoned the meaningless struggle, leaning limply back on the seat. He closed his eyes and said almost as if to himself, ¡°Return Date, I really made the right choice by having youe as well¡ªseems like I finally made a good decision.¡±


    Qi Jing chuckled along, but said nothing, only patting his shoulder, going back to paying attention to the development on the stage.


    After the finished introduction of the four main characters, the side characters now also went onto the stage one after another.


    Among them, an ID Qi Jing was pretty familiar with appeared as well.


    ¡°Hello everyone, it¡¯s me, ¡®Went off with a bang¡¯!¡± The owner of this ID went onto the stage with all the valiance and vigour, and a burst of muffled giggles could be heard from below. Even Qi Jing had to bite back on his lips so as to avoidughing out loud¡ªreally, no matter how many times he saw this person, it always amused him.


    Went off with a bang lived up to everyone¡¯s expectations, and after the aggravating two years of only getting titled as ¡®runner-up¡¯, he finally snatched the revenge by getting the crown of a champion, his nose stuck high up in the air as he wore it. He easily snatched the first ce for the main viin Yan Buliu with the advantage of his voice and solid voice acting skills and so his fans joyously spread the word. It could be said to be worthy of all congrattions.


    It¡¯s just...


    In real life, he was barely tall enough to reach the host¡¯s shoulder. Seeing how an event worker had to hurry over and lower the mic stand for him to be able to speak into it, this scene really looked so... pitiful.


    ¡°Looks like this cannon¡¯s barrel is somewhat short¡ª¡±


    Qi Jing was trying to hold back, but Qiu Tianyang¡¯s words made him suddenly remember the scene he saw a bit before when he was still standing in the line and, finally unable to restrain himself, sputtered with muffledughter.


    That day, Went off with a bang showed up with his girlfriend in quite a high-key manner¡ªfortunately, she was a petite woman so they looked quite harmonious together. It¡¯s just, when they were preparing to enter the venue, that girl caught a nce of Tan Zixian and couldn¡¯t peel her eyes away, staring at him as ifpletely smitten. It was already infuriating enough for Went off with a bang, but when he got to know that this taller than him, more handsome than him guy was actually Crossing the bridge noodles he had always imagined as a little sissy bottom, his eyes were simply bulging in fury. Heter kept repeating ¡°He¡¯s a gay, a gay!¡± by his girlfriend¡¯s ear like a broken record, but still failed to make her look away from Tan Zixian¡¯s face.


    At that time, Tan Zixian probably heard him prating and recognised his voice. He turned his head to take a nce at the man a head shorter than him, then smiled faintly, deliberately walking just past him with a confident gait, giving him a fleeting, tepid look from above as he did.


    Went off with a bang was simply about to explode from fury, and Qi Jing on the side was holding back fromughing out loud so hard that his stomach began to hurt.


    Still, it was through his ability that Went off with a bang won the champion title. Even if his character wasn¡¯t particrly pleasant, in terms of voice acting, he was no far worse than any other person eligible to stand on that stage.


    At that moment, Went off with a bang cleared his throat behind the mic stand¡ªQi Jing was sure that he would pose no small amount of surface-level idol mannerism, he had already experienced that during thepetition. ¡°Today I, Went off with a bang, want to take this opportunity to thank anyone who kept supporting me and voting for me, letting me be the champion for the ¡®Yan Buliu¡¯ role! To be able to meet everyone at this ?Order to End the Heavens? introduction event brings me a lot of joy!¡±


    Below the stage, Bang Fans bursted into cheers, starting an apuse.


    To show off his considerate side as a boyfriend, he gave away his first question to his girlfriend, all full of himself as the event worker went to give her the mic.


    ¡°Go ahead, ask whatever you want~¡± Went off with a bang waved his hand with a feigned ease and confidence.


    ¡°Bang Bang~¡± The moniker this girl used made everyone present break into goosebumps&#k2014;it was clear to see that they were usually this cloyingly sappy when together. She asked, her eyes sparkling, ¡°After you receive that award money, can you buy me those new Chanel shoes?¡±


    The new Chanel shoes. Although Qi Jing wasn¡¯t as adept in this area as Ning Xiaoxiao, he knew that the price for this brand couldn¡¯t be small.


    The audience below bubbled withughter, all of them lighting a pity candle for Uncle Bang.


    Went off with a bang¡¯s face went red, then white¡ªit wouldn¡¯t look good if he just refused her in front of so many people, so he could only suck it up and nod his head. Later on, he wasn¡¯t himself for the rest of the Q&A, probably distraught by the high expectations posed by his girlfriend. He muddled through the remaining two questions, then fled, downtrodden.


    Qi Jing was still smiling while recounting the face Uncle Bang had made that time when the hostdy returned to the front of the stage with a radiant smile, starting the introduction of the next person toe on the stage.


    ¡°Next, I¡¯ll have an honour of inviting the most extraordinary among our contestants today,¡± When Yang Chunqu said this, Qi Jing froze. And sure enough, her following words confirmed his guess, ¡°As for why he¡¯s so extraordinary, it¡¯s because he¡¯s the only contestant to win the rights to voice two roles, making him the only double-champion of this instalment¡¯spetition.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyes lit up and he sat straight, waiting with his breath held back.


    When the audience heard this, they momentarily shrieked from joy, chanting together, ¡°Kitty¡¯s Papa! Kitty¡¯s Papa! Kitty¡¯s Papa!¡±


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s meet the voice actor of the side character Bai Ke, as well as the NPC character Old Man Xiao Shan, ¡®Kitty ¤Î Papa¡¯¡ªeveryone, wee the contestant Shen Yan!¡±


    As the host announced this loudly, everyone¡¯s gazes followed to where her hand was pointing, only to see a maning forth quietly from behind the row of contestants. Unlike the two roles he was to y, he had neither the malice of Bai Ke nor the elderly appearance of Old Man Xiao Shan¡ªinstead, his features were that of a meek, down-to-earth young man. Although he wore just the simplest of shirts and trousers, he appeared very clean and proper. When he was walking to the mic stand, he bowed slightly to the host, thanking her in a small voice. The voice that passed through the speakers throughout the venue didn¡¯t have any unique characteristics, but it left one feelingfortable.


    Once he came forth, the fans below the stage simply could no longer hold back.


    ¡°Ahhhh... So this is Kitty¡¯s Papa!¡±


    ¡°Aaah! Although I can¡¯t say he¡¯s some great hottie, his appearance is actually very simr to his voice~¡±


    ¡°Kitty¡¯s Papa really has the vibe of a man from the previous generation... You know, the type to not get easily swayed by the materialist society, abide by the rules and etiquette¡ªthe steady and honest working man.¡±


    The sounds of discussion of the girls from the few rows ahead travelled over and a smile shed through Qi Jing¡¯s eyes as he listened to them.


    Aside of that, he also didn¡¯t forget to turn his head and toss a phrase at Qiu Tianyang, ¡°You better stay here, I forbid you from running away.¡±


    Qiu Tianyang chuckled bitterly, raising his hands up in a silent surrender, showing that he would no longer look for an excuse to escape.


    At that time, Shen Yan slowly took his ce on the stage. His eyes were lowered before, so when he lifted his gaze slightly at the billowing darkness of the human faces moving below, he hesitated slightly. He subconsciously held the microphone, shifting it slightly toward his right side, as if wanting to avoid it letting everyone hear the sound of his heartbeat¡ªeven if it couldn¡¯t possibly catch this sort of sound.


    When he opened his lips to it, he realised that he didn¡¯t know what he should say.


    But then, his gaze fell onto thest row and he saw Qi Jing sitting there, who now smiled and waved his hand. At that sight, he suddenly felt much more at ease, finally finding the words to begin with.


    ¡°Hello everyone, it¡¯s nice to meet you all.¡± His voice was a bit raspy as he spoke, warm and deep. And that tiny bit of awkwardness did not stop everyone¡¯s impression of him from getting better and better at all.


    ¡°Thank you all for your support during the beginning. It let me persevere throughout this whole journey and finish thepetition.¡± Here, he gave a heartfelt bow to everyone below the stage, ¡°...Thank you.¡±


    The fans in the audience were taken aback, probably taking a while to react to how honest and respectful those thanks were. But in a moment, they all started a warm apuse.


    Shen Yan¡¯s scores for the impression weren¡¯t usually all that high at the beginning, but he would win through improving it slowly point by point, and he would never end up leaving a negative one¡ªQi Jing had no doubts about that. Just as with Ning Xiaoxiao who, when she first met him, kept questioning and finding faults with him, but now was crying and begging to wash away that dark part of her history.


    As the apuse slowed down, Yang Chunqu finally made an announcement, ¡°As there are three questions allowed per each role, and our double-champion here got two roles, everyone can altogether ask him six questions today.¡±


    Once the fans below heard how many questions they could ask, they were overjoyed by the good news, cheering along.


    ¡°Then, contestant Shen Yan, do you wish to choose a person yourself, or let me help you with it?¡± Yang Chunqu offered him two options.


    ¡°I will ask the host to do that.¡± Shen Yan replied softly.


    Usually, the first question was either a confession, words of praise, or something of the kind. But the first question Shen Yan got asked was out of everyone¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°I want to ask if you used a voice changer to do the grandpa voice?¡±


    Once it got asked, multiple gasps could be heard in the silence below, the people near the asker ring at that person with a frown. Even Yang Chunqu, who chose that person, felt a bit awkward.


    For the first question to actually be this mean-spirited... Qi Jing thought to himself. But he wasn¡¯t worried at all, since using the actions to prove the truth was always better than hollow rhetoric.


    When he heard this covertly malicious question, Shen Yan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, nor did he get angry¡ªhe just took a step forward, holding the mic in two hands. This movement also covered his lips as he spoke, so only a model, kind grandpa voice passed through the speakers and to the whole audience.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for a voice changer,¡± His young face and this voice created a jarring contrast, ¡°Using a voice changer wouldn¡¯t sound realistic, and I would have to sit by the PC the entire time, so I wouldn¡¯t be able to speak to everyone just like right now.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, it¡¯s the actual grandpa IRL!¡±


    ¡°It sounds so authentic!¡±


    The audience momentarily bubbled with both astonishment and joy, a lot of people now watching Shen Yan with sparkling eyes, faces full of worship.


    Standing behind him, Went off with a bang snorted quietly, making it known that this level of voice changing was nothing hard for him. But he didn¡¯t expect that upon turning his head, he realised that Yang Jie, who was standing right beside him, was ring at him angrily. Remembering that this guy was good enough of a fighter to take two machete-wielding thieves on just by himself, Went off with a bang promptly went silent on his own.


    The first question was daunting but went without any mishaps, and the following ones were more normal inparison.


    ¡°I heard that Kitty¡¯s Papa real ID is ¡®Geese Fly North¡¯ and that you took on a new identity for thepetition, so why did you choose a cute ID as ¡®Kitty ¤Î Papa¡¯ for it? Is there some meaning to it?¡± The second person to ask appeared to think that his ID was somewhat incongruous with his actual temperament.


    When Shen Yan heard such a question, he subconsciously lifted his head, coincidentally meeting the gaze of the one who came up with this ID, making him stop for a moment.


    Qi Jing cracked a smile at him, resting his cheek on a hand with anguid expression, waiting to hear how Shen Yan would answer.


    ¡°This is the ID I used because I keep¡ª¡± a cat. He originally intended to finish the sentence like this, but when he was about to say it, he suddenly had a change of his mind and added a number, ¡°Two cats. Hm... One big and one small. It¡¯s usually me who takes care of them, so it¡¯s not really all that wrong to call me ¡®Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯.¡±


    Two cats, one big and one small.


    With only a bit of visualising, this image was enough to leave all the pet-lovers there swooning.


    ¡°You actually have two cats!! So you like kitties a lot?¡± The person asking was so happy, her hand with the mic was shaking as she hurried to ask the following question before sitting down.


    Shen Yan was a bit surprised, but then smiled lightly, ¡°Not only cats, I also love other animals¡ªI love being around them, watching the way they move.¡±


    There, he paused for a moment, and what he said next caught even Qi Jing by surprise.


    ¡°When I was a kid, I developed a severe speech disorder. When I was around other people, I wasn¡¯t able to say a single word, and would always feel stressed and afraid. But then, I discovered that when I was with animals, I could speak my mind with no problem... It was probably because they couldn¡¯t speak, yet always listened to me talking, replying to me through their bodynguage and staying by my side, so it made me feel a bit better.¡±


    He slowly described his past in a low voice, each word and phrase considered, but also bitter¡ªyet he still chose to share it to the end.


    ¡°Butter, I understood that there would be some people in this world, who, like those little guys, would quietly listen to me talking, would y with me, and spend a simple, unassuming life with me. Before, I was sure that there was no cure for me, but now, I came to feel that... ¡®talking is kind of nice too¡¯.¡±


    The entire venue went silent for a while, everyone immersed in his speaking¡ªeven Went off with a bang that was being grouchy in the back remained quiet.


    At that time, Shen Yan realised himself that he went on a tangent, and with a gasped ¡®ah¡¯, he apologised to the person asking, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know if I answered your question, and then I went on talking about so many unrted matters...¡±


    ¡°No, no!¡± That person said hurriedly, ¡°So Kitty¡¯s Papa actually experienced something like this in the past... It¡¯s really moving! Thank you for sharing this with us!¡±


    ¡°Good job.¡± At that moment, Qiu Tianyang turned his head to the side, gazing at Qi Jing who kept smiling softly as he quietly watched the development on the scene, summing the result of his involvement up like so.


    ¡°Haha, I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s the case,¡± Qi Jing chuckled unhurriedly, ¡°If he didn¡¯t have this resolve, no amount of anyone¡¯s ¡®good job¡¯ would help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying that you did a good job.¡± It¡¯s not just anyone that would be able to help Shen Yan carry out this resolve.


    Qi Jing was about to give another reply, but he didn¡¯t expect the next question from the audience for Shen Yan to be rted to this whole ¡®meritorious helper¡¯.


    ¡°Hello Kitty¡¯s Papa! I have a question I really, really want to know the answer to, I¡¯ve been thinking of it since that day during thepetition until this very moment, so I just need to ask it!¡± The fan who just got to ask the question couldn¡¯t hold back, getting right to the main point with the speed of light, ¡°I want to ask: Kitty¡¯s Papa, is that tmate of yours the person you confessed to during the audition for ¡®Marquess Shunyang¡¯? And if he is, then did Mr tmate hear? Did he answer you? Are you together now??¡±


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t handle it, choking back on his breath.


    ¡ªThis friend right there, do you know that you actually already asked four questions there? What about that one question per person rule we agreed to??


    But since this question poked at everyone¡¯s curiosity, and since their gossipy nature burned high for a while already, there was no one really interested in whether it was four or one question, all of them staring excitedly at Shen Yan, holding their breaths.


    Qi Jing swallowed slightly, trying to remain calm. Like everyone else, he stared unmovingly at Shen Yan, his heart racing for some reason.


    Shen Yan probably also didn¡¯t expect her to ask four questions in a row, all of them quite sharp as well. He remained speechless for a moment, but after a long while, he suddenlyughed with a small ¡®hah¡¯¡ªhalf augh, half a sigh.


    Just as everyone thought that he would refuse to answer the question touching upon his personal life, he spoke in a low voice, ¡°That¡¯s right, he¡¯s the person I love.¡±


    When the fans below the stage heard this, they momentarily shrieked.


    And he still went on, ¡°That day, he was listening to thepetition in another room, so he heard it. And... he answered me.¡±


    The fans below were just short of shooting up and going for ap, some of them going crazy with joy upon hearing this, hugging the friends on their side and squealing loudly.


    But thatst question was still the most appetising¡ªhe admitted, he confessed, then in the end, did they or did they not get together?


    ¡°Mr tmate answered¡ªthen what was the answer!?¡± It didn¡¯t matter anymore if this good fellow actually asked the fifth question already¡ªin the eyes of the public, she was already a hero.


    Shen Yan gazed at that person in thest row, opening his lips slightly to the mic.


    ¡°His answer... was the one I wished for.¡±


    But without waiting for the cheers to erupt in the audience, he added, ¡°But we were already together before and our rtionship was also well-established at that point. My confession that night was to take a step further in showing him my feelings¡ªit wasn¡¯t the first time I told him that.¡±


    The atmosphere below the stage immediately reached the boiling point.


    ¡°What?? You two actually were a couple already?? When did you start¡ª¡± The girl had almost got all the way to the sixth question, fortunately the event worker seized the mic out of her hand, ignoring her begging gaze when leaving.


    But with thingsing to this point, the voices of discussion in the audience remained invigorated, getting more lively with every moment.


    ¡°Holy, holy! Kitty¡¯s Papa turns out to be bent, and he¡¯s actually together with Mr tmate! I can die happy now!¡±


    ¡°If they were together before, then isn¡¯t it that their cohabitating isn¡¯t simply that, but a sweet life together!? Crap, pardon my impudence¡ªI let my thoughts run loose for a moment and now I¡¯m about to get a nosebleed...¡±


    ¡°...Luckily she didn¡¯t get to ask who his tmate is...¡± Qi Jing sighed with relief.


    Who would¡¯ve thought that the moment he heaved that sigh, the next question would make him swallow it back.


    ¡°I want to ask if Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s tmate is that legendary god VA, Sleek Horses Run Fast?¡±


    The fourth person to ask a question was a worthy sessor to the third one¡¯s gossipy spirit¡ªthis question was both vicious and on point, making the audience erupt in a wave of approving cheers.


    But Shen Yan replied almost that same second, ¡°No.¡±


    Hearing this, the fans werepletely taken aback. After epting that this was a very clear denial, their disappointment was tant to see.


    Qi Jing coughed lightly, reaching his hand to Qiu Tianyang who now had his head turned away silently after he felt the blow of this decisive answer¡¯s speed, patting him in a gesture of sympathy andfort.


    Qi Jing coughed awkwardly in the audience and so did the host, Yang Chunqu.


    ¡°Cough,¡± She reminded the fans politely, ¡°Although there are no rules for this recreational segment, I would still like to remind everyone to avoid asking the private questions... especially the ones concerning the personal life of the contestant¡ªwe don¡¯t want to inconvenience them, as well as go against this introduction event¡¯s original intention.¡±


    With that said, the fans also started coughing embarrassedly, curbing their excitement.


    The fifth one to stand up and ask sympathised with the host¡¯s and Shen Yan¡¯s plight, so she asked a more proper question, steering this Q&A back on the right tracks, ¡°I want to ask contestant Shen Yan as the double-champion: from this year¡¯s ?Order to End the Heavens?petition, who would you say you respect the most, admire the most, and hope to work with in the future the most?¡±


    ¡°Oho...¡± This question piqued Qi Jing¡¯s interest as well, so he subconsciously straightened his back to listen, ¡°Interesting, interesting¡ªthis one I¡¯d love to hear.¡±


    This question was indeed interesting, that¡¯s why Shen Yan took a while just thinking in silence before replying.


    First, the person he respected the most¡ª


    ¡°For the one I respected the most, it should be some of the Teachers responsible for judging in thispetition,¡± When he mentioned the ¡®Teachers¡¯, his voice instinctively turned reverent, even his smile gained a bit of that modesty one would show to their elders, ¡°Especially Teacher Pu. During my first audition, in the final evaluation, Teacher exined a lot to me, letting me realise my attitude and the problem in it, allowing me to work on myself¡ªit¡¯s a very precious lesson to me... I¡¯m both thankful and touched by it.


    ¡°Mn...¡± His first answer wasn¡¯t a surprise to Qi Jing, but when he heard it, he still smiled subconsciously.


    Next was the person he admired the most¡ª


    This one was harder than the first one, since there were all kinds of aspects to admire, so it wouldn¡¯t be that easy for Shen Yan to choose only one he admired ¡®the most¡¯.


    But he finally found ¡®the one¡¯.


    ¡°There were many contestants who performed splendidly during thispetition, but if I¡¯m to choose... The one I admire the most should be Two... Yang Jie. I feel like no matter if it¡¯s voice acting, or his conduct, he¡¯s a hard to find role model. Although we got to know each other online before, I¡¯m still very happy that I could meet him in real life for the first time.¡±


    Yang Jie probably didn¡¯t expect that his name would find its way to Shen Yan¡¯s answer and jolted from the shock, suddenly growing a bit sheepish.


    But at that very moment, Yang Chunqu gasped with surprise, ¡°Oh my, contestant Yang Jie is blushing.¡±


    Yang Jie remained cool at first¡ªhis face only flushed slightly when Shen Yan spoke about him, one wouldn¡¯t even realise without taking a closer look¡ªbut when Yang Chunqu said this, everyone¡¯s eyes jumped right to him, even Shen Yan turned his head to take a look. He momentarily couldn¡¯t react, his face turning beetroot red.


    ¡°He really is blushing!¡± Someone from the audience shouted loudly, their words resonating throughout the whole venue.


    ¡°He can actually blush! Hahaha!¡± Another person started whistling whileughing.


    ¡°...You¡¯re all so annoying!¡± Yang Jie got teased by the public¡¯sughter into embarrassed anger, quickly covering his face while snarking irately.


    Of course, how could he know that this reaction would only make themugh even louder and more merrily?


    For thest, the only one left was ¡®the one he hoped to work with the most in the future¡¯¡ª


    Shen Yanughed quietly along with the audience for a while, and when everything returned to the previous state, he finally disclosed his answer to the third question.


    ¡°The one I hope to work with the most in the future...¡±


    He lowered his eyes, his voice turning low as well, the smile on his lips tranquil and warm like the moonlight on a calm sea surface.


    And those six words were like lights flickering deep under the sea waves, forever the sea¡¯s most precious treasure.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date.¡±


    A/N:


    inter¡¯s here, and Kitty¡¯s Papa haven¡¯t hugged 2Yan for a long time now, didn¡¯t roll around with him under the bedsheets... (I¡¯m starved for Returning Geese *flops to the floor*)


    P.S.: Can I just say that I used to kinda, kinda ship Noodles and Uncle Bang? (Five: QAQ You! You! You!)

 Chapter 136

    <h4>Chapter 136</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    At that moment, the talking voices surged around Qi Jing, but he didn¡¯t hear any of it.


    The only thing he could hear was the heavy ¡®thump, thump, thump¡¯ sound, each beat stronger than the other. It was his heart¡ªhis heart¡¯s beating blocked away the mouring noises of the numerous audience, as if someone clicked the mute button by an ident. He was sitting in a vacuum, hearing only his own, hurried breathing.


    <i></i>It felt a bit... feverish.


    <i></i>He tried to remain cool, but still kept feeling hot.


    <i></i>After saying this ID, Shen Yan didn¡¯t provide any exnation¡ªhe didn¡¯t need to. He only nodded his head quietly toward the person asking, signalling that he had already finished his answer. <i></i>


    And as for the audience, they also didn¡¯t need any exnation, as just hearing this ID was enough to set the crowd aboil.


    <i></i>As for Qi Jing, he also didn¡¯t need an exnation¡ªbecause he should understand.


    Qi Jing understood.


    And because he understood, the moment he heard the answer he almost stood up from his seat, but barely managed to hold himself back.


    At that time, he suddenly felt an impulse¡ªunlike the impulse to stand up and run onto the stage he just had the moment earlier, it wasn¡¯t a careless urge spurred by the heat of the moment getting to his head, but a thought he clearly understood the oue of. His reason was still there, he also somewhat calmed down, but he still made a choice to do something he would usually never dare to do.


    Shen Yan still had thest question to answer before he had to leave the stage.


    It was thest question, and so it was also hisst chance¡ª<i></i>


    When he saw that the host on stage moved forward, preparing to choose the next person, his throat bobbed slightly¡ªhe immediately made up his mind, raising his hand up. <i></i>


    ¡°Hey, hey...¡±Qiu Tianyang on his side got genuinely scared by him doing so, looking at him with a startled expression. He couldn¡¯t help but call out, attempting to warn him.


    His heart was racing in his chest, yet he had a wide smile on his face, the warm and full thing in his chest making him determined to keep his hand raised. To express his eagerness, he even waved it toward the stage, making sure that the man on the stage would notice him.


    Shen Yan did notice him¡ªand couldn¡¯t help but stare, surprised. <i></i>


    And when he saw Qi Jing¡¯s raised hand, his astonishment was even more profound. He didn¡¯t react at first, sending him an inquiring gaze, shocked. Qi Jing met his eyes, smile bing even more radiant. He kept his hand raised high up with no intention of putting it back down, nor any fear or hesitance¡ªit seemed like he really, consciously and on his own, wanted to ask his question.<i></i>


    At that time, Shen Yan suddenly opened his mouth, hurriedly stopping Yang Chunqu, ¡°...Miss host.¡± <i></i>


    ¡°Hm?¡± Yang Chunqu was still undecided who to ask next when she got called, so she turned her head at him, at a loss.


    Shen Yan lowered his gaze, asking huskily, ¡°About thest candidate to ask a question... Can I be the one to choose them?¡±


    So that¡¯s what it¡¯s all about. Of course, Yang Chunqu had no reason to decline, ¡°Of course.¡±


    <i></i>Saying this, she let him have the right to choose.


    <i></i>The moment the fans heard that Shen Yan would choose on his own, even more hands shot up enthusiastically, striving as much as they could for the rights to thest question. Someone put up their hand while shouting ¡°Kitty¡¯s Papa, look at me! Look at me!¡±. Someone else straight up stood up, waving both their hands, jumping continuously to attract his attention.


    <i></i>But those to Shen Yan were all as if caught on a monochrome photo, with only that man with a faint smile in thest row appearing vibrant with colours, so bright that he couldn¡¯t take his eyes away.


    So he slowly took a breath, extending his hand to point there.


    ¡°Last row,¡± He said in a deep voice, ¡°The person with his hand up back in thest row¡ª¡±


    Everyone turned their heads all at the same time to where Shen Yan was pointing, every pair of eyes in the venue momentarily focusing on Qi Jing. Among them some were full of curiosity, some were disappointed, some envious, and some were filled with displeasure for him snatching thest question. Faced with so many gazes watching him, Qi Jing remained just as calm as before, lowering his hand with an easy smile then gracefully standing up to receive the mic passed by the worker.


    He could hear clearly what people in the audience were secretly whispering about.


    ¡°Eh, the one asked is a guy!¡±


    ¡°Oh, but he looks quite refined!¡±


    ¡°Anyways, I feel like the guys here are all either the novel fans or the game fans and wouldn¡¯t ask any questions I¡¯m interested in and I¡¯m! So! Hurt!¡±


    ¡°Sir, sir! Can I ask you to help us ask a question rted to Don¡¯t ask for my return date! You¡¯re thest one, so if you won¡¯t ask it then no one will get to do that, please~¡±


    People fixed their fervent gazes on him¡ªafter all, in this situation, they could only rely on him to pry some information about ¡®Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯ from Shen Yan¡¯s mouth.


    Under each of those watchful gazes, especially those who begged him to continue asking the questions about ¡®Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯, Qi Jing smiled slightly. First, he cleared his throat unhurriedly, then tapped the mic to test it before finally speaking, ¡°Hm... First of all, thank you for your answer to thest question, I¡¯m honoured.¡±


    His voice slowly passed through the speakers, causing the whole venue to gopletely silent for a second.


    And the next second, the whole ce resounded with squeals.


    ¡°Oh my dear!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask for my return date? The real deal?? Aaaaaah&#k2026;!¡±


    ¡°Holy heck&#k2014;this voice, it¡¯s definitely Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s! And he even said that he¡¯s &#k2018;honoured¡¯, it has to be him! My heart almost leaped out of my chest!¡±


    The startled buzzing among the crowd amused Qi Jing to the point he almostughed, but he held back, standing leisurely, his posture rxed.


    His heart at that moment was still a bit loud, but he didn¡¯t panic, didn¡¯t hurry.


    At that time, Shen Yan replied to him, ¡°You¡¯re wee. Everything I said, it was all sincere¡ª¡±


    The way he replied left it clear to everyone that he wasn¡¯t at all surprised with Qi Jing¡¯s real identity, evidently knowing since the very beginning who he was choosing. The atmosphere of the scene quickly reached the boiling point as the fans whispered to each other¡¯s ears, unable to hide their excitement¡ªthis development with one surprise chasing the other excited a lot of people enough to make their voices shaky as they whispered to themselves.


    ¡°Haha...¡±


    Qi Jingughed slightly. When he did, his breath quivered on the microphone, almost betraying that bted note in it.


    ¡°Fine, I really intend to ask a question, otherwise I might earn a beating from everyone here.¡±


    Before going to the main point, he still cracked a small joke, making a couple of girls in the front rows giggle secretly. Only then, he met Shen Yan¡¯s gaze and asked, ¡°In all of the auditions you took part in till now, in some youmemorated your grandpa, in some you challenged yourself, all of them with some importance ormemorative value for you. That being the case, I would like to know¡ªwhich one was your favourite?¡±


    People in the audience collectively stopped discussing, pricking up their ears to listen.


    Only to hear Shen Yan chuckling lightly, his voice deep and sincere, ¡°The one where I yed with you.¡±


    ¡°Oh my¡ª!¡±


    When the audience heard it, they eximed from excitement, with some of them already lowering their heads topile a Weibo post, wishing to pass this news to their friends in the circle as fast as possible.


    And as the two of the involved were simply holding the other¡¯s gaze, each had a subtle smile on their lips, in need of no further boration.


    ¡°Thank you, A-Yan.¡±


    When Qi Jing called him this publicly for the second time, a glint of light danced in Shen Yan¡¯s eyes. After a moment, he slowly nodded his head at him, saying nothing.


    After this, Qi Jing calmly returned the microphone to the event worker, simply sitting down among the public that was already slipping out of control, his expression unchanging. But it didn¡¯t stop the people from ncing his way while excitedly discussing the scene from just now with their friends. Aside from that, there were a couple of his little fans who waved at him from a few rows away, shouting, ¡°Lord Return Date, Lord Return Date! We love you!¡±


    He returned it all with a gentlemanly smile, waving back at them, then continued listening to other introductions with no qualms about his actions.


    At this point, Qiu Tianyang finally snapped out of it, watching him speechlessly for a moment before whispering, the lingering fear still audible in his voice, ¡°...You little... Do you even understand how this can end?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Qi Jing¡¯s eyes narrowed in a cheerful smile, lookingpletely unbothered, ¡°I don¡¯t care. If I let this opportunity go, there would be little chances for the next one¡ªand aside from that, I¡¯m content with this answer, so it¡¯s enough for me. The antis can make a noise out of it however they wish to.¡±


    Right, suddenly he was so unbothered by this all¡ª


    No matter if it was before thepetition or after it, Shen Yan could calmly face everything, so he could do that as well.


    All these mouths were stered on other people¡¯s faces, no matter how he tried to control it, the less he would be able to¡ªso why not just stop paying any mind to it altogether. As long as they understood each other between the two of them, as long as they continued to depend on each other and help each other, it was enough.


    ¡°Only those with a guilty conscience would act so sneaky and secretive. I haven¡¯t done anything wrong, so why should I need to hide?¡± He smiled brightly.


    ¡°Eh,¡± Hearing this, Qiu Tianyang sighed helplessly, ¡°Fine... As long as you get your mindset right...¡±


    At that time, Qi Jing turned his head toward him and added,


    ¡°Rather than worrying for us, you¡¯d better worry about yourself for a bit.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Shen Yan won both a side character and an NPC role, so he got arranged toe on stage exactly between those two groups¡ªwhich means, after him, it¡¯s going to be the group of contestants ying the NPC roles.¡± Qi Jing narrowed his eyes mischievously, appreciating the sight of the colours changing slightly on the other man¡¯s face upon hearing this, ¡°It was you who went against great god Bronze Sparrow Terrace for Noodle¡¯s sake on Weibo. So now that everyone is aware of that, there will definitely be someone who will ask about this¡ªdon¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Qiu Tianyang didn¡¯t even have time to say ¡®You¡¯re right¡¯ before he heard Yang Chunqu announcing far away on the stage, ¡°Next, we will continue to introduce the following contestant from the NPC group¡ªeveryone, wee the voice actor for the page boy ¡®Lu Wei¡¯, contestant ¡®Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯¡ªTan Zixian!¡±


    Crossing the bridge noodles¡¯ ID was already famous in the first ce, with no small amount of fans, so when the host said this, everyone had a hard time sitting still.


    ¡°Aaah, Little Noodles is about to turn up!¡±


    ¡°Which one is it? Which one??¡±


    A great deal of the people below the stage started reaching their heads out, trying their hardest to take a look at the back of the stage, their faces expectant.


    What everyone looked for was a ¡°refreshing youth like a clear water¡±. Or, to be a bit more realistic, ¡°refreshing young man like a clear water¡± would make a do as well. Most of all, it would be best if he had gentle features, a shy and delicate individual that seemed detached from the filth of this world.


    As a result, the one who walked forward wasn¡¯t the pitiful little white bunny they imagined, but a grave and stern man d in a ck suit, dressed like a model example of an elite. Although this man¡¯s looks were quite exceptional, because it was far too different from everyone¡¯s expectations, it could be said that instead of being an eye-candy, it made everyone go wide-eyed from shock. He went to the front of the stage without a single word, correcting his cor slightly, allowing not a single trace of negligence to slip through.


    The girls below the stage were dumbfounded, with a wave of astonished ¡®eh¡¯ raising up.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Thi-... This person is Little Noodles?¡±


    ¡°So... So handsome, and so stylish...¡±


    ¡°Lies! You can¡¯t be our sweetheart Little Noodles! Lies, lies, lies!¡± Some people cried, unable to believe, but their eyes still couldn¡¯t help but gravitate toward that face, so even those voices of protest slowly started to die out.


    The scene went into an uproar for a while.


    Tan Zixian¡¯s calm andposed, tepid words resounded throughout the venue, ¡°You were shouting so loudly just a moment ago, could it be that there is not a single Time Limit shipper here? What is your standpoint?¡±


    The fans were shocked.


    Qiu Tianyang was shocked.


    Qi Jing was shocked as well, but after the initial shock, his lips twitched¡ªNoodles-kun, I beg you, don¡¯t be so ¡®individualistic¡¯ with your means to shift the attention!


    Setting the whole ¡®individualistic¡¯ character of it aside, this measure was truly quite effective. Sure enough, the fans momentarily moved their attention away from Shen Yan and Qi Jing, now watching him, starry-eyed.


    ¡°Kyaah~ This voice it really is Little Noodles~ I¡¯m a veteran die-hard, there¡¯s no way I could mishear it~¡±


    ¡°I ship Time Limit! Although I admit that just now, I kinda began to ship Kitty¡¯s Papa and Return Date, but! I still love Time Limit the most!¡±


    ¡°Time Limit rules! Ugh, although now I feel like I could also ship Limited Time!¡±


    ¡°Little Noodles... Ah, now I feel like this nickname doesn¡¯t suit the real person at all. What to do, I never thought that he would actually look this mature in person¡ª¡±


    ¡ªI just knew you would all react like this. Qi Jing sighed woefully, tossing a silent nce at Qiu Tianyang at the same time.


    And as expected, Qiu Tianyang was smiling.


    But unlike the smile he couldn¡¯t contain when Two went on the scene, this time it was a faint, quiet smile¡ªhis gaze rested on that person, staying there for a long while. Qi Jing intended to say something, but the Q&A section had already started on the scene, so he temporarily focused on it instead.


    Just like most of the other contestants, Tan Zixian left the choice of people to ask a question to Yang Chunqu.


    But this time, there were many more people raising their hands, so Yang Chunqu spent quite a while before finally choosing one.


    ¡°Little Noodles... Ah, no, Lord Noodles, your appearance in person really surprised us all!¡± The first one mentioned this particr matter, giving a voice for everyone¡¯s thoughts, ¡°I listened to a lot of your works, and the vast majority of them was for the youth or barely adult young man roles, so my image of you was also as a young and inexperienced boy¡ªbut today, it gotpletely subverted! That¡¯s why I¡¯m very, very curious¡ªhow old are you actually?¡±


    Below the stage, the Rice Noodles Fans echoed along, waiting while holding their breaths.


    Tan Zixian didn¡¯t give an upfront reply, only asking back, ¡°I believe that good ny percent of the people here are of age starting with ¡®2¡¯. Am I right about that?¡±


    Most of the people nodded their heads instinctively, Qi Jing included.


    Not to mention those of age starting with ¡®2¡¯, there were also quite a lot of girls of age starting with ¡®1¡¯, since Noodles¡¯ fanbase was quite young on the most part, especially with the VA and games fans being predominantly from the younger generation.


    At that time, Tan Zixian lifted his chin and raised brows, ¡°Then those of you whose ages start with the number ¡®2¡¯ or below, you should all call me ¡®ge¡¯¡ª¡±


    What was that right now? An auditory hallucination?


    Qi Jing¡¯s worldview wasn¡¯t getting F5ed anymore, nearly getting deleted altogether instead, leaving him even more shaken than when he heard that Two was a teacher. Meanwhile, the fan used the most straightforward means to express her astonishment, saying out loud, ¡°Ehh? Cou-, could it be that you¡¯re already in your thirties?¡±


    Tan Zixian smiled faintly, neither admitting or denying.


    Everyone¡¯s jaws were on the floor.


    This time, Qiu Tianyang finally cracked up, actually having the balls to wave his hand at Qi Jing, who was looking at him dumbfounded, seeking his confirmation. With that look of being outside of the picture, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me, I¡¯m an exception, my age also starts with ¡®3¡¯. I¡¯m also older than him, so I can still call him ¡®Little Noodles¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Wh-, why would someone like Lord Noodles read us children books on the voice channel?¡±


    The second person was no older than eighteen or neen, even more like white-rabbit-like than any actual white rabbit¡ªa frequent visitor of Tan Zixian¡¯s children book reading sessions on his YY channel.


    To be honest, Qi Jing was also curious about that.


    And the reason Tan Zixian gave was beyond what everyone had imagined, ¡°There was one time when, because of my work, I got in touch with some people from a school for the blind children. It was also the time when they were recruiting volunteers to record the audiobooks for those children and asked me if I was interested, so I agreed. Among those recordings, some of them were recited, while some of them were more like stories and needed a couple of people to y different roles together, so it¡¯s also part of the reason why I took interest in audio drama voice actingter on.¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡± It was the first time for Qi Jing to hear this, so he gasped in surprise along with everyone else.


    ¡°Ah, an origin story like this sounds so amazing,¡± The little fan was both shocked and bted, seemingly very proud that her idol used to help the blind children, ¡°So it became a kind of habit for you to read those children stories?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. It¡¯s because Iter kept in touch with that school. Aside from them, I also did stuff like this for other non-profit organisations, but sometimes there are no events like this being organised, so right now, I¡¯m just recording them by myself and sending them out, to see if any of them have any use for it.¡± Tan Zixian said impassively, ¡°I would always practise before the recording to get into the feeling, so I always just read it once in my channel first.¡±


    So that¡¯s how it was...


    Once again, Qi Jing gained a new understanding of this man. Maybe he wasn¡¯t actually as ¡®cold¡¯ as he looked on the outside?


    As he joined the audience in the apuse, he couldn¡¯t help his eyes from stealing a nce at Qiu Tianyang.


    Only to see him holding his cheek on his hand, eyes gazing at the man on the stage as he sat quietly. He didn¡¯t know what Qiu Tianyang was thinking about, only the slight curl at the corner of his lips let Qi Jing understand his current mood clearly¡ªhe seemed to be immersed in some happy memory, light flickering somewhere deep in his eyes.


    If someone put a mirror before him right now, he would probably get shocked as well¡ªthis expression looked so tender that it was almost illegal...


    Qi Jing watched him secretly for a moment, thinking about how those guys kept stumbling about with their feelings¡ªeven more so since Qiu Tianyang wasn¡¯t always a homosexual¡ªand how he was worried that Tan Zixian would follow the same path of no return as he once entered in his dark past. But looking at it now... Maybe he should reconsider it one more time.


    ¡°Did you know about this?¡± Qi Jing meant Tan Zixian volunteering to record the audiobooks for the blind children. He wasn¡¯t sure just how much Qiu Tianyang knew about this guy.


    ¡°I know,¡± This fellow didn¡¯t move his gaze, only opening his lips slightly, ¡°And only because I knew... I introduced him into this circle.¡±


    Qi Jing was dumbfounded.


    ¡°He...¡± He got introduced to online voice acting by you?


    So they actually first got to know each other in real life?


    Only half of the questions got asked by that point, and the host on the stage had already chosen the first fan to ask the next one, so Qi Jing could only leave his own forter.


    The third person coughed a couple of times first, preparing to ask the following question.


    ¡°I think that if people here are into online voice acting, everyone should know about this particr situation¡ªthe already retired for four years, legendary VA god Sleek horses run fast came back to life on Weibo, and it was to speak up for your cause. He got into a fight with god Bronze Sparrow Terrace and currently Weibo is still in a mess. In this case, I would like to ask you¡ªwhat is your actual rtionship with Lord Sleek Horses?¡±


    ¡ªThere it was.


    The main point was now here.


    Qi Jing took a breath, making no noise, not even daring to blink as he watched.


    Tan Zixian tossed a nce at Qiu Tianyang in thest row¡ªhe was still looking only at him, meeting his gaze quietly and waiting patiently.


    After a long while, he lowered his gaze and tossed out four impossible to make out words, ¡°First party, second party,¡±


    He said it in a standard tone of awyer pronouncing the case.


    Then, he once again added three more words. It¡¯s just, this time there was a trace of a smile as he said them.


    ¡°He owes me.¡±


    A/N:


    ...The author wore the strongest sunsses to finish writing this chapter... (Originally I wanted to finish writing this for the Winter Solstice, *flops* _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ )


    But, I feel so blessed (oi).


    That¡¯s why I imagined a certain little theatre while writing this:


    Noodles: Author, what about your standpoint as the ringleader of the Time Limit Ship? ¡ú£ß¡ú


    Lotus: QAQ I... I... I apologise to Returning Geese...


    Noodles: ¡ú£ß¡ú


    Lotus: QAQ But I also ship Time Limit a lot...


    Noodles: ¡ú£ß¡ú


    Lotus: QAQ Fine,tely I started to ship Noodles X Bang too...


    Noodles: This Winter Solstice we¡¯re having a lotus soup.


    (2Yan sits in Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s arms, smiling gently as he watches Noodles cooking a lotus soup)

 Chapter 137

    <h4>Chapter 137</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    ¡¾The reason why Sleek horses run fast had retired that year must be because he owed someone money¡¿


    ...That¡¯s not it...


    ...That¡¯s not how, it, should, be, interpreted...


    Qi Jing was quietly browsing the forum while sitting in a bus, and momentarily became speechless when he saw this popr post¡¯s title. He suddenly thought that he must have gotten old, and was no longer able to follow young people¡¯s train of thought, hence he sighed woefully.


    ¡°Their imagination is quite rich.¡± The ¡®creditor¡¯¡ªTan Zixian, was sitting by his side, his expression unchanging as he spoke.


    ¡°With the way you worded it so ambiguously, it¡¯s no surprise that those who knew nothing of the situation would misunderstand.¡± Qi Jing just didn¡¯t expect them to take it quite literally, making it into a money-centred dispute, with Sleek horses run fast ying the role of a scum who doesn¡¯t pay the debts back after borrowing money from people... Still, either way, gossip or not, with no proof to back it, it would die out on its own, leaving no trace behind.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting your share of gossip as well,¡± Tan Zixian took a lukewarm nce at the main forum page, where aside from that one post, there sure enough were also some that started with ¡®Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯ as a key word for the titles. He then asked, ¡°Any regrets?¡±


    ¡ªRegrets? Does he mean asking the question before everyone?


    ¡°No regrets.¡± Qi Jing chuckled.


    After everyone from the NPC group went on stage, the introduction event entered the conclusion, so two hours passed in a blink of an eye.


    Although there was still a lot to get to know about those VAs, the fans were already satisfied with being able to see them, to hear about their individual experiences.


    The wrap-up speech was delivered by Zhang Cheng¡ªthe judges¡¯ representative. He even brought the cute little lolita along to the stage to greet the crowd, causing a wave of exmations.


    Zhang Cheng¡¯s wrap-up speech was mainly formal thanks to the contestants, both those who won the prize and those who participated, then talked about his own new insight as the judge et cetera, ending with the thanks to the fans¡¯ support. During the short break before their ride to the recording studio, the fans had thest chance to interact with the contestants.


    During that time, Qi Jingposedly went over to greet a couple of the contestants he knew, even following the suit of the other fans and asking for the autographs with a cheeky smile.


    Including Yang Jie¡¯s, Tan Zixian¡¯s, and Shen Yan¡¯s.


    During that whole time, the fans kept a close eye on them till the very end, wanting to see how Don¡¯t ask for my return date and Kitty¡¯s Papa would interact, whether there was something fishy going on between them. Unfortunately, his attitude toward the three of them was all the same, all of their behaviour just as ¡®friendly¡¯, radely¡¯, ¡®same-minded heroes supporting each other alike¡¯, thwarting their hunger for gossip.


    The only difference was¡ªYang Jie and Tan Zixian signed their autographs on his notepad, while Shen Yan wrote it directly on Qi Jing¡¯s sleeve.


    And unlike how he would chat a bit after getting an autograph with everyone else, he didn¡¯t have a single word with Shen Yan, only meeting his gaze and exchanging smiles before they parted.


    All the way from the exit to boarding the bus, they didn¡¯t have a single interaction.


    And right now, while sitting in the same bus as the contestant and going to where Zhang Cheng¡¯spany was located, Qi Jing also chose to sit with Tan Zixian, while Shen Yan sat far away in another row together with Yang Jie.


    Leaving no space for any guesses¡ª


    Qi Jing held the sleeve signed with Shen Yan¡¯s name, chuckling quietly while lost in thought. Then, as everyone else was lost in a merry chatting and under the cover of the seat in front of him, he lowered his head to kiss it.


    Regret?


    He didn¡¯t regret, not a single bit. Quite to the contrary, he felt aplished instead.


    Tan Zixian saw how his expression was calm and at ease, so he didn¡¯t pursue the question. Rather than that, he waved his phone with a message on the screen for Qi Jing to see, ¡°This one, will you go?¡±


    Qi Jing took a sideways nce¡ªit was actually a message from Tan Zixian¡¯s ¡®debtor¡¯.


    ¡¾Thepany arranged the contestants to eat dinner together with the Teachers tonight, so going out for dinner won¡¯t do, but I think we can go out for a drink after the banquet is finished? I¡¯ll drive my car to get you guys. Help me ask Don¡¯t ask for my return date if he¡¯lle. If he won¡¯t join, that guy will probably refuse toe as well...QAQ¡¿


    ¡°Pffthaha.¡±


    The originally serious sentence instantly turned pitiful with that emote at the end, making it look just so silly.


    Qiu Tianyang had to take care of the venue along with thepany workers after the introduction event, then had to return to thepany to handle some matters, so he couldn¡¯t ride the bus along with them. Outside of that, the beef between him and Shen Yan still remained unaddressed, and staying together would make it awkward, so he left the few of them for a while. At that time, he also sent the message with a call for help to his saviour number one and two.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll ask Shen Yan,¡± Qi Jing resumed his proper tone of voice afterughing, ¡°But it¡¯s not my decision whether he wants toe or not. If he refuses, then I won¡¯t force him to do that... I just need you to know this beforehand.¡±


    Tan Zixian nodded his head.


    And so, Qi Jing sent a message to Shen Yan. Not even three seconds after he sent it, he saw Shen Yan in the front seats of the bus lowering head to look at his phone, then turning his head back to look at him. Qi Jing smiled at him, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    After a moment, Shen Yan¡¯s reply showed on his screen.


    ¡¾Okay.¡¿


    The moment Qi Jing saw this message, he sighed with relief.


    That¡¯s good, at least it¡¯s a good start if he didn¡¯t turn it down right away¡ª


    The bus arrived at the destination half an hourter, stopping by the filmpany¡¯s entrance to let the contestants out to be led inside by Zhang Cheng. His family¡¯s little lolita was even more proactive than her dad, determined to pull Qi Jing forward and acting as his guide herself, and hell-bent on rushing ahead of her dad. Qi Jing chuckled, letting her lead him forward, paying attention to not go too far away ahead of Zhang Cheng¡¯s group.


    Once they stepped through the entrance, a woman suddenly stood up from the sofa in the lobby, her expression shocked as she watched him and the little lolita pulling him inside.


    ¡°Mom~¡± Little lolita¡¯s sweet call made her identity known to Qi Jing.


    So it was Zhang Cheng¡¯s wife... It seemed like she was waiting at her husband¡¯s workce for his and their daughter¡¯s return. This being the case, Qi Jing took two steps forward, starting off with introducing himself politely.


    ¡°Hello Mrs Zhang, Teacher Zhang Cheng is outside, he¡¯ll being inside in a moment. Ah, that¡¯s right, I came here by the bus for the contestants from ?Order to End the Heavens?petition...¡± Although he wasn¡¯t a champion, he was indeed a contestant.


    Considering how she didn¡¯t know him, seeing her baby daughtering in with a strange man with her dad nowhere to be seen, anyone would get worried¡ªso to avoid her misunderstanding the situation, Qi Jing needed to rify his identity right away.


    When Mrs Zhang heard his voice, she momentarily blinked, staring at him for at least three seconds.


    This left Qi Jing baffled, but little lolita already pounced at her mom, once again showcasing her supreme skill of hugging thighs as she stered herself tightly on her mom¡¯s trousers, saying in a high voice, ¡°It¡¯s Emperor Uncle~ The one who talked with dad on theputer~¡±


    Mrs Zhang lowered her eyes for a bit and by the time she looked back up, her expression had already changed into that of an indignation.


    ¡ªShe didn¡¯t seem too happy to see him.


    ¡°So you are that Don¡¯t ask for my return date?¡± When she coldly spat those words out, Qi Jing could finally make sure that she not only ¡®didn¡¯t seem¡¯ too happy about seeing him, but was very unhappy with this meeting, which caught him by surprise.


    ¡°Yes, I am...¡±


    To be honest, he didn¡¯t know why Mrs Zhang would hold any animosity toward him. It was their first time meeting, and he also didn¡¯t remember how he could possibly offend her or her husband. If it was because he led the little lolita inside, then didn¡¯t he already make it clear a moment ago?


    At that time, Mrs Zhang suddenly continued, ¡°Someone shared a site with me, a certain thread from some forum. People there seemed to have a very lively discussion about some ¡®Long Term¡¯ ship¡ªso you are that ¡®Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯ who keeps this fishy rtionship with my husband?¡±


    As she spoke, she slowly lowered her sad and angry face, holding little lolita¡¯s hand as if she felt pained, unable to ept the proof of such infidelity.


    When he heard this, Qi Jing secretly felt like he was about to spit blood from the emotional damage¡ªMrs Zhang! You can¡¯t believe the gossip in the circle so easily!


    It was exactly because he didn¡¯t want to see any gossip cropping out of it that he hoped so dearly for no ¡®Long Term CP¡¯ to get created at the time, but turns out he had no chance of stopping the forum girls from creating a thread for it happily, letting their thoughts go wild there.


    It was fine if he didn¡¯t go in there, out of sight, out of mind, but why would be so idle... Actually sending some ¡®Long Term¡¯ shipping threads for Mrs Zhang herself to see¡ªwasn¡¯t that causing trouble out of pure malice? Women with a family and children were very sensitive to rumours like this, so someone was being especially vile here.


    ¡°Mrs Zhang, those people online are only being unserious and talking without thinking, please don¡¯t treat it seriously,¡± His tone ill at ease and voice nervously hasty, he lowered his head to say quickly, ¡°I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Pfft...¡± Just as he was losing his mind wondering what to do, this Mrs Zhang suddenlyughed deeply, cutting his words short¡ªa genuineughter she really couldn¡¯t hold back anymore.


    Following was her clear and sonorous heartyugh that went on for a while, ¡°Ahahahaha...¡±


    Qi Jing was taken aback, but he then saw her raise her head whileughing. The expression on her face was nowpletely changed, no more grave indignation or sadness to be seen anymore, only a pair of eyes narrowed from theughing¡ªa face full of yful cheekiness.


    ¡°Return Date, ah, Return Date,¡± Sheughed lightly, her tone heavy with meaning, ¡°Three years has passed already, yet you¡¯re still getting married off against your will at every possible asion~¡±


    ...Ah?Qi Jing¡¯s heart shook a bit.


    This shortened way she called his ID sounded so familiar¡ªpeople he just met would usually never call him this, and even if they did, they would at least add stuff like ¡®Lord¡¯ or ¡®-sama¡¯ to it. Those ¡®three years¡¯ she mentioned were referring to the time he spent in the circle since he entered it, while ¡®getting married off against his will¡¯ was always the root of his troubles throughout that time. For her to actually know all of that to this degree, she had to be an old friend.


    ¡°You are...¡± Who?


    ¡°Haha,¡± The womanughednguidly, lifting a brow, ¡°How are the folks from ¡®gradually inching towards quitting themunity¡¯ doing?¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡®Gradually inching towards quitting themunity¡¯¡ªit was the only group chat for staff members he had ever joined in the voice acting circle, Ninth Lady was the owner of the chat and there were few members. They were all the staff members he got to know the earliest, so he had a strong and experienced rtionship with them.


    But because the members were gradually growing sparse, it became just a ce for idle chat and gossip, and Qi Jing himself found pleasure in it.


    Outside of the members, no one else would know of this group¡¯s existence.


    ¡°You...¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be Ninth Lady¡ªNinth Lady was from the time-difference gang, currently studying PhD in the US.


    It couldn¡¯t be Rolling Ball of Meow Meows¡ªthis girl was crying about how studying the design major is going to take her dear life not so long ago, these days she had been pulling all-nighters trying to meet all the deadlines, so there was no way she had spare time for any outings.


    It couldn¡¯t be iCookie¡ªshe was still worrying about how she can¡¯t find a boyfriend, so where would she suddenly get a husband and daughter from.


    It couldn¡¯t be I won¡¯t survive if I won¡¯t procrastinate or inclothes with vermillion embroidery, both of those good-for-nothings were in the chat everyday, stuffing themselves full with all the delicious gossip, so why would they ask stuff like ¡®how are those folks doing¡¯. Someone who would ask this was probably away from the group for quite a while¡ª


    ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re...¡± An ID appeared in his head, so he tried calling it probingly, ¡°Bumpy?¡±


    ¡°Heh,¡± She didn¡¯t deny this question, so it seemed like he guessed right, ¡°We haven¡¯t talked online for such a long time, I didn¡¯t expect that I would bump into you IRL first, Return Date.¡±


    ¡°Is this really you?¡± His eyes lit up, even his breathing speeding up at this exciting surprise.


    ¡®Bumpy, not Indented¡¯, nickname ¡®Bumpy¡¯¡ªher and Ninth Lady were so close, Ninth Lady would call Bumpy ¡®her CP¡¯.


    Even though back in the day, her biggestmitment was to react with ©V£ß©V every time Ninth Lady was obsessing over her main life core Swift horses run fast, pouring cold water on her enthusiasm with her jabs, but it never stopped her from bing one of Ninth Lady¡¯s most trustedpanions and staff members. Aside from their attitude to creating audio dramas and the personal conduct being very much in tune with each other, her editing skills were also superior, her ID gaining a fame of one of the best sound designers in the circle at the time.


    Ah¡ªQi Jing suddenly remembered something, first quickly looking at her, then again looking just as quickly at the little lolita stered on her leg.


    ¡°A marriage... A child...¡± He muttered.


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°You really are busy with your IRL...¡±


    ¡°IRL huh... These days my it¡¯s especially busy, I have to rush to finish my workload before making a year-end summary, and with the weather getting cold, the child easily gets sick as well.¡± She stroked her daughter¡¯s hair, watching as the little thing yed cute, rubbing her face against the leg of her trousers. Then, she sighed.


    ¡°A sound designer... with skills on par with Lifetime¡¯s Lock¡¯s¡± He finally arrived at the crucial point.


    Hearing him say so, she lifted her chin andughed, ¡°Lifetime¡¯s Lock? Are you talking about that sound designer for the modern underworld drama ?Trap?...? Ah my, what ¡®on par¡¯ are you talking about¡ªif I were to get serious, I would crush her with no problem?¡±


    Hearing this tone full of self-confidence, Qi Jing felt warmth in his chest, as if everyone¡¯s fighting spirit for creating audio dramas was back¡ªhe suddenly felt that hispanions didn¡¯t lose out a single bit to Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s pack, or maybe were even more outstanding.


    But, no matter how outstanding they were, they couldn¡¯t escape the most realistic of questions, ¡°Ninth said that you¡¯re unable to ept any new dramas¡ªis that true?¡±


    Sure enough, she nodded her head.


    ¡°Mn, I haven¡¯t done anything as a production staff for quite a long time, currently I¡¯m also half-retired from the circle¡ªif I have some free time, it¡¯s just enough to go browse the forum for gossip. This is the biggest problem here.¡± She pointed at said ¡®this¡¯ by her leg. Little lolita looked with her pure and unblemished eyes at her mom¡ªno matter how big of a trouble, she was still an adorable one, making it impossible for people to me her.


    ¡°And the other problem is¡ª¡±


    Just as she said that, Zhang Cheng walked in through the main entrance. She and Qi Jing turned their heads in unison, both pointing fingers at him at the same time, ¡°This one.¡±


    What this, what that? Zhang Cheng was taken aback, onlyter realising that his wife was chatting with Qi Jing at the moment. With a surprised ¡®eh?¡¯, he asked, ¡°Xiaotu, so you actually knew each other?¡±


    Tu Xiaotu smiled brightly, ¡°What is it, are you jealous?¡±


    Zhang Cheng coughed, embarrassed, then hastily shook his head. Qi Jing sighed inwardly¡ªTeacher Longbow, you¡¯re so silly it¡¯s kinda cute... You¡¯ll get bullied a lot by your wife like this.


    Tu Xiaotu waved her hand to make him move closer, then said quietly into his ear, ¡°No need to get jealous, Return Date is looking for a boyfriend, not a girlfriend.¡±


    Hearing this, Zhang Cheng couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°I know, after all, didn¡¯t he find one already?¡±


    This in turn left Tu Xiaotu astonished. She quickly asked, ¡°Strange, strange¡ªwhy would you know it before me? And how do you know that? Who¡¯s the boyfriend?¡±


    Zhang Cheng pointed innocently behind his back, ¡°It¡¯s Return Date who told me himself¡ªhis boyfriend is one of the contestants, I already saw him during the introduction event.¡±


    At that time, the contestants entered one after another. Tu Xiaotu was a woman of insatiable curiosity, so her gaze scanned through the group walking in. When her gaze fell on Went off with a bang, she skipped him without any word before stopping on Tan Zixian.


    ¡°Is it the one in ck suit? He¡¯s quite a looker.¡±


    ¡°...No,¡± Qi Jing quietly thought that little lolita¡¯s beauty standards were surely passed on from her mother, then he raised his sleeve, pointing at the name on it with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s this one.¡±


    ¡°Shen Yan.¡± Tu Xiaotu read out loud.


    One man from among the contestants seemed to have heard his name, jerking his head up and meeting their gaze right away¡ªthis way, Tu Xiaotu instantly knew this was the person in question.


    Shen Yan saw Qi Jing smiling at him and Zhang Cheng chuckling at his sight. An unfamiliar woman stood by their side, looking him up and down, leaving him dumbfounded¡ªbut he still abided by the etiquette and greeted her with a nod.


    ¡°Shen Yan,¡± This time it was Zhang Zheng who spoke, calling him over with a smile and waiting for him toe closer, ¡°Let me introduce you two to each other¡ªthis is my wife Xiaotu, she also works in thispany as an audio designer and editor.¡±


    Qi Jing had already heard about Tu Xiaotu having a sound design-rted job, but it was only that day when he finally got to know the details, ¡°So that¡¯s how it is... Then it¡¯s no wonder that you¡¯re here.¡±


    Tu Xiaotuughed, ¡°My job isn¡¯t actually all that impressive, just the usual stuff. But it¡¯s only because I¡¯m working in this industry that I met Zhang Cheng. Ah... We keep talking between ourselves, yet I still haven¡¯t properly said hello¡ªnice to meet you, Mr Shen. Besides the introduction they gave me just now, I¡¯m also old friends from the circle with Return Date. I¡¯ve known him for a long time now, so I¡¯m happy to know that he finally found a home for himself.¡±


    When Shen Yan heard her saying how happy she was for Qi Jing, he instinctively broke into a smile, then said warmly, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The four of them chatted for a while. When a question about Shen Yan¡¯s job got asked, Qi Jing replied in his stead with a smile, ¡°Shen Yan works in a veterinary clinic¡ªhe¡¯s a kind and considerate doctor that really looks after the animals.¡±


    Tu Xiaotu had an epiphany, ¡°A veterinarian... So he¡¯s actually a healing top.¡±


    Qi Jing asked curiously, ¡°How do you know that he¡¯s a healing top?¡±


    Although this guess waspletely right, he was still curious how Tu Xiaotu came to this conclusion.


    Tu Xiaotu patted his shoulder, her reasoning sound and clear, ¡°It¡¯s simple¡ªthat¡¯s because you ¡®receive¡¯ the doctor and his treatment.¡±


    ...Bumpy, you won...


    Qi Jing wanted to say something to that, but suddenly Zhang Cheng by his side eximed, as if he got spooked by something. Just as he wanted to turn his head to see what was going on, all of a sudden, he felt a sudden grip of an arm around his neck, so he instinctively eximed as well.


    Everyone in the hall looked their way, surprised.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t even have time to struggle before he heard a familiar voiceing from behind, ¡°I just knew I could smell the seedlings here¡ªso that¡¯s how it is.¡±


    A/N:


    Kitty¡¯s Papa will soon ¡®receive¡¯ his own share of ¡®treatment¡¯ as well~ (eh?)


    Teacher Yuan, you¡¯ve got a plenty of seedlings here for you~ (<i>eh?</i>)


    P.S.: I didn¡¯t realise that I identally tossed some Time Limit crumbs inside... *facepalms*

 Chapter 138

    <h4>Chapter 138</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    This voice, this tone, this enthusiasm in his quest for the ¡®seedlings¡¯... It didn¡¯t take long to realise who that was.


    ¡°Teacher!¡±


    ¡°Teacher Yuan!¡±


    Zhang Cheng and Qi Jing both eximed at the same time, so the person who hung his arms around their necksughed, finally loosening his grip.


    Qi Jing finally escaped,ughing helplessly as he turned his head only to see a man in his forties standing behind him. With the impudent years of youth past but still not quite yet ready to draw his ws, it was precisely the time of the life when a person¡¯s character would be at its most steady point.


    His brows formed a typical pair of sword-like sharp lines, invoking respect even when he didn¡¯t show his anger, his eyes appearing a bit deep-set whenever he smiled. His outfit was quite leisurely as well, with traces of some not quite fully shaved stubble¡ªit seemed like he usually didn¡¯t pay much attention to his image in his willfulness and out of habit of doing as he pleased.


    Nevertheless, when heard not through a mic, but directly, his voice still had this indescribable striking power, like a bullet just shot from a barrel, as strong as the first impression he gave people. ¡°There¡¯s so many fine seedlings around here today, even the ones that grew crooked are all present¡ª¡±


    At that time, Zhang family¡¯s little lolita raised her head with gleaming eyes to ask, ¡°Uncle Yuan~ The seedlings, is it about Xiaomiao? Did I grow crooked?¡±


    Speaking about this, her name, Zhang Miao, it was her parents who asked Yuan Zhengming to think of for their child¡ª


    Yuan Zhengming grinned and bent down to lift the little lolita by her armpits, raising her high and taking her for a full spin, ¡°Haha, Xiaomiao isn¡¯t crooked, Xiaomiao grew well and healthy, it¡¯s the uncle right there who grew all bent.¡± He pointed to Qi Jing.


    Bent? How is this uncle bent? A bit lost, little lolita looked at Qi Jing¡¯s straight posture, showing that she didn¡¯t really understand what Uncle Yuan was telling her.


    Once everyone heard it was Yuan Zhengming himself, all of the contestants swarmed over to give their polite greetings. After all, Yuan Zhenming¡¯s name still held quite a bit weight within the professional world and there were quite a lot of contestants who worshipped him, especially those who dabbled in the professional voice acting.


    The crowd surrounding Yuan Zhengming couldn¡¯t be short of the another crooked seedling, ¡°So Teacher Yuan is actually younger than I imagined¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk,¡± When Yuan Zhengming heard this voice, he knew right away who it belonged to. He turned his head to take a look¡ªand oh boy, not only this fellow¡¯s clothes were sttered with blood, he even was wounded himself. But rather than gasping in surprise, his reaction was closer to a sigh of admiration, ¡°Crooked seedling No.2... And here I was worried that you would change your mind and refuse to show up. Just look at you, look at you¡ªthis sorry look of you, I once ended up like this as well before... Looking at you now, it makes me think back to those hot-blooded days of mine...¡±


    Yang Jie was stunned first, thenughed with raised brows, ¡°What is it, did Teacher Yuan also use to fight the thieves?¡±


    Yuan Zhengmingughed along, ¡°It wasn¡¯t thieves I fought. Ah, my, it would take a while to talk about those days...¡±


    Without waiting for him to start talking about ¡®those days¡¯, there was already someone on the side who reached their hand out to pull on the cor of his shirt, tugging the slightly askew thing into a more proper look while nagging him in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re in the presence of the students yet you still can¡¯t keep your clothes neat¡ªare you not afraid of making a fun of yourself for everyone to see?¡±


    It was a pleasant voice, speaking neither too fast nor too slow with perfect enunciation¡ªreally just like the ancient people would say, ¡°clear like the sound of marbles falling¡±, with a mature and splendid temperament.


    With a voice like this, the person herself was none different.


    With a small brooch pinned into the ck jacket and a pure white skirt with bits of greycing, she looked dignified, in her element and very much properly dressed for the asion. Her long hair was styled into a bun with no ornaments¡ªnot that she needed any, her face itself was enough to attract attention. Although she was already in her forties and the slight crow feet had started to form at the corners of her eyes, one could imagine that twenty years ago she surely had plenty of adorers.


    ¡°Is it really that bad,¡± Yuang Zhengming grumbled. But despiteining, it didn¡¯t seem like he intended to disobey her, lifting the cor of his shirt obediently and shaking it twice, ¡°Look, the students didn¡¯t even say anything...¡±


    Afterining this much, he turned his head back, only to see a frown on the woman¡¯s face, which promptly made him swallow the rest of his words back.


    When Qi Jing saw Yuan Zhengming getting so unusually scared for once, he could more or less guess the identity of this person, so he said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Teacher Pu.¡±


    Hearing him call her so, everyone followed his suit and greeted her one after another, each and every person in hurry to pay their respect to her.


    Pu Yuzhi returned the greetings with a slight smile and a nod.


    At that time, Shen Yan stepped forward and gave her a deep bow full of respect, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Teacher Pu.¡±


    This bow was unlike the one he gave to Zhang Cheng or the fans¡ªit was more formal, more careful than those two before. With both hands close to his sides and gaze lowered to the ground, he stayed still in this formal greeting of a junior paying respect to his elder.


    Pu Yuzhi looked closely at him for a while, finally smiling warmly when he finally straightened his back, ¡°So you are Shen Yan¡ª


    Shen Yan raised his head slowly before her, light flickering in his eyes.


    Yuan Zhengming loved his seedlings, and Pu Yuzhi loved them too. Her way of expressing that wasn¡¯t quite as evident, but neither of their love was any weaker than the other¡¯s.


    There was a plenty of contestants worthy of attention in thispetition, but the one she was the most interested in was this ¡®Kitty ¤Î Papa¡¯. Maybe it was because of her upation as a professor who was often in touch with students, but aside from paying attention to the voice acting alone, she also paid attention to the voice actor¡¯s history.


    ¡°One¡¯s history would always leave some kind of trace on their voice acting.¡± She said.


    Shen Yan walked on her side, listening respectfully in silence.


    On their way toward the recording studio, they followed unhurriedly behind the big crowd, letting a small distance separate them&#k2014;this was Pu Yuzhi¡¯s intention. Unlike Yuan Zhengming who would often stay in big groups, she much preferred to talk one on one, as only this way she would be able to speak more frankly about some things.


    ¡°I can see that your grandfather taught you well,¡± She smiled at him gently, ¡°You¡¯re modest, honest, and polite¡ªyou¡¯ll get sessful easily in any industry.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Shen Yan said in a low voice¡ªnot because Pu Yuzhi approved of him, but because she approved of his grandpa who raised him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen your information, and it seems like you only had professional training before you started working?¡±


    ¡°Yes...¡± Shen Yan hesitated a bit before replying¡ªhis academic history being subpar was one of the reasons Ning Xiaoxiao used to judge whether he was a good match for Qi Jing before. Qi Jing had a bachelor¡¯s degree from a famous university, so in terms of education, Shen Yan was far behind him. Even if Qi Jing himself didn¡¯t mind it at all, it had always been a tiny ck spot in his heart.


    ¡°Mn,¡± Pu Yuzhi didn¡¯t sound like she meant to discriminate against him¡ªmore than that, she suddenly said something that caught himpletely off guard, ¡°I know that you¡¯re currently working, but... Would you want to get a bachelor¡¯s degree?¡±


    A bachelor¡¯s degree. If those words one abandoned for ten years already were put once again before them, just about anyone would get dazzled, including him.


    He didn¡¯t know how to reply, because he was always sure that had no chances to answer this question, but when he heard it from Pu Yuzhi¡¯s mouth, it had such a tangible sense of feasibility to it.


    ¡°I¡ª¡± He couldn¡¯t say he didn¡¯t, but if he said otherwise yet couldn¡¯t achieve it in the end, it would be even more difficult to bear.


    So his voice broke, then he pursed his lips without finishing.


    ¡°My university has one of the best broadcasting and voice acting majors in the country,¡± Pu Yuzhi watched his lowered eyes closely, her expression very earnest, ¡°I have good rtionships with the admission office of our faculty, so if you were interested in participating in the next year¡¯s October college entrance exams and passed with high enough score for the specialisation and Humanities exams... I could have them make an exception and enrol you as a junior college student, so you could finish the undergraduate course in three years.¡±


    Those words were like a rain shower, catching him unprepared andnding straight on his unguarded heart. His thoughts were also like a window on a rainy day, its ss washed down with countless traces of raindrops that turned it into a misty dark blurr, making the view around him grow hazy to the point where he couldn¡¯t see the road he was supposed to take.


    He stood there, lost, his breathing irregr like the droplets falling on the window panes, at times quick and at times scarce. Aplete chaos¡ª


    Then, he shook, chilled by this rain, his head now cool.


    What stretched out before him was the harsh reality, as cold as this rain.


    ¡°Teacher Pu, my professional training had nothing to do with voice acting...¡± He was trained as a veterinarian, so not to mention voice acting, it didn¡¯t even have anything to do with any art-rted specialisation.


    ¡°I know, but as I said, as long as you pass the specialisation and Humanities exams, I can handle the rest with a few words.¡± As a teacher, she knew very well that it took a great deal of encouragement to let someone to break out of their shell, ¡°And even if you get a degree, you don¡¯t necessarily have to switch to working as a full-time voice actor, you could ept work offers in the spare time after your main job depending on your needs, save up more money for the household. This way you could take care of both your hobby and your livelihood, so I think it¡¯s not that bad of a choice.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t many asions with producers as bold as those of ?Order to End the Heavens?, who dared to use so many amateur voice actors in their game. If someone wanted to get more official contracts, enter the more professional movie-making industry, the academic history still had a certain value to it.


    Shen Yan looked at her, lost, then his eyes instinctively searched for Qi Jing among the crowd ahead of them, staying on his back after he found him.


    To be honest, Pu Yuzhi¡¯s offer really tempted him for that one moment, but...


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to add to my partner¡¯s economic burden...¡±


    If he started an undergraduate course, he would have to pay the tuition. The life in Beijing was bound to be more expensive than back in their province¡ªhe was afraid that if Qi Jing had to work alone, providing for the car, the rent, and two people¡¯s worth of expenses... The burden on his shoulders would only double.


    Voice acting, academic degree, a richer life. He wanted it, of course, but it wasn¡¯t all that necessary¡ª


    ¡°Thank you for this opportunity, Teacher Pu, but if I have to be honest... My current circumstances wouldn¡¯t allow it.¡± Shen Yan smiled faintly with a bitter taste in his mouth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to consult with him first?¡± Pu Yuzhi asked suddenly.


    ¡°Him?¡± Shen Yan was taken aback, momentarily unable to react.


    ¡°Haha, I think I can more or less guess who that ¡®partner¡¯ of yours is.¡± Pu Yuzhiughed as she looked in the direction in which Shen Yan had been gazing. There, Qi Jing was standing along with other contestants,ughing, cheering and pping his hands as Yuan Zhengming was telling them all kinds of anecdotes from the dark bits of his voice acting history.


    Pu Yuzhi pointed out calmly, ¡°Just as Zhengming had said before, the tacit understanding between you is a bit different than that of other groups. You¡¯re not that good at lying, you could still somehow cover it up as ¡®getting into the role¡¯ during the audition itself, but during the opening speech... you weren¡¯t really able to hide that. It might be because I listened to my students practising for way too long, but I can hear whether someone¡¯s feelings are genuine or not when they¡¯re speaking¡ªand you two genuinely love each other, and I mean the ¡®lovers¡¯ kind of love.¡±


    Shen Yan breathed a long, slow sigh, which counted as him admitting it silently.


    Pu Yuzhi returned back to the main topic, ¡°I understand your worry, but adult decisions should be discussed along with your other half, to avoid regrets in the future.¡±


    Shen Yan recalled how Qi Jing almost abandoned the prospects in his career for him. His feelings mixed when putting himself in Qi Jing¡¯s shoes, he finally agreed with a soft ¡°Alright¡±.


    The tour around the recording studio was very simple. They mainly got to know the sound engineer responsible for their recordings along with the other rted workers, then they tested the equipment under Zhang Cheng¡¯s guidance while they listened to Yuan Zhengming pointing out the important things to remember as their voice director.


    Since the contestants all dabbled in voice acting, they all more or less knew what to do with the recording studio¡¯s basic equipment, so the sound test also went smoothly.


    Since a lot of the time there would be two or more people in the booth during the actual recording, Yuan Zhengming prepared the printed out timetables for them beforehand, giving one to every contestant to get familiar with after going back to spare them some time during the next day.


    Qi Jing himself worked in a TV station, so he had seen quite a few of such studios before. Aside from that, he also wasn¡¯t meant to participate in the recordings, so as Shen Yan and the rest of contestants listened to the three of the teachers exining, he went to chat with Tu Xiaotu who was just as idle.


    ¡°Speaking of which, why did you disappear from the group for such a long time?¡± No matter how busy she was, it wasn¡¯t like she had no chance to visit QQ every once in a while, right?


    ¡°Oh, that ount was the one I used only for the audio drama circle. Since I didn¡¯t have time to ept new works or to gossip with other folks, I just didn¡¯t use it much anymore.¡± Saying this, Tu Xiaotu paused for a moment, then coughed in embarrassment, ¡°Cough cough, there¡¯s also something you don¡¯t know about, that is... I actually fought with Ninth.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Qi Jing got caught by a surprise. He thought that their rtionship was so good, they wouldn¡¯t possibly ever fight, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because she argued with about whose voice sounded better, Sleek Horses Run Fast¡¯s or Longbow¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°...You two sure are something...¡± Qi Jing had to express his utmost admiration.


    ¡°You know it, she¡¯s always been his huge fan, and me... of course I would choose my man.¡±


    That¡¯s of course.


    ¡°If it was you, you¡¯d probably also think that your dr Shen¡¯s voice sounds the best, am I wrong about that?¡± This rhetorical question from him feel his face grow hot.


    ...Can¡¯t... deny... that...


    Finally, Tu Xiaotu looked up and sighed woefully, ¡°At that time, I still haven¡¯t told her that Longbow is my man. I also didn¡¯t expect that after I told her, she would cry from the shock before ignoring me for quite a while.¡±


    Don¡¯t you know that for a bestie, her friend¡¯s man is her own love rival? Qi Jing berated her in his mind.


    At that time, Tu Xiaotu spoke again, ¡°If I also told her that I actually saw her life core plenty of times IRL, even ate a dinner with him, then our friendship would probably be finished.¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing raised a brow, ¡°Could it be that you also...¡±


    Tu Xiaotuughed with an impish look in her eyes, ¡°I know, the Department Director of thepany developing ?Order to End the Heavens? is that legendary Big Sleek Horse~ ?Order to End the Heavens? has always coborated with ourpany for the voice acting, and he also has a good rtionship with Longbow and Teacher Yuan, so I already knew that before. And from that ¡®also¡¯ you just said I guess that you probably met him during the introduction event as well.¡±


    Qi Jing thought back to that post with ¡°Sleek horses run fast owes someone money¡± in the title and couldn¡¯t help butugh in his heart. Unable to reign in his curiosity, he asked, ¡°That¡¯s right, Bumpy¡ªyou spent more time in the circle than me and you also know Big Sleek Horse in real life... Do you know why he retired?¡±


    But even Tu Xiaotu could only shake her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just remember that his retirement at that time was rather sudden, and thorough. Even staff members he had the best rapport with didn¡¯t manage to convince him toe back and take on a new project.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be that he really had some shady rtionship with one of his female fans...¡±


    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t. Although he had a lot of female fans, he was very principled in this matter and never met with his fans IRL. Not like some VAs these days, who slept with who knows how many of their fans in private.¡±


    Qi Jing had already heard plenty of simr ugly gossip in the circle three years ago, but he didn¡¯t believe that ¡®Five¡¯ wouldn¡¯t have a bottom line like this.


    ¡°He...¡± Before he could even finish those words, the door to the studio opened suddenly and the contestant poured out from inside. It seemed like that was the end of the tour.


    So they had to put that topic aside for a moment, standing up to wee them.


    ¡°Return Date, would you like to join us for dinner?¡± Zhang Cheng took the initiative to invite him.


    ¡°Right, seedling No.1 shoulde with us too.¡± Yuan Zhengming said as well.


    ¡°Maybe better not.¡± Qi Jing smiled, embarrassed. He was actually a bit worried that other contestants would find a mere runner-up like him as an attention-seeker here¡ªit could bring the mood down. Although no one would say anything, but everyone kept their own thoughts and grudges to themselves, so he would be better off declining politely on his own ord, ¡°This dinner is supposed to be for the winners and the teachers, I just came over to meet you, teachers, and didn¡¯t intend to stay for too long. If I still followed you to mooch off a meal and the drinks, this would be just too much¡ªwhat if the developers got to know about this and didn¡¯t even let me have the second prize?¡±


    Hisstment had the people aroundughing.


    Went off with a bang seemed to be quite approving of this standpoint as he nodded his head smugly, dying to make his identity as the champion known to the entire world, that there was a difference.


    Qi Jing was sure it wasn¡¯t only Uncle Bang who thought so.


    ¡°You really won¡¯t go?¡± At that time, Pu Yuzhi went over and asked him. Qi Jing had a lot of respect for her because of Shen Yan, so when she came over to urge him to stay today, he felt warm in his heart.


    ¡°Mn,¡± But since he had already said his part, he had to follow up with it. He smoothed his hair sheepishly and said with a smile, ¡°The fact that I even came here was in a spur of a moment, I had already nned to meet with my friends from Beijing to have dinner somewhere else.¡± He came up with a reason to sound more natural.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s really nothing we can do about it.¡± Zhang Cheng said with regret.


    ¡°Unfortunately.¡± Qi Jing raised his eyes as he spoke, just in time to meet Shen Yan¡¯s gaze.


    Shen Yan probably didn¡¯t expect him to not go at all. He furrowed slightly, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end he chose not to. Qi Jing smiled silently at him, then as he urged Yuan Zhengming and the rest to quickly go fill their bellies, he used the pretext of sending his ¡®friends from Beijing¡¯ a message, he secretly sent one to Shen Yan.


    ¡¾I asked Zhang Cheng¡¯s wife about the ce you¡¯ll be eating at, it¡¯s close to here, you¡¯ll walk there together. I checked a map, there¡¯s a Starbucks two streets away from it, I¡¯ll order a coffee and pastry to eat while waiting for you there.¡±


    ¡¾You won¡¯t eat your fill like this.¡¿


    ¡¾Haha, no problem, soon we¡¯ll bleed Five¡¯s wallet to buy us something better to eat~ ^_^ And it¡¯d be a better ce for him to stop his car there when hees to receive uster, so that no one recognises him as thepany employee.¡¿


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t reply back, only turning his head to look at him from afar and sighing helplessly.


    So Qi Jing sent another message.


    ¡¾Be a good boy, mwah.¡¿


    With the sending of that ¡®mwah¡¯, he finally managed to put a smile on Shen Yan who lowered his head to read the message. Qi Jing was thus satisfied, and pocketed the phone.


    When he went outside, although it was already getting dark, the entire Beijing was set alight.


    Yet the outline of the city all looked as if put through a filter in an editing program, the warm light of the streetmps as ifing from behind frosted ss, the scattered particles of their colourful light falling one after another onto the snow, reminding one of the houses made of candy from fairy tales.


    Because it was past dusk, the outside was already dark, so the only snowkes that were visible to an eye were the one falling below the streetmps, looking as if they were dropping straight from the light itself to dance downwards¡ªQi Jing couldn¡¯t help but sigh in admiration at the sight.


    He was sitting by the window in a cafe, gazing outside.


    He didn¡¯t know if it was because he didn¡¯t eat and his sugar level was low, after sitting for a while he started feeling the cold creeping up his toes, and only managed to ward it off with a cup of coffee.


    There weren¡¯t that many choices on the menu, most of the food being baked goods with no freshly cooked meals, so he just bought a sandwich to eat slowly.


    In a chain store from the West like Starbucks, they paid more attention to the Christmas season than the other shops¡ªthe windows were decorated with gold and silver cut-outs in the shape of bells, and there were a bunch of little white snowkes made with a spray. On each of the tables was a square ss with a red candle inside, its me jumping about, cutting a small warm corner out from the world around¡ªquite romantic. Indeed, if he just weren¡¯t here alone to see it, it would be so, so romantic.


    ¡°Hah...¡± He had to admit that he felt a bit lonely, and even regretted a bit¡ªhe regretted that he didn¡¯t do his very best back then and didn¡¯t get any first ce. This way, he would at least be able to sit along with them fair and square, talking andughing along.


    After they left, Shen Yan hadn¡¯t sent him any message.


    Was it because he was upset that he didn¡¯te along, or maybe Teacher Yuan pulled him into a long conversation he couldn¡¯t escape, or maybe...


    Qi Jing¡¯s finger moved back and forth on the touchscreen. By the time he opened the inbox for the twentieth time to see no new message in it, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from sending one himself.


    ¡¾The windows in this cafe are so pretty.¡¿


    After writing this, he attached a photo of the bell cut-outs on the windows he had just taken.


    Not even a minute passed when Shen Yan suddenly replied.


    Qi Jing¡¯s eyes lit up and he quickly raised the phone to see it.


    There was not a single word in the reply, only a photo¡ªit was also a photo of a window, the very same window as the one he had sent, but the angle was different¡ªit was taken from the outside.


    And behind the window was him, his head lowered while writing a message¡ª


    Qi Jing trembled, but before he could even raise his head in shock, someone¡¯s arm already pulled him from behind to hug into a warm chest.


    And when this person spoke, he could feel its rise and fall as he breathed.


    ¡°Hello, mister,¡± The man asked in a low voice, ¡°How about making it two coffees?¡±

 Chapter 139

    <h4>Chapter 139</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    ¡ªWhat was the taste of the coffee he drank?


    ¡ªA bit bitter, then a bit sweet.


    As Qi Jing followed this man¡¯s movement and leaned his head back, this blurry thought was still there in his head. Then, a hand held his chin gently, raising it up as well before he felt the man bend over and the ticklish sensation of dry lips on his own. The taste left behind by the coffee blended together with the taste of this kiss, but the sweetness finally overcame the bitterness, and a rich and milky taste spread the moment their tongues touched.


    A couple of small gasps could be heard around, but most of them sounded devoid of any ill will. Sure enough, an international-scale metropoly like Beijing was pretty open-minded.


    ¡°Ngh...¡±


    Qi Jing instinctively raised his hand, tracing up the man¡¯s cor with a rustle and around his neck, fingers sinking into his short hair to slowly push it down to let the man explore the kiss even deeper, to take the thirst in his lips away.


    Shen Yan¡¯s fingers slowly stroked his jaw and Addam¡¯s apple, as if he was caressing a well-behaved cat. The cats would always close their eyesfortably when he did so, raising their heads to enjoy the treat¡ªand right now, the man beneath him reacted just as one. He couldn¡¯t bear to let go.


    Nevertheless, a position like this wasn¡¯t the best choice for long kisses.


    The two of them kissed for a while, then finally parted while breathing heavily, looking at each other from above and from below.


    ¡°I bore with it the whole day.¡± Shen Yan muttered. All the way from the morning, he kept wanting, kept bearing, until now, when he couldn¡¯t bear it anymore¡ª


    Qi Jing was gasping for air, but when he heard it, he was stunned for a moment, then broke into a bright smile.


    ¡°And here I thought you were the ¡®Mr Endurance¡¯.¡± He said, keeping this position while looking up, index finger tracing lightly from the corner of Shen Yan¡¯s lips, his eyes filled with smiles.


    And Shen Yan remained gazing at him intently, asking in return, ¡°Would you rather I were one?¡±


    Qi Jing narrowed his eyes while making a pensive expression, ¡°Kiss me one more time and I will tell you.¡±


    And so, this question never saw an answer, as the answerer got busy for quite a while, then forgot about it after he finished busying himself, leaving no one to concern themselves about it.


    The cup oftte on the table waited quietly on the side, warmth spilling all around, with a heart shape made with the milk foam.


    When Qi Jing ordered the coffee, he didn¡¯t expect it to be so suitable for the moment.


    But was it coffee that suited the moment, or did their moment now suit the coffee... not that it mattered now.


    At this time, the other clients in the shop all peered stealthily to look at them and whispered to each other, probably discussing their rtionship¡ªa very easy to understand rtionship.


    ¡°People are watching us.¡± Although Qi Jing clearly said that, he was still smiling at ease, openly pulling Shen Yan over to sit across from him. Even when he sat down, they still held hands under the candle-light, not at all bothered by all kinds of gazes from other people.


    ¡°They can do as they please.¡± Shen Yan seemed quite calm about it. There was still a bit of snow on his shoulders and sleeves, and both of his hands were cold¡ªhe was certainly very cold on his way here. Qi Jing quietly rubbed his hand to warm it, only then asking, both with a smile and a sigh, ¡°Why did youe so early?¡±


    He was so sure he would have to wait for a while, yet he didn¡¯t expect that this man woulde over so quickly, so timely¡ªas if he knew how lonely he felt.


    And his reply confirmed his thoughts, ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to be alone.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s hands stopped and he raised his eyes to look at him silently, the candle light colouring the corners of his eyes with a faint but vibrant gold that leaped along with its me.


    ¡°Then... What did you tell the Teachers?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say much. I ate a bit of food with them, then said that my stomach hurts today and I can¡¯t eat too much, so I took my leave to rest in the hotel. Teacher Longbow offered to send me off by his car, but he got stopped by his wife and Teacher Pu.¡± Qi Jingughed hearing this¡ªTu Xiaotu clearly knew what was going on, but he didn¡¯t expect Pu Yuzhi to also know.


    ¡°Then what about Noodles?¡±


    ¡°He said that he would stay with the Teachers for a few more drinks and told me toe meet with you first.¡±


    ¡ªIf that isn¡¯t them giving us some alone time. Qi Jing lowered his head with a smile, well aware of their ns.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then sit with me for a while before Fivees for us.¡± His voice was lower than usual, agitating a heart more than the fingers tracing the inside of the other party¡¯s palm. Shen Yan smiled quietly, letting him have his way with his hand as well as his heart. Qi Jing shared his sandwich and coffee with him, the two of them taking one bite at a time by the window, making the food taste especially delicious.


    ¡°Come, open your mouth.¡± It was such a childish thing to do, yet Shen Yang calmly opened his mouth, epting a small piece of the sandwich from Qi Jing¡¯s fingers and eating it with no regard for the people around. Qi Jing also didn¡¯t care how many times other couples did this, making it an overused cliche even in TV dramas¡ªhe was happy being cliche, not that other people should care about it.


    Coffee as well.


    Qi Jing first let Shen Yan have a sip, then pulled the cup back, turning it over, wanting to drink exactly from the same ce Shen Yan has just drank from. With this back and forth, the two of them drank the whole heart on the milk foam clear.


    The smell of ground coffee beans, so unique to the coffee shops, wafted over along with the quiet sounds of piano music. Then there was also the sweetness of caramel on the pastries in the air, and sometimes, when the door to the shop opened, cold air would also bring in the faint smell of the firwood. They sat by the window, listening to the clinking of ceramic cups around them, the rattling of ice stirred with metal teaspoons, each kind of the sound bringing in a unique feeling with it, putting people in a pleasant mood.


    After finishing eating, Qi Jing started humming along to the musiczily, bumping his knees below the table against the other man¡¯s knees time and time again, even more or less deliberately raising his leg to rub against this man¡¯s ankle with the shoe.


    Shen Yan smiled helplessly, inclining his body forward a bit and taking a hold of both his hands.


    ¡°Qi Jing, I have something I want to consider with you.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s... something Teacher Pu proposed to me today,¡± Shen Yan¡¯s smile grew slightly bitter as he said slowly, ¡°I wanted to refuse at first, but she suggested I consult it with you first before I give her my answer.¡±


    Hearing that it was a proposition from Pu Yuzhi, Qi Jing immediately became curious, ¡°What kind of proposition from her did you get?¡±


    So Shen Yan told him everything she told him in great detail.


    ¡°Shen Yan, do you want it?¡± After hearing him out, Qi Jing was unexpectedly calm. Even his smile didn¡¯t change a single bit, ¡°First don¡¯t think of anything else&#k2014;I¡¯m asking you, do you want it?¡±


    Shen Yan quietly nodded his head&#k2014;barely visible, but it was indeed a nod.


    Qi Jing asked another question, ¡°And you want it because you yourself want to study bachelor¡¯s, study voice acting, and not because you think that your academic history isn¡¯t on par with mine, right?¡±


    They¡¯ve never discussed this topic. It was only Ning Xiaoxiao who mentioned it once before and Qi Jing never said a word about thatter on. Hearing him pointing it out himself now, Shen Yan smiled faintly, ¡°To bepletely honest, this is also a part of it, but it¡¯s not the entire reason. In fact, I¡¯ve always regretted one thing¡ªback then, I also intended to study bachelor¡¯s in veterinary medicine, and in the end, it wasn¡¯t that I had no chance of getting in, but... But certain things happened in my life at that time, so my mental state during thest two months of thest grade was very bad. I almostpletely didn¡¯t attend the school and I also barely managed to pass the final exams. And as you might expect, in the end my score wasn¡¯t enough to get into the undergraduate course, so I could only go to a professional school.¡±


    Qi Jing was stunned¡ªhe has never heard about that before.


    Shen Yan continued talking.


    ¡°Grandpa has advised me to retake thest year before, but at that time I chose not to. But that was still fine, for the specialisations like veterinary medicine, a professional school gives more on-hand experience, so it¡¯s a pretty fair choice for those who want to start working quickly.¡± He paused for a moment, then continued, ¡°And as for voice acting... I¡¯ve never thought that I could pursue my studies in a university, so when Teacher Pu gave me this proposal, I really felt tempted. But then I thought of you having to shoulder all those burdens, so...¡±


    As he spoke, he lifted his head and suddenly, he realised that Qi Jing was smiling as he watched him. This smile was so easy, with no trace of pressure or fear of the possible economic burden.


    ¡°Do it,¡± His tone was just as happy as his smile, and he said frankly, ¡°It¡¯s such a rare opportunity, and you would be even studying under Teacher Pu. It would be such a pity if you missed out on it¡ª¡±


    ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about,¡± Qi Jing waved to cut his remaining words short, chuckling as he spread Shen Yan¡¯s fingers to count on them with him, ¡°I¡¯m not from a different, I also thought about this the moment you told me of it. And think about it¡ªthe apartment, we can look for something cheaper. Car? We can make do without it, as long as we canmute with a metro or public transportation, that¡¯s enough. And most of the lectures for the junior college students are either during the evenings or at weekends¡ªit¡¯s not like you won¡¯t be able to work, so as long as we¡¯ll both do our best earning money, then there¡¯s nothing to worry about. And if the tuition really will be too high, we can also apply for a loan~¡±


    Shen Yan watched silently as his fingers got spread by this man one by one and in the end, he lowered his head with a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t you think it feels like... Like we¡¯re discussing life after marriage during a date?¡±


    Qi Jing got caught by a surprise, but he really couldn¡¯t think of a better way to describe it,ughing out loud.


    Afterughing, he supported himself on the table with both hands and gave that man¡¯s face a big kiss, then instead of going back, he touched their foreheads and teased him a bit, ¡°Then, let¡¯s forget about the daily necessities for now... Maybe let¡¯s do something more suitable for the couples now. Hm?¡±


    When they were paying for the bill before leaving, the shop clerk passed them a leaflet for the Valentine event with a smile, which Qi Jing epted dly.


    Before going out, he sent Tan Zixian a message, informing him that they¡¯re going for a walk around the neighbourhood, asking him to let them know when Sleek horses run fast was there. Before that, they went for a stroll with Shen Yan.


    The snow had already stopped falling and so the sky turned pitch ck. The bare trees on the roadsides would be usually hard to see in this night scenery, but people adorned their branches with the strings of christmas lights the colour of gold, so now they looked like they were covered in starry frosting. Standing on the side of this almost otherworldly sight, the dim light made it feel as if one got spirited away.


    For them, in this strange city, among those strange people, it really was like a different world.


    Without any hiding, they walked hand in hand under those starry trees, steady and pleased while taking one unhurried step at a time.


    Sometimes Qi Jing would get yful, grabbing both of Shen Yan¡¯s hands and walking backwards before him, making Shen Yan step only on the footprints he had just made. The two of them would take a step and then stop, moving clumsily like two wobbling old men. At those times, heughed happily while Shen Yan watched him with a smile until he saw that Qi Jing was about to walk into some roadsidemp¡ªthen he would take a step forward to hold him, before turning him the other way, letting him from his embrace.


    Qi Jing at those times would lift both ends of his scarf to hide them both for a long kiss.


    ¡°Ah, this¡ª¡± When they walked by a flowerbed, Qi Jing¡¯s eyes sparkled and he pointed at the retaining wall around it, ¡°I want to walk on this!¡±


    Saying this, he pulled Shen Yan over and stepped onto it himself.


    The wall was raised about forty centimetres from the ground, with snow all over it. Afraid that he could slip, Sheng Yan quickly supported him from below. Qi Jing looked down to see him, the look in his smiling eye seemingly very pleased, ¡°You know, I... A long time ago, I used to wish. Wish that I could walk on a small wall, and that my boyfriend... He would hold my hand from below, as we walk like this till the end of it.¡±


    ¡ªAnd at the end, I would pounce into his embrace, rolling with him around on the ground. But this Qi Jing was too embarrassed to say out loud.


    Listening to this ¡®unreasonable¡¯ wish of his, Shen Yan didn¡¯t mock it in any way, only chuckling and answering in a low voice, ¡°Okay then.¡±


    Saying this, he sure enough led Qi Jing for a step by step walk on the narrow wall, kicking the piles of snow and making the powdery snowkes fly all around, falling like a white mist onto their coats, causing Qi Jing¡¯s smile to grow brighter with each and every moment.


    When they got to the end of the wall, they turned around for another walk back, but at that time, Tan Zixian sent a message.


    ¡¾Where are you? That guy said that he¡¯ll be there soon, so let¡¯s meet in front of Starbucks.¡¿


    ¡°Ah, Five¡¯s almost there, so let¡¯s go back.¡±


    ¡°Mn.¡±


    Qi Jing was about to jump from the wall himself, but he suddenly stopped. He looked at Shen Yan and winked, an idea sprouting in his head. Even if he couldn¡¯t pounce on him, he could still go for it another way?


    So the corners of his lips curled up in a smile as he said in a low voice, ¡°Take me down.¡±


    Hearing this at first, Shen Yan got caught by a surprise, but then he chuckled quietly, a soft and pale puff of vapour escaping from his lips.


    He didn¡¯t say anything, only reaching his arms out to hold Qi Jing¡¯s waist and lifting him slowly, before putting him steadily back onto the ground in front of himself.


    This action only took a mere couple of seconds, but Qi Jing felt like his heart was like a jar full to the brim with honey. He broke into the widest of smiles when back on his two feet¡ªletting go of Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder, he pulled him into a big hug, giving him a kiss as ¡®reward¡¯... And this ¡®reward¡¯ took longer than any of the ones before.


    It was the first time he kissed this man openly in a busy street, yet it felt so peaceful. So peaceful that it brought him such a bliss¡ª


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He said, burying his head in the other man¡¯s embrace.


    He did say this, but still continued enjoying this moment of warmth to the fullest with eyes closed, not in the least inclined to let go.


    Shen Yanughed silently.


    ¡°Call me ¡®A-Yan¡¯ one time and I will go with you.¡± Each word murmured in a low voice by this man into his ear fell right onto the soft spot of his heart, quickening its pace.


    So sly... Every time they would get intimate, Shen Yan would suddenly be just so sly.


    ¡°You¡¯d better not think that... you¡¯ll always have it your way.¡± He lowered his voice, putting up a resistance for a bit.


    But when this guy quietly sucked the lobe of his flushed ear, nipping it slowly from the top to the bottom, he really couldn¡¯t put any resistance anymore, in the end giving in to him this one time.


    ¡°A-Yan.¡± The muffled voiceing from Shen Yan¡¯s cor was hoarse, warmed by the scarf¡ªits sound almost scalding in this chilly night.


    Shen Yanughed, pleased, finallyying a tender kiss on that hot and red earlobe, hugging him quietly for a while longer before reluctantly letting go, then walking back to meet Noodles and Five.


    Tan Zixian was actually there before them, he was already waiting by the Starbucks entrance for a while before he sent them the message.


    He knew that those two would definitely take their time on their way back, so he simply walked unhurriedly to the Starbucks, opening the work emails to read while standing alone under its wall when he arrived¡ªuntil a car stopped nearby and the window on his side opened.


    ¡°They haven¡¯te back yet,¡± Tan Zixian walked over calmly, stopping by the car to tell the person inside, ¡°You need to wait a while longer.¡±


    Hearing that they weren¡¯t there yet, Qiu Tianyang breathed a sigh of relief.


    Tan Zixian shot a nce at him looking like a man who just got a reprieve spared from the gallows, the corners of his lips tugged up slightly before he lowered his head to continue reading his emails. At that time, Qiu Tianyang came back to his senses and said hurriedly, ¡°You get in the car first, don¡¯t freeze like this outside.¡±


    Tan Zixian shook his head, ¡°It¡¯ll be all the same no matter if Ie along or not, and as an outsider, I¡¯d better not go. Either way I didn¡¯t have anything to do, so I went for a stroll to get some fresh air¡ªwhen they get back here, I will just take a cab back by myself.¡±


    Upon seeing the speechless Qiu Tianyang, Tan Zixian added indifferently, ¡°You should close the windows; it¡¯s cold outside.¡±


    ¡°Zixian,¡± Qiu Tianyang called him all of a sudden, ¡°Please.¡±


    For someone with a voice like this to use this tone, it was simply a crime. But sure enough, he found himself unable to remain a stone-hearted judge forever¡ª


    After a few seconds of silent contemtion, Tan Zixian walked over to the car and took the shotgun seat, closing both the door and the window without a word. Despite Tan Zixian¡¯s continuous ¡®you begged me, so I¡¯m taking pity on you this one time¡¯ expression, Qiu Tianyang still smiled with relief, his right hand leaving the steering wheel to take hold of Tan Zixian¡¯s left hand. It wasn¡¯t actually all that cold, but he felt a bit calmer rubbing it.


    Tan Zixian quietly let him rub the back of his hand, then his palm, each minding their own business as they quietly gazed at the city outside.


    The car was dark, and the lights were off.


    But no matter how dark was the night, the light still shone through the window in the brightly-lit corner of the city, casting the reflections like shattered glows on his sses. Previously, he also used to sit alone in the dark apartment while a tide of merry people washed outside under the light, gazing silently into the far away distance¡ªthe only difference was, right now, he had someone by his side to hold his hand, so this ce didn¡¯t feel as cold and cheerless anymore.


    ¡°Are you having a fever again?¡± That guy¡¯s hand was so warm, so bothersome. To a person used to cold like him it really was just so bothersome.


    Aside from prompting the other man to let go, he had also meant this as a snarkyment, poking fun at how Qiu Tianyang ran a feverst time when he sat at the entrance to his house for the entire night.


    ¡°If I get a fever, will you take care of me?¡± Qiu Tianyang¡¯s voice resonated deeply, almost as if yed from a speaker in this enclosed space, sounding a bit like the vibrations of a woofer. As expected from the former great god¡ªeven his reflexes with reacting to ridicule were splendid.


    ¡°Enough with this nonsense.¡± Maybe Tan Zixian¡¯s tone made Qiu Tianyang think that he was about to pull his hand back, so he quickly squeezed it harder. But contrary to his expectation, Tan Zixian didn¡¯t pull his hand at all, holding his firmer instead, so that he wouldn¡¯t be able to break free even if he tried.


    Tan Zixian frowned, atst turning his head to look at him.


    Only to see Qiu Tianyang stared at him fixedly under the dim light. There was really nothing to nitpick about those eyes that were both so spirited and a treat to look at¡ªeven though he had already been looking at them for more than a year now and got used to the sight, but when they stared at him so intently like this, he still forgot to breathe for a moment.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost Christmas, so what present would you wish for?¡± Those eyes did this to him, and so did this voice.


    Tan Zixian once again looked away. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I really want.¡±


    Or at least, he had no interest in anything material¡ªwhat money could buy, he had already bought it all. For him, Christmas and New Year weren¡¯t all that exciting, he could do without them.


    ¡°I talked to our boss when I got back to thepany and took two days off for Christmas Eve and Christmas, so think about how you would want to spend it yourself.¡± Since the other man didn¡¯t speak, Qiu Tianyang took the initiative to sell himself, leaning over slightly and putting this man¡¯s hand on his own cheek. The cold fingers touched the warm skin, causing a brief numbing sensation, ¡°Hm?¡±


    You already did all the preparations, so why ask me what I want.


    You already know the answers, so why ask me.


    The more Tan Zixian thought about it, the more he found this man foul¡ªso he looked at him coldly, then suddenly leaned his body over, bumping against his nose by an ident misled by the faint light, exhaling with a with a ¡®hah¡¯¡ªhis breathnded on Qiu Tianyang¡¯s temple, making it a bit ticklish.


    ¡°So sincere¡ªthen I guess that you also freed tonight for me as well?¡±


    ¡°Tonight¡ª¡± I actually meant it to be all for you after the talk is over.


    Before he could even finish, a notification sound came from Tan Zixian¡¯s phone. It was a message from Qi Jing, so they had probably already arrived.


    The two of them froze for a moment. Tan Zixian snapped out of it first, retreating slightly and putting some distance between them. He went back to his seat, picked up his phone, and took a quick look, pretending that nothing had happened. ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± he said.


    Qiu Tianyang gave a bitter smile and lowered the window again. He saw Qi Jing and Shen Yan walking in their direction. He stuck his head outside the window and called, ¡°Return Date, over here.¡±


    Yet he didn¡¯t dare to greet the other person.


    Qi Jing saw Qiu Tianyang from far away and waved his hand. He also squeezed Shen Yan¡¯s hand a bit harder, the gesture speaking louder than any words.


    Shen Yan took a deep breath and continued walking without slowing his pace beside Qi Jing.


    When they got into the car, Qi Jing sat behind Tan Zixian, while Shen Yan sat behind Qiu Tianyang¡ªthe angle made it easy to watch him in the rearview mirror. Qiu Tianyang adjusted the seat, a bit wary, making more space for the passenger behind him. But when he started the engine and turned on the indicator to drive out into the street, he still had to take a look at the rearview as the driver.


    With one nce, he met Shen Yan¡¯s pitch-ck eyes looking quietly at him. There was no turbulence in this gaze, but for him, it was like the dark sea at night, leaving him unable to tell whether there were any dangerous currents beneath the surface. His heart shook in fear, and so he looked away hurriedly.


    Tan Zixian took a casual nce at the uneasy man behind the wheel and then began chatting with Qi Jing about some topics from the dinner with the teachers, as if nothing had happened. Qi Jing himself also naturally joined the conversation.


    With them striking a conversation throughout the ride, the atmosphere in the car wasn¡¯t as stiff anymore.


    Qiu Tianyang chose a ce that was actually pretty close to the hotel where they were staying, partly to make it easy to send them back to rest in case their conversation went onte into the night.


    It was an important Western-style business restaurant, with separate rooms and a bar inside, looking quite high-ss¡ªthe prices were also appropriately much higher than in your usual food ces. Qiu Tianyang had already reserved one room beforehand, choosing the one far away from the business hall, so that the music from the outside couldn¡¯t be heard inside, the soundproofing of it excellent.


    After leading them there, the server left them four menus, letting them choose their dishes.


    Because all four of them had already eaten before and weren¡¯t really that hungry, they just ordered a few appetisers, and after bringing it in, the waiter asked again for their beverages. Because they had the recording to do the next day and Qiu Tianyang was their driver, they couldn¡¯t drink that much. So Qiu Tianyang only chose a wine with low alcohol content, then looked embarrassedly at Shen Yan, only managing to force a weak smile and ask him for his opinion after a while, ¡°...Is this one okay?¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t even look at him, only shaking his head slightly, ¡°I¡¯m not drinking.¡±


    The atmosphere momentarily turned awkward.


    At that time, Qi Jing cut in with a smile, ¡°He¡¯s not drinking because he doesn¡¯t drink much in general¡ªdoesn¡¯t matter, I will drink for him too.¡±


    Qiu Tianyang quickly gave him a smile, grateful foring to his rescue, ¡°Return Date, you can also order something else as well if you want, you don¡¯t have to just drink this one.¡±


    At this time, Tan Zixian suddenly said, ¡°The drinks on the menu are all bottled alcohol, you can easily buy it outside too, there¡¯s nothing special about it. Tonight, I wanted to try this ce¡¯s barman¡¯s original cocktails¡ªI heard that they¡¯re pretty good. Return Date, would you like toe with me to the bar for a ss thene back?¡±


    A hint¡ªthis was a hint to create them a chance to have a one-on-one talk.


    Qi Jing understood it well.


    ¡°It does sound good,¡± Qi Jing raised his head to smile at Qiu Tianyang and Shen Yan, taking the lead in standing up in response to Tan Zixian¡¯s invitation, ¡°Then we¡¯ll have the waiter lead us there for a moment, you guys can talk first.¡±


    Saying this, he looked deeply at Shen Yan.


    Shen Yan returned his gaze, nodding his head silently¡ªshowing that he could handle it on his own, that Qi Jing didn¡¯t need to worry about him.


    Seeing this, Qi Jing instinctively sighed with relief. Meanwhile, when Qiu Tianyang heard that they were both going to leave, he looked at them with surprise, seemingly not yet prepared for it mentally as he watched the two of them leave this conversation with a bewildered expression, at a loss of what to do. But there was no other choice¡ªif he missed this opportunity, he might never get another one.


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t say anything, following after the waiter and Tan Zixian outside of the room, quietly closing the door after them.


    ¡®ck¡¯, and the door lock clicked shut.


    ¡®Snip¡¯, and the wavering thoughts in Qiu Tianyang¡¯s heart had also been cut away as the door locked. Once they got cut short, he couldn¡¯t think clear anymore, his mind goingpletely nk.


    Although he knew from the beginning that Qi Jing and Tan Zixian would probably try to give them some alone time at some point, he didn¡¯t expect it to be so soon. He didn¡¯t even have the minimal help of the alcohol to give him courage to speak¡ªit was straight up pushing him to the edge of the cliff.


    Right now, Shen Yan was sitting on the seat beside him, not moving at all¡ªeven his calm breath seemed to be like a gale rising and falling on the cliff, one that could push him off it at any moment of inattention.


    Honestly... It was too long ago when they had a one-on-one talk, leaving him so unsure of what to do.


    Only this single word hung in the spacious and empty room, sounding even more unsure. So his voice broke for a long moment before continuing with much difficulty, ¡°I... will pour you some water.¡±


    As he said this, he reached his hand out to pour the water into the ss before Shen Yan.


    Maybe it was because his hands were shaking a bit, but the stream water he poured from the bottle swayed shakily, about to fall outside the ss, so he quickly tried to hold it with his other hand. But he didn¡¯t expect that he wouldn¡¯t seed, knocking the ss over instead and spilling the half-filled content on the table, even sshing some of it onto Shen Yan¡¯s knees.


    Qiu Tianyang¡¯s face paled and he quickly searched for a tissue to wipe it, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, I¡¯m so sorry...¡±


    Shen Yan quietly watched him wipe the table, trying quite a few times to put the ss upright before he finally seeded¡ªseeing that this sorry look of his wasn¡¯t faked at all, Shen Yan sighed out of a sudden.


    Hearing him sigh, Qiu Tianyang suddenly stopped what he was doing.


    Why was he sighing?


    Did he hate it, was he getting impatient, or¡ª


    At that time, he heard Shen Yan say in a low voice, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so nervous, I didn¡¯te here to start a fight.¡±


    Qiu Tianyang froze, his smile also like that of a sorry dog sshed with water.


    ¡°Is that so...¡±


    The two of them sat for a moment face to face, not saying anything.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t talk.


    He also didn¡¯t talk.


    Right now, he could only quietly wipe the table, letting this awkward moment pass before talking. And just as Qiu Tianyang nned to do so, he suddenly heard Shen Yan saying lukewarmly, ¡°How is dad doing?¡±


    A/N:


    In this chapter, we¡¯re having a wholesale of white sugar, granted sugar, honey, etc....


    (/////ÆH/////) Also, I¡¯ve been wanting to write a kiss from behind, so to be able to do that now, I¡¯m simply rolling around from happiness.


    Today is Lesser Cold, and I¡¯ve always treated it as Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s birthday, because sometimes Lesser Cold is called ¡°Geese Fly Home¡±, which just as as ¡°Geese Fly North¡±, means that the yang energy begins to fluctuate again and the wild geese fly back north.


    And speaking of ¡®yang energy¡¯ and whatsoever... It calls for the boyfriend charm, boyfriend charm! That¡¯s why I went ahead and wrote such a long chapter full of sweetness (hides face), and so Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s boyfriend charm overflowed.


    ~\(¨R?¨Q)/~ Happy birthday Kitty¡¯s Papa!! I¡¯m giving you 2Yan as the present, so you¡¯d better nibble his ear well~


    P.S.: Of course, Five in this chapter... he shows a lot of boyfriend charm as well, mn. Let¡¯s ignore him acting so scared in theter part...


    T/N:


    Luci: Seeing how some of you were a bit confused about Shen Yan¡¯s work situation, I did some more research on how it looks in China. First, what I tranted here as ¡®professional training¡¯ here is a specialised programme in veterinary medicine that usuallysts for three years. It¡¯s way more rudimentarypared to the five-year undergraduate program and is designed to prepare students for basic animal healthcare and breeding. Honestly, it¡¯s not that bad of a choice for those who want to work as a veterinarian, but someone without a bachelor¡¯s degree might have a harder time getting a profitable job offer. ¡¥\_(¥Ä)_/¡¥


    I would say that people having problems with Shen Yan¡¯s education are more likely influenced by the mentality of having a degree being a much desired status symbol rather than his actual ability to earn enough money to support himself and his family.


    P.s.: I¡¯m really sorry for thete update, this chapter length was an overkill for me, so I didn¡¯t finish it in time...

 Chapter 140

    <h4>Chapter 140</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    Before taking a seat, Tan Zixian raised his wrist to take a look at his watch. ¡°Thirty minutes should be enough.¡±


    If the conversation went on for too long, it could easily be tense and reach a deadlock. But if it was too short it would be no good as well, as it would mean that they either didn¡¯t get through with everything or already started throwing fists. Tan Zixian felt that returning after thirty minutes would give them just enough time¡ªeven if they really got into a fight, it would leave them enough time to vent their frustrations before they caused each other serious harm.


    He found himself a seat, then calmly knocked at the wooden bar counter to get the barman¡¯s attention, seemingly quite used to the bar setting. ¡°Let them discuss their own matters, we will drink our drinks in the meanwhile. Take a look, what would you like to order?¡±


    When he didn¡¯t hear a reply from Qi Jing for a while, he nced to the side, only to see him looking in the direction they came from with a heavy expression, seemingly worried for the development of that conversation.


    Tan Zixian snapped his fingers before him, making him snap back into reality with a start. Qi Jing smiled, embarrassed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what did you just ask me?¡±


    Tan Zixian¡¯s lips curled up slightly, receiving the cocktail menu brought by the barman¡ªbut he didn¡¯t pass it to Qi Jing, usurping the right to choose, ¡°Toote, you didn¡¯t answer so I will decide for you. Spacing out even though you came with me to apany me for a drink¡ªsince it came to this, I will order you the most expensive one, just wait and feel the pain when you see the bill.¡±


    ¡°Haha,¡± This time, Qi Jing chuckled for real, sitting on the seat beside him and saying generously, ¡°Go ahead, go ahead, order your one along the way as well. It¡¯s on me, as an apology.¡±


    Tan Zixian ordered two of this establishment¡¯s special rmendations¡ªfor Qi Jing, one made of white rum and brandy as the base with a golden hue showing through, while for himself, a milky-white drink made with absinthe and champagne. Both were rather on the strong side, but the former was a bit weaker than thetter.


    When he finished listening to the barman¡¯s exnation, Qi Jing even nudged Tan Zixian slightly as he ced the order, ¡°You still have to record tomorrow, will you really be fine drinking such a strong drink?¡±


    Tan Zixian smiled slightly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I often have drinks like this, so I¡¯m used to it, and I can handle my alcohol either way. How about you?¡±


    Qi Jingughed, ¡°I have a strong tolerance too. I usually have to drink with the higher-ups during the social outings, so I built it up with time.¡±


    At that time, he suddenly thought of the night he drank with Shen Yan. That rainy night, Shen Yan held his hand dazedly, letting Qi Jing lead him the way like a lost child, even hugging him out of nowhere by the door and begging him to not go in a small voice... In the end, among the pitter-pattering of the rain behind the windows, they had their first kiss on that bed, then had the first taste of falling asleep in the warmth of each other¡¯s arms.


    With the memories of the past shing before his eyes like a movie, his gaze grew warmer with tenderness that he couldn¡¯t contain.


    ¡°His tolerance is really bad,¡± Qi Jing didn¡¯t specify whom he was referring to, but anyone could guess from his doting tone who he was talking about, ¡°He can even get drunk with a single ss of red wine... Although he¡¯s so adorable when that happens.¡±


    ¡°Mn, that guy¡¯s tolerance is bad as well.¡± Tan Zixian¡¯s next words were like a droplet of ink falling into the water¡ªquiet, but rapidly spreading below the surface, just like that tremor in Qi Jing¡¯s heart. ¡°This probably runs in the family¡ª¡±


    Qi Jing was instantly stunned, unable to say for a moment.


    He blinked a few times while looking at Tan Zixian in shock, and it took a while before he was able to think and speak again.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that it runs in the family.¡± The man beside him repeated one more time, his expression unchanging as he held the drink to taste it, ¡°Either way you would get to know it sooner orter.¡±


    Qi Jing heard himself gasp, covering his mouth instinctively.


    It was as if his heart jumped all the way to his head to beat there, his blood pressure jumping so high that he got a bit dizzy.


    ¡°How... But that guy, his surname clearly isn¡¯t Shen...¡± It was because of too much of a shock that he muttered, denying it instinctively.


    At that time, Tan Zixian continued.


    ¡°Yes, but his mother is surnamed Shen¡ª¡±


    ¡®Shen¡¯.


    This surname and those associated with it should be the most awkward and unsuitable topic for them. Nevertheless, Shen Yan still chose to bring it up first.


    Hearing the other taking the initiative to speak, Qiu Tianyang was stupefied, but let out a dejected chuckle and lowered his gaze.


    Suddenly, it wasn¡¯t as awkward. Rather than calling it awkward, it would be more precise to say that it left behind a bitter taste.


    ¡°Uncle&#k2026; is doing fine,¡± He sped his hands together on his knees and rubbed his thumbs mechanically to calm himself down, trying to make his posture seem as natural as possible, ¡°He¡¯s no longer in Beijing, you can rest at ease. You won¡¯t bump into him here.¡±


    The room fell silent.


    For a long time, Shen Yan remained silent, leaving Qiu Tianyang unsure whether he refrained from asking for further details¡ªsuch as the whereabouts of his father.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t continue talking, but Qiu Tianyang himself started to slowly speak more, ¡°Uncle had already retired and settled down abroad. He¡¯s in Canada now, because...¡±


    Saying this, he paused for a moment, lowering his voice and speaking with a cautious tone.


    ¡°Because, your little sister... got epted as a graduate student in Toronto university, and moved there to pursue her studies, so...¡±


    The person sitting there still remained silent, watching him with an indifferent expression and without showing any reaction. But ¡®no reaction¡¯ was actually better for Qiu Tianyang.


    At leastpared to that look full of deep pain and hatred in the past... This was much better...


    ¡°You, seem like you don¡¯t have as big of a reaction to mentioning the uncle and his family as before.¡± With the thought appearing in his mind, he instinctively said it out loud.


    When he realised he said this, Qiu Tianyang shook, frightened, quickly shutting his mouth and regretting that he didn¡¯t bite his tongue in time. Meanwhile Shen Yan just kept sitting there silently, not reacting even to those words at all, as if he was made of y.


    ¡°I know, uncle wronged you then,¡± After a long time, Qiu Tianyang finally brought this topic up, ¡°Me to, I also¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± At that time, Shen Yan suddenly cut into his words, apparently interested in hearing more, but Qiu Tianyang was insistent.


    ¡°Can you listen me out this one time? I¡¯ve never had a single chance to talk to you face to face¡ªone time is enough, so please, listen to what I have to tell you.¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t answer, but he also didn¡¯t refuse him.


    Qiu Tianyang took a deep breath, his sped hands now covered in a sheen of cold and wet sweat, even though the start of his story was so bright with colours, the homes and families full of festive spirit¡ª


    ¡°When I was young, uncle¡¯s family would always visit us on New Years. We would eat together, chat together... The way I saw it, uncle was a steady man who always thought about his family, taking care of them. Their family of three had always appeared happy and harmonious to me. At that time, my dad was away for business talks almost every day, and mom was busy with work too, so we didn¡¯t have many chances to gather together. That¡¯s why I envied how exemry my uncle¡¯s family was.¡±


    That¡¯s right, exemry.


    The man appeared strict on the outside, scanting his words and smiles, but he would often show the gentle side to his close ones.


    The man¡¯s wife was dignified and graceful, with a very respectable family background.


    The man¡¯s daughter was clever and sweet.


    No matter if it was the man himself or his family, to Qiu Tianyang, they were all a perfect temte, one he wished he could use to create his own life with.


    ¡°Until that day... When I finally realised I was wrong.¡±


    He narrated word after word, and the originally warm and gentle tone slowly peeled down like theyers of wrapping paper, finally revealing that box full of darkness beneath.


    ¡°That day, I heard auntie crying to my mom about uncle having a woman outside, that the son this woman bore for my uncle was already in his twenties, that he was actually brought up in secret by the Shen family with uncle¡¯s silent approval...¡±


    His breathing stopped for a moment, some kind of pain audible in his voice.


    ¡°I... The belief I held for almost twenty years got ruined in a single night¡ªthat feeling of getting betrayed, can you understand it?¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything, his lips pursed from start to finish¡ªonly his eyes were slightly lower than before.


    Qiu Tianyang continued numbly.


    ¡°I can only speak for myself as I say it... But auntie was really good for me. From when I was young until I grew up, she would always bring me delicious food and toys when visiting us, and her smile would always be so kind. When I heard that uncle did something outside that hurt her this much, I instantly got so furious I started shaking.¡±


    Saying this, heughed bitterly.


    ¡°And I also realised that I actually knew you¡ªthat¡¯s right, I realised that it wasn¡¯t a coincidence that I knew you, but because uncle¡¯s dad... That is, your grandpa, worked toward it with his own hands.¡±


    ¡ª¡¾Tianyang, can I trust you to take care of a certain boy for me?¡¿


    The old man, whom he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, unexpectedly appeared at his daughter¡¯s doorstep. After quietly entering the house, he didn¡¯t say much. He simply reached out and gently held his grandson¡¯s hand, engaging in small talk about recent events. Then, when they mentioned his involvement in online voice acting with a few of his friends, he suddenly uttered the following sentence.


    <i>Take care of someone?</i>


    <i>It¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything difficult about it. </i>


    At that time they only had five people, and the online voice acting had also just begun developing¡ªthere wasn¡¯t even any ¡°voice acting circle¡± to speak of yet and the audience was few and far between. The voice actors were even more scarce, so a new person would just perfectly add to the fun. Especially since the old man gave a very peculiar reason for it,¡¾This child has a speech disorder, so I hope that he can slowly ovee it. And perhaps you will be friends too?¡¿


    And so, without giving it much thought, he readily agreed.


    Although his mother, who was sitting nearby, had a slightly evasive and concerned look in her eyes, he didn¡¯t delve deeper into it, getting that person¡¯s contact information from the old man.


    Online rtionships have two differences from real-life ones.


    First, there was no need for face-to-face meetings.


    Second, there was no need to know each other¡¯s real names.


    ¡°Grandpa intentionally kept your name and identity a secret, hoping that we could get familiar without knowing each other, that we would gradually get closer, and thus recover your rtionship with other members of the Shen family in our generation.¡± Qiu Tianyang said in a small voice, lowering his head to look at the floor as he spoke.


    The traces of water he just spilt on the floor fell right between him and Shen Yan, painting a mottled divide to keep them apart.


    But the water traces are bound to dry out as the time passes, and so the divide between them would also disappear with time.


    ¡°He always thought that... You have Shens¡¯ blood in your veins, so a day woulde when you would return to us, bing one of our family.¡±


    Sadly, the secret got out¡ªbefore a month even passed, the man¡¯s wife got to know about this n and came looking for his mom, full of indignation and sadness as she cried and made a scene.


    ¡°I pretended not to see for so many years that your Shen family raised him in secret, and since he didn¡¯t make any moves, I put up with it. But now you want to openly bring this illegitimate child back to the family? You¡¯re his sister, if you turn a blind eye to this, then what would that make of me and my daughter of the Shen family?¡± Abandoning his mother who didn¡¯t know what to say and so chose to remain silent, the woman turned to grab his sleeve with tears streaming down her face, as if clutching onto a piece of driftwood, ¡°Tianyang! Tianyang! Did you not know who you were associating with!?¡±


    He didn¡¯t know, it was only at that point when he finally understood. Understood who this ¡®Six¡¯, whom he introduced into their voice acting group as their sixth member, was.


    And as he understood, an overwhelming fury instantly overcame his heart¡ª


    ¡°At that time, my only thought was,¡± He said in a detached tone, word by word, ¡°And that was... How to teach you, a bastard born from a mistress, a lesson so harsh that you would never pull yourself back together.¡±


    Back in those days, whether from the perspective of traditional morality or the public opinion, everyone held a strong prejudice against third parties in a marriage, and even greater disdain for children born out of wedlock.


    ¡°They must be upset with me only giving birth to a daughter, so they chose to protect the son your uncle had with some other woman, to ensure the continuation of Shen family name and the inheritance! And what about us, your uncle¡¯s real wife with his legitimately born child? Where is the justice in this for us?¡± The woman said so, her voice miserable.


    Even though those were all just the reasons she imagined herself, without knowing the truth behind those events, he believed them all wholeheartedly.


    ¡ªThat¡¯s right, what else should he do if not to fight for the legitimate wife, was he supposed to support that mistress?


    ¡ªIsn¡¯t that something everyone would do?


    ¡°Hah...¡± After he finished talking for such a long time, Qiu Tianyang¡¯s throat got a bit hoarse from dehydration, his words getting more disjointed the longer he spoke and finally breaking off at that point. He rubbed his temples wearily, a few strands of hair falling lightly¡ªa reflection of his current mood.


    He suddenly took a deep breath, uncorking the bottle of wine standing before him and pouring himself half a ss. Then, he downed it in one go.


    At that time, Shen Yan raised his eyes at him, but he only watched quietly as the wine disappeared, not saying a single word.


    Qiu Tianyang finished drinking with a frown, finally putting the ss down on the table, finally uttering the words he didn¡¯t want to say the most with the help of the alcohol.


    ¡°At that time, I was still far too full of myself, especially since entering the voice acting circle¡ªafter getting fans of my own, I got so insolent. After I decided to teach you a good lesson, on the surface I still continued saying that I would help you deal with your speech disorder, but in reality, I was only waiting for you to make a fool out of yourself.¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect you to be so serious about it. You were so diligent when voice acting with everyone and they all liked you, which in turn made me realise my own shorings. At that time... I was so simr to that Bronze Sparrow Terrace now. I knew that my voice was my advantage, so I jumped onto it to coast through with it in the circle, and the abundance of praises from my fans made me so arrogant that I didn¡¯t even put my heart into the acting. So when I saw how conscientious you were during the practice and run-throughs, it just... made me want to crush you even more.¡±


    He paused, his voice shaky. Admitting to this part of his past was so much harder than he imagined, so much more disgraceful.


    Only when he said it out loud did he realise how disgusting his behaviour was at the time¡ª


    ¡°I never gave you any chance to y a main character, every time I would only toss the most insignificant, the most undesirable roles to you, even finding some... some scripts with plots involving illegitimate children for you to y. Hearing how you kept making mistakes on those Skype calls, I would be so happy with myself behind the screen.¡±


    At that time, he reached his hand out, wanting to pour himself the second ss.


    Suddenly, Shen Yan grabbed Qiu Tianyang¡¯s ss, not letting him touch it.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± This was the second time Shen Yan said this that night, still as insipidly, but this time with more authority.


    Qiu Tianyang stared nkly at Shen Yan¡¯s hand blocking him, his gaze fluctuating and unfocusing. His attention was not on the hand itself, but revolving instead around dazedly in lights reflected on the wine ss. Even his words were somewhat scattered.


    ¡°When I found out that you were gay... I even ran happily to tell auntie about this, saying that you definitely won¡¯t im your sister¡¯s right to the inheritance, because you couldn¡¯t pass down the Shen family name.¡±


    ¡°I, actually didn¡¯t have any prejudice against homosexuality, since there¡¯s a lot of gays among voice actors... At that time, I told her that with a hope to dispel her worries, but I didn¡¯t expect that... I didn¡¯t think she would make this public before uncle¡¯s family to humiliate you.¡±


    Shen Yan moved his lips, his tone like a nk sheet of paper unstained by any emotion, ¡°I¡¯m just me. No matter if she said this or not, I can only be myself.¡±


    Just as thest year of his highschool, when that woman first found out about his existence and made a scene so big in his school that everyone got to know that he was an illegitimate child¡ªat that time, he also didn¡¯t refute.


    Because truth is truth.


    Who says it, when they say it, or even to whom they do it... Nothing will change those objective facts.


    ¡°I¡¯m the same me now as I was before. I don¡¯t need dad to acknowledge me, I don¡¯t need him to interfere with my life choices, I don¡¯t need any of his property...¡± He looked straight at Qiu Tianyang, his breath a bit heavy from how hard he tried to control his emotions. Hoarse, he said word by word, ¡°But there¡¯s one thing that I will never give up on.¡±


    Qiu Tianyang stared at him, lost.


    A moment passed before he gave him a pale, unsightly smile.


    ¡°Are you talking about the apartment you grew up in?¡± He asked, gripping his fingers together with all of his strength. But despite doing so, he still couldn¡¯t conceal his distress, ¡°That apartment... The one I heard about during grandpa¡¯s hospitalisation and almost followed with auntie¡¯s suggestion to drive you out of?¡±


    At that time, Shen Yan suddenly stood up, grabbing him by the cor with both hands and yanking him up from the sofa!


    ¡°That¡¯s the only thing you can¡¯t take away from me, the memories grandpa left me behind¡ª¡±


    His hands were shaking, clutching the shirt below Qiu Tianyang¡¯s tie knot.


    His voice was trembling as well. Who knows what caused it¡ªthe sadness when remembering the old man¡¯s passing, or the despair and fury he felt when he got prevented by the Shen family people from entering the hospital room, fighting and struggling on the icy cold floor to catch thest glimpse of him. Who knows memory caused it, but suddenly tears welled up in his eyes despite his effort, rolling down his cheeks.


    A/N:


    I feel like after this chapter is out, Five will get a solid beating from everyone... (go ahead and beat him ¡û hey!)


    I saw before that many of the readers in thements thought ¡®driving out¡¯ as ¡®driving out of the voice acting circle¡¯. In reality, those fellows were mostly voice acting for fun back in the day, the only one who actually dabbled in the circle seriously was Five, even Two didn¡¯t really go out of his way to get the roles in audio dramas (that¡¯s why no one really knew him). What he meant by ¡®driving out¡¯ should be pretty obvious after this chapter.


    ...Though I think that this will only get him a worse beating...


    Lastly, Five is a couple years older than Kitty¡¯s Papa, but back then, he really wasn¡¯t as sensible... (lights a candle). And although they¡¯re not brothers, everyone¡¯s assumptions were close enough!


    P.S.: I wanted to specially reply to somementers under the previous chapter who said that 2Yan was being too ¡®girly¡¯. To be honest, when I wrote that part I didn¡¯t feel this way at all, I only thought that he showed a bit of his childish side. I don¡¯t know what people¡¯s understanding of ¡®acting girly¡¯ is¡ªbeing innocent? Romantic? Lively? Sweet? Or maybe ying dramatic? Affected? Chuunibyou? Princess syndrome? Even if it¡¯s any of those I mentioned here, then I feel that if it¡¯s a couple in love having a date doing so, then there¡¯s nothing improper about this.


    And if we think about it from the point of being realistic or not, then I know a guy in real life, a big and strong fellow over 180cm, from his look to his voice you would say that he¡¯s certainly a top, but in fact he¡¯s a bottom. The way this guy acted before me and our friends is also quite top-like, a very responsible and with strong opinions, but once he¡¯s with his boyfriend, he would turn to acting cute and spoiled. I reckon that seeing this you would also think him ¡®girly¡¯? But this is clearly just the way they like it within their own rtionship? Wouldn¡¯t that be too tiring if even with your lover you couldn¡¯t rx and just act spoiled every now and then...


    If we¡¯re just speaking of thest chapter, then before that, 2Yan also said that he would help pay for Kitty¡¯s Papa tuition and work to provide for their family. I always thought that ¡®I will provide for you¡¯ is one of the most manly things to say... But despite it being in the same chapter, why didn¡¯t see anyone being called manly under that chapter?


    All of the above is just me feeling that the 2Yan got a bit unfair treatment in thements. You can say that I¡¯m being oversensitive or that I don¡¯t ept other people¡¯s opinions, I don¡¯t want to invalidate anyone¡¯s opinion, I¡¯m just voicing my thoughts, that¡¯s all. (Speaking of which, Kitty¡¯s Papa really doesn¡¯t have luck for birthdays,st year on his birthday was the days of fighting after their first smut scene and thepetition... _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_ I hope that this time everyone will just read what I have to say and forget it, don¡¯t mind it too much).

 Chapter 141

    <h4>Chapter 141</h4>


    <i>Unedited</i>


    Qiu Tianyang heard buzzing in his ears.


    The tear falling down the cheek of the man before him cut deeper than any questions, like an awl wedged into his chest. From there, a sour and bitter taste rose up his throat as the intense sense of guilt made his eyes redden as well.


    ¡°...No one will touch that apartment,¡± He said hoarsely, ¡°Never¡ª¡±


    Upon hearing those words, Shen Yan trembled slightly, breathing heavily for a long while before regainingposure. The moment he loosened the hold on Qiu Tianyang¡¯s shirt, this guy stumbled back onto the sofa.


    After the intensive build-up and outburst of emotions just now, Shen Yan feltpletely emptied out. The two steps back he did were sluggish, as if treading through a marsh. He slowly and wearily copsed back onto his original seat, his face pale and eyes still tinged with red. He silently rubbed them with his hands for a while.


    And all that time, Qiu Tianyang remained motionless like a stone, his tie and cor in a disorder. He lookedpletely disheveled, yet made no effort to fix his appearance, staring at some nonexistent point in the distance with a vacant expression for the longest time.


    ¡°That year, you... never opened the letter I sent you, am I right?¡±


    Suddenly, he asked numbly.


    Shen Yan¡¯s hands froze for a moment, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    That year, he locked himself in the empty apartment after the old man¡¯s departure. He wouldn¡¯t speak with anyone, wouldn¡¯t see anyone¡ªespecially the people from Shen family.


    He disconnected the telephone line, installing the Skype and QQ softwares from hisputer. He isted himselfpletely in this closed world, enduring silently day after day as he faced the belongings the old man left behind, his heart cold like ashes.


    He knew that someone kept knocking on the door desperately¡ªhe also knew who it was, so he never bothered himself to go open it.


    He knew, after he reconnected the telephone line, that a number from Beijing used to call him every day, but he was also never bothered to call back.


    He knew that after a month, he finally once again opened the letter box downstairs, among the stack of envelopes was a heavy letter addressed to him. Before, all the letters sent to this address were for his grandpa, and hardly anyone knew he lived there and would write to him, so as for from whom that letter was, he knew that as well. But to this day he has never opened it, keeping it locked away in a drawer for a couple of years now.


    ¡°You really didn¡¯t even open it.¡± Qiu Tianyangughed bitterly, raising his head under themplight, looking even more dishevelled than before when hebed his hair with his hand, ¡°...Is it because you didn¡¯t want to see what¡¯s inside, didn¡¯t want to see ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯... Is it because you thought that saying so when things came to that point was too much of a hypocrisy?¡±


    The answer didn¡¯te for a long time.


    Shen Yan could more or less guess the letter¡¯s content, could more or less guess that it would contain those words. But it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t open it because he found it hypocritical¡ªat that time, he simply didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with his father¡¯s family anymore. Day 2 words 565/771


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you who took me to the hospital back then, I wouldn¡¯t even know that he was critically ill. And if you didn¡¯t help me push those people away, I might not have been able to see grandpa for thest time... For this matter, I need to thank you.¡± Shen Yan said slowly, his voice rough and dry as if scraped with gravel, ¡°If it was hypocrisy... Then you wouldn¡¯t take action.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Qiu Tianyang couldn¡¯t hold back the urge to cry anymore for some reason. As he stared in a daze, a tear escaped his eyes and rolled down his cheek.


    He took a hurried deep breath and wiped his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s because uncle, he... He told me about it himself.¡± He breathed erratically for a moment before finally calming down a little. Breathing in through his nose first, he said, ¡°When he discovered that I was secretly nning to drive you out with Auntie, he came to me... and told me the truth about what happened in the past.¡±


    The man was a very proud and arrogant person. And proud, arrogant people would always think lying below their dignity.


    The man was also the protagonist of those past events.


    So it was the man¡¯s words... that were actually true.


    ¡°When I found out that your mom wasn¡¯t some mistress, when I realised... that you were innocent, and I was a scoundrel for what I did, it was already toote.¡±


    At that time, Shen Yan was interning away in a different city. The old man didn¡¯t want to burden his grandson with the news of his illness and then its turn for the worse, because if he left this world, his grandson would be left behind devastated and with no support in this world¡ªso he nned to clench his teeth and endure through it. There was no one in the Shen Family who would notify Shen Yan, and the man¡¯s wife even wanted to take advantage of the time when Shen Yan was away and the old man was unable to manage the family due to his condition, wanting to once and for all drive him out from the Shen family.


    After hearing the truth from the man, he quickly flew over from Beijing, asking all around, looking all around that unfamiliar city before finally finding the person he was looking for at the local quarantine facility where he was interning.


    But to do that, he had no other choice but to confess his identity.


    ¡°The look in your eyes when you heard who I was at that clinic... I will never be able to forget it.¡±


    He would never forget the mistakes he has casted.


    He would never forget, fated to shoulder the weight of his guilt for a lifetime.


    He smiled miserably, ¡°At one point, I thought you would never speak with me anymore.¡±


    No matter how many times he went there, those doors stayed shut close; no matter how many times he called, the phone number couldn¡¯t be reached or nobody picked up; no matter how many messages he left on Skype or QQ, he never got a reply. Even when he anxiously sent out that letter, it was ultimately left with no answer, like throwing a stone into a bottomless sea.


    Shen Yan was always the type of man to answer every plea. So when he didn¡¯t ¡®answer¡¯ anymore... It meant that hepletely cut the ties altogether.


    When Shen Yan left, he didn¡¯t have the courage to tell the truth to Yang Jie and the rest, he even barely showed up anymore. In the end, with their voice acting group slowly losing the support of the core members and with the pressure of everyone facing differentmitments, they all went on their own way.


    Even if he took on a new project elsewhere on his own, the very act of voice acting would always evoke the guilt he felt towards Shen Yan in his heart. As time went on, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do any voice acting anymore, so he cleaned up all of his remaining projects, ending the era of ¡®Sleek horses run fast¡¯ he used to be so proud of.


    ¡°Two years after that... Uncle found me and asked me to give this to you.¡± Qiu Tianyang muttered as he took out a bunch of keys from his pocket.


    Shen Yan looked at it, frowning slightly the same way he did in the past.


    ¡°He said that you¡¯d definitely refuse to see him, but maybe you would still be willing to see me...¡± Qiu Tianyang nervously rubbed the key with his thumb, its toothed bitting just as jagged as his feelings at that moment. ¡°That day, even when I stood by the door, I really didn¡¯t feel like you would be willing to open them to see me. But I was wrong.¡±


    The door opened¡ªjust opened, nothing more.


    Merely ten centimetres away, the man he didn¡¯t see for such a long time stood silently in the entrance, watching the visitor and the keys in the visitor¡¯s hand with a cold, indifferent gaze.


    ¡ªAre you here to tell me that I can¡¯t stay here anymore? You¡¯re chasing me out somewhere else?


    ¡ªNo...


    ¡ªThen leave.


    Just those few words, yet they left him with no chance to implore before the door closed heavily.


    ¡°Still, at least your attitude changed from the previousplete avoidance to being willing to see me at least that once,¡± Qiu Tianyang forced out a bitter smile, ¡°I thought that... Maybe the day woulde when I would be able to sit down with you face-to-face and have a proper talk.¡±


    At that time, Shen Yan said quietly, ¡°I¡¯m willing to listen now¡ªso go ahead and say it.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Qiu Tianyang froze for a moment, then pursed his lips, as if he needed to suppress the slight shaking in his voice first before speaking.


    ¡°I didn¡¯te to make excuses for myself today. The mistakes had already been made, I have no say in this.¡± day 3 words 1020/1791


    ¡°...You had your own standpoint back then, and you didn¡¯t know the truth.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s voice carried a calm and subdued tone, as if his turbulent feelings from a moment ago had subsided gradually, much like sea waves going back into the sea after crashing against the rocks, leaving behind a smooth sandy beach. ¡°Of course you would choose the person closer to you over a stranger like me. That¡¯s just how it is.¡±


    Qiu Tianyang didn¡¯t continue with the conversation right away, sitting there silently for a while. Then, he reached his hand out once again to pour Shen Yan a cup of water.


    His hands were still shaking, but he still held the bottle steady, pouring him a full ss.


    Right now, there was also something in his heart that filled slowly to the brim.


    ¡°That letter,¡± He suddenly went back to the main topic, his voice as careful as his movement of sliding the ss over to Shen Yan, ¡°Open it when you go back. Aside from the letter I wrote to you... there¡¯s also a copy of that old apartment¡¯s property ownership.¡±


    Shen Yan was stunned¡ªhe raised his head to look at him in shock.


    Qiu Tianyang smiled weakly, ¡°After grandpa passed away, uncle didn¡¯t mind auntie¡¯s objections and changed the name on the property ownership certificate to yours¡ªI just want you to see this. Seeing how you remained on guard against me regarding this ce, thinking that I wanted to evict you, I knew that you never opened that letter.¡±


    Shen Yan stared at him for a long while, then finally looked down, unable to say a word.


    At that moment, Qiu Tianyang gently ced the keys from his hand back on the ss table, pushing them beside the ss of water, disying them both before Shen Yan. ¡°And also this. Two years ago, I wasn¡¯t able to exin it to you clearly, and... Two years ago, you probably wouldn¡¯t ept it either. That¡¯s why I brought it with me again today.¡±


    These keys were just your ordinary house keys, with two identical copies, reflecting a silvery light under the dimmplight.


    ¡°Aside from that old apartment, uncle also gave you this,¡± He said slowly, ¡°It¡¯s to the apartment he purchased in Beijing. He didn¡¯t want auntie to know about it, so he kept it under my name, hoping that someday I could transfer it to you in secret.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± Shen Yan¡¯s answer was light, but decisive.


    He didn¡¯t want it.


    The only thing he wanted was that old apartment, even if it meant spending the lifetime¡¯s worth of hard-earned money to buy it from the Shen family. But now, he didn¡¯t have to do that anymore. Besides, he didn¡¯t need that man to give him anything, especially not material goods¡ª


    Qiu Tianyang seemed to know from the beginning how he would react. He wasn¡¯t surprised at all, and only sighed quietly.


    ¡°I need to tell you something¡ª¡±


    Even though it wasn¡¯t his ce to say it, remaining silent about it would only weigh down on himter.


    ¡°This might seem like uncle is attempting to bribe you with money, to patronise you, but what I want to say is... Some things aren¡¯t the way you think. In this world, there are some people that don¡¯t know how to express their remorse through words, especially someone as proud as uncle. In his mindset, in the values of those from his generation, there are some things difficult to put into words. They are only able to show through material things. But it doesn¡¯t mean that he thinks you¡¯re someone who can be appeased with money. He just... never knew how to say ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯.¡±


    Time can change many things, change many people. Sometimes, it is only at a certain age that some people would look back to reflect on all of the absurdities they havemitted throughout their lives.


    ¡°Uncle¡¯s in his fifties already, the age where a person is already more epting of fate. Although he never said so clearly, I know that he definitely felt remorse.¡± Qiu Tianyang slowly came to the point, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not like simply saying ¡®I regret¡¯ can nullify every debt in the world, but everyone has a different way to pay it back.¡±


    Shen Yan listened silently, not saying anything.


    Qiu Tianyang continued, ¡°I... I once heard Teacher Pu mention to Teacher Yuan that she wanted to invite you to her university to pursue your undergraduate studies, and when I chatted with Return Date today, he also said that he¡¯s getting transferred to work in Beijing at the beginning of the next year. So... You guys will surely need to find a ce to stay at that time, right?¡±


    When Qi Jing got brought up, Shen Yan¡¯s expression shifted slightly. He opened his mouth, but ultimately didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°The rent in Beijing is really high, especially for the areas with convenient transportation. If you were to live far from the city centre,muting everyday would be very tiring and time-consuming. This apartment has a good location with a metro station nearby, and it¡¯s within the city area with rtively well-established property management.¡± Qiu Tianyang spoke this with all sincerity, with no intent to pressure him. ¡°If you¡¯re willing to consider it... Even if only for a while, think of it like renting an apartment for free. This way you could also help ease Return Date¡¯s burden.¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s gaze lingered on the keys on the table for a long while before he finally reached out and picked them up.


    However, his principles wouldn¡¯t change.


    ¡°Return Date¡¯s internship willst three years, and if I will pursue my undergraduate studies, it would also take me three years.¡± He said, ¡°After three years, I will return the keys to you. After that, you can do whatever you want with it¡ª¡±


    After that, he picked up that ss of water, tilting his head back and downing it in one go. Day 4 words 1008/2801


    Qiu Tianyang watched as the water in the ss slowly disappeared, and suddenly he felt a mix of emotions surge inside him. He watched Shen Yan, stunned, until hepletely emptied the whole ss.


    After so many years, he never expected that Shen Yan would really ¡®ept¡¯ them.


    ept that bunch of keys.


    ept that ss of water.


    Then, if he offered the third thing, the one he waste to give, would Shen Yan ept it as well?


    ¡°Shen Yan, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Perhaps because the psychological burden brought by those words was too great, but the more he said, the more strained and hoarse his voice became, until he could only choke out a faint sob, ¡°For everything I¡¯ve done in the past... I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    The one speaking struggled so, but his listener¡¯s expression was just as before, neither joyful or sorrowful as if he was an outsider in this all, calm like the still water.


    He silently ced down the ss in his hand, letting go of it. Letting go is such a simple action, yet it¡¯s also something people spend a lifetime trying to do.


    A human only has one lifetime, spending it all on this one thing would be too wasteful. That¡¯s why...


    ¡°I forgive you.¡±


    He said impassively.


    After doing so, he breathed a long exhale as well, closing his eyes as his shoulders slumped slowly as if he got rid of some burden. He leaned backfortably on the sofa, his left hand reaching up for that button hanging on his corbone.


    At that moment, he felt the man beside him shift closer and suddenly hug him tightly, reinstating the weight on his shoulders that he had just relieved¡ªbut he didn¡¯t find it unpleasant. Even though the head pressed on his shoulder was slightly shaking, and even though those wet, scalding things falling one after another on his shirt were a bit bothersome.


    And that guy kept muttering, not minding taking any trouble, ¡°Thank you, thank you...¡±


    He also replied softly, ¡°Mn.¡±


    And in that exact moment, the door to the room suddenly swung open with a ¡®ck¡¯, and two men walked in one after another. The first thing they saw upon entering was none other than this.


    Qi Jing froze.


    Shen Yan froze.


    Qiu Tianyang also froze.


    Tan Zixian didn¡¯t freeze, only raising one brow.


    ...Why, was this situation, so, weird? ...Because clearly, this... wasn¡¯t some... adulterying to light...


    Qiu Tianyang stayed like that for a while, stupefied and with his hands still on Shen Yan¡¯s body. He blinked in confusion, unsure what to do.


    Seeing how he clung to Shen Yan like a ko to a tree, Tan Zixian didn¡¯t protest. He made a calm turn to the side, suddenly opening his arms to hug Qi Jing on his side tightly in a bold and self-righteous provocation¡ª¡±you can hug, then I can hug as well¡±. He even confidently put his head on Qi Jing¡¯s shoulder, reenacting the scene of ¡®tossing oneself into someone¡¯s arms¡¯ per, fect, ly.


    Qiu Tianyang¡¯s face momentarily turned white, an expression of someone hurt so badly that he couldn¡¯t even cry in protest.


    Qi Jing initially was also startled by this hug from Tan Zixian, but that exaggerated expression on Qiu Tianyang¡¯s face made him stop once again. Then, he couldn¡¯t help himself and sputtered withughter.


    Shen Yan was also still a bit stupefied, but when he saw Qi Jingughing, his frown disappeared slowly as well and he chuckled quietly.


    That¡¯s right.


    He also only had one lifetime, so rather than using it up on letting go of the past, why not just... Spend it on cherishing the present.


    A/N:


    To be honest, the amount of Five¡¯s fans turning into antis after thest chapter was beyond my expectations... (Was it because I didn¡¯t finish the scene yet?? Can¡¯t be leaving people on cliffhangers like that... So this time I shouldn¡¯t end the chapter on a crucial point, yup)


    Seems like there was a lot of people that misunderstood that Kitty¡¯s Papa didn¡¯t see his grandpa¡¯sst moments. In reality, he managed to do that, although the events leading to that were a bit rough. If he really weren¡¯t able to see his grandpa on his dying bed, that would be simply too cruel... ¨“^¨“


    As for Five, it¡¯s up to the future generations to evaluate him. (Five: QAQ I¡¯m not dead though...)


    P.S.: Yes, up to the very end I¡¯m still secretly spamming Time Limit... _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_

 Chapter 142

    <h4>Chapter 142</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t inquire about the content of their previous conversation.


    He remembered how one of the old professors had told them in his university days¡ªthe first rule of any reporter is to ¡®know what to ask and, at the same time, know what not to ask¡¯. To this day, he still kept that rule deep in his heart.


    Neither of the involved brought up the content of their conversation, as if those thirty minutes didn¡¯t exist. But upon a closer look, one could still discern a slight trace of red at the corner of their eyes, a proof that those thirty minutes had indeed transpired. Qi Jing, clearly aware of the cause of that redness, discreetly assessed the looks on their faces and made sure that they had already settled down. Seeing this, he smiled gently and didn¡¯t ask.


    The four of them returned to the initial situation, chatting while slowly sipping their drinks. All of them tacitly shifted the discussion towards the voice acting, not bringing up the private matters.


    Tan Zixian really had a strong head. After downing a strong cocktail outside, he still asked the server to bring two bottles of wine after going back, continuing drinking without any change in his expression.


    Qi Jing smiled slightly and kept himpany.


    Qiu Tianyang couldn¡¯t handle his alcohol well, so he only drank one more ss at that time. The bottle was a bit far from him on the table. When he was about to stand up to reach out for it, Shen Yan suddenly reached his hand and took it for him, quietly pouring him a ss. At that moment, Qi Jing and Tan Zixian stopped at the same time, their gazes fixed on Shen Yan¡¯s entire process of pouring the wine.


    Aside from how much Qiu Tianyang¡¯s hands holding the ss were shaking, a bit apprehensive... Their interaction seemed pretty natural.


    At least it seemed much more natural than when they had just entered this room¡ª


    Seeing this, Qi Jing looked away, lowering his head to smile.


    Still, it seemed like Qiu Tianyang was still his usual chatty self when talking to him, but his demeanor turned submissive and hesitant when Shen Yan was present at the scene, refraining from speaking rashly.


    So Qi Jing specially brought up a topic rted to him, one that allowed them all to participate, ¡°Speaking of which... If that Miss Jade Butterfly knew that the four of us were sitting in this room and drinking together, I wonder what kind of expression she would have?¡±


    The man she used to pursue, and then his boyfriend.


    The man she was currently pursuing, along with his boyfriend.


    Wouldn¡¯t this gathering of four make Jade Butterfly so furious her face mask would get pulverized? He was quite looking forward to this...


    When Tan Zixian heard him mention this ID, he didn¡¯t even look up at him as he said casually, ¡°That woman already got her share of hardships in the finals, she probably won¡¯t bother anyone again.¡±


    When Shen Yan understood that he was referring to his audition with Jade Butterfly, he gently replied, ¡°I was only following the requirements of the script at that time.¡±


    ording to the script, it was precisely the scene of Bai Ke threatening Su Miaoyu, so he fulfilled his duty by pressuring her coldly.


    And as for Jade Butterfly¡¯s nerves failing and her getting so scared she forgot her lines... It¡¯s not like it was his fault.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Qi Jing suddenly raised his eyebrows, appearing a bit offended but also not entirely, making it hard to determine whether he was actually unhappy, ¡°And here I thought that you were standing up for me, yet it turns out that it wasn¡¯t the case all along...¡±


    After saying this, he turned his head away with disappointment.


    Shen Yan was taken aback, at loss at how to reply to it.


    At that time, Tan Zixian cast a sideways nce, tantly exposing Qi Jing without giving him any face, ¡°Return Date, you really are an old hand at bullying your boyfriend¡ª¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing could no longer keep his act up and burst intoughter, tilting his head to the side and resting it right on Shen Yan¡¯s body, wilful and pleased with himself. It was at that moment that Shen Yan realized that Qi Jing was toying with him, so he chuckled helplessly in response. Despite that, the shoulder ¡®imed¡¯ by Qi Jing remained motionless, allowing him to lean on it steadily.


    ¡°Jade Butterfly is quite scheming, but all of those little moves in thepetition weren¡¯t solely her ideas,¡± Qiu Tianyang finally found the opportunity to timidly join their conversation, ¡°She will probably be more cautious after this failure. Additionally, everyone will be trying to uncover the mind behind the scheme to turn you against each other, so she won¡¯t dare to make any major moves. I think that you should be more careful of Bronze Sparrow Terrace.¡±


    Hearing him say this, Qi Jing couldn¡¯t help his curiosity and asked, ¡°Why should we be more careful of Bronze Sparrow Terrace? Do you have a good understanding of him?¡±


    Qiu Tianyang stopped for a moment, his gaze turning briefly toward Shen Yan¡¯s side as if reminiscing all kinds of his absurd actions. A while passed before he lowered his head and chuckled self-deprecatingly, ¡°That¡¯s because we used to be the same kind of person¡ª¡±


    Qi Jing saw how he nced at Shen Yan before, and he realised something. Hearing Qiu Tianyang¡¯s words now let him vaguely guess that there were some unpleasant experiences between them in the past. However, Qi Jing didn¡¯t probe any further, only shifting the topic of the conversation in a half-joking manner, ¡°The same kind, huh... Makes sense, since you¡¯re both gods. Wouldn¡¯t it be natural for a god to easily understand another god¡¯s thoughts?¡±


    Qiu Tianyang paused for a moment, then simply chuckled silently.


    His next words were so honest that it caught Qi Jing off guard.


    ¡°Few years ago, online voice acting was different from what it is today. There were fewer people in it and barely any productions, so if you had a good voice, you could get your name out there by only voicing one or two audio dramas. I just happened to seize the opportunity and had good luck,¡± Qiu Tianyang said slowly, ¡°Something like fame can make your ego inte... For some, it¡¯s like money¡ªthe more they have it, the greedier they be, always feeling like it¡¯s not enough. And when they encounter something that hurts their pride even slightly, they can¡¯t bear the humiliation. You can say that before thispetition, Bronze Sparrow Terrace had almost reached the peak of his poprity. Suddenly getting so humiliated by you, having his dignity trampled upon, how could he possibly ept it? Especially you, Return Date. You challenged him publicly, so you need to be cautious now.¡±


    The topic was serious, and so was its content. However, Qi Jing¡¯s furrowed eyebrows rxed at thatst sentence, and he chuckled, ¡°Yes, yes, indeed. Even though you, our god, also challenged Bronze Sparrow Terrace publicly for Noodles, he probably would only dare to seek revenge against a small nobody like me.¡±


    Saying this, he also looked at Tan Zixian with a grin.


    Tan Zixian, in turn, looked at Qiu Tianyang, mouthing a single word¡ª¡±dumbass¡±.


    Qiu Tianyang chuckled helplessly, ¡°It¡¯s not that he wouldn¡¯t seek revenge¡ªI¡¯m just not afraid of it.¡±


    Qi Jing nodded his head, ¡°Having a big fanbase behind you really makes a difference during conflicts like this...¡±


    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t referring to the amount of fans. I¡¯m already retired from the circle since a long time ago, and he doesn¡¯t know me in real life. No matter how much he wants revenge, he can only retaliate within the online voice acting circle... And for me who¡¯s been out of that circle for so many years already, it¡¯spletely inconsequential.¡±


    Qiu Tianyang raised his head to look at Qi Jing as he spoke. Then, once again, his gaze shifted toward Shen Yan even though his words were still directed at Qi Jing.


    ¡°For you, Return Date, it¡¯s different. You¡¯ll keep voice acting and remain in the circle. Especially after thispetition you and Shen Yan got so much fame. There¡¯s still a long way ahead for both of you, so it would be such a waste if Bronze Sparrow Terrace set you up like this. Moreover, after this introduction event your real-life personal information inevitably circte online. What if he goes crazy and colludes with Jade Butterfly to do something that would disturb your work and life?¡±


    At that moment, suddenly spoke up, saying, ¡°Return Date is much harder to bully than you imagine¡ª¡±


    Upon hearing this, Qiu Tianyang was momentarily stunned.


    Shen Yan finished speaking calmly, ¡°If, by any chance, they really interfere with our personal lives... I¡¯ll be there for him, I¡¯ll stand by him to face them together.¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t expect Shen Yan to say something like this there as well. He was momentarily taken aback, and then he realised that the corners of his lips had been curling up slightly. It was only at that point that the alcohol he drank earlier was finally starting to have an effect, making him feel that boundless and woozy feeling of contentment. Unconsciously, he let out a short, deep chuckle and reached out to get a good hold of the other man¡¯s arm,zily burying his face in his shirt.


    ¡°Whoever bullies me, I¡¯ll bully them right back.¡± He said. Whether it was the truth or his drunken talk didn¡¯t matter anymore¡ªhe was just indulging the need to vocalise his stream of thoughts.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Shen Yan smiled lightly, not opposing him at all.


    Tan Zixian chuckled with a faint ¡®hmmm¡¯, pointing at Shen Yan with the ss in his hand as he cocked his eyebrow at Qiu Tianyang, ¡°Take a good look¡ªthat¡¯s a boyfriend right there.¡±


    Qiu Tianyang could only turn his head away in silence.


    ¡°He actually almost had his way with thispetition. Fortunately, Teacher Yuan was quick to think up a counter-measure, otherwise...¡±


    Thisment from Qiu Tianyang poked at Qi Jing¡¯s curiosity, so he asked quickly, ¡°How so? When did it happen?¡±


    ¡°The finals,¡± Qiu Tianyang said, ¡°During the finals, Bronze Sparrow Terrace used Jade Butterfly¡¯s ¡®person¡¯ among thepetition organisers to tamper with the contestants¡¯ group numbers¡ªI only found out about itter.¡±


    Qi Jing eximed with surprise, ¡°Oh? So Jade Butterfly really had someone on the inside?¡±


    Qiu Tianyang nodded, ¡°She did, the one who went on the stage to give the opening speech today.¡±


    Once he mentioned this, the face of the cunning-looking event nning manager suddenly came to Qi Jing¡¯s mind. After this sudden realisation, he eximed, ¡°So it was that old uncle!¡±


    ¡°Voice acting projects are just one part of the Operation Department¡¯s responsibilities. They¡¯re usually handled by the respective department managers, and I mostly just listen to the reports and summaries. I actually didn¡¯t have much involvement in thispetition.¡± As a director, being too controlling and micromanaging could easily lead to dissatisfaction among subordinates. ¡°That manager was also responsible for seeking coborations with voice acting studios for outsourcing projects. During that time, Jade Butterfly was working at amercial studio, so they probably got acquainted then. She continued to leverage that connection to find opportunities for herself and her friends in the voice acting circle... I only found out about their rtionshipter on, but since the projects wereplete, I just let it slide. But she went too far with meddling in thispetition, so I had to intervene.¡±


    Only when he asked around he found out that the third judge for all of the previous instalments of ?Order to End the Heavens?petition would be invited from among the past champions. As the director, Qiu Tianyang invited Pu Yuzhi and Longbow, then let the subordinates decide who to choose for thest member of the judging panel.


    That event nning manager was acquainted with Jade Butterfly, so after her strong rmendation, Northwest Road easily became the third judge, helping her and the people she wanted to aid by inting their score.


    Qiu Tianyang knew that, so he quickly changed Northwest Road out before the finals started, ensuring that Yuan Zhengming would appear earlier to maintain a certain level of ¡®fairness¡¯. However, something he couldn¡¯t foresee at all unfolded during the finals¡ª¡±


    ¡°To put it simply, ourpany is a business entity, and in business, you can¡¯t afford to offend your customers. Due to Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s act of giarising you during the semi-finals and his refusal to acknowledge it, we got a lot ofints from the audience on thepany¡¯s website. The higher-ups got to know about this and believed that involving him would have a bad influence on the product sales, so it was decided that he won¡¯t get any role even before the finals started. This information got leaked by our manager to Jade Butterfly, who initially really wanted to get Bronze Sparrow Terrace the male lead role. Naturally, Bronze Sparrow Terrace was also aware of that.¡±


    From being guaranteed a role to getting silently excluded from it¡ªthis kind of treatment was a tremendous humiliation for someone like Bronze Sparrow Terrace, who was so used to having his every whim catered to in the online voice acting circle.


    But with things like this, his actions then finally made sense.


    ¡°So he actually knew that he had no way of winning, that¡¯s why he was hell-bent on taking me down with him?¡± Qi Jing sneered lightly.


    No wonder that... He spread the rumours among his fans, saying stuff like being hurt, ¡®because Little Noodles got together with Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯ to exin why he didn¡¯t take part in the finals.


    No wonder that... He would rather staypletely silent, giving up two of his roles in the finals for nothing while taking him down with him.


    No wonder that... He didn¡¯t care about the consequences at all.


    Either way he wouldn¡¯t get that role, so it wasn¡¯t that weird for him to develop the extreme mentality of ¡®if I don¡¯t get it then you too can only dream of getting it¡¯.


    ¡°Exactly. Because he got to know about it beforehand, he used Jade Butterfly¡¯s connection to make our manager change the group numbers so that you and him would get paired in the same audition. This way, he could sink at least one of your roles for you.¡±


    Since Qiu Tianyang said so, it proved that at that time, Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s actions were all premeditated and calcted, and not made in a spur of a moment.


    ¡°What to do? I almost felt moved by our god¡¯s story.¡± For some unknown reason, Qi Jing didn¡¯t feel any anger at all after listening to the whole thing. Instead, he chuckled from amusement. He truly felt touched¡ªthe esteemed god Bronze Sparrow Terrace was willing to invest so much for an insignificant VA like him, even resorting to the lousy excuse of having his ount hacked. This guy really was driven.


    Qiu Tianyang¡¯s voice dropped slightly, even more serious than the person involved himself, ¡°Return Date, if your conflict with him was online, he would immediately mobilise his fans out to harass you, but he wouldn¡¯t really mind you. However, amercialpetition involves real-life interests, it can count as work. It doesn¡¯t matter if it was direct or indirect¡ªyou have deprived him of an opportunity to gain money and fame, and he will remember you.¡±


    At that time, Tan Zixian interjected impassively from the side.


    ¡°Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s actual age certainly isn¡¯t more than twenty five.¡± That¡¯s why he would act so childish. This god¡¯s style was a generation apart from him.


    ¡°Ah? Then that¡¯d make him have to call me ¡®big brother¡¯¡ª¡± Qi Jing¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as he pondered.


    To everyone¡¯s surprise, Shen Yan, who kept silent on the side, suddenly said, ¡°He has already called me ¡®grandpa¡¯.¡±


    ording to the roles distribution in ?Trap?... Bronze Sparrow Terrace really has called him ¡®grandpa¡¯¡ªthat¡¯s even two generations higher than a ¡®big brother¡¯.


    Qi Jing remained frozen for a couple of seconds, then his lips twitched uncontrobly, unable to contain hisughter.


    ¡°Hahahaha! That¡¯s true, he really has to call you ¡®grandpa¡¯! Hahahaha...¡± Heughed so hard he couldn¡¯t even keep his back straight, leaning on the other man¡¯s shoulder and shaking continuously like a sieve.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t reply, but simply chuckled softly, reaching out to embrace his shoulder and rub it affectionately.


    As they left the door and stepped outside, it was already approaching midnight.


    Maybe they spent too much time inside. The moment they went out, cold air hit their faces, causing them to shrink back instinctively.


    Qi Jing¡¯s mind remained clear, although his body became a bit hot due to the alcohol, as if he was a bit feverish. The abrupt difference in temperatures in and outside of the restaurant caused him to shiver slightly. Aside from that, people in this state are all prone to act a bit childish. When he lifted his head and saw Shen Yan ahead of him, he let out a short, subduedugh. He took two steps closer, nting his head inShen Yan¡¯s firm back, leaningzily against him for warmth.


    Before, seeing how his face looked normal, and his words sounded normal, Shen Yan didn¡¯t worry that much, but now...


    ¡°Are you drunk?¡± Shen Yan asked in a low voice, without immediately turning around. He currentlypletely supported Qi Jing¡¯s weight, so he was afraid that if he turned back, Qi Jing could identally fall. ¡°Can you stand steady on your own?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Qi Jingughed muffledly, his hands instinctively tugging on at both sides of Shen Yan¡¯s sleeves from behind, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just felt cold, so I just wanted to lean on you for a bit...¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, he¡¯s definitely drunk.¡± Tan Zixian himself drank the most alcohol, and the most potent, yet his judgement was still the most urate.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just talk about him, you¡¯re in a simr state.¡± Qiu Tianyang said with a wry smile. Despite Tan Zixian appearing unaffected, Qiu Tianyang extended his hand to support him lightly. He walked Tan Zixian to the side of the car, opened the door and watched him sit down securely, even helping him to wear seat belts before finally feeling relieved.


    Among the four of them, only Shen Yan didn¡¯t drink a single bit of alcohol, while Qiu Tianyang only drank two sses, so after such a long time he had already metabolised most of the alcohol, at least enough to drive a car.


    ¡°I¡¯ll drive you back to the hotel.¡± Qiu Tianyang offered timidly, seeing Qi Jing in that state.


    ¡°No need.¡± Shen Yan shook his head. Although it was still a refusal, his tone waspletely different from the cold rejection he had given before their conversation. Unbeknownst to them, that thick and imprable wall between them vanished from their exchanges, no longer making him feel like he kept hitting against it. Right now, it was just a straightforward rejection. ¡°The hotel isn¡¯t far, so he and I can walk back.¡±


    Qiu Tianyang wanted to say something, but stopped.


    Shen Yan nced at Tan Zixian in the car and said quietly, ¡°You guys better go back and rest first. I feel like he drank quite a bit tonight, and tomorrow we still need to wake up early for the recording.¡±


    ¡°Okay...¡± Qiu Tianyang finally gave up on persuading him. He opened the car and sat inside, taking a moment before slowly retrieving the car keys. After starting the engine, hesitated and didn¡¯t immediately drive out onto the road. It was as if, to that moment, he still didn¡¯t really believe that this talk that waited four years hade to an end. Moreover, the fact that Shen Yan still conversed with him in such aposed tone by the time it concluded... It felt surreal just to think about it, leaving him sitting there in the driver¡¯s seat, lost in thoughts for a while.


    Shen Yan watched him as he did it all before stopping there for a long while. Then, he suddenly knocked on the car window and reminded him, ¡°Drive safely.¡±


    Qiu Tianyang raised his head in surprise, then lowered it back with a wry smile, ¡°Oh... I know.¡±


    Shen Yan withdrew his hand.


    ¡°Then, see you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°See you tomorrow...¡± It wasn¡¯t like they wouldn¡¯t see each other again, so he could rest at ease.


    Shen Yan silently watched as the car drove out onto the street and gradually disappeared into the night. Without saying anything, he bent down and, at the same time, extended his hands back to piggyback the person leaning against his back, carrying him steadily.


    ¡°Shen Yan¡ª¡± Qi Jing got spooked by him doing something like this so suddenly. He sobered up quite a bit and quickly called him.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll carry you back. It¡¯s not far anyway.¡± With his chest right against Shen Yan¡¯s back, each word he said carried a slight vibration, as low and steady as his voice. Qi Jing couldn¡¯t get free with a short struggle, and then the back of the man before him was so warm andfortable¡ªso he got enticed by this warmth, so scarce amidst the snow. In the end, he gave himself up without any dignity.


    ¡°Am I heavy?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, I can carry you.¡± It was a bit heavy, but when Qi Jing circled his hands around his neck to hug him, the weight he carried on his back only made him feel more securely grounded at heart.


    The streets were cold deserted in the middle of the night. The snowing sky was pitch-ck, with the street lights shining incessantly, recing the stars in adorning the nightndscape. Although the city was unfamiliar, and so were its lights, the feeling of tranquillity wyeth seeing those small spots of light suspended in the darkness of the night was the same as back in their hometown. It evoked such a sense of peace that he suddenly longed to go home¡ªto go home, and also turn on all of its lights.


    Qi Jing thought hazily, then buried his face on the back of Shen Yan¡¯s nape to greedily breathe in that familiar smell. This was how his ¡®home¡¯ smelled.


    They actually could see their hotel from where they were at that time¡ªit wasn¡¯t more than a couple of streets away. The way back wasn¡¯t long, about long enough to tell a story. Shen Yan promised before that after everything, he will tell him a story when they¡¯re alone.


    ¡°I will tell you a story, okay?¡± Shen Yan asked in a low voice.


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Hearing Qi Jing¡¯s muffled response, he chuckled softly. The footprints he left behind in the snow unfolded one by one, mirroring the slow and regr pace of the story he narrated. ¡°Let me tell you a story... about a child and a grandpa he depended on to keep moving forward. In this story, there¡¯s the child, there¡¯s his grandpa, and there¡¯s also this grandpa¡¯s other rtives.¡±


    Carried on his back, Qi Jing¡¯s eyes widened slightly, and a glint of light shook inside. Only after a while he once again replied with a soft ¡®Mhm¡¯.


    Qi Jing had heard the beginning of the story before, and he also knew bits and pieces of its middle part. However, its ending suddenly intertwined with the happenings of the past few hours they had just experienced. Those past memories, reminiscent of old-school photographs, emerged vividly, as cold as the chilly wind that brushed by his cheeks. They didn¡¯t feel in any way ¡®distant¡¯¡ªthe pain they carried felt very much real.


    By the time the story was finished, the hotel was already within sight. As Shen Yan ceased speaking, his steps also gradually came to a stop, pausing for a bit before entering the brightly-lit surroundings.


    ¡°A-Jing,¡± He called out softly, ¡°Did you fall asleep?¡±


    The man on his back didn¡¯t respond.


    But he quickly knew that it wasn¡¯t the case. Suddenly, he felt something fall on the back of his neck, cold and wet. In the very intimate and warm space between them, it was particrly easy to notice. He paused for a moment, then smiled faintly, not asking for the reason.


    It was Qi Jing who first spoke hoarsely, ¡°A-Yan, let me down.¡±


    Shen Yan shook his head, but smiled slightly, ¡°I will carry you back to the room.¡±


    However, Qi Jing insisted. ¡°Let me down first.¡±


    So Shen Yanplied and set him down on the ground. Before he even could turn back, the man behind him silently held his shoulders, preventing him from moving. Then, those hands slowly traced down his shoulder des until his palms rested quietly on his back.


    ¡°Do you know?¡±


    This beginning sentence without rhythm and reason, perhaps just a drunken rambling, but he listened attentively.


    ¡°Know what?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your back that I like the most¡ª¡± The man behind him muttered against Shen Yan¡¯s back. His hands traced it inch by inch with great care, as if he was touching something incredibly precious. Then, he chuckled quietly, a hint of bitterness in hisughter. ¡°I¡¯ve always known that it¡¯s particrly broad and sturdy, capable even of carrying a heavy man like me.¡±


    At this point, his voice grew lower.


    ¡°Even though it carried so, so many heavy burdens, it never copsed and remained upright, alive.¡±


    When Shen Yan heard this, his throat bobbed, and he called in a low voice, ¡°A-Jing...¡±


    At that time, Qi Jing suddenly buried his face in Shen Yan¡¯s clothes, fingers gripping on his back a few times, as if in pain. His voice also mixed with those few low gasps, just like the creasing fabric he was clutching. ¡°No, I really, am drunk.¡±


    The sheer fact that he admitted to being drunk actually proved how clear-headed he was at the moment. So clear-headed in fact that he became acutely aware the intense desire he felt right now¡ª


    ¡°I want you,¡± He whispered, ¡°What to do?¡±

 Chapter 143

    <h4>Chapter 143</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    ¡ªDo you know what I mean?


    ¡ªMn.


    ¡ªDo you really know?


    ¡ªMn.


    Until the end, Qi Jing remained uncertain whether Shen understood what he was saying, or if he understood the meaning behind his words.


    Shen Yan was walking ahead of him, with his expression Hidden from Qi Jing¡¯s view. He extended his hand and gently pulled Qi Jing¡¯s hand, taking long strides toward the hotel entrance. Qi Jing followed behind, befuddled. It was as if his heart was tethered between their interlocked hands, swaying with each step, beating faster with every sway.


    When they passed through the lobby, the receptionist kept staring at them. Other hotel guests also kept looking, their gazes fixed on their intertwined hands.


    But they didn¡¯t care in the slightest.


    As they walked along the hotel corridor, the wallmps on its sides retreated one by one, creating a slightly dizzying sensation. His steps were also unsteady due to intoxication, yet his grip on Shen Yan¡¯s hand remained strong, like a small wandering boat dancing up and down on a river, held by a taut rope. They only paused for a short moment after entering the lift. In that moment, Shen Yan¡¯s thumb gently brushed against the back of his hand, and Qi Jing heard a muffled sounding from deep in his chest. It felt as if his heart was attempting to leap out from his hand and straight into Shen Yan¡¯s.


    Thump.


    Thump.


    Thump...


    His heartbeat echoed repeatedly in the enclosed space of the lift, subtle yet intense.


    The grip of his fingers tightened involuntarily as he exerted all his strength to suppress this sound, to control himself. However, it was a futile effort.


    Upon opening the door to their room, Shen Yan stepped in ahead. He neither turned on the lights or said anything, only suddenly letting go of Qi Jing¡¯s hand.


    For a moment, Qi Jing¡¯s eyes had not yet adjusted to the dark yet. He couldn¡¯t see anything at that moment, having to rely solely on his hearing. He heard Shen Yan taking two steps ahead, distancing himself from him with the faint sound of fabric rustling. Acting on instinct, Qi Jing closed the gap between them, embracing him tightly from behind¡ªas if fearing that Shen Yan could change his mind and try to flee.


    ¡°Pft.¡± Shen Yan chuckled quietly.


    Actually, he only intended to take off his coat to hang it on a hook next to the wardrobe. However, halfway through taking it off, his arms got restrained, rendering him unable to move.


    He didn¡¯t struggle in the slightest, simply allowing Qi Jing to hold him in his arms. His hands left the buttons of the coat and hung down slowly, no longer moving.


    Perhaps because he didn¡¯t feel any intent to leave him, Qi Jing¡¯s breathing gradually calmed down. His arms rxed as he hugged the other man in a deeply affectionate posture for a long time. As his eyes adapted to the dark, he raised his head to see the faint illumination from outside, tracing the outline of the man¡¯s shoulders. It appeared like a line drawn with a white pencil, then lightly erased with an eraser. It looked half ethereal and half corporeal, but it was also enchanting in a way that moved him.


    Thinking so, Qi Jing clumsily helped Shen Yan remove the half-off coat, tossing it onto the nearby armchair. Now, with just a shirt on Shen Yan¡¯s upper body, Qi Jing buried his nose, gently rubbing it against the side of this man¡¯s neck, separated by its cor.


    Shen Yan closed eyes, silently holding Qi Jing¡¯s hands that moved around to his front, his breathing growing slightly more urgent.


    During that period, Qi Jing was upied with his work at the TV station, so aftering back home, they had little time to get intimate apart from brief moments of affection before sleeping. However, now that they were in a hotel room in a different city, free from any burdens of work and household responsibilities, a strong desire suddenly surged in them¡ª


    ¡°A-Yan,¡± Qi Jing breathed slightly, speaking in a low voice, ¡°Turn over, I want to see your face.¡±


    Shen Yan listened and slowly turned to face him.


    At that very moment, Qi Jing leaned in, stripping him of his right to speak without uttering a word. It was somewhat wilful, even forceful, but Shen Yan silently epted it all, including the faint taste of alcohol on Qi Jing¡¯s lips. He epted it all with gentleness, forgiving in response to it all.


    Qi Jing ¡®looked¡¯ at Shen Yan¡ªnot with his eyes, but with his hands. He felt the shape of his face, ¡®looking¡¯ at each inch, meticulously inspecting every corner. After caressing it for a while, he felt that this wasn¡¯t enough, so he gradually moved toward Shen Yan¡¯s shoulders, his chest. Their touch through the fabric of thin clothes was almost scalding, and from time to time, his fingers would brush by the buttons of the shirt, causing a slight sound that, curiously enough, sparked an urge to tear them off in Qi Jing.


    When he was at the point where no amount of touching could satisfy him anymore, Qi Jing took a low breath and gently pushed the man back. Shen Yanplied, taking two steps back and sitting down on the double bed.


    Still panting, Qi Jing leaned forward , half-kneeling on the edge of the bed, and pressed down on Shen Yan¡¯s shoulders, guiding him toy down on the mattress.


    He leaned down toward Shen Yan, his hand gently tracing along the hairline of his forehead, smoothing the loose strands. He gazed at the strong line of his exposed throat, framed by the slightly partedpels of his shirt. He instinctively swallowed, alleviating the anxious thirst that overtaken him. He didn¡¯t know if it was caused by any change in him, but from this angle, Shen Yan seemed different¡ªhe couldn¡¯t help but think how delicious he would be if he had taken a bite.


    ¡°I think... I might be getting desperate.¡± Qi Jing murmured quietly.


    When Shen Yan heard him say this, he stared dumbly at first, then smiled and ced his hand on Qi Jing¡¯s temple, patiently stroking it for a moment.


    His reply only came muchter.


    ¡°Are you really that desperate? You haven¡¯t even made a move yet.¡±


    His tone when speaking waspletely calm, the same he used when they discussed small nothings in their life, natural and at ease.


    But his listener didn¡¯t feel so at all.


    In the darkness where they could barely make out each other¡¯s silhouettes, he heard Qi Jing¡¯s rapid and restrained breath. But despite being restrained, it had a kind of feverish feel to it, warm against Shen Yan¡¯s face. However, he still hesitated and made no move.


    Shen Yan remained silent, retracting his hand back from Qi Jing¡¯s temple.


    ¡°If you really won¡¯t do anything,¡± He said, ¡°then how about I do it.¡±


    As he spoke, he also moved, as if about to sit up and push Qi Jing down. And in that moment, the man above him suddenly pushed his shoulders back onto the bed. And Qi Jing really didn¡¯t spare any strength¡ªeven if he tried to really resist, he wouldn¡¯t necessarily manage to get free all that quickly.


    Moreover... He never even intended to resist.


    The man above breathed deeply, trapping him with both hands. Perhaps that feigned attempt to resist triggered some urgency, now evident in his heavy breaths. This reaction made Shen Yan unable to contain hisughter, but when Qi Jing leaned down to bite down on his throat, he couldn¡¯tugh anymore. He let out a soft grunt, joining Qi Jing in his rapid breathing as he held his head, guiding him closer to himself.


    As Qi Jingpacked their luggage, he thought that things like condoms and lube coulde in handy, so he packed it as well. Little did he expect that the person responsible for using them would change.


    He only had theoretical knowledge about it, and he had never put it in practice before.


    And only when he tried it for himself did he realise that it wasn¡¯t as easy as he imagined. It still took a bit to adapt and hurt a bit, but with the use of lube, at least they ensured that he wouldn¡¯t hurt Shen Yan. But when he saw Shen Yan frown when he entered, he still felt a tinge of guilt.


    However, he couldn¡¯t utter a single word; his mind waspletely nk.


    He only lowered his head to kiss Shen Yan¡¯s eyes, slowing down and moving more gently, the same way this man treated himself, entering him slowly and with care¡ªat least, for as long as he could keep his self-control.


    ¡°Ngh...¡±


    As he breathed heavily, he couldn¡¯t help the novel pleasureing from below. He let out a groan, followed by a moan.


    He had never thought that he would want to top before. But the practice proved that faced with his beloved person, a man¡¯s instincts remain unchanged.


    Maybe because it was his first time experiencing this, or perhaps it was the alcohol ying tricks on his body, but he felt out of control over his own body. Drifting in a haze, he felt like moving in and out felt incredibly strenuous, yet it was also extremely good, making him lose control and urging him to exert more force. And every time he did, he could feel Shen Yan¡¯s back tense ever so slightly, further captivating him, rendering him unable to break free in the face of this pleasure.


    During that entire time, Shen Yan seldom spoke. asionally, he would softly murmur Qi Jing¡¯s name in a hoarse voice.


    ¡°A-Jing.¡±


    For the first time in his life he realised how sweet his name could sound.


    When he finished, he felt numbness spread through his body for a moment, and in that very moment, his mind went nk. When he came back to his senses, he was alreadyying on Shen Yan¡¯s chest, panting.


    The heating in the room was strong, causing a thinyer of half-dried sweat to form on his back. As the distant city light cast its glow, the sheen glided gently across his back as he breathed. The two of themy together quietly as if they spent their entire life¡¯s worth of energy, emanating a damp scent of sea salt¡ªa unique reminiscent of a receding tide.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Perhaps because he wasn¡¯t ustomed to it, Shen Yan himself hadn¡¯t reached his release, simply lying still on the pillows.


    Qi Jing already felt guilty before, and now his guilt grew even stronger. He couldn¡¯t make him bear with it, so he silently slipped under the covers and, without giving that man any chance to react, took him into his mouth. Shen Yan got caught by a surprise and hastily gasped for breath. He instinctively cradled the back of Qi Jing¡¯s head, but his fingers couldn¡¯t muster any force. All he could do was to run his fingers through Qi Jing¡¯s hair with a resigned smile, closing his eyes in eptance as he let Qi Jing have his way.


    He was already on his way toing, onlycking thatst push. And now Qi Jing patiently worked on providing him thatst push.


    After a while, Qi Jing heard this man groan, pushing him back slightly. But he didn¡¯t retreat, continuing to give him a head until he felt Shen Yan tremble and finally release.


    Qi Jing looked down and smiled faintly. Still without any word, he lightly rubbed the corner of his lips with a thumb, silently swallowing the remaining taste. Then, he got out from under the quilt and slipped back into the strong and powerful embrace of that man.


    ¡°Actually, being on top isn¡¯t that bad.¡± He said with a smile that wasn¡¯t quite a smile, lifting his eyes from beside Shen Yan¡¯s vicle to gauge his reaction.


    Shen Yan simply smiled lightly, his voice still somewhat hoarse, ¡°As long as you like it.¡±


    Upon hearing him say this, Qi Jing chuckled softly, ¡°Silly... I was just teasing you. Being on top is so exhausting¡ªI¡¯m quitezy, so it¡¯s better for you to continue doing this in the future.¡±


    But asionally, having it this way wouldn¡¯t be bad, he thought to himself


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t respond. Suddenly, he turned to the side and got on top of Qi Jing, holding him down on the pillows with a long kiss. So long in fact, that Qi Jing thought like he was about to pass out from theck of oxygen. Finally, Shen Yan let go and they both gasped for air, their gazes crossed from just inches away. He slowly traced Qi Jing¡¯s face with his fingers, and then, he suddenly said, ¡°Right now, I have nothing to hold back from you.¡±


    All of the past, all of the scars, even all of myself.


    ¡°All of this, is yours.¡± He said softly.


    Qi Jing gazed at him, unwavering, for a while. Then, with a faint smile, he nodded and masked the wet gleam in his eyes with a joke, ¡°I know, I will take responsibility for you.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Shen Yan was stunned at first, then he chuckled, hugging him tightly.


    On the second day, Zhang Cheng had already arranged apany vehicle to pick them up for the recording early in the morning.As per the previous arrangement, except from contestants like Tan Zixian who lived locally in Beijing and could make their own way to the recording studio, the rest of the contestants had to gather in the hotel lobby before 8 o¡¯clock, waiting for the transportation.


    Everyone had the same impression that someone like Shen Yan would certainly be the type to wait there half an hour before the time came.


    But when he only showed up in the lobby at 7:58, quite a lot of them whispered with surprise, ¡°Turns out Kitty¡¯s Papa is actually the type to cut it close¡±. What surprised them even more was how Don¡¯t ask for my return date, whom they believed already left Beijing, was also present. And what¡¯s more, he didn¡¯t seem toe from outside, but rather appeared as if he had been staying in the same hotel and had juste downstairs just like them.


    ¡°I came here this time not only to attend the introduction event and meet the teachers, but also to meet a friend in Beijing, so I decided to stay in this hotel for the night,¡± Exined Don¡¯t ask for my return date.


    Upon hearing this, the crowd began whispering among themselves, a bit sceptical. But fortunately, they didn¡¯t probe any further.


    However, it was quite suspicious for him and Shen Yan to appear almost simultaneously. Moreover, he remained quietly by Shen Yan¡¯s side the entire time, even escorting him to a seat and supporting his waist slightly as he sat down. Since Shen Yan had mentioned during the dinner the night before that he ¡®was feeling unwell¡¯, he was perhaps still feeling ufortable and it wasn¡¯t surprising for him sitting down to rest. What was strange, however, was Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s behaviour.


    His thoughtfulness and consideration was beyond what could be justified by simply calling him a ¡®gentleman¡¯.


    ¡°Is he your wife? Even if he¡¯s not feeling well, why should it be your responsibility to take care of him?¡± With a burst of hostility towards the two of them, Went off with a bang wasted no time inunching his attack. And his bombing range sure wasn¡¯t small, hitting precisely on the mark.


    Qi Jing was stunned, his ears suddenly growing slightly red as he instinctively met gazes with Shen Yan. Fortunately it was only slightly, and wasn¡¯t very obvious.


    Before Qi Jing could even say something, a few female contestants from the side giggled and helped him to get the way out of the situation.


    ¡°Uncle Bang, would you please hold back from speaking sometimes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, what wife this, wife that. And if we¡¯re talking about wives, then doesn¡¯t Don¡¯t ask for my return date look more like one?¡±


    Hearing this, Qi Jing coughed slightly.


    Shen Yan only watched him quietly, smiling but not saying anything.


    It was a rare sight to see Qi Jing wake up earlier than him. Just as Shen Yan opened his eyes, Qi Jing was already and whispered a low ¡®good morning¡¯ by his ear. If that was just the start, then what followed was even more evident. He carefully supported Shen Yan when he was getting out of bed, prepared fresh clothes when he went to take a shower, adjusted the water temperature to the perfection, and even checked the sofa to see if it¡¯s not too hard after he finished bathing...


    At first, Shen Yan let him do whatever he wanted, butter on, he couldn¡¯t help butugh.


    ¡ªYou don¡¯t have to tend to me like this. I¡¯m okay, it doesn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡ªNo way, I need to tend to you to feel at ease, otherwise I won¡¯t be able to focus on anything else for the rest of the day. Just let me nurse you, please.


    Thinking back to the conversation they had back in the room, it still made him smile to himself unwittingly.


    ¡°Ah, Return Date, you¡¯re still here?¡± Zheng Chang entered the lobby at ten minutes past eight and was equally surprised to see Qi Jing.


    With a smile, Qi Jing told him the same impromptu excuse he gave previously. In response, Zhang Cheng patted his shoulder with joy and said, ¡°If you¡¯re also staying in Beijing for today, then that¡¯s great! Would you like toe along with us?¡±


    Qi Jing was surprised by this proposition, but declined politely with a smile, ¡°Thank you, but I don¡¯t think I will join you. Yesterday I managed to visit the studio with everyone to meet Teacher Pu and Teacher Yuan, but... Since I wasn¡¯t officially selected as a contestant and today it¡¯s the official recording day, I believe it would be better for me not to disturb everyone by tagging along again.¡±


    Of course, the so-called ¡®disturbing¡¯ referred to the possible reaction from the other contestant.


    If he kept tagging along them, someone would inevitably think that a mere runner-up like him is getting the same treatment as the winners, getting ahead of himself.


    But Zhang Cheng said with a smile, ¡°Ah, actually for the voice acting projects like ours, we always need some ¡®crowd¡¯. We oftenck voice actors for those, so if youe, you could help us with some passerby roles A, B, C, and so on.¡±


    In the voice acting business lingo, ¡®crowd¡¯ referred to the misceneous voices that appeared in the background of the main cast¡¯s lines, typically aimed at enhancing the authenticity of the post-production. Sometimes the voice actors for those didn¡¯t even get named in the credits. Since ?Order to End the Heavens? wasn¡¯t really the film or television-scale production, it would be inconvenient for them to search for the background actors afterpleting all the production work, they strived to finish all of the recordings within one day.


    If it was him who proposed it, the contestants would surely gossip about it.


    And if it was Zhang Cheng¡¯s proposal, then there was no issue at all.


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be too obvious if I, with my voice type, y those random passersby?¡± That was Qi Jing¡¯s only concern. He was often cast as main or supporting characters due to his distinctive voice, which was too ear-catching to y the walk-on roles. In this regard, he was quite the opposite of Shen Yan.


    ¡°Teacher will take care of that himself.¡± Zhang Cheng reassured him without any worries.


    The script has already been finalised, but would there be any background roles suitable for him in it?


    Luci: We¡¯re slowly approaching the end of the novel (just 9 chapters left!), but as much as I would want to finish the trantion without any break, I¡¯m unfortunately in the middle of exams, and the workload at my part-time job is getting hectic as well... I will be back soon, but I need the next two weeks off QAQ


    Good luck for everyone during this exam season!

 Chapter 144

    <h4>Chapter 144</h4>


    unedited


    ¡¾yboy A¡¿


    ¡¾yboy B¡¿¡û This one¡¯s for crooked seedling No.1. (circled with a red line)


    Qi Jing first nced silently at the annotation on the script, then stared at the voice director Yuan Zhengming before him.


    ¡°What,¡± Yuan Zhengming smiled like azy fox, saying with all seriousness, ¡°Doesn¡¯t this role suit you just right?¡±


    ¡ªIn a sense it really did suit him.


    It could be said that voicing yboys and the like was his long-time specialty, and his voice type wouldn¡¯t stand out as much if he were to y one. If that alone was the case, he wouldn¡¯t have anything toin about. What took him aback was how, despite both the roles being ¡°yboys¡±, A and B¡¯s lines werepletely different in style. He felt like yboy A suited him better, yet Yuan Zhengming insisted on making him voice yboy B.


    This scene was located at the pleasure house the main character Qin Tuo often frequented, and those two yboys were the establishment¡¯s patrons engaging in a flirtatious banter with a group of girls in the background. Their lines were as follows.


    ¡¾yboy A¡¿: Hahaha, no breathtakingndscape canpare to the beauties like a painting here. Come,e, sing a song for my noble self, we shouldn¡¯t waste this fine time and scenery.


    ¡¾yboy B¡¿: Beautifuldies, if you satisfy me with your service, I promise you a life of such luxury that your sisters will be green from envy~ Gold, silver, whatever you desire¡ªdon¡¯t I have anything you could possibly want? How about it¡ªwhichever one of you will be the most obedient today, I will reward you with a jade bracelet next time, hmm?


    Compared to yboy A, yboy B sounded way more like a dubious fellow.


    ¡°Teacher Yuan, you¡¯re doing this on purpose.¡± Qi Jing gave up on asking the questions and went straight to making a statement.


    ¡°A voice director has to consider the contrast between the voices,¡± Yuan Zhengming stroked his chin with a hint of seriousness, though a slight smirk at the corner of his mouth still gave him away, ¡°Your voice is suitable for both, but with him present... I think that you¡¯d be better suited for yboy B.¡±


    Qi Jing followed the direction of his finger and gazed silently at Qiu Tianyang, their ¡°yboy B¡±, who came over to join the fun. Qiu Tianyang blinked at him with an innocent expression.


    ¡°So you actually came to join the misceneous voice actors...¡±


    ¡°Either way I¡¯m idle now.¡±


    The actual voice actors involved with the recording were taking a short break in another recording studio, so Yuan Zhengming finally had some spare time toe and provide guidance to the background voice actors. As a director with no direct involvement with the production, Qiu Tianyang didn¡¯t need to appear that day at all. However, he couldn¡¯t stay idle and decided to sneak over.


    ¡°I heard that this kid used to do voice acting as well, but his acting skills weren¡¯t all that good, so currently he can only y the minor roles.¡± Yuan Zhengming didn¡¯t mince his words when he openly criticised Qiu Tianyang.


    ¡°Cough... I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I haven¡¯t practised for a long time now, so...¡± Qiu Tianyang admitted with embarrassment.


    ¡°Even though your acting skills aren¡¯t great, your voice can still leave the girls swooning, so that¡¯s a redeeming point for you.¡± Suddenly Yuan Zhengming let out augh and, after that teasing jab, didn¡¯t forget to give him a few words of praise, ¡°Both your voices belong to the same type, but Crooked Seedling, your sounds more ¡®wicked¡¯, with a bad-boy vibe. His, on the other hand, sounds a bit more righteous.


    Just like thements from the directors in the circle...


    But that wasn¡¯t the important point.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that your voice will get recognized?¡± Qi Jing raised his brow, curious.


    It wasn¡¯t only about the game yers¡ªin a moment, there would also be a couple of female VAsing in for this background scene to y the girls from the pleasure house, and there was always a possibility someone would recognize him.


    During yesterday¡¯s introduction event, Qiu Tianyang didn¡¯t even dare to go on the stage, hiding underneath it while having the manager deliver the speech. Yet he actually dared to openly speak, and even record today? Looking at the terrific sales of the previous instalments for ?Order to End the Heavens?, even if he only appeared as the background voice, as long as he had at least one line, there was no way no one would recognise him.


    Hearing him ask so, Qiu Tianyang only chuckled self-deprecatingly. ¡°Mhm. Either way it¡¯s nothing big. It¡¯s not like my name will get publicised, so if anyone recognises my voice, it¡¯ll just be a surprise for them at the most. And...¡±


    Saying this, he hesitated slightly.


    ¡°And if I don¡¯t do my best to keep up the pace with the rest&#k2026; then if we ever get the chance to voice act together again in the future, wouldn¡¯t I end up holding everyone back?¡±


    In this sentence, he didn¡¯t say clearly who those ¡°others¡± were, but Qi Jing understood what he meant right away.


    He raised his head to look at the man beside him, a bit surprised. After a while, he smiled lightly as if nothing happened, without uncovering the meaning of those words.


    The weird thing was, this short exchange inexplicably brightened his mood, filling him with an eager determination and the fighting spirit he hadn¡¯t felt for a long time. Thest time he felt like this was when he fiercely crashed Bronze Sparrow Terrace in the semifinals only to get a wake-up call in a form of Two¡¯s scolding.


    ¡°Two have asked me before if I would want to join you guys. If I really did... I guess I would be the ¡®Seven¡¯ then.¡±


    He said with a chuckle, tapping that guy¡¯s shoulder with the script in his hand.


    ¡°We will certainly have a chance to work together in the future, so I¡¯m counting on your guidance, Five.¡±


    The recording of the voice lines continued orderly and intensely for a few hours. For many online voice actors, this high workload and intensity when voice acting was a first-time experience. However, it was still an undeniably enriching experience to receive on-site guidance from a veteran like Yuan Zhengming, so despite all the challenges, everyone felt a mix of suffering and pleasure.


    To save time, everyone ate takeaways in the recording studio, just as the real professional voice actors.


    Qi Jing had nothing to do after finishing recording the lines for the background voices, so he naturally took on the role of a temporary worker on the set, helping with errands, moving the equipment and so on. Zhang Cheng was startled when he saw Qi Jingjoking with the technical assistants while carrying things in the corridor. He quickly asked Qi Jing to take a break, but Qi Jing insisted on continuing as he imed to enjoy doing it. Zhang Cheng tried to persuade him, but to no avail, so he could only let him continue.


    ¡°How did you be the venue worker here?¡± Tan Zixian emerged from the recording studio midway, and was surprised to see him already getting chummy with the workers, bustling about with them, so he furrowed his brow slightly.


    ¡°Ah, the work environment here is very simr to that back at the TV station, so it felt kinda familiar.¡± Qi Jing put down the box in his hand, stopping by to give him a smile.


    Tan Zixian lowered his head to examine the box on the floor. Judging from the sound when it got put down, it was most probably pretty heavy.


    ¡°You¡¯re really working hard, carrying things this heavy.¡± He looked Qi Jing up and down with a meaningful expression, ¡°So how are you feeling now?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± It¡¯s not like he was sick before?


    ¡°What I¡¯m asking is, can your body handle it?¡± Tan Zixian walked a few steps closer, as if only talking about the most usual of things, his tone just as calm andposed as always. ¡°Unless nothing happened after you went back yesterday night.¡±


    Qi Jing quickly understood what he was saying. He froze for a bit, then his face flushed slightly as he looked away with a guilty conscience, tugging at the cor of his shirt with unease.


    ¡°Cough,¡± He stammered when speaking in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m good. But, he might, not feel as well...¡±


    The longer he spoke, the smaller his voice became, his words barely discernible.


    Fortunately the guy before him had awyer background, so he understood the meaning of Qi Jing¡¯s words right away.


    Understanding was one thing, but when Tan Zixian looked up at him, his eyes held a hint of surprise. He was momentarily at a loss for words, only able to utter a soft ¡®eh?¡¯. Out of courtesy, heter concealed his astonishment, however he still couldn¡¯t help but drift off for a moment. After all, everyone would need a while to process the fact of suddenly getting their worldview overturned. And Qi Jing only lowered his head shyly with a smile, not speaking any further.


    By the time the recording waspletely done, it was already past 3PM.


    Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when walking through the door of the recording studio. After a long day of recording, most of the contestants were already too hoarse to want to speak, but they still had to make use of thosest moments to chat with each other and exchange contact information before parting for good.


    ¡°How did you guys do?¡±


    As the voice actor for the main male role with thergest amount of lengthy lines, Yang Jie was in thest group of people to emerge from the recording studio. Surprisingly enough, he still somehow appeared full of vigour, as if still capable of continuing recording for another few hours, truly impressive.


    Due to the limited space in the partition outside of the recording booth, all of them crowding there together would both be inconvenient and could easily affect the performance of those inside, so the recordings were all conducted in batches. Unless someone had to record a scene with another actor, the contestants took turns entering the booth. When some entered it to record, the others would leave to rest or go through the lines. Yang Jie couldn¡¯t listen to the entire process, so this was the first thing he asked about.


    ¡°Ah, it was just a background role for me, so I just had to do two lines. I was mainly just helping with the errands after that.¡± Qi Jing smiled, at ease. The first thing Two showed interest in was, as expected, the voice acting¡ªit was easy to see that he really loved it.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s how it is.¡± So Yang Jie turned his head toward Shen Yan, pressing him on for the answer, ¡°Then how about you, Six? How many times did you get cut by Teacher Yuan overall?¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re talking about the cuts that were caused by me, then it¡¯d be three.¡± Shen Yan said. The cuts caused by the other peoples¡¯ mistakes were a different matter.


    Hearing this, Yang Jie grinned slightly, giggling delightedly all full of himself, ¡°I won then! I only got cut twice from the beginning to the end.¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t intend to fight for superiority with him, so he only smiled slightly as he heard him say this.


    However, Qi Jing leaned over from the side with a smile, waving his hand at Yang Jie as he reminded him benevolently, ¡°He got cut three times for both of his roles, so on average... It would actually be less than two.¡±


    Yang Jie stopped, his smile copsing momentarily before he eximed, ¡°Ah! I actually lost! Agh, that sucks...¡±


    Just as he intended¡ªthis in turn made Qi Jing burst outughing. Shen Yan smiled helplessly as he watched him, which only made Qi Jing even happier. Luckily, there were only the other four people present, with no one else around, so he could casually put his hand on Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder and relish in the pleasant atmosphere of the moment.


    In the end, Shen Yan who took the initiative to intervene and mediate, saying, ¡°Two is voicing the main character with much more lines than I had, so there¡¯s no way topare that. And he only got cut by Teacher Yuan twice with such a huge amount of lines, which, in my opinion, is really impressive.¡±


    Maybe because he was being so sincere, Yang Jie actually grew a bit red on his face when listening to him. He coughed twice, ¡°No...There¡¯s nothing amazing about that.¡±


    ¡°Eh? But you weren¡¯t so modest a while ago?¡± Whenever Shen Yan took the role of the good cop, Qi Jing would always take pleasure in ying his bad cop.


    ¡°Are you looking down on the likes of me who got cut over ten times?¡± At that time, Tan Zixian also tossed in from the side, joining him in the ¡°bad cop¡± camp.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, what do you think people who got cut over ten times like us should say?¡± Qiu Tianyang soon followed suit.


    He was only joining in while agreeing with Tan Zixian at first, but when he said that, the remaining four all looked at him at the same time. Aside from Qi Jing, who knew about that earlier and only watched the fun with a silly smile, the other three were clearly shocked.


    Among them, Shen Yan¡¯s reaction was the most calm. He was astonished, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Meanwhile, Tan Zixian frowned slightly, ¡°I at least had two pages of lines to go through, but you only had one line, how did you get cut as many times as I did?¡±


    Yang Jie was even more straightforward, saying savagely, ¡°I knew that you sucked at acting, but I didn¡¯t think it was this bad¡ª¡±


    Qiu Tianyang mumbled, aggrieved, ¡°...We, we¡¯re just the supporting roles, it¡¯s not solely my fault if we get cut. You¡¯re being too harsh.¡±


    As he was about to continue his plea, he caught the sight of the prating gaze Shen Yan fixed at him and it dawned on him that his words almost seemed to shift the me onto Qi Jing, who was also in the same group as him. He trembled and hastily adopted a more ingratiating tone, ¡°No, no, no, if we¡¯re talking about Return Date, then Teacher Yuan hardly ever cut. Since it involved teamwork and group cooperation, the cuts were all caused by the ¡®group synergy¡¯, so there were barely any cuts due to individual reasons...¡±


    At that time, Tan Zixian snickered lightly, ¡°Oh? Then would you dare to say that you didn¡¯t get cut a single time?¡±


    Qiu Tianyang stared up into the skies above in silence.


    Given the current situation, honesty was the only way to seek leniency.


    ¡°Alright... I got cut five times. It really was only five times, and it was all due to circumstances beyond my control.¡±


    Yang Jie furrowed his brow and immediately followed with a question, ¡°What was beyond your control?¡±


    Qiu Tianyang cleared his throat,¡± About that... Teacher Yuan said that I don¡¯t sound like that of an ordinary yboy. He wanted me to have a more crude and natural tone, without sounding too authoritative or regal, like an emperor or a prince roaming around incognito. That¡¯s why... I had to redo the lines a few times to sound like a genuine ordinary passerby.¡±


    The room wentpletely silent.


    Qu Jing raised his brow slightly, ¡°Five, are you bragging right now?¡±


    Tan Zixian replied insipidly, ¡°It¡¯s obvious that he¡¯s bragging.¡±


    Yang Jie finally snapped back, his expression growing dark as he roared indignantly, ¡°You! God! Damn! Bastard!¡±


    He stomped forward while yelling, ready to give this piece of work, who only ever relied on his voice without paying mind to the good acting to captivate people, a solid beating.


    Seeing the unfavourable turn in the situation, Qiu Tianyang hastily pleaded for forgiveness.


    ¡°I was wrong! I was wrong! I said I was wrong, so let me off already!¡±


    ¡°See who cares!¡± Yang Jie gnashed his teeth, reaching out to catch Qiu Tianyang¡¯s arm.


    Qiu Tianyang swiftly dodged backward, narrowly escaping the situation. However, the next time probably wouldn¡¯t be as easy to escape alone, so his immediate instinct was to run for help to his lifesavers Number One and Number Two, adopting the gueri hide-and-seek tactic. Just as he was hesitating which lifesaver he should turn to first, Shen Yan, who had silently observed everything, suddenly spoke up and called out to him, ¡°Five,e here, I¡¯ll hold him off for you.¡±


    Qi Jing let out a quite surprised ¡®eh?¡¯.


    Tan Zixian was also a bit surprised, staring at him without moving. .


    But the most surprised was Qiu Tianyang himself, who gotpletely stumped by this turn of events. After a moment that took him to get back to reality, he sped over, moved by this benevolent act of favour, ¡°Six, you...¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, Shen Yan swiftly seized Qiu Tianyang¡¯s arm. In an instant, he twisted Qiu Tianyang¡¯s body outward, making him turn half-way. He then twisted Qiu Tianyang¡¯s arm behind his back and held his neck with the other hand, employing a textbook joint lock to immobilise him. Throughout the entire process, his expression didn¡¯t waver a single bit, and in the end, he lifted his head and said coldly to Yang Jie, ¡°I¡¯ve got him¡ªnow you can hit him.¡±


    Yang Jie shed him a splendid smile, giving him big thumbs up, ¡°Good job, Six!¡±


    Qiu Tianyang simply had to swallow the blood churning up his throat from the grievance he just suffered.


    ¡°It was a scheme...¡± He gasped, crying with indignation, ¡°It, was, a scheme¡ª!!!¡±


    Qi Jing couldn¡¯t stopughing, hisughter so hard that his stomach began to ache. He had to squat down as he pped his hands, thoroughly enjoying the sight of Two performing all sorts of tickling tortures on the crying Five.


    Tan Zixian shook his head with the ¡°you guys really are childish¡± expression, but there was a slight smile dancing on the corners of his lips.


    And so, the trip to Beijing slowly came to an end among theirughter.


    After a celebratory banquet with the teachers, other workers, and contestants, they went back to sort out their luggage and prepare for the return trip.


    Yang Jie nned to stay an additional two or three more days in Beijing this time, so he bid his farewells to them at the hotel entrance, making ns to do a meet up at Qi Jing and Shen Yan¡¯s ce during the school winter break.


    And as for their trip to the airport, it was Qiu Tianyang who drove them, while Tan Zixian quietly tagged along.


    ¡°Take care.¡± Qiu Tianyang didn¡¯t listen to Shen Yan and stopped the car at the parking lot, insisting on sending him and Qi Jing off to the terminal. As theypleted the check-in process and started preparing for the security check, he finally spoke up in a low voice, his tone tinged with a hint of self-me.


    ¡°Mn,¡± Shen Yan nodded calmly, ¡°You two take care as well.¡±


    Qi Jing followed with a slight smile, ¡°After I get transferred to Beijing in March next year, we¡¯ll be able to meet up regrly, have drinks, and chat. I hope that by then, the other guys will be there as well.¡±


    ¡ªBy this he meant the other ¡°numbers¡± of the group.


    Hearing this, Qiu Tianyang replied with a soft hum. Although his smile wasn¡¯t very convincing, it was at least hopeful, ¡°Mhm. Who knows, maybe we won¡¯t have until March?¡±


    At that time, neither of them realised how much their words would be prophetic.


    Moreover... It didn¡¯t at all happen at the time and in the way they had envisioned back then.


    T/N:


    Luci: I¡¯m sorry it took so long to resume the updates... Who would have thought that two-week hiatus could make it so difficult to get back into a routine? ;;;


    P.S. For some reason the site kept deleting the novel title, so although the chapter went public at the normal time, it didn¡¯t get added under the novel until I corrected it, sorry for the confusion @.@

 Chapter 145

    <h4>Chapter 145</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    In Qi Jing¡¯s dictionary, thest few days of a year could be described with just one word¡ªrush.


    The kind of where despite the already extreme fatigue, you still need to elerate and push forward.


    Their workload was already plentiful even during the usual times, but in those few days, it would easily double. Everyone from the news team wished they could master the art of cloning, with one clone to dispatch on the business trips, another one to leave behind to write their year-end report, and one more to get off work and spend time with their loved ones and children.


    Unfortunately, Qi Jing was unable to clone himself, so he had to multitask. While on business trips, he would write the report while in a car, then call back home in the spare time between the interviews to check on his lover as well as their cat and dog ¡®children¡¯. Reflecting on this, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh with emotion¡ªtaking two days off to go to Beijing with Shen Yan back then was so wise of him. Afterward, he found himself deep into the abyss of endless work, unable to find even a bit of free time.


    ¡°No matter what, I will be back before the New Year.¡± Qi Jing gnashed his teeth after hearing Little Return Date¡¯s dissatisfied meows and Big Goose¡¯s dejected bark, making a promise to Shen Yan.


    ¡°No need to be in a rush, do it at your own pace, we¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± Shen Yan smiled at the other end of the call,forting him in a gentle voice.


    Even though Shen Yan told him not to rush, Qi Jing stillmitted all of his energy to finishing the work. To prevent himself from getting distracted, he stayed away from the forums, from Weibo, QQ. He stayed offline for a little over a week, putting anything rted to online voice acting on hold for that time.


    Trully, the seconding of ¡®god of ying dead¡¯¡ª


    During that time, the discussion about their visit to Beijing gained some poprity online, especially after their photos from the introduction event got spread around.


    Fortunately, with someone as popr and handsome as Tan Zixian there, it helped to shift the focus away from them. There were fewer people talking about him and Shen Yan than they anticipated, perhaps because the fans didn¡¯t get fixated on their looks. Aside from that, Qi Jing also portrayed their rtionship as very ¡®friendly¡¯, and with both of them making it public that they both have an IRL boyfriend, there wasn¡¯t much room left for people to indulge in fantasies. As a result, soon everyone¡¯s interest in gossip gradually died away.


    With the 2D world remaining uneventful, it provided him with just the right opportunity to focus on his real life matters.


    Or at least he thought so before he received that message from Ning Xiaoxiao.


    Ning Xiaoxiao: Senior, I know that you don¡¯t like to check QQ when on a business trip, especially if it¡¯s for something rted to online matters... But I think that you might have toe back for a bit.


    Qi Jing: What happened? Can¡¯t you type it through a SMS?


    Ning Xiaoxiao: ...An SMS won¡¯t be enough, I need to send a file to you. It¡¯s an MP3 audio file.


    Qi Jing: Eh? If you need to send me a file then maybe it¡¯d be better if you waited until I¡¯m back. Right now, I¡¯m using thepanyptop, so I don¡¯t want to log on my private QQ or download personal files on it, you understand.


    Ning Xiaoxiao: ...Senior, I understand. But I still think that it¡¯d be better if you listened to it quickly... I¡¯m serious.


    Thisss was always so happy-go-lucky around him, but for her to insist so much despite knowing that he stayed far away from 2D talk when busy with work, it really was unusual.


    As luck would have it, he had a two hour lunch break, providing him with an opportunity to rest for a while in a guest house before the next interview. Curious yet a tad confused, he opened his QQ.


    He wouldn¡¯t have known if he didn¡¯t open it, but as soon as he did, the little trumpet icon in the lower-right corner kept chiming non-stop. It seemed like there were a lot of people who had left him messages, which wasn¡¯t surprising as he hadn¡¯t gone online for quite a bit already. He didn¡¯t think much about it and first ignored the other people¡¯s messages, directly clicking on his Junior¡¯s ount, March Bamboo Shoots.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I¡¯m here, Xiaoxiao. So what happened? Spit it out.


    March Bamboo Shoots: Senior... About this...


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Hm?


    Thisss didn¡¯t give any details, continuing hemming and hawing, so he had no idea what she wanted to tell him. Qi Jing waited for her to speak, yet didn¡¯t get any exnation. Instead, a request to send a file suddenly popped up in the right corner of the chat window. It was the file she mentioned she wanted him to listen to before.


    The file name was: ¡°Christmas Special¡ª?Trap? Episode 2 teaser¡±.


    So that¡¯s how it is. Qi Jingughed in spite of himself.


    He thought about how early he sent the dry recordings for the second episode at the time, but because Bronze Sparrow Terrace kept dying on his part, the production of the second episode didn¡¯t progress at all. Later, they had a fall out during thepetition, with the drama getting so big that he and a couple of staff members ended up quitting the ?Trap? production group. And the result? While still holding the karaoke streams and activities with fans, this great god, who allegedly didn¡¯t have time to record, suddenly finished recording it all, and it was ready for a release?


    The sheer thought felt like a mocking.


    Without thinking much, he shook his head with a self-deprecating smile and clicked ¡®refuse¡¯. Day 1 words 1008/1263


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: And here I thought it was something important... Turns out the second episode for it ising out soon. But I don¡¯t care, I already quit the production crew, so it doesn¡¯t concern me at all if or when they want to release it.


    March Bamboo Shoots: ...


    March Bamboo Shoots: ...


    March Bamboo Shoots: ...No, Senior, you should listen. I¡¯m almost certain about it, but I still want you to listen to it.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ?


    March Bamboo Shoots: I think that... I... heard your voice in there. I¡¯m not 100% sure, so you should listen to it yourself... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    Ning Xiaoxiao¡¯s final sentence caught Qi Jingpletely off-guard. His brow furrowed subconsciously, and he sat straighter in his seat.


    His voice? It appeared in the teaser for the second episode of ?Trap??


    What was this situation?


    At that moment, Ning Xiaoxiao once again sent him the MP3 file, and he hastily epted it. The file wasn¡¯t big, maybe around ten megabytes, so it didn¡¯t take long for it to get sent. However, watching the progress bar moving to the right bit by bit still left him with a sense of unease, as he had a bad feeling about it.


    Finally, he finished downloading the file. He immediately wore the headphones and double-clicked to open it.


    ¡®Teaser¡¯ refers to an edit published before the official release of an audio drama for publicity. A few plot highlights would get chosen from the new episode, then edited along with a BGM. It was something like a six, seven minutes-long trailer.


    Aside from the publicity for the release, teasers could be also sent early during the holidays for the fans to enjoy.


    The teaser he was listening right now was for the ?Trap? production crew prepared for the Christmas celebration, one they rushed to release for the Christmas eve. It being avable for downloads got announced during Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s Christmas Eve party event on his YY channel, causing the shrieks of joy among the crowds of his little fans.


    Initially, nothing sounded amiss in this teaser. It was simply a continuation of the plot from the first episode: the reappearance of the supposedly dead police officer, the internal conflict in the mafia, the emotional breakthrough between the two main characters, and so on...


    Even though Qi Jing had already quit the production,he still had some recollection of those scenes and lines when listening to it since he had already finished recording for the second episode before.


    The new Shou chosen by the production crew for the main character was decent overall, although his voice was a bit too sweet and cloying. However, if judged based on that sound designer girl¡¯s understanding of a ¡®flirty Shou¡¯, then he could pass. But in terms of the acting skills, Qi Jing didn¡¯t know if it was because he listened to the voice actingpetition like ?Order to End the Heavens?, which featured all kinds of skilled actors, but this new actor didn¡¯t evoke any of that ¡®Oh, I also want to try acting with this person¡¯ kind of feeling.


    He continued listening patiently.


    After a hurried session of all kinds of plot snippets, just as the third second just started, a very familiar gasping sound entered his ears¡ªapanied with faint whispers, rising and falling in intensity, overflowing with a captivating allure. It, sounded, so, familiar...


    ¡°...What the hell...¡±


    In his state of shock, he could only squeeze out those three words out of his suddenly dry throat. Only then he realised that he was wringing the headphones cable in his hands, almost breaking it on the spot.


    It was indeed his voice.


    It was a part of the dry recordings he handed over before for the second episode, the one where the main characters had sex.


    It was mainly just gasping, with one or two lines murmured in between, but this voice was too characteristic¡ªthe moment he heard it he knew it was him.


    This time it wasn¡¯t just his own dry recording, as it got edited together with Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s recording¡ªa final product of the post-production.


    And Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s lines could be heard very clearly.


    ¡°Why do you have to torment me so? Hm?¡±


    In the original novel, this line of dialogue was meant to reflect the police officer¡¯s despair and longing. He was tangled in a mess of love and hate towards the other man, unable to let go even in the midst of intense, deep entanglement, unable to restrain the pain he felt. ¡°Why do you have to torment me so¡±¡ªit was meant to be delivered with a hint of a sob, his voice hoarse among gasps as he muttered to himself, emphasising this poignant and beautiful scene.


    Yet Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s voice was like that of a dominant high above, with a haughty hum he added at the end on his own ord. Coupled with those self-indulgent gasps, it created an atmosphere straight out of an erotic BDSM porn.


    ¡°You... let go of me...¡± This er on was Qi Jing¡¯s line.


    Due to the difference in opinions that arose during the first episode, as well as to maintain the integrity between his character in the first and second episodes, he recorded each line in three versions with great care. One version remained faithful to the original plot, depicting the character¡¯s struggles and distress. Another version followed the directions from Bronze Sparrow Terrace and his team. The third version served as apromise, finding the middle ground between those two, partially retaining the soul of the original and while amodating the Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s and his supporters¡¯ preferences.


    Now, in this teaser, the sound designer actually used the version he didn¡¯t want to get used the most¡ªthe flirty Shou one.


    He had to disguise his voice, portraying a yed up struggle while secretly lusting for more, making it especially seductive.


    Such a long sex scene actually took over two-thirds of the whole teaser, which waspletely uncalled for.


    As it turned out, the lines selected by the production crew for the scene were all quite explicit, with a clear implication in that direction and apanied with all kinds of appropriate sound effects. No wonder the sound designer for ?Trap? was currently thought to be one of the best in the audio dramamunity. Aside from her editing skills, the imagery she created was also incredibly lifelike.


    So lifelike, that it sounded as if he really got pushed down and screwed by Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡ª


    BANG!


    By the time he snapped back, he realised he had already stood up and mmed the headphones on the desk. His shoulders were trembling uncontrobly with fury.


    The first episode also had some smut in it, but it was much less explicit than this.


    At that time, he wasn¡¯t thinking much about it. After all, it was just voice acting, and there was already nothing he didn¡¯t y before, and it wasn¡¯t his first time voicing a sex scene. He didn¡¯t have anything against doing this, so he just treated it as doing his job.


    After recording it and listening to the demo, he still didn¡¯t feel strong about it, as he knew that this so-called sex scene was nothing more than just a result of two recordings gettingbined in a post-production. Therefore, when he learned that the second episode¡¯s scene was even longer and more explicit than the first one, he still didn¡¯t voice any objections and intended to approach it professionally, staying true to his voice acting spirit¡ªeven if the other person was Bronze Sparrow Terrace, whom he had no favourable impression of.


    However, after seeing through that guypletely, he momentarily felt nauseating when listening to this scene¡ªespecially since the other party didn¡¯t seek his consent at all.


    ¡°That¡¯s disgusting.¡± His voice was trembling, as were his shoulders when he repeated through gnashed teeth, unable to find another way to describe his feelings right now, ¡°Disgusting...!¡±


    He had already publicly left the production crew, so on what basis did they have the audacity to use his recordings!!


    He had also publicly severed his ties with Bronze Sparrow Terrace, yet they still went ahead and created such a lengthy teaser insinuating him being pushed down and screwed humiliatingly beneath that guy¡ªwhat kind of malice was that!!


    His hands were trembling too hard and he couldn¡¯t even touch the keyboard, so he just fumbled around shakily on the desk, anxious to grasp something. In the process, he identally knocked off the pen that was within his reach on the desk, causing it to roll and fall to the floor with a tter. All he could do was to clench his wrist with the other hand, trying his best to control that burning fury within him and avoid letting itpletely swallow his reason.


    Since he took so long to reply, he gave Ning Xiaoxiao quite a scare. She thought that maybe he would lose control and act without thinking, so she kept spamming him with messages asking if he was there.


    He closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down for a bit before he was finally able to type¡ªalthough he still had to correct the mistyped words quite a few times.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ...It really is me in that sex scene.


    March Bamboo Shoots: !!


    March Bamboo Shoots: Senior, are you crazy?? Why would you agree to let them keep using your recordings and release a teaser like this, don¡¯t you find it revolting!? £¨¨s¨F¿Ú¡ä£©¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I didn¡¯t agree to that.


    March Bamboo Shoots: !!


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: I have never agreed to that. I presumed that as long as I quit the production crew, all of the recordings I already handed in would get scrapped.


    March Bamboo Shoots: Of course the recordings should all get scrapped after a VA quits, isn¡¯t that obvious!? Fuck, wait... You mean that they used it without asking for your consent?? Didn¡¯t they find a new VA already? The plot-focused scenes from the beginning were also yed by him, so why the hell would they choose to still use your recordings for such a shameful scene??


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Hehe.


    He was so full of anger that heughed instead. He had no idea how to react aside fromughing coldly.


    The reason?


    Wasn¡¯t it clearly just to retaliate¡ªfrom the perspective of him, so deeply disgusted by this scene, this method of retaliation was remarkably effective, so effective that he genuinely felt like puking for the first time.


    ¡¾This situation already got spread around on the forum.¡¿


    When his Junior told him thest bit of bad news, he wasn¡¯t surprised at all, and even felt indifferent about it. These were just the inevitable consequences that were bound to crop up.


    Opening the forum headpage, he was immediately met with a popr post hanging there right away¡ª¡±Have anyone listened to the Christmas Eve Present from the ?Trap? production? That smut scene... I¡¯m so confused.¡±


    The post got published three days after Christmas.


    As this teaser started off only shared in the small circle of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s YY channel, it only got passed onter between the fans until it reached the non-fan listeners. Three dayster, it finally went full circle around the audio dramamunity, and it was then when someone finally couldn¡¯t help and started asking questions. By the time Qi Jing saw that post, the thread already had hundreds of replies.


    ¡¾Original Post¡¿:


    So, as the title says.


    Has anyone else, like me, happily downloaded the teaser for the second episode of ?Trap?, only to heart that long smut scene... and feel like the Shou VA there... was the original VA, Don¡¯t ask for my return date?


    ¡¾Comment 1¡¿:


    The teaser for episode 2 of ?Trap? is out now??


    Hmm, I haven¡¯t been following the discussionstely since there was so much drama after the first episode. Turns out this thread was so active these days because of the teaser release.


    But am I remembering it wrong that Don¡¯t ask for my return date had already left this audio drama? Could it be that they¡¯re still using him in the second episode and only changing the VA in the third episode?? (Posting in the thread while waiting for a download is a great habit indeed...)


    ¡¾Comment 2¡¿:


    Replying to the friend from the firstment, I also remember that Don¡¯t ask for my return date had already left the production, the second episode wasn¡¯t supposed to be voiced by him.


    ¡¾Comment 3¡¿:


    ¦²(¤Ã ¡ã§¥ ¡ã)¤Ã So! I¡¯m! Not! Alone!


    Shaking hands with the OP! I got so spooked when I heard that smut scene, it¡¯s clearly Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s voice! Even though he has barely any lines and it¡¯s mostly gasps, I have no doubt about that voice belonging to him!


    But, but... It seems like he¡¯s only for the smut part... I can¡¯t makes less and less sense the more I think about it...


    ¡¾Comment 4¡¿:


    Holy crap... After seeing this thread I rushed to download it, and after listening to it, I have to say...


    After knowing about the drama between Bronze Sparrow Terrace and Don¡¯t ask for my return date and listening to this smut, I¡¯m cringing so hard!!


    Return Date-sama, aren¡¯t you embarrassed!?


    ¡¾Comment 5¡¿:


    Cringing so hard!! +10086


    It¡¯s clearly so awkward, yet he still agreed to let them use his recording, isn¡¯t Don¡¯t ask for my return date being a bit too much of a pushover?? Did he reallypromise with Bronze Sparrow Terrace?? = =


    Perhaps because he had already let off some steam before, he was already numb enough to feel nothing as he coldly read the course of how this gossip developed.


    About the first hundred replies were all people making sceptical conjectures. But as it went further, somements started specting whether he made amends with Bronze Sparrow Terrace, and even some fans of Bronze Sparrow Terrace came out to taunt him, saying things like ¡®Don¡¯t ask for my return date had realised his wrongs, so he came back to grovel at our God¡¯s feet¡¯.


    It was as if he was staring at a screen filled with ck squares instead of characters, each one representing something he knew, but didn¡¯t want to know that. In his eyes, those squares all blurred into pitch ck darkness, just like the growing gloom in his heart, at the verge of a copse at any possible moment.


    However, suddenly six of the rectangles lit up before him¡ªit was an ID, one he knew very well. It onlysted a moment before they made the words on the screen once again rify before his eyes.


    He couldn¡¯t help a startle, eyes going wide from astonishment.


    ¡¾Knives cutting in from four sides¡¿:


    ...To actually release something like this, is the current producer of ?Trap? really so shameless??


    As the previous director of ?Trap? audio drama, I initially never intended to involve myself with the new staff leaving the team. However, when a friend of mine told me about the content of this thread, I couldn¡¯t bear it any longer!!


    Who gave you permission to use the recordings Return Date submitted for the second episode??


    Just who gave you the permission??


    Everyone up there wants the behind-the-scenes tea, huh? Fine, I¡¯ll tell you guys!!


    When that Sir Bronze Sparrow Terrace dyed and didn¡¯t submit his recordings for half a year, Return Date had already finished recording for the second episode and sent everything to the previous producer and me. At that time, I finished editing all of the audio and sent it to the sound designer (which is also the current producer). I originally thought that we¡¯d soon be able to start working on the second episode, but it turned out despite her best efforts, the previous producer didn¡¯t manage to make Great God submit his dry recordings no matter how much she pushed. She tried for a whole half year, but there was nothing she could do. That¡¯s why even before Return Date even left the production, the second episode was still getting dyed.


    As for what happenedter, everyone is already aware, and the reason for Return Date¡¯s leaving the production. Some of our staff who still didn¡¯t leave at that time even felt guilty for wasting his recordings for a long time!


    When I listened to that supposed teaser for the second episode, I actually mmed my mouse while cussing¡ªhow dare you guys continue using Return Date¡¯s recordings!?


    This openly posted reply instantly caused sensation.


    ¡°Knives...¡±


    Upon seeing this, Qi Jing felt a pang of emotions, and a good half of the towering negativity in his heart copsing like a sand, while the tightness in his chest eased up by quite a bit. Knives, being a straightforward and loyal girl as she was, could have chosen to stay out of the situation and avoid getting caught up into a drama after leaving the production.


    Yet she was still willing to stand up for him, even at the of publicly offending the staff members with much more poprity and resources than her.


    He was so grateful. From the bottom of his heart, he was so, so grateful to this girl.


    And because she was known to be one of the original core production members, people were willing to believe her once she spoke up, so the situation took a big turn after this, with a lot of onlookers expressing their support for her below.


    Under this huge pressure, the current producer and sound designer A Lifetime¡¯s Lock had to make her counterattack.


    The two of them began questioning each other, tit for tat.


    ¡¾A Lifetime¡¯s Lock¡¿:


    Knives cutting in from four sides, you already left the production, so what are you looking for attention on the forum for? Is it because now that the second episode is about to get released, you started regretting leaving, so you came back to get a piece of pie? ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    Let me be honest with you¡ªdream on!


    You didn¡¯t direct the second episode, I found a new director myself. You also aren¡¯t its producer, but me! So I¡¯ll do whatever I like with the dry recordings, you have no say in this.


    ¡¾Knives cutting in from four sides¡¿:


    I don¡¯t care about your ridicule, I just want to ask you one thing¡ªwhen you used Return Date¡¯s dry recordings to make the teaser, did you ever ask for his consent??


    ¡¾A Lifetime¡¯s Lock¡¿:


    Why would I have to ask him for permission? That¡¯s ridiculous.


    If he had already submitted the recordings to the production team, he essentially acknowledged it became the property of the production team, including the rights to use them. If he didn¡¯t want the production team to use it, then why did he submit it in the first ce? By giving us the recordings, he was clearly giving us the permission to use it?


    ¡¾Knives cutting in from four sides¡¿:


    Are you out of your mind?!


    Don¡¯t you know that he has already quit the production?? When he left, it means that he took back his recordings. Don¡¯t you understand this much?!


    Using something without authorization=theft, understood?!


    ¡¾A Lifetime¡¯s Lock¡¿:


    Did he say that? When did he even mention taking back his recordings? He didn¡¯t.


    He hasn¡¯t even spoken up, so why would an ex-staff member like youe forward on his behalf? Is he some great lord or something? Why do you want to please him so desperately?


    Heh, I simply made a teaser before Christmas for the girls in our channel to enjoy. Let me ask you, who doesn¡¯t love to listen to some spicy bits? Who wouldn¡¯t be excited about it? So why don¡¯t you just stop being nitpicky, huh? The reason why I had topromise and use Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¯s recordings is because the new VA said that he currently can¡¯t record a smut scene, and I always make a Christmas gift every year, so I had to make do with Christmas Eve almost there.


    Either way it¡¯s just a teaser, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s the actual episode. And it was only meant for the fans in our YY channel and we didn¡¯t even post in on the forum. It¡¯s your own curiosity that made you download it, yet you¡¯re actuallyining to me about being unhappy with it?


    For such a melodramatic and attention-seeking VA like him, I¡¯m actually doing him a favour by using his recordings for the smut. I wouldn¡¯t even bother using it for the actual episode even if he begged me~


    When he read to that point, he suddenly lost all of his interest in continuing reading.


    He silently closed the page, grabbed his coat, and decided to take a walk outside. He hped that the December wind, with the 3D world¡¯s sense of reality, would dissipate his 2D world frustrations. He wanted to go back to being just his usual self, ¡®Qi Jing¡¯.


    It was all such a joke.


    He had always believed that there¡¯s no reason to get angry or quarrel with people on the inte. Ironically, he kept making exceptions to his own beliefs.


    The reality is that when put behind a screen, some people¡¯s ugly side can grow exponentially. They pour all their malice over other people without feeling a slightest bit of remorse. When a human interaction gets simplified into an interaction between mere symbols and characters, they no longer think it a big deal when delivering a blow. After all, they can¡¯t see the blood or tears being shed, so they can just continue smiling while stabbing.


    Indeed, Qiu Tianyang¡¯s advice turned out to be true in every aspect.


    ¡°I want to go home...¡±


    He walked for a kilometre or two along the banks of a small river outside of the guest house, then suddenly, he said those five words.


    Without thinking too much, his hand reached for the phone in his pocket, calling that number. But he suddenly realised that it was still that guy¡¯s working hours, so he quickly hung up after a short hesitation. Just as he was about to put the phone back into his coat pocket, that man actually called him back.


    ¡°Hello? Qi Jing?¡±


    For him, this man¡¯s voice was like his winter-specific medicine¡ªthe moment he heard it, he would instantly feel warm, making him break into a smile without realising it. The only regrettable thing was, his smile right now was a bit forced. It was the first time he wished the quality of the microphone in his phone wasn¡¯t as good, he didn¡¯t want that man to hear it.


    ¡°Mhm, it¡¯s me.¡± He did his best to use his usual tone, smiling lightly, ¡°Maybe go back to work... I¡¯m sorry, I will call you sometimeter.¡±


    ¡°Qi Jing,¡± Shen Yan stopped him in a low voice, not letting him hang up, ¡°What happened? You sound listless.¡±


    ¡ªSure enough, he noticed.


    Qi Jing smiled, then sighed. He finally admitted honestly, ¡°Mn. I¡¯m just in a bad mood, everything else¡¯s fine.¡±


    Shen Yan just listened all that time, not saying anything for a long time. Just as Qi Jing was about to suggest hanging up again, Shen Yan spoke up slowly, ¡°Is it because of the teaser for ?Trap??¡±

 Chapter 146

    <h4>Chapter 146</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    At that moment, Qi Jing felt his hands cover in cold sweat. There was clearly no one around, yet he subconsciously lowered his voice, his tone just as distraught as his feelings, ¡°...You knew about this?¡±


    Shen Yan replied softly, ¡°Mhm. I saw that post on the forum yesterday.¡±


    He paused for a bit there.


    ¡°I actually... didn¡¯t want you to find out. I didn¡¯t want you to feel bad about it, so I acted as if nothing happened when we talked on the callst night.¡± He let out a bitter chuckle, sighing heavily. ¡°But ultimately, nothing can remain a secret forever.¡±


    However, Qi Jing was only concerned with one thing, his breath trembling slightly. ¡°Did you... listen to it?¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s reply made him feel like someone rescued out of the suffocating depths of cold waters he found himself drowning in. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±


    This sensation of getting submerged in chilly water really truly wasn¡¯t pleasant. Qi Jing felt as if he woke up from a bad dream, and he let out a sigh of relief after returning to reality.


    ¡°Hah, haha... Fortunately you didn¡¯t.¡± Heughed hollowly, trying his best to keep his usual joking and rxed tone, ¡°Even I don¡¯t want to listen to it for the second time, not to mention you...¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t respond for that short while.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t listen to it, but that¡¯s because I felt that if I did, I would find that guy in real life and give him a solid beating.¡±


    Suddenly, he uttered those words with all seriousness, with neither his voice or tone leaving any room for doubt.


    But this in turn amused Qi Jing intoughing, ¡°Doctor Shen is so scary¡ª¡±


    He was clearlyughing, but when hisughter gradually stopped, Shen Yan suddenly said in a low voice, ¡°Qi Jing, don¡¯t be sad.¡±


    Upon hearing those words, Qi Jing¡¯s eyelids twitched slightly. It was still fine before Shen Yan said this, but once he did, Qi Jing became acutely aware of the damp and bitter cotton lodged in his chest. It was filling it to the brim, and without pressing it he wouldn¡¯t know that it was already saturated with bitterness, but even the slightest touch could make it seep. Originally, he felt numb to it, but now he couldn¡¯t stop the welling of tears in his eyes. Even he himself found it embarrassing, so he did his best to hold them back.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m sad about it.¡± Rather than saying he was sad, it was more urate to say he felt wronged.


    Unfortunately, his voicecked any persuasiveness, as a small, choked sob apanied his words. His phone¡¯s microphone quality was also frustratingly good, faithfully transmitting every tiny detail to the other side.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be sad.¡± Shen Yan just murmured soothingly again.


    ¡°Mhm...¡±


    The second time, he finally replied in a small voice. The two of them both quietly ¡®apanied¡¯ each other in this silence for a while, until he was able to go back to the original topic.


    To be honest, there was no way Bronze Sparrow Terrace didn¡¯t know about the publication of this teaser. He knew about it yet turned a blind eye to it, making it obvious that he was intentionally trying to disgust him.


    ¡°This guy definitely also knows that I have a boyfriend IRL.¡± Since he definitely heard something about his and Tan Zixian¡¯s opening during thepetition. ¡°With this so-called ¡®teaser¡¯ shared around, there was a chance it would get shared all the way to my boyfriend and potentially sow discord in our rtionship¡ªmaybe that was his intention.¡±


    Luckily, Shen Yan wasn¡¯t a credulous type, and he also knew the whole course of the events, so he wouldn¡¯t fall into Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s trap.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me here,¡± Shen Yan spoke unhurriedly, ¡°For now it¡¯s the most important to not let him know your work information and send those things to yourpany. Especially since it¡¯s a crucial time for your work transfer, so if something unexpected happens... So, be a bit more careful, don¡¯t leave those files on your workputer.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I know. I already deleted them all, and I will be extra careful in theing days.¡±


    ¡°Mn, that¡¯s good.¡±


    Making this call really was the right decision. Just chatting like this and I feel so much better. Qi Jing smiled to himself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back this afternoon, possibly before dinner.¡± He had initially nned to give Shen Yan a pleasant surprise, but saying this to express his gratitude when he felt warm in his heart wasn¡¯t bad either.


    As he expected, Shen Yan sounded very happy with this, his voice tinged with a smile, ¡°Really? Alright, then tell me what would you like to eat, and I¡¯ll go buy the ingredients after work to cook it for you.¡±


    Qi Jing hummed softly for a while, mimicking a thoughtful tone and leaning on the railing alongside the levee. Then, he suddenlyughed. ¡°I want to eat you.¡±


    Shen Yan was clearly stumped, taking a long while to reply.


    ¡°This will have to wait until a bitter...¡±


    ¡°Pfft,¡± He actually took it so seriously. Qi Jing decided to stop teasing him, unable to hold back hisughter, ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯m joking¡ªif I actually want to eat you someday, I will definitely tell you, but it¡¯s not today. Today¡¯s weather is so cold, so I really want to eat a warm soup. Any kind is fine, you can just buy whatever for it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After hanging up, Qi Jing raised his head to take a deep breath.


    The winter air was still cold, but it wasn¡¯t bitingly chilly upon breathing anymore, even clearing his head by quite a bit. Right now, he had already calmed down, so he had both the energy to think and strike back in response.


    Upon arriving back at the guest house, he sshed his face with cold water before sitting back in front of hisptop. After carefully going through the things he wanted to say in his head, he took a deep breath and opened Weibo, typing a lengthy, formal post, clearly stating his position on the matter to everyone.


    ¡¾CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¿:


    Due to me being busy with the year-end work, I haven¡¯t been able to go online these days. I only got to know about what urred in the past few days when my friend notified me about it.


    Indeed, I may have not spoken clearly about retrieving the rights to use my dry recordings when I first left the ?Trap? audio drama production, and I didn¡¯t send any official written announcement. However, I believe that not using the VA¡¯s recordings after they leave has always been one of the basic rules and forms of courtesy in this circle.


    I want to ask the ?Trap? production crew¡ªtaking the recordings I invalidated without me knowing and using it for such an explicit teaser, then distributing it publicly, don¡¯t you even the basic respect for the voice actors?


    I wanted to ask the ?Trap? production crew¡ªdon¡¯t you think that taking without asking for permission should be considered ¡°stealing¡±?


    You can argue that your production is non-profit and not formercial use.


    I can also say that my voice acting is non-profit, and not formercial use. Could it be that after spending time and effort to record it, I have no rights to decide and have a say in its use?


    Let me hereby solemnly dere¡ªI have already left ?Trap? a long time ago. When I left, the teaser for the second episode as well as the episode itself didn¡¯t even get released. Therefore, the unauthorised use of my recordings for the second episode teaser, as well as the negative impact it caused in the forum, both constitute infringement of my rights and defamation to my reputation. I demand the immediate removal of the original teaser and a public apology on both Weibo and the forum! @A Lifetime¡¯s Lock @CV-Bronze Sparrow Terrace


    Then, he also made the same post in the forum thread.


    At that time of the day, most of the people there were either working or at school. The fight between Lifetime¡¯s Lock and Knives cutting in from four sides took ce the evening before,sting throughout the night, but currently, they were both in a temporary ceasefire. It was very likely that the fight would continue when the people came back in the evening, so he had to hurry up and say everything he had to say clearly before the next round of fighting.


    And finally, he sent an offline QQ message to Knives cutting in from four sides.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Hello, director Knives. Although you have already left the production crew and are no longer the director, and our only coboration so far ended in such an unfortunate way, I¡¯m very thankful for how you stood up for me and fought for my case. Thank you.


    However, I also feel deeply sorry seeing the loyal staff members like you getting involved for my sake. I¡¯m sorry that my personal grudge with Bronze Sparrow Terrace ended up implicating the uninvolved people like you. If it¡¯s possible, I would like to handle the situation myself moving forward. I hope to minimise any negative impact this case has on you guys. Don¡¯t worry, I will definitely strive to seek justice, so please, rest at ease while watching over from the sides. ^£ß^


    By the time he sent this message, his two-hour lunch break was almost over. He quickly deleted the file he downloaded from QQ and cleared all of the chat records, then hurriedly left for the interview.


    The afternoon interview was one-on-one. Throughout, he had to keepmunicating with the interviewee and the recording crew on the scene, so he had no mind to spare for sneaking out to check the reaction of the people on Weibo and forum. After the interview concluded, thepany car drove straight from the recording site back to the provincial capital, arriving somewhere around half past five.


    Qi Jing got back home before the time and, after setting down his luggage, took a rxing hot bath, trying his best to make himself look more presentable and refreshed.


    After all, who wouldn¡¯t want to look as fresh and rxed before their loved one, rather than showing a troubled and gloomy face.


    Still, even if he didn¡¯t put his troubled feelings on his face, it didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have them.


    Right now there should be more people online, so maybe there¡¯s some development... He thought to himself, taking a hesitant look at the wall clock, then strained his ears for any footsteps in the hallway. There was none, and since Shen Yan was supposed to buy groceries after getting off his job, Qi Jing probably still had some time before he was back. That being the case, he was unable to resist opening theputer and browsing that thread.


    Very well, the thread was a whole page longer than when he checked it around noon.


    That meant that his message probably got seen by quite a number of people.


    And it really turned out just as he expected.


    When discussing a piece of gossip, there was nothing that could cause bigger waves than the main character of the gossip themselves speaking personally for themselves. He didn¡¯t bring up any emotions at all, his cold demand for the current producer of ?Trap? as well as Great God Bronze Sparrow Terrace to make an apology causing a huge uproar. It was so great that even the onlookers that watched the fight between A Lifetime¡¯s Lock and Knives cutting in from four sides the previous night started to appear and take sides.


    ¡¾Comment 942¡¿:


    Aaaaah, Don¡¯t ask for my return date himself came out!! So his recordings really were used without him knowing!!


    ¡¾Comment 943¡¿:


    I¡¯m somewhat relieved now (?)... Because I witnessed the new producer and the original director of ?Trap? having a dispute here yesterday, yet didn¡¯t see any response from Don¡¯t ask for my return date. I was uncertain whether he knew about this, or if he cared at all. At least right now, the situation finally became clearer.


    The fact is that the recordings got used without authorization, right?


    Although audio dramas are a grey sphere in terms of the ownership rights, with a lot of unrities around them, just as Don¡¯t ask for my return date has said, not using a VA¡¯s recordings after they left the production is an unwritten rule within themunity. To do this even after finding a recement actor for the role really raises the doubts about the producerdy¡¯s intentions.


    She really shoulde out and give a sincere apology. As for the Great God Bronze Sparrow Terrace... I really can¡¯t tell if he should apologise; is he the mastermind behind it? (Fine, to be honest I just really love his voice...)


    ¡¾Comment 944¡¿:


    Hehe, the girl from the previousment really is too naive. How could the circle¡¯s slick social butterfly like Lord Bronze Sparrow Terrace not know about this matter? I thought it¡¯smon knowledge that A Lifetime¡¯s Lock is his close friend ? ¨r(¨s¨Œ¨t)¨q


    Especially since he had a beef with Return Date prior to that, so I think that everyone already should be aware of whether he¡¯s the mastermind behind it~


    ¡¾Comment 945¡¿:


    To thementer above, do you have any evidence for your ims?! If not, then stop making baseless usations here!!


    I don¡¯t believe that Bronze Sparrow-sama would do such a thing. It¡¯s all the fault of that bitch proiming herself to be his close friend. If someone has to apologise, then she¡¯s the one who should apologise. Bringing our Bronze Sparrow-sama for no reason like this, Don¡¯t ask for my return date is being. Just. Too. Much!


    ¡¾Comment 946¡¿:


    To avoid more issues from arising, I guess I have to give up on my anonymousness to speak up¡ªI¡¯m also a VA myself (but I¡¯m a small nobody in the circle, so everyone, please don¡¯t make any assumptions). I¡¯ve also encountered a simr situation before. A certain producer I was working with didn¡¯t edit or or pass my recordings to the post-production for the longest time after receiving them from me. I tried reaching out to her quite a few timester on, but she ignored me, so I just left a message that I¡¯m leaving the production, asking her to find someone outside and scrap my recordings.


    But as it turned out, to my surprise, half a yearter I saw that audio drama getting released, and my recordings were used... When I confronted the producer about it, she said that she didn¡¯t receive my message because QQ was untable. But she was active on Weibo everyday, so howe she didn¡¯t see all those messages I left her there? It¡¯s truly ridiculous.


    This feeling of swallowing a fly really is hard to describe.


    Luckily, the audio drama itself was decent. At the time, I thought that since I¡¯m just a small nobody, and the other party held some considerable influence as a staff member, there was no point in arguing. I just thought that I¡¯ll let that one ungrateful bite pass. But now, seeing the same thing happen again to someone else, I deeply regret not standing up for myself and seeking justice at that time.


    Well, everything I said was just venting about my past predicament. But I¡¯m with Lord Return Date on this one! No matter if I¡¯m just a small somebody, or if the other person is some Great God, justice should prevail!


    The number of replies in the thread continued to skyrocket.


    Qi Jing silently observed everyone¡¯s reactions from behind the screen, at times serious, at times smiling gently, his finger tapping the F5 button repeatedly. There was clearly a group that still harboured animosity towards him, but the more and more people were slowly siding with the just side. There were even some people with simr experience like in this 946thment who spoke up to support him. He felt a sense of satisfaction in speaking up for the truth, to leave no regrets behind for himself.


    Click.


    When he clicked F5 again, his finger suddenly stopped, as all of his focus shifted to what he was seeing before his eyes.


    ¡¾Knives cutting in from four sides¡¿:


    ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò I¡¯m sorry... Return Date left me a message saying to avoid getting involved anymore as he handles it, but, but... Seeing him say that made me feel an immense guilt, and I couldn¡¯t find peace in myself.


    If you see this, Return Date, then let me apologise to you. There¡¯s still some things I need to state clearly so I can let you go and resolve this matter with a clear conscience.


    Everyone, the following is my own ramblings. Strictly speaking, it isn¡¯t rted to the recent teaser, but you know what they say about the ¡°butterfly effect¡±? I believe that what I¡¯m about to tell has indirectly contributed to all of this, making this the root of the disaster.


    First of all, the rights to produce the ?Trap? audio drama were first obtained by the original producer, Rouge Flower. Because we have coborated before on a different production, so when she approached me to direct this audio drama, I agreed. I must admit that at the time, part of the reason why I agreed was because she mentioned that she managed to invite Bronze Sparrow Terrace, this god-level VA. I was excited for this opportunity to work with Great God, but never expected the events to unfold this way.The staff members who had worked with me before should all know that I emphasise the importance of getting the voice actors to y together to get good results. I¡¯m not the type to settle for simply editing the dry recordings to make it work. I believe that the two main VAs need to connect and establish rapport, allowing them to coborate more effectively and understand each other better. It is only through this process that they can portray a convincing chemistry between the characters.From the very beginning, we nned to have Bronze Sparrow Terrace and Return Date find some time for a session to rehearse it. But wepletely didn¡¯t expect that... when they actually did, I found the portrayal of the police officer by Bronze Sparrow Terrace differedpletely from the original character setting (this was also pointed out a lot by the fans of the original novel after the audio drama was released). Not only that, he and the sound designer also frequently requested Return Date to match his acting style ording to his liking. In the end, Return Date conformed to them under the pressure, leading to both of the characters diverging from the original novel and getting subjected to a lot of criticism. But Great God Bronze Sparrow Terrace firmly insisted that audio dramas are a form of derivative work, so he had a freedom to portray the character ording to his own wishes, regardless of the differences from the original work. As a result, no corrections were made.


    Perhaps you may wonder: Is that so? If you, the director, thought that he wasn¡¯t suitable and didn¡¯t perform well, then why did the first episode of ?Trap? still credit ¡°Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡±?


    That¡¯s right, I admit. At that time, I sumbed.


    The original staff considered many aspects. The role for Bronze Sparrow Terrace was already set, and recing the actor afterwards would be extremely unprofessional. Additionally, he was also the one who brought poprity to the audio drama, and this I can¡¯t deny, or even wish to deny. So, I made a choice to ept that Bronze Sparrow Terrace would continue to y the main character, as well as agreed to let Return Date continue ying an OOC flirtatious 0.5 Shou.


    But now, I really want to go back and p my indecisive self from the past!


    If I could persuade Rouge Flower and Puppet Show to adhere to the principles of creating an audio drama, selecting the voice actor ording to their suitability with the character rather thanpromising for a more popr actor... Maybe everything wouldn¡¯t arrive at this point today, ending up involving the innocent Return Date...


    Return Date, I¡¯m sorry.


    I¡¯m truly, sincerely so sorry.


    ¡°Silly girl...¡± Qi Jing had no words. The four words that escaped his parched lips sounded rough, leaving a lingering bitter taste behind.


    This reply was exactly the kind he dreaded to see the most. Just glossing over the matter would suffice, so why burden herself by shouldering the me for everything that transpired? Even if those really became the underlying cause for the subsequent conflicts, it was already all in the past. It would be fine to engage in a rational argument over the unauthorised use of his recordings, but openly admitting to single-handedly ruining two characters by sumbing to the god-level VA¡¯s influence, it really was simply asking trouble.


    He knew that she did so to fully disclose the entire truth from behind the scene and clear his name before everyone. However, the price of it was too great¡ª


    However, unbeknownst to him, one part of this price would make his heart skip a beat when heid eyes on it.


    ¡¾A Lifetime¡¯s Lock¡¿:


    Hehe, well said, really well said.


    Well then, my dear director Knives. Since you and Don¡¯t ask for my return date made derations this bold and grandiose, then let me ask this: Do you dare to reveal a certain crucial point that you so conveniently ¡°omitted¡±?


    Hm?


    Do you dare?


    Do you dare to answer my question here, publicly? You constantly proim to be such a responsible director, saying that the feeling for the role won¡¯t be perfect without the rehearsal between the main actors before making any decision... So, I ask you, wasn¡¯t there a certain neer at that time? Didn¡¯t you and the other staff members tantly ignore the actual main actor and arrange for him to rehearse with Don¡¯t ask for my return date instead? As a result, Don¡¯t ask for my return date immediately sent the recordings (note that this happened even before the run-through with Bronze Sparrow-sama, recording with the neer right after that rehearsal). Wasn¡¯t that the case?


    ¡°Ah¡ª...¡±


    At that moment, a shiver ran down Qi Jing¡¯s spine, causing him to stop his breath and freeze motionless like a statue.


    Indeed, this was the very aspect Knives cutting in from four side ¡°omitted¡± to mention.


    She did so on purpose, as before, he had asked her before to not mention the case of him and Shen Yan rehearsing together, as it could invite hate way too easily. He wouldn¡¯t even mind it, but Shen Yan was different. Shen Yan had never involved himself in his struggle with Bronze Sparrow Terrace.


    Knives cutting in from four sides really did keep her promise. Even in this long, honestment, she still tried to keep the part about ¡°Geese Fly North¡± out of it.


    He didn¡¯t expect the sound designer to remain so resentful about this¡ª


    With his heart pounding uncontrobly, he once again fearfully tapped F5.


    Once this got uncovered, there was no way to keep it a secret anymore.


    ¡¾Knives cutting in from four sides¡¿:


    ...Ha, hahahaha... What a splendid question!!


    And here I never expected it would be you to ask it. I initially wanted to respect the VAs¡¯ privacy and avoid bringing them up. However, since you already exposed this matter, then I, as the director, will speak the truth¡ªyes! This did happen! And even if it leads to me getting a huge bacsh, I¡¯m still going to point out, fair and square, that the neer you mentioned, who reced for Lord Bronze Sparrow Terrace, actually delivered a performance ten times superior to the one by the Great God himself!!


    ¡¾A Lifetime¡¯s Lock¡¿:


    Wow! Wow! Wow! You truly have the audacity to admit it so shamelessly! Director Knives really is straightforward!


    You admit that you disregarded Bronze Sparrow-sama and eagerly sought a neer to rehearse with Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡ªam I correct with my summary?


    ¡¾Knives cutting in from four sides¡¿:


    Yes, you are correct.


    However, the reason why we arranged for him to rehearse with Return Date and not Lord Bronze Sparrow Terrace... waspletely because on the evening of the day we agreed to do the PIA, Lord Bronze Sparrow Terrace bailed on us and went on his own to meet his friends, can you believe it?! He chose to meet his friends and left all of us, who set aside time for him, behind (including Return Date, who had managed to find some free time in his very busy schedule). He actually went! To! See! His! Friends!!


    You went there at that time as well, did you conveniently forget?? Do you dare to im that Lord Bronze Sparrow Terrace showed up?? Moreover, there are two other fans who can confirm that he stood us out.


    As for whether he really went to meet friends that day, there¡¯s numerous people who can provide evidence. Those who don¡¯t believe can look for them on their own.


    Since we didn¡¯t want to waste time and felt guilty for possibly inconveniencing Return Date, we decided to find a temporary VA to have a run-through with him. Going through the script together first would mean there would be less work during the actual rehearsal with Lord Bronze Sparrow Terraceter on¡ªit was a very simple n.


    But we didn¡¯t expect the temporary voice actor we invited to be this amazing! He actually acted sopletely faithful to the original!


    ¡¾A Lifetime¡¯s Lock¡¿:


    Tsk tsk tsk, please, stop boasting so hard, director Knives. (Oh, I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s ¡°former¡± director~)


    If there really is some ¡°neer¡± better than the widely acimed god-level VA, then where¡¯s the evidence? Hehe, I have only heard a few of you mention such a person, yet there is not a shred of evidence to prove that such a person exists. You keep insisting that because Bronze Sparrow-sama didn¡¯t show up that evening, you hastily brought in this guy for the rehearsal, and now im that his performance surpassed the official version. But how can I trust if any of it is true?


    The way I see it, there is only one truth¡ªall of you, along with Don¡¯t ask for my return date, have a personal grudge against Bronze Sparrow-sama. It seems like you fabricated all kinds of excuses to belittle him and remove him from the production, am I right?


    If that¡¯s not true, then let me see the evidence? Come on, where is it?


    ¡¾Knives cutting in from four sides¡¿:


    I¡¯m so furious!!


    I¡¯m so furious!!


    I¡¯m so furious!!


    If I had remembered to record the audio at that time, I would absolutely bring it out to p you in the face with it!! £¨¨s¨F¿Ú¡ä£©¨s¦à©Ø©¤©Ø


    ¡¾A Lifetime¡¯s Lock¡¿:


    Hahaha, look, everyone! I told you were making all of this up~


    Okay, enough already. If you have no evidence whatsoever, then I¡¯m going to ask everyone in this thread to serve as witnesses¡ªyou¡¯re a bunch of liars.


    As he continued pressing F5, his rigid finger felt like it could actually crack the key. His entire body exerted its strength to mash it, like a sharp iron nail getting hammered into a post.


    But at the same time, he also felt like he was very calm¡ªso calm even, that it was almost scary.


    He calmly moved the cursor to the folder he hadn¡¯t opened in a long, long time¡ªone he thought he would never have another chance to open¡ªfinding the MP3 file titled ¡°?Trap? Ep1 run-through¡±.


    He calmly opened the web page of the cloud storage, browsing through, selecting the file, then initiating the upload.


    He calmly observed the progress bar as the numbers slowly grew from 0% to 100%, fully aware of what they represented.


    He remained calm, yet he still couldn¡¯t refrain from carrying out these actions that were far from calm themselves¡ªit was because, for the first time, he felt such a powerful need to clear that person¡¯s name.


    ¡°Uploadplete¡±. The system message shed before him.


    He tilted his head slightly, taking a deep breath, then copied the link without saying a word, pasting it into the reply box on the forum.


    Then, with utmost solemnity, he typed his official ID Don¡¯t ask for my return date in the username field.


    And atst, under the link, he added coldly¡ª


    ¡¾You want an evidence, then I will give it to you.¡¿


    And finally, following the example of when she wrote ¡°Merry Christmas¡± on the download page for her Christmas present, he resolutely threw in three words.


    ¡¾Happy New Year.¡¿


    A/N:


    Although I know that plenty of you don¡¯t like reading longments from the forum, to be honest, some of them are based on my observations and experiences, as well as represent the characters¡¯ attitudes. As someone who¡¯s obsessed with the details, those things are essential for a well-developed plot. Therefore, I can only apologise to those who hate reading thosements...


    On another note, I must say, 2Yan, you really are an unruly fe¡ª (covers face ¡û eh?)

 Chapter 147

    <h4>Chapter 147</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    Shen Yan opened the door.


    During the span from opening the door to pulling out the keys from the keyhole, as long as Qi Jing came back earlier than him, he would get instantly greeted by a warm hug from this person before the jingling of the keys faded away, and they would enjoy their tender moment behind the door. At those times, he would always forget to hide the keys into the pocket, holding it in hand until the embrace came to an end.


    But today, the sound of the keys had already ceased, yet that person was nowhere to be found.


    ¡ªStrange.


    Shen Yan was a bit surprised, since Qi Jing¡¯s shoes were there in the shoe cab, meaning that he should be back already. However, despite Shen Yan¡¯s return, he didn¡¯t immediatelye to greet him after hearing the door open. It was really... So strange.


    Instinctively, Shen Yan raised his head and his gaze immediately settled on Qi Jing, who was sitting motionless on the sofa in the living room.


    Shen Yan was taken aback. This guy always reacted right away upon hearing the keys opening the door. Yet today, he remained motionless even when Shen Yan entered the house. He sat alone like a lifeless doll, leaning with his head back against the back of the ck walnut chair, gaze fixed at some non-existent spot on the ceiling. Who knew how far gone he was in his drifting off, resembling a machine drained of its energy and discarded on the sofa. It was hard to tell if he was simply exhausted, or if anything else was affecting him.


    Hearing him enter, Big Goose, who was resting by Qi Jing legs, jumped down from the sofa and running toward him while happily wagging its tail


    Even Little Return Date lifted his head right away with a sparkle in those round, shiny eyes. However, because Qi Jing was currently grooming its fur with one hand, it didn¡¯t feel like leaving his thighs. Instead, it spread its candy floss-like fluffy paws, thoroughly enjoying this pampering.


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Bending down, Shen Yan gently picked up Big Goose, only saying those few words in a soft voice. He believed that maybe Qi Jing was too exhausted after a long journey by car and he needed to rest for a bit.


    But the truth waspletely different from what he expected¡ª


    ¡°I... might have caused you some trouble.¡± After keeping quiet for so long, Qi Jing moved his lips slowly and said in a muted voice. Shen Yan could see the trace of guilt in the frown of his brows.


    ¡ªWas it because of this guilt that he couldn¡¯t face him normally the same way he would usually do?


    Shen Yan was surprised at first, then bursted in a chuckle after a moment, the look on his face as kind as always.


    ¡°What trouble did you cause me?¡±


    ¡°Big trouble.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s response carried a hint of dejectedness. He slowly lowered his head down, like a saddened child confessing its wrongs.


    Shen Yan slowly approached Qi Jing and lifted the bag of groceries in his hand, presenting it in front of him. His voice was just as easy and steady as his moves, with not a trace of fear for the looming disaster as he asked simply, ¡°Compared to us being hungry, which problem do you think is bigger?¡±


    Hearing him say so, the man on the sofa suddenly stopped frowning, raising his head with a big smile, ¡°Be¡ªing¡ªhun¡ªgry¡ª¡±


    ¡°Meow~¡± Little Return Date found itself rolling off its owners¡¯ legs, so it quickly jumped onto a nearby cushion while meowing. Meanwhile, Big Return Date stood up with augh, throwing himself into the embrace of the man in front of him, making up for the missed hug with a heartfelt embrace.


    That¡¯s right, no big trouble could be greater than having an empty stomach. Everything else could wait.


    After he started living with Shen Yan, eating together became a particrly joyful activity for him. It changed from being dispensable before to now bing one of the essential parts in his day. Having someone willing to cook for him and sharing the meals at the same table used to feel like an extravagant dream, something he didn¡¯t even imagine bing a ¡°tradition¡±.


    Compared with this ¡°tradition¡±, everything else isn¡¯t all that important. Qi Jing thought to himself.


    During the meal, he put the phone on the side of the table, but he put it into a silent mode.


    But despite this, Shen Yan still couldn¡¯t help but notice the constant shing of Qi Jing¡¯s phone, indicating iing calls. When Qi Jing was busy with his job, he would also get calls after calls like this, but this time he seemed to know that those calls weren¡¯t job-rted. Without even bothering to check the phone, he let it keep shing while he remained engrossed in his meal.


    ¡°You won¡¯t pick up?¡± Shen Yan asked curiously.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Qi Jing smiled upon hearing him, then added a few more side-dishes to his bowl with his chopsticks, seeming uninterested in breaking the peaceful atmosphere of their dinner, ¡°Let¡¯s eat first, we can talkter.¡±


    Shen Yan nodded and didn¡¯t mention the calls anymore.


    But who would have known that when Qi Jing¡¯s phone stopped getting calls, his own suddenly started ringing.


    Usually, no one would call him at that time, so it was highly unusual. Shen Yan was bbergasted and instinctively took out his phone to check the caller. After looking at it, he couldn¡¯t help but stare wide-eyed, only blinking after a moment. Once the initial shock subsided, he also didn¡¯t immediately answer it, only raising his brow while looking at Qi Jing, unable to contain hisughter, ¡°...What on earth did you do to make Five call me directly?¡±


    Upon hearing that it was Five calling, Qi Jing set down his chopsticks and gently pressed Shen Yan¡¯s hand holding the phone back onto the table. He pleaded in a small voice, ¡°Don¡¯t answer it¡ªI caused you this trouble myself, so I want to tell you about it directly, rather than have other people pass you the bad news.¡±


    Shen Yan gazed at him quietly for a moment, then simply released his grip on the phone slowly and didn¡¯t touch it again until the end of the dinner.


    The two of them continued enjoying their meal as if nothing had happened.


    After finishing, they cleaned the tableware together and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.


    The winter sky had darkened early, and the windows were adorned in the translucent golden hue from the indoor lights, faintly outlining the two figures bowing over the sinks. While Shen Yan wholeheartedly focused on cleaning the bowls and dishes, Qi Jing scrubbed a pot, absent-minded as he was covertly stealing nces at their illuminated reflections on the ss. After a moment, he suddenly moved closer to Shen Yan, using his hand covered in soapy foam to lightly touch the other man¡¯s arm and called out softly, ¡°A-Yan...¡±


    ¡ªHe was back to his state from when Shen Yan had juste back, like a child who knew it did something wrong, pitifully begging for forgiveness.


    Shen Yan chuckled softly.


    He lowered his head toward that voice, gently pecking the corner of the other man¡¯s lips. Instead of pulling away immediately, he lingered there as he muttered, ¡°So, can you tell me now?¡±


    Qi Jing said haltingly, ¡°Before I tell you... I want to apologise to you first.¡±


    Shen Yan¡¯s lips curled up in a faint smile, ¡°I forgive you. What is it?¡±


    Qi Jing finally lifted his eyes to meet his gaze. He took a deep breath and rinsed the foam off his hands before drying them. He then led Shen Yan to the bedroom, and in front of his PC, he gently pressed down on Shen Yan¡¯s shoulders, urging him to sit down.


    The PC was on.


    Shen Yan stared at it, and the first thing he noticed was the minimised row of web pages in the corner. Among them, he saw one with the words ¡°Have anyone listened to the&#k2026;¡± in the title, and he realised that Qi Jing was browsing that thread before he came back. Outside of that, the continuously shing QQ notifications in the corner were also hard to ignore.


    Finally, he saw the name of the file opened in a media yer¡ª¡°?Trap? Ep1 run-through¡±.


    Seeing those three things, Shen Yan slowly understood the situation.


    ¡°So, something happened in the ?Trap? production again? Did they say something bad about you?¡± He had already guessed the answer to the first question, but the next one was what he really wanted to ask, ¡°You still have the recording of that run-through in Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s channel?¡±


    The recording of the run-through in that channel spread far and wide. A lot of people had listened to it, himself included.


    Others might not know, but he knew that Qi Jing¡¯s performance went against his wishes and feelings.


    But if it went against his convictions, then why did he keep it?


    At that moment, Qi Jing said in a small voice, ¡°...I would only save the run-throughs I find worth keeping.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Shen Yan was taken aback. Then, remembering something, he suddenly shot his head up, looking at the person beside him in disbelief.


    And Qi Jing didn¡¯t say anything, only bending over silently and moving the cursor to go back to the beginning of the recording, clicking the y button.


    ¡°I knew from the very beginning that everything you did was a scheme against me¡ª¡ª¡±


    When yed through the speakers, a voice would always have a slightly unreal quality, and the static noise seemed to make it sound more rough then when listening with earphones.


    Nevertheless, even with the difference of sound quality, he could immediately tell whose line, whose voice it was.


    At that moment, Shen Yan¡¯s heart trembled.


    What he heard next was the voice of the man beside him.


    ¡°Despite knowing it¡¯s a trap, you still jumped right into it¡ªdoesn¡¯t that mean that you¡¯re interested in me?¡±


    As the line yed, Qi Jing¡¯s hand on his shoulder moved gently, his finger intentionally or unintentionally brushing by the line of his cor. With the sensory experience of hearing and touch reaching the sudden unity, it caused Shen Yan¡¯s breath to pause for a moment before quickening.


    In the background audio he could also vaguely hear the director gasping as she muttered ¡®holy heck¡¯ in shock. Qi Jing appeared amused by her reaction, transitioning from the script back to reality as heughed.


    He could also hear someone typing furiously on the keyboard, probablymunicating through the messages with the other two muted staff members.


    ¡ªThat pleasant atmosphere, he really thought he wouldn¡¯t have a chance to re-experience it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue, shall we?¡± Afterughing, Qi Jing politely returned to the main topic.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He heard himself from that time say in a low voice.


    Looking back now, it was the first time in many years that he was doing voice acting alongside someone else. In that response, there was a trace of caution, a slight difort in talking with a stranger. However, at least the attitude of this person... It didn¡¯t make him feel uneasy in any way.


    It made him, in fact, quitefortable¡ª


    Shen Yan quietly paused the audio.


    After pausing the recording, he could still hear the heartbeat in his chest resounding in the quiet room. He raised his head once again, looking at Qi Jing.


    Qi Jing was looking away, his eyes on the empty floor as he didn¡¯t dare to meet his gaze.


    And he kept staring at this slightly red face, then smiled, ¡°So you actually recorded it that time?¡±


    ¡°I told you, I would only save things I find worth keeping.¡± Qi Jing¡¯s voice was barely audible, confessing honestly, ¡°But, at that time, I was momentarily bewitched by you... the way you perfectly embodied that character left me so astonished. That¡¯s why I started the recording without much thought, intending to at least use it as a reference during the official recording. However, I wanted to apologise for not seeking your consent before recording it. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    At that point, he paused for a bit.


    ¡°Back then, I just wanted to save it quietly for myself, I didn¡¯t have the slightest intent to make it public. But now...¡±


    Now that he had shared it with the public, as the rush of the moment of impulse subsided and he started to regain hisposure, a strong sense of guilt overwhelmed him. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of having a troubled conscience.


    ¡°You published it?¡± Shen Yan finally made sense of what happened. He was undeniably surprised, but he didn¡¯t feel panicked, and he asked in a steady voice.


    Qi Jing took a deep breath, troubled.


    ¡°Yes. The first time we voice acted together and the reasons surrounding it are already known on the forum.¡±


    ¡°How did they know it?¡±


    ¡°The sound designer from ?Trap? used the directordy for pulling an outsider into the production to do the run-through with me, saying it was acting perfunctory and a slight to the actual main actor, Bronze Sparrow Terrace. The directordy got into a fight with her, basically admitting to that being the case.¡±


    So that¡¯s how it was...


    Shen Yan replied with a hum. He honestly wasn¡¯t surprised that those two staff members fought, and either way, that run-through would get exposed sooner orter.


    Qi Jing finished exining in a soft voice, ¡°Initially, the directordy didn¡¯t mention your ID, but when I heard the sound producer use some hurtful words to belittle you, saying that you couldn¡¯tpare to Bronze Sparrow Terrace... I couldn¡¯t contain my anger and published the recording of this run-through.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Shen Yan opened that thread without saying a word. The interface was still at Qi Jing¡¯sstment, which was the one where he added¡¾Happy New Year¡¿at the end.


    Shen Yan scrolled back up, reading through the entire argument between the director and sound designer. Finally, he returned back to Qi Jing¡¯s message and took a look at the time it was sent¡ªit was approximately two hours ago, so it must have spread around by now. After all, even Qiu Tianyang knew about it, indicating that the damage was already irreparable.


    ¡°Haha,¡± At that time, he suddenlyughed softly, raising his hand to put it on the one resting on his shoulder, holding it tightly, ¡°After this, you will no longer have an excuse to shoulder everything alone¡ª¡±


    The back of Qi Jing¡¯s hand felt hot, and so did his heart. So hot even, that his eyes turned a bit red.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry?¡± About him secretly recording then posting it impulsively in the heat of the moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m not angry,¡± Shen Yan chuckled, calm like a peaceful water, ¡°Honestly, now I feel... Kind of at ease for some reason.¡±


    He always remained just standing behind the scenes, watching from the shadows as everything happened on the stage. But once it was someone he cared for having to stand under the limelight, being constantly pushed to where the light was the strongest to get appraised and gossiped about by the spectators from below the stage, he would feel the need to pull that person back to his side.


    And if there was no way to pull him back, then he himself would want to go and stand alongside this person to carry this burden. And now, it was the best opportunity to do so.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t refreshed the page ever since you posted it. Is it because you¡¯re afraid?¡± Afraid that he would see it develop in the wrong direction.


    ¡°Mn...¡±


    ¡°Then if I tell you that I¡¯m not afraid, then will you still fear it?¡±


    Qi Jing sputtered withughter, replying in a choked voice, ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Shen Yan also smiled peacefully, then extended his hand, tapping that F5 button that remained untouched for the past two hours, facing the ¡®consequences¡¯ alongside him.


    ¡¾Comment 1001¡¿: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!


    ¡¾Comment 1002¡¿:


    The one! Above! You! Shameless! Spammer!


    But! I! ! Want! To! Spam! Too!


    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!


    Geese Fly North! Geese Fly North! Geese Fly North!


    Kitty¡¯s Papa! Kitty¡¯s Papa! Kitty¡¯s Papa!


    My whole person went haywire when I heard Return Date calling this ID in the recording, aggghhhh!! (This one here had already lost their marbles)


    ¡¾Comment 1002¡¿:


    ......Originally I was just joking with my friend, how funny it would be if that ¡°neer¡± was one of the champions from the ?Order to End the Heavens?petition... Because that title would be enough to outdo that God...


    And now look at it! A freaking double-champion! Double! Champion!


    If it was just a usual champion, then people could say he was just being lucky, that the character settings just happened to match his voice perfectly or something... But a double-champion, and for twopletely different characters to boot... It¡¯s simply a swooping win with no suspense!


    (wild Kitty¡¯s Papa¡¯s fan rolls on the floor clutching heart)


    ¡¾Comment 1004¡¿:


    Originally, I just wanted to casually listen and check out how skilled that ¡°neer¡¯s¡± really was before closing it, but as soon as I started to listen, I just couldn¡¯t stop... £ß(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)£ß


    Since I don¡¯t y games, I wasn¡¯t interested in listening to that voice actingpetition the person above had mentioned (bangs head on the ground).... But these two¡¯s acting... It¡¯s truly so... captivating...


    Even though the story is narrated purely through the VAs¡¯ voices acting and there¡¯s no background music, it¡¯s so immersive that I listened to the whole two hours of the recording! I even forgot to eat! Only when I finished listening to it did I realise I was about to starve to death! Right now, I¡¯m gulping the food down while howling in my heart in front of my screen!


    If it only weren¡¯t for some pauses tomunicate with the director girl, the mutual coordination and multiple takes between those two... There were times when the interruptions broke the immersion while listening, otherwise this rehearsal-like recording would be even more thrilling than the already-aired first episode of ?Trap?!


    ¡¾Comment 1005¡¿:


    ¨“¨Œ¨“ I totally agree with every single word from thement above!!


    ¨“¨Œ¨“ I decided to stealthily edit a version with uninterrupted voice acting, just for my own enjoyment as a teaser!


    ¨“¨Œ¨“ Finally, the novel fans get to eat their full!! This is exactly how I imagined ?Trap? in my heart!! (lying down to rest in peace)


    ¡¾Comment 1006¡¿:


    This girl fromment 1005, wait for me!! (Erkang hand)


    I¡¯m begging, share the edited version!! You can¡¯t rest in peace before sharing it!! ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò (Oi)


    ¡¾Comment 1007¡¿:


    Begging to share the edited version +1!


    Otherwise even if you rest in peace, we won¡¯t be able to! (Hey, hey, hey!)


    But unlike the girl fromment 1005, I actually prefer theplete version ... Because the interaction between the VAs during the run-through sounded so harmonious and filled with affection, I really enjoyed it!! Moreover, the discussions they had, exchanging the ideas with the director, and sharing their personal insights into the plot... These things aren¡¯t something you¡¯ll hear in the final productions where the recordings are done separately and handed in to the director... As a listener who enjoys the traditional style of the live online run-throughs, it¡¯s such a treat!


    Also, even though Kitty¡¯s Papa wasn¡¯t talking that much in the recording, I feel like he answered every one of Return¡¯s questions so earnestly!


    Speaking of Return, he gives such a friendly vibe, and he¡¯s really skilled at coaxing Kitty¡¯s Papa to speak! Honestly, it¡¯s so so so adorable! o(*////¨Œ////*)o


    ¡¾Comment 1008¡¿:


    My goodness!! So when Kitty¡¯s Papa mentioned ¡°first time ying together¡± during the finals... He was referring to this?!


    I feel like Lord Return Date was actually training (?) Kittty¡¯s Papa in such a soft and considerate manner, like a gentle and caring fluffball(?)


    When I listened, my heart was filled with the hot-blooded wolf howls... (//////ÆH//////)


    I was already shipping it hard when I listened to their performance for Bai x Fang, but even in this early-stage run-through¡ªyou can hear how Lord Return Date¡¯s voice acting skills aren¡¯t as polished as in thepetition, and Kitty¡¯s Papa isn¡¯t aspletely unrestrained as after getting enlightened by Teacher Pu¡¯s guidance¡ªyou can still feel that CP vibe!


    No wonder Teacher Yuan said that they turned those enemies into lovers, ahahahaha!!


    Oh gosh... I really love it so much... (//////ÆH//////)


    I dare you guys to officially voice-act a CP once!! I dare you guys to do it!!


    ¡¾Comment 1009¡¿:


    New... Year¡¯s... Main... Show... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    It really is the New Year¡¯s main show... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    And all that ¡°Happy New Year¡± and whatsoever... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    While trembling from excitement while listening to the recording, I secretly worried for the current ?Trap? production team... I guess that they will probably y dead now?


    Sure enough, the production team really started ying dead.


    After the recording was made public and sparked a lot of discussion, the sound designer remained silent. She didn¡¯t make any further statements or respond to the demands of an apology on Weibo, as if shepletely disappeared from the public eye.


    During that period, boh on the forum and Weibo, the only ones to stand up to defend Bronze Sparrow Terrace and the current ?Trap? production team were mainly their most extreme fans. Particrly within Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s QQ fan group¡ªsince it was his territory, the intensity of those aggressive remarks escted even further.


    The reason why Qi Jing came about knowing this was because a certain righteous passerby, who used to lurk in one of Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s fan group chats, shared a lengthy screenshot of a chat log in a forum thread.


    Fan No.1: Those outsiders don¡¯t know anything! They actually im that a neer performed better than my Sparrow, it¡¯s making me so angry that I¡¯m about to cry!


    Fan No.2: Pats for you sister, don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry. Those people¡¯s standards are so lousy, it¡¯s actually better if Bronze Sparrow-sama isn¡¯t liked by their sort. It¡¯s fine as long as he has fans like us to love him ¡«\(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/¡«


    Fan No.3: Right!! After listening to them, I still feel that Lord Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s version is better. I really don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with those people, their parents really screwed up when bringing them to this world, hehe.


    Fan No.4: All of those are just marketing ounts bought by Don¡¯t ask for my return date to spread hate~ ¨r(¨s__¨t)¨q


    Fan No.5: He even went as far as using marketing ounts, he¡¯s really too shameless~


    Fan No.6: Those small nobodies can only do so much, but our Sparrow is still the absolute best! He would never get bothered by petty haters. He¡¯s probably preparing for the release of ?Trap?¡¯s episode two, so good luck for the production team! Don¡¯t get those people jealous about our fame affect us. They¡¯re just desperate for attention, so they¡¯re always racking their brains, jumping about and making a fuss. Ladies, let¡¯s not pay them any mind and enjoy ourselves in our own group~


    At first the group was filled with suchments. However, this changed when one of them timidly spoke up, her wordspletely out of line with the group¡¯s prevailing atmosphere.


    This person¡¯s ID perfectly reflected her feelings at that moment¡ª¡±So Conflicted¡±.


    So Conflicted: I, um... I feel like... That unofficial version of the run-through, it actually captures the essence of the original plot better... Especially in terms of staying true to the characters, it¡¯s really impressive.


    The moment she expressed this opinion, it immediately triggered an outburst from all of the little fans in the group.


    Especially from the owner of the group, she momentarily started scolding her.


    Sub-group owner: Hehe, what qualifications do you have to say that this version fits the original plot more than Sparrow¡¯s version?? There¡¯s as many impressions of Hamlet as many people saw it, yet you think that if you say it suits the plot more, then it does, that if you say it captures the original plot better, then that¡¯s the case?? I still think that Sparrow¡¯s version is closer to the original!


    So Conflicted: No, wait, group ownerdy, listen to me...


    So Conflicted: I... Until now, I already listened to it twice, and I still n on continuing with the third time, it¡¯s just so captivating.


    So Conflicted: I actually admire Lord Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s voice, but personally, it¡¯s only this version that truly brings to life how I envisioned ?Trap?... Really. ©Ñ©Ò©n©Ñ©Ò


    Fan No.1: Can the person above cut it already! Don¡¯t you know whose fan group you¡¯re in now?!


    Fan No.2: Who let the rabid dog in to bite people! Group owner, quick, kick her out, kick her out!


    Sub-group owner: Hehe, what does it matter what kind of ?Trap? you envisioned, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re the author! Get kicked out, bye bye~


    So Conflicted: ......


    So Conflicted: I......


    So Conflicted: But I am the author.


    ording to the righteous passerby who shared this screenshot, the above statement was thest message this ¡®So Conflicted¡¯ person got to send before the subgroup owner kicked her out.


    And after that... there was no ¡®after¡¯.


    A/N:


    Honestly, something secretly recording stuff then sharing it publicly, if it wasn¡¯t for the specific situation in this novel, it would more or less earn a negative reaction from the people involved, so good kids shouldn¡¯t learn from 2Yan~


    2Yan: >_< (rubs against Kitty¡¯s Papa to beg for forgiveness)


    Kitty¡¯s Papa: (mwah)


    And this chapter... Gotta light so many candles for so many reasons... En.

 Chapter 148

    <h4>Chapter 148</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    ckbox was a web novel author, excelling in power couple and modern mafia plots. Her representative works included the recentlypleted novel ?Trap? and it¡¯s sister novel, the currently serialised ?Entangled?.


    As of now, ckbox wasn¡¯t really the most prominent figure in the web novel circle, but she has garnered some fame and had a fairly dedicated reader fanbase.


    The ID ckbox gave people a distinctively aloof impression, but in reality, she was a very warm-hearted girl,pletely unlike her writing style¡ªa cheerful and sunny little sister.


    However, this cheerful sunshine encountered a gloomy overcast day, with dark and oppressive clouds overshadowing it¡ª


    And the source of those clouds was one of the Bronze Sparrow Terrace fan group¡¯s owner.


    This group owner proudly made a post on Weibo, showing off her aplishment to her followers: ¡¾Today, there was some lunatic pretending to be the author of ?Trap? and causing trouble in the group, saying that Sparrow¡¯s performance didn¡¯t capture the character well enough and that his version was inferior to the other one, so I kicked her out immediately~¡¿


    Finally, she also tagged her beloved Sparrow, seeking praise from him.


    Her followers quickly apuded her, mocking that ¡®phoney¡¯ together all the way until the author of ?Trap? herself sent a short three words on her Weibo page.


    ¡¾ckbox: ...Got kicked out.¡¿


    ckbox¡¯s Weibo ount was marked as verified.


    Not only was ckbox¡¯s Weibo verified, she was also mutuals with a several pretty well-known authors, but the most important thing was, she was also mutuals with the official ount of ?Trap? production¡ªher identity left no room for doubt, she was the actual author.


    Just at that time, their chat room backlog got shared on the forum.


    The once chatty and mocking crowd suddenly wentpletely silent.


    After five minutes, those who reblogged the post discovered that the content of their reblogs changed to ¡°Apologies, this post has been deleted by the author¡±, and it seemed like the author of the post could no longer be contacted. However, there were plenty of people who rushed to witness and screenshot that post in those five minutes, and thements sharing them were subsequently pushed up as the bestments of the day...


    The fans of that sub-group owner immediately went dead silent, whereas ckbox¡¯s fans started mouring, each one more astonished than the other.


    ¡¾Reply 1¡¿: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||) What happened to Lord Box? What¡¯s going on, who kicked you out?


    ¡¾Reply 2¡¿: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||) I was about to remind Lord to write a New Year¡¯s special, and then this post appeared out of nowhere. I really have no idea what¡¯s happening.


    ¡¾Reply 3¡¿: ¦²( ¡ã¡÷ ¡ã|||) Did Lord Box offend somebody?


    ¡¾Reply 4¡¿: Pffft... I happen to follow both of those people, and when I saw those two posts stacked together on my feed, I couldn¡¯t help but spit out my tea!! So, the ¡®phoney¡¯ thatss mentioned turned out to be the real deal?? Hahahaha... (Pardon me, I couldn¡¯t help butugh)


    ¡¾Reply 5¡¿: Catching the friend above!! What ¡®phoney¡¯ are you talking about, I¡¯m begging for the details of what happened!!


    ¡¾Reply 6¡¿: I know! (raises hand) Someone leaked a chat log on a forum! The person who kicked Box out is the owner of the fan group chat, they¡¯re the fans of that VA ying Jiang Xiaogong in ?Trap? audio drama... The fans of that VA can be quite extreme, so girls, please don¡¯t start any arguments with them, it will only bring more troubles for Box... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    In reality, there¡¯s little actual ovep between the web novelmunity and the online voice actingmunity.


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that ?Trap? was getting adapted to an audio drama, most of ckbox¡¯s readers have little to no knowledge about audio dramas, not to mention knowing who all of those VAs were, who was popr and so on. Unlike the audio drama-only fans or fans of the specific voice actors, they would primarily evaluate the adaptation based on how well it captured the essence of the novel.


    That¡¯s why, as the truth gradually came to light, the impressions of this audio drama amongmenting readers were remarkably unanimous.


    ¡¾Reply 7¡¿: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ I don¡¯t get it, you¡¯re the author, why would you get kicked out... Isn¡¯t it supposed to be that after the adaptation rights are given away, the original work¡¯s position remains the highest?


    ¡¾Reply 8¡¿: _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_ I don¡¯t know if by audio drama, you guys mean that voiced version of ?Trap? ckbox forwarded a long time ago? (I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know anything about the making or standards in that field... But I felt like it didn¡¯t sounded much like how I envisioned ?Trap?...)


    &#k3010;Reply 9&#k3011;: Ooooh, I remember!! I also listened to it!! The voices there were really beautiful and captivating, but they didn¡¯t feel like main characters written by Box at all&#k2026;


    &#k3010;Reply 10&#k3011;: = = Ah? Does the person from thement above mean that voice actor who changed my loyal dog and restrained Jiang Xiaogong into an over-the-top yboy?


    ¡¾Reply 11¡¿: = = Now that you guys reminded me, I finally remembered. I¡¯ve listened to this audio drama before¡ªbut I didn¡¯t even finish it before I closed it. It was so OOC that I couldn¡¯t bear it, both top and bottom werepletely OOC. Patting Box, I really don¡¯t know what those people in the voice acting circle were thinking, to actually kick out the original author!!!


    ¡¾Reply 12¡¿: Both top and bottom werepletely OOC +1. If I had topare, the top was more OOC... Sending the pats for Box as well.


    Seeing the growing unrest slowly reaching Qi Jing, ckbox made another, long post, pulling him out from the crowd of condemnation.


    But there was a sense of guilt in her words.


    ckbox: Since I already got kicked out, then I¡¯ll just be honest. ?Trap? is the first work I authorised for an adaptation into an audio drama. Prior to this, I waspletely ignorant, with no previous exposure to the voice actingmunity so I just let the production team do it their way. It wasn¡¯t until the first episode was released that I heard the performances of the two main voice actors, and, to be honest, my initial impression was... ¡°These two don¡¯t feel like the characters I wrote¡±. It¡¯s quite disheartening, isn¡¯t it? The production team only sought the adaptation rights because they appreciated my writing, and I didn¡¯t want to be the one to discourage them, so I decided to ept it. I told myself that I should be content just being able to listen to it, even if it sounded like fanfiction.


    However, I¡¯m not posting this Weibo today solely because of the audio drama, but because of various incidents that have urred recently, which have crossed my bottom line.


    As everyone knows, after the release of the first episode of ?Trap?, the second one was significantly dyed, and there were changes in both the producer and director position. When the original producer was saying goodbyes to me, she mentioned that it was due to her being busy with real-lifemitments, and that she couldn¡¯t stay in the production. However,ter on, a few of my readers discreetly informed me that the real reason was a conflict between the main voice actors. The VA for ¡°Lin Qu¡± decided to leave, which led to the producer and director also departing from the production.


    At that time, I felt very shocked and disheartened, but the new producer assured me to not worry and promised to find a morepetent recement VA. She also told me that the reason for the prolonged dy in releasing the second episode was due to the previous voice actor failing to submit the recordings for half a year, that he had a reputation of ying dead, and he hindered their progress...


    This exnation seemed to align with what I heard from my readers... Driven by curiosity, I discreetly visited the online voice acting forum to dig up some gossip, but to my surprise, I discovered that the situation was far more intricate than what I initially imagined.


    I admit that I got rather easily captured by the voice of VA ying Jiang Hui. This is my personal taste, I couldn¡¯t help it.


    I admit that initially, I didn¡¯t quite like the VA ying Lin Qu, as I felt like his acting was too OOC. Moreover, I thought that he dyed the recording and ultimately left the production with no sense of responsibility.


    But as the truth became more and more clear, I finally realised that I med the wrong person.


    Had it not been for the controversy surrounding the teaser of the second episode and the confrontation between the former director and the current producer, I might have remainedpletely unaware of all the details even after it finished releasing.


    Had it not been for another version of the run-through getting shared, maybe I would never get to hear Jiang Hui and Lin Qu as I envisioned them.


    Mr Don¡¯t ask for my return date, I apologise sincerely. IT appears you were the one who suffered from the unauthorised use of your recordings after submitting them a long time ago. It turns out you actually breathed life into Lin Qu with your voice acting, but got forced to abandon it. I deeply regret misunderstanding your voice acting as out of character, and misjudging you as a person. @CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date


    With ckbox, the author of the original work, openly tagging Don¡¯t ask for my return date to apologise, it couldn¡¯t have been more evident whose side she was taking.


    Qi Jing silently gazed at the post on his phone screen, as well as the rapidly growing number of shares, yet he couldn¡¯te up with a suitable response at the moment.


    After opening the reply box and staring at the flickering cursor, he found himself unable to write anything.


    He felt so many, so deep emotions, yet his mind was empty¡ªthere wasn¡¯t a single word to capture them adequately.


    In the end, he decided against replying for now and gently turned his body to face the other side of the pillow, where the other man¡¯s facey. They gazed at each other closely, and he felt like he could find more words to express himself just by looking at this man. His phone was ying the recording of their first meeting, and they shared one earbud each to listen. Truth be told, he wasn¡¯t really paying attention to it, simply savouring the bliss brought about by those two cords linking them together in the middle of their bed.


    ¡°Are you listening?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± The other man replied in a low voice, smiling slightly, ¡°I can¡¯t focus on listening when you¡¯re looking at me like this.¡±


    Half of Qi Jing¡¯s face was buried in the pillow, and he also smiled lightly at that man. Even though the lights were off in the bedroom, there was still a flicker dancing silently in his eye.


    ¡°There was a time before when, every night before falling asleep, I would listen to this.¡± It slipped his mouth without much thought, but as soon as he said this, he paused, realising it didn¡¯te out quite right. He hurriedly grabbed the hem of the other man¡¯s clothing under the duvet, trying to rify, ¡°Ah, ah, don¡¯t misunderstand! I didn¡¯t treat it as a material for that kind of purpose...¡±


    Material for that purpose.


    ¡°Pfft,¡± Shen Yan couldn¡¯t hold backughter, and feigning a serious tone, he added to the fire by saying, ¡°I never considered it that way. But now, with you saying this, it actually looks like it could be the case.¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s ears and neck flushed red. He was fully aware that this man was teasing him on purpose, yet he still couldn¡¯t help resist hastily defending himself, ¡°...I really didn¡¯t. We had only just met at that time, so having such thoughts would be too inappropriate at that time, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    In the dim light, it was difficult to see clearly if Qi Jing¡¯s ears were red, but when he felt Qi Jing¡¯s hand tugging at the hem of his clothes, he noticed that it was warmer than usual. He instinctively sped that hand within his own, the feeling of holding it filling his heart with contentment.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t use to in the past, but how about now?¡±


    His low voice was a bit raspy, as if his heart got brushed with sandpaper, making the listener tingle upon hearing it. Qi Jing held his breath, then out of a sudden, he removed the earphone and turned over to press over him.


    ¡°This won¡¯t move me now either,¡± His breath heavy, his hand venturing into Shen Yan¡¯s pyjama pants, teasingly kneading him there as punishment, ¡°I¡¯d rather move myself¡ª¡±


    With all that panting and gasping, they soon gotpletely carried away.


    With all that caressing and teasing, they also soon forgot about the phone and the earphones, pushing them to the side of the pillow to remain forgotten until the next day. Along with that, the reply to that post was also postponed for the entire evening.


    There was one thing he didn¡¯t expect though. As hezily woke up in Shen Yan¡¯s embrace and rubbed his eyes, receiving his daily wake-up kiss on the forehead, he sleepily reached out to pick up the clothes that slipped off the bed the previous night. After getting dressed and freshening up, he habitually scrolled Weibo on his phone while preparing for breakfast. At that moment, he was startled by the amount of his fans tagging him under one of the posts.


    He still hadn¡¯t managed to reply to that long post ckbox tagged him in yet, but there was someone who beat him to it, with the staggering amount of reblogs andments below it pushing it up as the topment.


    The author of the reply was none other than the person who kicked ckbox out of the chat group the day before.


    Unlike Da Qiao, who disappeared after getting ratio-ed with five thousand reblogs when Sleek horses run fast replied to her before, this girl was still standing her ground and getting feisty despite the turmoil she caused.


    ¡¾She¡¯s just an author, so what about that! She¡¯s actually blurring the truth by choosing to blindly protect Don¡¯t ask for my return date! Locky told me to remain quiet, but I have to speak the truth¡ªthis novel, ?Trap?, is actually quite mediocre, and the author also has only a few thousand followers on Weibo. If it wasn¡¯t for Sparrow agreeing to y the main character in the audio drama for it, there wouldn¡¯t be as many people reading it! It¡¯s obviously him that brought poprity to this novel, okay??¡¿


    ¡ªThis was the general tone of it.


    As for the so-called ¡®bold with the justice on one¡¯s side¡¯ attitude, it definitely came out very ¡®bold¡¯, even if the justice got skewed with no logic to speak of, leaving a hefty amount of people speechless in front of their screens.


    ¡°...Miss, you yourself really are...¡± Quite a piece of ¡®mediocre¡¯ work as an ally. Qi Jing was bbergasted, clueless how to even react aside from shaking his head.


    Inparison, Da Qiaomitting the ID suicide immediately was way more sensible.


    It¡¯s important to understand that almost every writer would have a sensitive spot, and the most fatal one would be to criticise their writing. The hate directed at them personally didn¡¯t mean as much, but when their works are getting attacked, it feels like someone is insulting their child. And iming something as preposterous as the ¡®secondary franchise¡¯ fanwork¡ªas Bronze Sparrow Terrace called it¡ªbeing better and more popr than the original work only added to the fire.


    It was nothing else than delivering a ruthless blow to the writer¡¯s sense of reason, shattering it in a single strike.


    Thus, this usually sunny and radiant ckbox girl... unexpectedly turned into a dark, raging storm.


    ckbox: ...Thank you for the poprity your audio drama brought to this mediocre novel of mine. However, those who came to read it for the VA alone might get disappointed, since the characters arepletely different at the core. As for me, I will keep writing no matter what, no matter if there¡¯s anyone reading. I will do my best to keep my readers interested within my own capacity. Therefore, from this day on, I officially revoke the adaptation rights for the ?Trap? audio drama. The production team is no longer allowed to release it under this novel¡¯s title, otherwise I will take legal action for the infringement of the copyright¡ªso be it.


    Upon reading this, Qi Jing suddenly felt tightness, like a parched man who didn¡¯t drink for days, making it dry and sore, yearning for something to soothe it.


    If someone were to put a hand on his throat right now, they would undoubtedly feel the rapid and rhythmic thumping of his heart, going thump, thump, thump.


    ¡°A-Yan¡ª¡± He called out instinctively in an urgent voice.


    Upon hearing his call, Shen Yan, who was currently cooking porridge, turned his head over, only to see Qi Jing sitting in the chair, staring intently at his phone screen. Qi Jing¡¯s expression was serious, and his posture rigid and tense, startling Shen Yan a little. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t answer right away, asking him back in a low voice instead.


    ¡°Let me ask you... You had once told me that you never ept the main roles. Does it still stand now?¡±


    This ¡°Geese Fly North¡± VA never epted main roles, there was no exception to that rule up till now.


    Even for his two roles in ?Order to End the Heavens?, Bai Ke and Old Man Xiao Shan, neither of them were main roles. The only time he yed one was when he temporarily filled in for the run-through, so it didn¡¯t count.


    For a brief moment, Shen Yan didn¡¯t reply, then he slowly put down the porridgedle in his hand. Faced with a question he never answered or even thought about, he truly didn¡¯t know how to respond.


    Nevertheless, he wanted to know the reason behind Qi Jing¡¯s question.


    ¡°Why are you asking this?¡±


    ¡°I want to do something,¡± Qi Jing took a deep breath, gripping his phone in both hands. The screen disyed the Weibo post editor, and the cursor blinked rapidly yet steadily, much like his heartbeat¡ªfast, but steady.


    ¡°Previously, I was always unsure if I should do this, if that would be the right decision, so I ended up giving up on that idea. However, now, I suddenly found a new determination for it. I believe that it¡¯s the right choice, and I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t regret it. I... I¡¯ve never felt so strongly about anything online before, which is why... I don¡¯t want to pretend it didn¡¯t matter to me.¡±


    Shen Yan listened silently.


    At that point, Qi Jing paused for a while, his voice a bit hoarse. ¡°But, even if I decide to go through with it... I can¡¯t do it without you.¡± He paused once more, then finally confessed his main concern, ¡°If you continue refusing the main roles, I won¡¯t be able to do that.¡±


    Shen Yan still didn¡¯t respond, only lowering his head with a smile. He picked back thedle and scooped them two bowls of porridge as if he hadn¡¯t heard Qi Jing¡¯s words just now. He calmly checked the temperature, wiped the stove, and washed his hands before bringing the bowls of porridge over as if nothing had happened.


    Qi Jing could only stare at him anxiously as he did all of this. Left on tenterhooks, he almost forgot about breathing.


    ¡°Then I will also ask you,¡± At that time, Shen Yan finally spoke, ¡°between my answer and eating breakfast, which is more important?¡±


    After waiting for so long Qi Jing only got this obscure answer, leaving himpletely exasperated. However, he didn¡¯t have the heart to pressure Shen Yan to reply, so he just sighed with a helpless smile, ¡°Eating breakfast.¡±


    Shen Yan smiled lightly, cing one of the bowls in front of Qi Jing and saying in a low voice, ¡°Then, if I¡¯m willing to make breakfast for you, then why would you be afraid I wouldn¡¯t agree?¡±


    It was still one day away from the New Year¡¯s when the author of ?Trap?, ckbox, withdrew the adaptation rights.


    Just as the forum was buzzing with excitement, considering that post from her as the most shocking news of this peculiar New Year show, but the next two posts from Don¡¯t ask for my return date surpassed it in impact, taking the topic to a whole new level of excitement.


    His first Weibo post was a reply to ckbox¡¯s previous statement.


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ^£ß^ Thank You for tagging me for that apology, but to be honest, there was no need for You to do that. I understand the difficult position You were in, and I also understand your disappointment at the time. In reality, it should be me who should apologise for letting my personal dispute reach all the way to the original author, dragging You into it. Apart from this, I want to apologise for giving in to pressure and deviating from ¡°Lin Qu¡±.


    The second post was a text in a quote reblog of his first post.


    CV-Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Aside from that, I would also like to make an official request to the author here¡ªI¡¯d like to ask the author to pass the already revoked adaptation rights to me. I guarantee to certainly return you theplete and unblemished ?Trap?, an even better, more polished adaptation than the first version. If you, the author, trust me, then I would like to request the exclusive rights from you.


    A/N:


    The main point of this chapter No.1: In the course of producing an audio drama, the author would remainpletely uninvolved most of the time, they usually only get notified after the audio drama releases... To say it bluntly, the actual importance of an author in a production team is pretty low£¨¡££©...But they still possess the scariest right, which is the right to revoke their authorization (smiles).


    The main point of this chapter No.2: Although 2Yan was the one to pounce on his man, he was actually the one to end up eaten up (continues smiling)...


    The main point of this chapter No.3: I¡¯m really not a little cliffhanger angel...


    T/N:


    Luci: I think it¡¯s a good time to remind the readers of this trantion that this novel released from 2013 all the way to 2015, and the state of the online voice acting circle portrayed here is a bit outdated in this day and age. Back then, the audio dramas were all non-profit and much more niche, basically toeing the line between an organised amateur fan-work and official adaptation. The permission from the author was still required to produce an audio drama, but it wasn¡¯t really purchased, just granted, and the final product was also free to listen to. Nowadays, most of the audio dramas are produced by the professional voice acting studios, with the rights being officially purchased from the authors. The production team along with voice actors are getting paid for their involvement in it, as they are now usually mized.


    Also, if anyone¡¯s interested in getting started with audio dramas, there are discord servers that can help you get started with them! There are a few trantions, and you can MTL those that aren¡¯t tranted fairly well (knowing the plot of the original novel helps though), so with some help from the other audio drama enthusiasts you can also get into it pretty easily~

 Chapter 149

    <h4>Chapter 149</h4>


    unedited


    31st of December, overcast turned cloudy, cloudy turned sunny.


    Very auspicious day¡ª


    ¡¾14 hours before the New Year¡¿


    ¡°...Return Date, you really are daring~¡± Ninth Lady¡¯s teasing tone sounded as if it came from inside of a cave, and she even intoned the end like a self-made echo effect.


    The corner¡¯s of Qi Jing¡¯s lips were curling up as he smiled without answering her.


    Half an hour earlier, he had just snatched the exclusive rights for the new version of ?Trap? audio drama from ckbox. As for why he had to ¡®snatch¡¯ it, it was because not even three minutes after he sent the post with the request for the adaptation rights, it was instantly met with strong opposition from A Lifetime¡¯s Lock. Even the author herself didn¡¯t escape the fire, ¡°You have no right to revoke those rights, and even more so to transfer them!! On what basis would you rob our team from the hard-earned fruits of ourbour!?¡±


    It sounded as if Qi Jing didn¡¯t contribute as the main voice actor for the first episode.


    It sounded as if it wasn¡¯t him that got tantly robbed by them of his recordings to make that teaser.


    This pot was so keen on calling the kettle ck, truly, so impressive¡ª


    Of course, ckbox ignored herpletely, and Qi Jing did the same, ignoring even the noisy cries from Great God¡¯s fans in thements.


    ¡°No matter if we have the rights or not, we will support our Sparrow in finishing this audio drama! Locky, you also continue making it! Either way, everyone still loves listening to our Sparrow¡¯s version more!¡±


    Those fans were pretty optimistic, immediately finding another shortcut to get what they wanted.


    It didn¡¯t matter for them if they had the rights or if there was any infringement, or even what the author thought. After all, none of those things mattered more to them than getting a chance to hear their male god¡¯s voice. And their optimism wasn¡¯tpletely baseless, since A Lifetime¡¯s Lock was indeed a powerhouse among the audio drama staff. Her sound design skills were superb, so even outsiders who were repulsed by Bronze Sparrow Terrace would still have a tough choice to make between the faithfulness of voice acting or the quality of the sound design.


    ¡°If Don¡¯t ask for my return date performs the same way he did in that run-through with Kitty¡¯s Papa, then it would be a very good and faithful adaptation, however...¡±


    ¡°However, the overall quality of an audio drama doesn¡¯t only depend on the main VAs; what about the side characters that still need to get cast? The post-production? And what about the director, the script-writer, the artist for the poster, and the promotion? As an audio-drama only fan, I really don¡¯t know if I should be happy or worried...¡±


    ¡°I heard that it¡¯s still not officially confirmed if Kitty¡¯s Papa is the other main voice actor, right? What if...¡±


    Even among the onlookers, there were opinions that wavered.


    But Qi Jing had already anticipated those voices the moment he openly requested the adaptation rights, and he knew whom he should seek helpt from.


    Requesting the rights didn¡¯t necessarily mean he was capable of being the producer. For that role, a seasoned veteran would be more reliable¡ª


    It was about the time when the Ninth Lady from the American time-difference gang often appeared. As expected, he really caught her in the ¡°Gradually inching towards quitting themunity¡± group as seen as he joined¡ªthough it was hard to tell if it was him who caught her, or her that caught him.


    Ninth Lady: Sigh, I didn¡¯t expect you to beat me in doing what I wanted to do, Return Date... (facepalms) Who is the one with the producer background here after all...


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Eh? Little Ninth, did you want to request the rights to ?Trap? as well?


    Ninth Lady: (facepalms) Of course.


    Ninth Lady: Do you know that ever since that teaser and run-through got released, I¡¯ve been going apeship from rage at one moment, then getting all hyped up with the other one!? I almost ended up going crazy!! I kept poking you to no avail, so I had to keep refreshing Weibo and the forum... And you won¡¯t believe it, when two hours ago I saw the author revoking the rights, I almost leaped up from my seat!!


    Ninth Lady: My first impulse was to rush in and snatch them for myself, so you could have a way to retaliate. But then I realised it wouldn¡¯t be enough... If I wanted to seek the author¡¯s support, I needed to show sincerity. At the very least, I had to assemble aplete production team. Only this would make us look more reliable... But the moment I looked away, you had already... £¨¨s£­£ß£­£©¨s¨k¨k


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ^£ß^


    Ninth Lady: (facepalms) Other staff are manageable, but as I¡¯ve analysed before, if we want to surpass the first version, then the post-production needs to be top-notch!! Just thinking about having to find someone like that gives me a headache...


    Bumpy, not Indented: ©V£ß©V


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Ah!


    Ninth Lady: ......


    Ninth Lady: ......


    Ninth Lady: ......Wait, wait, wait... Am I hallucinating or...


    Bumpy, not Indented: ©V£ß©V


    Ninth Lady: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!! CP!! Are you really my CP?? You actually came back?


    Bumpy, not Indented: ©V£ß©V Do you need me to do the secret signal?


    Ninth Lady: .......Do it!!


    Bumpy, not Indented: ©V£ß©V Whose voice is the best?


    Ninth Lady: Of! Course! My! Life! Core¡¯s! Lord! Sleek! Horse!


    Bumpy, not Indented: ©V£ß©V Longbow¡¯s voice is far better than his. (Important things need to be said three times, but those most important are only ever said once)


    Ninth Lady: ......


    Ninth Lady: ......


    Ninth Lady: ......sobs... My CP aaaaahhhh!! It really is you aaaahhh!! I was so lonely these days, aaaaagggghhh!! ¨“¨Œ¨“ ¨“¨Œ ¨“¨“¨Œ¨“


    Bumpy, not Indented: ©V£ß©V Pft.


    Bumpy, not Indented: ©V£ß©V Just look at you, no prospects at all.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Hahahaha~ It¡¯s so good you¡¯re back~


    ¡°I finally chased out Little Hassle with Big Hassle for a walk, only this way I had time to go online.¡±


    What Tu Xiaotu&#k2014;or Mrs Zhang, as she was also known&#k2014;had said made Qi Jing imagine that scene, and he couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter.


    Since they had to discuss important matters, the three of them rushed to the ¡°chitter-chatter¡± channel to open a room for more convenient talking.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be upfront with you,¡± After catching up with NinthLady for a while, Tu Xiaotu calmly cleared her throat and spoke in a formal tone, ¡°I have a big and a small one to take care of, and I also have a regr job. Post-production is a ratherborious and time-consuming process, so I¡¯ll have to squeeze it into my spare time, and there may be times when I won¡¯t be able to find any. So, better don¡¯t expect it to be fast...¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. To be honest, I was already so surprised and grateful when you agreed to help us with sound design.¡± Qi Jing smiled lightly.


    Setting aside the time it would take in the real world, within the online world, the sheer fact of them snatching those rights from a big-name VA and staff¡¯s hands made it quite a bit of a hot potato. Not many people would be willing to wade into those muddy waters.


    ¡°Heh,¡± Tu Xiaotu sneered, ¡°If you want to be grateful, then be grateful to those antis of yours instead. It¡¯s been a while since I saw a post that made me so angry I threw my mouse.¡±


    ¡°Me too~ Me too~¡± Ninth Lady muttered in the background like a broken record, trying to make her presence felt.


    ¡°Thank you girls, really.¡± He said.


    No matter how many thanks he said, he would probably never be able to express the expanse of his gratitude. But despite that, he still feltpelled to repeat it as many times as it took.


    He really was blessed to have met such a loyal bunch of friends that would take a knife for him during his three-year journey as an online voice actor¡ª


    In their tacit understanding, after joking for a while, they moved on to discuss the important matters.


    They had both the producer and the sound-designer, so two of the four core staff were already decided, but the other two were also indispensable.


    ¡°What do you think about the director and scriptwriter?¡±


    ¡°Ah... about this, can you guys let me take care of it?¡± Qi Jing went ahead and inquired carefully.


    ¡¾12 hours before the New Year¡¿


    Knives cutting in from four sides swallowed nervously, trembling as she clicked on the QQ group she had just joined.


    The group name was familiar¡ª¡±?Trap? Production Crew¡±. The name was still the same, but there was a whole new set of people inside. She couldn¡¯t find the words to describe her feelings at the moment.


    Knives cutting in from four sides: Gaaaah, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to go back to directing this audio drama again in this lifetime... QAQ


    Puppet Show: Knives Cutting!! You¡¯re also here?! QAQ


    Knives cutting in from four sides: Gaaaaah, Puppet!! QAQ


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Hellodies. ^£ß^


    Knives cutting in from four sides: Gaaaah, Return Date!! QAQ


    Puppet Show: I didn¡¯t think that I would be able to work on a project with Lord Return Date again in this lifetime... (I¡¯m really about to cry T£ßT)


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ^£ß^


    Ninth Lady: Hehe, hellodies~ I¡¯m the producer for the new ?Trap? audio drama, Ninth Lady. Though my recent output hasn¡¯t been particrly high, but I¡¯ve been in this line of work for five years already~ ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    Knives cutting in from four sides: Ah!! I heard of your ID before!! A seasoned producer!! (stares starry-eyed in worship)


    Puppet Show: That¡¯s right!! I also heard of you, you¡¯re the one who got Return Date into themunity!! (stares starry-eyed in worship+1)


    Ninth Lady: Heehee, I¡¯m getting a bit shy... ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    Bumpy, Not Indented: ©V£ß©V Hello to the director and scriptwriterdies. Please, don¡¯t get fooled by this woman¡¯s appearance, she¡¯s just a silly voice-con that¡¯s ready to simp for nice voices anytime, anywhere. En... I will introduce myself to as I¡¯m at it, I¡¯m the sound designer for the new version of ?Trap?, you can call me Bumpy.


    Ninth Lady: Heh, the one above giving me a side-eye is my CP, Bumpy. We¡¯re both together in the Senior Staff Retirement group~


    Knives cutting in from four sides: Pfft... Senior Staff Retirement group...


    Puppet Show: Pfffhahahahaha, Senior Staff Retirement group! (It sounds so cuteeee~)


    Ninth Lady: That¡¯s because we¡¯ve been in this half-retired state for a long time already, we even named our private chat group ¡°Gradually inching towards quitting themunity¡±. However, beforepletely leaving, wouldn¡¯t it be nice to make a big ssh with an amazing piece of work?


    Bumpy, Not Indented: ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    Knives cutting in from four sides: ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    Puppet Show: ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q Ab, so, lu, tely! After the author announced the withdrawal of the adaptation rights, I also announced that I¡¯m withdrawing my scripts for the second and third episode. I was already a fan of Lord ckbox even before I started working on this audio drama, so now that they dared to kick the author, I¡¯m alsopletely done with them!


    Puppet Show: Ah, right, speaking of the script...


    Puppet Show: Since it¡¯s the rights for the new adaptation, then Ninth Lady, do you n to start from the second episode, or...


    Ninth Lady: We have apletely new voice cast and a partially new staff team, so I n to remake the first episode. However, I still haven¡¯t decided whether I want topletely rewrite the script for the first episode or keep the original one.


    Bumpy, Not Indented: Keep the original one.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Hmm, let¡¯s keep the original one. This way the difference will be even more apparent. I¡¯ll do my very best to fully express everything I truly want to convey, so that everyone can hear how different it can be, even with the same lines and scenes.


    Knives cutting in from four sides: Return Date-sama is so awesome!! o(*¨R¨Œ¨Q)¥Ä


    Ninth Lady: Good!! But if we keep the same script, then Bumpy, do you feel that it¡¯s possible that you¡¯ll have some oveps with that Lock or something?


    Bumpy, Not Indented: Heh, just as Return Date said, the true skill is in creating apletely different atmosphere even with the same script and scene. That¡¯s where the real contrast and challengee in. Rest assured, I will work hard on it and show that Lock or something her ce.


    Knives cutting in from four sides: ¡«(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/¡« Sister Bumpy is so handsome!! (stares starry-eyed in worship)


    Puppet Show: ¡«(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/¡« Sister Bumpy is so handsome!! (stares starry-eyed in worship +1)


    Ninth Lady: ...Why do I feel like I¡¯ve seen the conversation above before... _(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    ¡¾10 hours before the New Year¡¿


    After determining the overall direction, the next challenge was to find voice actors, which proved to be even more difficult than recruiting. staff members. This became evident when A Lifetime¡¯s Lock persisted in dering her intent to continue the production even without the rights, effectively pressuring all the voice actors involved in the audio drama to choose a side.


    The majority of the voice actors in the original ?Trap? were brought on board by the original producer, Rouge Flower. She used the attraction of Bronze Sparrow Terrace starring as the main character to entice many of his die-hard fans and prominent VAs for the supporting roles. Their cast was impressive, but a significant number of them had a close connection with Bronze Sparrow Terrace, and as the currently renowned sound designer in the industry, A Lifetime¡¯s Lock also shared a good rtionship with those people.


    Perhaps rather than choosing to risk offending all of them, including Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s humongous fan base... it could be a better choice to risk offending Don¡¯t ask for my return date or a less well-known author.


    ¡°Even if they believe that we are in the right, they probably won¡¯t publicly take a stance on our behalf... Not to mention openly joining our new production team. We also can¡¯t approach them either, after all, it would put them in a difficult position regardless of their response.¡±


    Ninth Lady was right.


    In other words, they had to find all the VAs for the side characters themselves as well¡ª


    At that moment, the atmosphere turned heavy among them, neither of them uttering a word. Each of them was deep in thought, pondering a way out of it.


    Puppet Show: And there¡¯s quite a lot of side characters in the first episode... It won¡¯t be easy to find so many readily avable VAs on short notice (and yes, ¡°avable¡± is the crucial factor here¡±. This is the busiest time of the year for those of us that are working, and students are also about to start preparing for their final exams. We¡¯re probably have to wait until after the New Year to slowly start approaching people.


    Ninth Lady: Mhmm.


    Knives cutting in from four sides: Let¡¯s take our time finding them. Slow and steady yields fine results, right? We can start from PIAing the two main actors.


    Knives cutting in from four sides: ...By the way, what about Uncle Yan?? Why didn¡¯t Uncle Yan join the group yet?? QAQ


    Knives cutting in from four sides: ...Please, don¡¯t tell me that the other main voice actor isn¡¯t him!! QAQ


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s him. He had to go to work today, so he¡¯s not here yet. We can discuss the important matters first, it won¡¯t be toote for him to join uster.


    Knives cutting in from four sides: Yup, yup.


    Knives cutting in from four sides: Waaaah... I had already went emotional about it before, but I can¡¯t help but feel incredibly fulfilled as the director for the first audio drama with Uncle Yan as the main character... (falls down, contented)


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ^£ß^


    Ninth Lady: Haha, actually, when ites to selecting voice actors, Rouge Flower and I had different thoughts... When she mentioned an audio drama for ?Trap? to me, I had already read the original novel, and back then, I thought that her choice of Bronze Sparrow Terrace as the lead was a bit peculiar. But, of course, he¡¯s the great god~ Who doesn¡¯t like the god VAs~ And I¡¯m also not the producer, so I didn¡¯t say anything. Her choices for side characters might not align with mine, so there are advantages to finding them ourselves.


    Ninth Lady: For instance, the VA for the first male supporting character, and I mean the big brother of your character, Return Date. His voice performance was decent, but you guyscked that genuine brotherly chemistry.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ...Ninth, can you please provide more details? 0£ß0


    Ninth Lady: The main issue is the temperament reflected in your voices. Return Date, your voice has a certain elegance to it. Even though you sound a bit like a flirty scum (pfft), at least it gives off the impression of a well-bred, educated and refined individual. However, for the elder brother that was described as resembling the main character, Rouge Flower actually chose an average-sounding voice with a honest-to-god sryman top vibe, hepletely didn¡¯t have that feel... It just doesn¡¯t fit the role.


    Puppet Show: Agh! Now that Ninth Lady said so, it really does feel a bit strange!


    Ninth Lady: But, Return Date, voices like yours are already quite rare. To find someone with a simr voice that sounds even more ¡®top¡¯ than you, with a more older and steady ¡®big brother¡¯ vibe ... it¡¯ll be hard. (copses to the ground)


    As Qi Jing read this, his eyes trembled slightly, and in that moment, a burst of bright sparks ignited in his mind, illuminating his gaze.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ...


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: ...I know now.


    Ninth Lady: What do you know?


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: There is a person like this¡ªthat¡¯s right, there is no more suitable guy for it.


    Ninth Lady: Who?


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Just think of it: what was my previous nickname?


    When he said this, Ninth Lady was also taken aback,and remained silent for a while.


    However, when she finally reacted, sheughed heartily and outright rejected the idea, even repeating her disapproval thrice for the emphasis.


    Ninth Lady: No, no, that person won¡¯t do.


    Don¡¯t ask for my return date: Why won¡¯t he do?


    Ninth Lady: First, you won¡¯t be able to contact him; second, even if you manage to do that, he won¡¯t take on any new project. Forget about it, forget about it, let¡¯s think about someone else~ ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q


    Ninth Lady¡¯s tone made it easy for one to imagine her wagging her index finger in front of her screen,pletely dismissing the possibility.


    Qi Jing smiled faintly and simply said, ¡°You guys get in YY and go wait for me in ¡®chitter-chatter¡¯, I wille in a moment¡±, before disappearing.


    Everyone could just look at each other in confusion, then follow his instructions and go to the ¡®chitter-chatter¡¯ channel room.


    After ten minutes, Qi Jing was finally back.


    Apart from him, there was also another person who entered the room, with a single unserious-looking ¡°¡ïFive¡ï¡± as an ID.


    ¡°This ID is so...¡± tacky¡ªthought Ninth Lady.


    ¡°This ID is so...¡± suspicious¡ªthought Puppet Show.


    ¡°This ID is so...¡± goofy¡ªthought Knives cutting in from four sides.


    Only Tu Xiaotu merely chuckled upon seeing that ID, idly taking the role of the bystander as she watched the development with a smile.


    Despite everyone remaining silent, the owner of the ID seemed to be able to sense thements barraging through their minds. His grey icon flickered for a moment, transmitting a small chuckle¡ªa male voice. Aside of that, it was impossible to hear any other details.


    ¡°So this ¡®Five¡¯ is...¡±


    ¡°My big brother.¡±


    The joke Qi Jing made with a grin left the four of them astonished.


    ¡°Eh? Lord Return Date, do you have a big brother?¡±


    ¡°Could it be that Lord Return Date brought his real brother here?¡±


    ¡°Return Date, you actually had a big brother? I thought you just had a big sister and a little brother? Eh?¡± Ninth Lady was also in dismay. However, when she heard a voiceden with a smile, her thoughts momentarily snapped like a welded wire¡ª


    ¡°That¡¯s right, big brother. Didn¡¯t you guys call him ¡®Little Sleek Horse¡¯ before?¡± The man chuckled softly.


    Little Sleek Horse.


    Big Sleek Horse.


    So of course, this would make him Qi Jing¡¯s ¡°big brother¡±.


    Ninth Lady felt as if something exploded in hear mind with a ¡®bang¡¯, escaping her head.


    ¡°L-l-li-li, lif...¡± After stuttering on that ¡®li¡¯ for a couple of times, she finally let out a piercing scream that shook everyone to the bone, ¡°Li... LIFE CORE, AAAAAHHHH!!!¡±


    A/N:


    The chat style of text is also pretty fun to write... En.


    Five, you finally got your share of attention... En.


    PS: It seems like a lot of people misunderstood a bit I wrote at the end of chapter 144... I didn¡¯t mean that they¡¯ll meet again in Beijing?? _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_ Meeting up in Beijing would be the ¡°ideal way¡±, but they would get in contact in other ways... That¡¯s right, I actually secretly read through all thements.

 Chapter 150

    <h4>Chapter 150</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    If someone were to use an EEG on Ninth Lady at that moment, the reading of the signals in her brain would undoubtedly disy the ttest of lines.


    And if EEG disyed the system messages just like QQ, then the message it would undoubtedly show would be ¡°Your friend¡¯s ¡®brain¡¯ is currently offline¡±.


    Once her brain went offline, it didn¡¯t really matter if she herself was online, because, to bepletely honest, her mind was already in apletely empty state.


    That being the case, Tu Xiaotu quickly monopolised her authority with much ease.


    ¡°Let the producer go to the side, she cane back once she snaps out of it. Before that, I will be the one speaking¡ª¡±


    ¡°Si, sister Bumpy...¡±


    ¡°S-sister Bumpy really is a worldly person!¡±


    The remaining two staff were both well aware of the ID ¡°Sleek horses run fast¡±, and the status it held in the online voice actingmunity. Although the short circuiting in their heads wasn¡¯t as severe as with Ninth Lady, they still were almost kneeling before theirputers. Even their voices were trembling slightly as they spoke, and they couldn¡¯t help but express their awe for Tu Xiaotu, who remainedposed as always.


    Meanwhile, Qi Jing wasughing heartily on the side. Experiencing the thrill of being the one outside the situation while others were left stumped with shock, it really felt amazing.


    But as a seasoned staff member, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that Tu Xiaotu was adept in taking charge of the situation, ¡°So let me be clear about this¡ªeven if it¡¯s Big Sleek Horse, even if Return Date rmended him, we can¡¯t simply hand out roles. The voice actor needs to pass the audition to secure it. Am I right, director?¡±


    ¡°Eh? A-am I supposed to judge it?¡± Up till that point, Knives cutting in from four sides was in the midst of wolf-like wild howling in her heart. But when she heard Tu Xiaotu say this and realised she was about to evaluate the audition of a god-level VA, she truly wanted to fall onto her knees, trembling, and beg for mercy like a helpless eunuch from period dramas.


    But she heard that Great God¡¯s soft chuckleing from her earphones¡ªit didn¡¯t seem like he was opposed to this arrangement.


    ¡°Understood. So I should provide you with a voice sample, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Tu Xiaotu responded with a very professional smile.


    Hearing that, Knives cutting in from four sides trembled, the pressure she felt reaching an-all times high for her. If this man were in any other production team, the producers would likely offer him the role the moment they saw his ID, not to mention bothering him with a voice auditioning. Nobody would care whether he suited the character, and it remained a mystery if anyone had auditioned him, or even dared to ask him to audition...


    Knives cutting in from four sides shook again, having some second thoughts while secretly rubbing her heart.


    Gah, don¡¯t panic, don¡¯t panic. Lord Sleek horses run fast is a Great God, how can a Great God possibly ever ¡®perform badly¡¯...


    That was what Knives cutting in from four sides thought five minutes before...


    After five minutes passed, Knives cutting in from four sides crumpled up that thought and threw it into the rubbish like a piece of scrap paper. Then, she slowly rested her forehead on her hand.


    ¡°...One more time...¡±


    ¡°Cough, I¡¯m sorry, I haven¡¯t voice acted for a very long time after leaving themunity, so it might take me a bit to get back into it. Can you guys give me another chance?¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course, please feel free to take your time, Lord Sleek Horses...¡± To be honest, listening to a captivating voice repeatedly like this was truly a treat for the ears. Knives cutting in from four sides had no reason to decline, whether in an official or personal capacity¡ªespecially as Ninth Lady kept giggling foolishly in the background, eager to hear her life¡¯s core speak more.


    At that time, Puppet Show suddenly interrupted the voice audition, ¡°Wait a minute, someone just came in¡ª¡±


    They saw a slight flicker in the channel member list, and sure enough, a new blue vest ount appeared there¡ªthey were a member of this YY channel. No one knew where they suddenly appeared from. They didn¡¯t even have a proper ID, merely using a simple ¡°.¡± punctuation mark instead.


    Knives cutting in from four sides momentarily went silent, afraid that the news of the new ?Trap? production team approaching Sleek horses run fast would get leaked and invite hate from the antis.


    Tu Xiaotu was also cautious, ¡°Who is it? Did someone join here by mistake? I¡¯m sorry, this room isn¡¯t for farming channel points, so if you joined by mistake, then I must ask you to leave immediately...¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s someone I know, you don¡¯t have to chase him out.¡± Sleek horses run fast¡¯s words left everyone astonished, ¡°He joined because I said that I¡¯m currently giving a voice sample, so he said that he wanted to listen in. Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s very trustworthy, there¡¯s no danger in letting him listen from the sides.¡±


    Even though Sleek horses run fast might be a silly guy, he still knew to be responsible, so if he vouched for this person, it should be reliable.


    Tu Xiaotu sighed with relief, ¡°Since it¡¯s someone brought in by Big Sleek Horse, then that¡¯s okay.¡±


    The two girls also chimed in to agree. ¡°Since sister Bumpy said so, then we¡¯re fine with it as well~¡±


    ¡°Yup, yup~¡±


    Only Qi Jing remained silent throughout the conversation. His upational curiositypelled him to watch this ¡°.¡± curiously, pondering it for a while. Gradually, a conjecture formed in his mind, was one he was ny nine percent sure about, causing him to smile while supporting his chin.


    And so, the second try of the audition began.


    ¡°...Stop. Lord Sleek Horses, can you make your tone sound a bit more natural? Currently it¡¯s too apparent that you¡¯re reciting the lines, so it would be better if you rxed your voice a bit. Give it another try.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    And so, the third attempt began.


    ¡°...Stop. My Lord, you¡¯re not putting enough emotion into it, it sounds too t... Let¡¯s try again.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    And so, there was the fourth attempt, the fifth, and then the sixth...


    By the time the seventh take was done, the room waspletely silent, and all of their icons turned grey.


    Finally, the director¡¯s cry broke the silence, ¡°Aaaaaagh! I can¡¯t find any fault with this voice, I really can¡¯t! Even in terms of emotions, there was some steady improvement, but I still feel like something¡¯s missing, and I can¡¯t put my finger on it... I¡¯m a failure as a director, aaahhh!¡±


    ¡°K-Knives, calm down...¡± Puppet Show stammered.


    The ones leading the PIA were howling and crying, while the person on the other side of it wentpletely silent.


    ¡°L-lord Sleek Horses, are you... A-angry?¡± Puppet Show stammered even more. To get PIA-ed to this extent, even a normal VA would probably get annoyed, not to mention a big-name former god like him.


    The other party¡¯s icon remained grey, but huge bloody-red letters suddenly appeared in the chat.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: ¨“¨Œ¨“ ¨“¨Œ¨“ ¨“¨Œ¨“ ¡û(sobs in silence)


    ¡°Pfft!¡± Knives cutting in from four sides failed at holding back fromughing, her self-control crumbling.


    ¡°Pffft!¡± Puppet Show was so amused she instantly forgot about her veneration for the Great God andughed so hard she was shaking, ¡°Lord Sleek Horses is actually acting cute! He¡¯s acting cute!¡±


    ¡°Heeheehee... My life¡¯s core is so cute, so cute, cute enough to kill me~ Heeheehee...¡± Ninth Lady was already beyond cure.


    ¡ïFive¡ï: ¨“¨Œ¨“ sobs, I¡¯m sorry everyone, I... This blow was so hard that I don¡¯t dare to speak... (this pathetic voice actor¡¯s lies here in shame)


    Upon hearing his words, Knives cutting in from four sides grew anxious and said, ¡°Lord Sleek Horse, don¡¯t think like that! You¡¯re already better than many others, it¡¯s just I¡¯m being overly critical!!¡±


    Puppet Show also hastened to reassure him, ¡°It¡¯s okay! It¡¯s okay! After all, when the listeners hear your voice, they¡¯ll pretty much drop dead on the spot, so they won¡¯t have any extra brain power left to pay attention to your acting skills...¡±


    However, when she said this, his noodle-like tears flowed even more abundantly.


    ¡°Puppet, you...¡± Don¡¯t just break the truth to him like this.


    ¡°Eh? Did I identally end up hitting him while he¡¯s down... Eh?


    ¡°Cough, you would probably do better if you had someone else to interact with.¡± Tu Xiaotu cleared her throat, trying her best not to reveal that she was still suppressingughter just a minute ago and assuming a serious demeanour, ¡°I remember that Big Sleek Horse mentioned in an interview that your performance is better when voice acting with other peoplepared to when you¡¯re recording alone. Is that correct?¡±


    Qiu Tianyang responded with a soft ¡°mhm¡±, likely feeling somewhat anxious due to his poor performance before.


    The posted script excerpt in the chat was still in its dialogue format. Prompted by this suggestion, Qi Jing quickly skimmed through the lines for the other character. He was just getting ready to volunteer his services as Qiu Tianyang¡¯s voice acting partner when, out of nowhere, the previously silent blue vest ount on the member list suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡±


    The voice was clear and gentle, yet the inherent vigour of negation caused a slight quiver in his tone.


    Later, as if realising that his initial denialcked conviction, he channelled more strength into the second statement. However, he still had to maintain an appearance ofposure, causing the emotions to strain in his voice, ¡°...That person wasn¡¯t me¡ª¡±


    Qi Jing¡¯s finger, which was about to press the ¡°F2¡± key, suddenly froze in mid-air. Then, he instinctively retracted his hand and held his breath, listening intently.


    The director was shocked.


    The scriptwriter was shocked.


    The producer was shocked.


    Tu Xiaotu, who had remainedposed all that time, also seemed to astonished when hearing this line.


    ¡ªThis was the line in the script where an undercover police officer was talking to the main character¡¯s brother. This undercover agent has been ced as an informant alongside the older brother¡¯s, who held a higher position in the mafia syndicate than the main character. His objective was to secretly look for information while assisting his own people in apprehending the criminals. Unfortunately, due to a risky operation, his cover almost got blown.


    In this part, the two of them were having a confrontation.


    And just as described in the novel, the undercover agent¡¯s voice was especially deceptive, with a schrly and frail vibe toit, devoid of any semnce of threat. It was clear and pure like a ss of unadulterated water.


    Qiu Tianyang¡¯s breath seemed to disappear for a moment, with his icon remaining grey. After a while, they suddenly heard him let out a deep chuckle, ¡°Heh, is that so? Alright,e here¡ªlook in my eyes and repeat this one more time.¡±


    He maintained his superiority withouting across as overbearing, still capable of conveying his interest in the other man even in the midst of a tense situation.


    With the resonance of his low, maic voice, those feelings delivered the perfect impact they were looking for.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Knives cutting in from four sides couldn¡¯t hold back her scream, ¡°That¡¯s the feeling! Ah, ah, ah! When Lord Sleek Horses¡¯s voice and emotionse together like this, it¡¯s just so¡ª¡±


    ¡°Heart-pounding!¡± Puppet Show¡¯s voice was trembling with excitement.


    ¡°Heeheehee~ My life¡¯s core is so amazing~ Heeheehee~¡± Meanwhile, Ninth Lady remained beyond cure.


    ¡°Oh? This time you portrayed the emotions so well...¡± Even Tu Xiaotu had to give him credit, though her attention was mainly on the other person, ¡°Who was the one who spoke up just now? Well done, really well done. You¡¯ve managed to get Big Sleek Horse into the character and your voice also fits this role so well.¡±


    The director and the scriptwriter also quickly voiced their approval.


    Upon hearing this, Qi Jing smiled and calmly revealed the mystery, ¡°Seems like it¡¯s Noodles, right? What do you think, would you like to also join the audition for ?Trap??¡±


    ¡¾8 hours before the New Year¡¿


    ¡°A... epted.¡±


    After a little over an hour, Knives cutting in from four sides silently clutched her heart as she joined Ninth Lady in the ¡°Beyond Cure Squad¡±.


    Normally, the audition wouldn¡¯t have taken that long, but to fulfil their selfish desires, everyone indulged themselves by having them go through most of the character¡¯s lines, smitten as they kept howling in their hearts. Naturally, Qi Jing also joined in the scenes where the younger brother ¡°Lin Qu¡± made his appearance. Throughout the process, the girls felt as if their ears could melt at any moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m dead now.¡± Ninth Lady¡¯s words of conclusion were simple and to the point.


    ¡°If you¡¯re dead, you won¡¯t have the chance to listen to the final version, so you better think it through.¡± Tu Xiaotu replied calmly.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m not dead!¡± Ninth Lady replied in an instant, ¡°Guys! Guys! You¡¯re both epted, please, you need to join our production team!!


    ¡°Thank you, Ninth Lady.¡± When voice acting with another person, Qiu Tianyang finally grasped the essence of the character. Now that the producer officially announced his passing, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh with relief and grumble in that cute tone Ninth Lady and the others had already grown used to, and even secretly became fond of, ¡°So tired~ So tired~ All the lines I voice acted in this two yearsbined wouldn¡¯t outnumber what I¡¯ve done today. I feel like my vital energy haspletely drained... ¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only a little over an hour, can¡¯t you just handle it like a man?¡± Tan Zixian wasn¡¯t buying his act at all.


    ¡°Haha, even just an hour can be quite tiring. Thank you foring here to participate in the audition, and I¡¯m looking forward to our future coboration.¡± Tu Xiaotu, who assumed the post of the producer after Ninth Lady¡¯s reason left the premises, now added her final remarks as the sound designer after the audition had sessfully concluded.


    At that moment, Puppet Show finally mustered the courage to express what she had been hesitant to say, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Lord Noodles toe and help us...¡±


    Tan Zixian said in a calm tone, ¡°I initially just came to observe how it goes, but somehow ended up participating. That¡¯s actually good¡ªwhen Return Date requested the adaptation rights on Weibo, I had already decided that if there was a suitable role that could use my skills, I would definitelye to lend a hand.¡±


    Qi Jing smiled upon hearing this. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Tan Zixian also smiled, ¡°This time counts as us officially working together for the first time¡ªeven though it¡¯s not a CP.¡±


    Puppet Show couldn¡¯t contain her excitement, ¡°Cough, cough, cough... So you¡¯re telling me ¡®Time Limit¡¯ was actually the real ship here? In the past, whenever people mentioned Lord Noodles, they would always refer to you as ¡®Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s little bottom¡¯ or something like that. But now... I actually can¡¯t help but feel a bit sorry for Bronze Sparrow Terrace, what to do...¡±


    Upon hearing this, Tan Zixian¡¯s tone suddenly carried a hint of ambiguity, ¡°Hmph... Well, I can¡¯t help it. It¡¯s not like I can control my feelings for Return Date.¡±


    ¡°Oooooh! It¡¯s a confession, a confession!¡±


    ¡°Even though I¡¯ve seen you say this on Weibo and in the recordings ?Order to End the Heavens?petition, hearing it directly from you in person really adds a whole new level of excitement!¡±


    A single sentence made the room explode with countless pink bubbles.


    Qi Jingughed while taking a nce at Qiu Tianyang¡¯s dimmed icon. I think that Quick horses running fast deserves more sympathy now than Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡ª


    With the two key roles now cast, it was already midnight for a time-difference expat like Ninth Lady. Tu Xiaotu kept urging her to go to sleep, but she stubbornly resisted, crying and howling that she didn¡¯t want to go offline yet.


    The cause of her unwillingness¡ªSleek horses run fast¡ªonly had to say one thing to solve this problem.


    ¡°We¡¯re in the same production team, so we¡¯ll have more opportunities to meet in the future, Little Ninth.¡±


    With him switching from calling her ¡°Ninth Lady¡± to the nickname ¡°Little Ninth¡±, the destructive power of his words was off the charts.


    ¡°Heeheehee, since my life¡¯s core is saying so...¡± As expected, Ninth Lady who had just been rolling around throwing a shameless tantrum instantly turned meek. Tu Xiaotu silently sent ¡°©V£ß©V¡± in the chat to express her boundless disdain towards Ninth Lady¡¯s personal conduct.


    At that time, Qiu Tianyang suddenly added, ¡°However, before Little Ninth leaves us, I have an idea. I hope you could take a moment to hear it, as the producer.¡±


    There was no way Ninth Lady would say ¡®no¡¯ to him, ¡°Please do tell, my life¡¯s core!¡±


    Qiu Tianyang¡¯s tone shifted from the previous style, bing more serious. ¡°This idea came to me when Return Date wanted me to try audition for this role in ?Trap?. However, if I hadn¡¯t passed the audition, I would have had to abandon it... Fortunately, I passed it. That being the case, I wanted to ask the producerdy: would you mind if I invited a couple of my old friends to this audition?¡±


    ¡°Old friends?¡± Ninth Lady asked quickly, ¡°Are they also from the audio dramamunity?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s sort of like that, but not exactly... They¡¯re good voice actors, but they¡¯ve never been part of themunity. So if you judge them by their ¡®poprity¡¯, then only a handful of people would recognise them.¡± Qiu Tianyang spoke, his voice low and slow.


    ¡°I understand that this kind of lineup might be underwhelmingpared to the star-studded cast from Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s team. I¡¯m also not sure if you¡¯re aiming for more famous voice actors, Little Ninth, but I really want to ask you to consider giving them a chance. Even if there¡¯s no suitable role for them, even if it¡¯s just minor roles or background voices, it would be enough.¡±


    ¡°Five,¡± Qi Jing was the first one to react, his eyes glistening, ¡°You can¡¯t possibly mean...¡±


    ¡°Mn,¡± Qiu Tianyang¡¯s words confirmed his guess, ¡°I want to invite Two and the others, to once again work together for this audio drama.¡±


    ¡°Hold on a moment, by ¡®Two¡¯, you mean...¡± Having listened to the recording of thepetition, Puppet Show was was taken aback, ¡°It can¡¯t be ¡®Two¡¯ who became one of the champions in ?Order to End the Heavens?petition, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Qi Jing smiled lightly.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where Big Sleek Horses¡¯ got his nickname as ¡®Five¡¯ from. They¡¯re old friends.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°You should also know ¡®Six¡¯ as well.¡±


    ¡°Eh??¡± Puppet Show felt dizzy, as if her heart was about to fail her, ¡°So... that time Uncle Yan said he was ¡®Six¡¯ in thepetition... Aaaaaah! You guys actually came from the same set!¡±


    ¡°Oh, by the way, I¡¯ve recently also be ¡®Seven¡¯.¡± Qi Jing added yfully, delivering a final blow to her heart.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be wonderful? Us old staff get to reunite, and their pack of old friends can reunite as well,¡± Tu Xiaotu chuckled heartily, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Little Ninth?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s perfect timing for us since we were just fretting over finding new VAs, so no matter if it¡¯s for side characters, background characters, or even some misceneous roles, please don¡¯t be shy with pulling them in!¡± Ninth Lady dly epted his proposition, and the director and scriptwriter both chimed in with agreement. With the support of the staff, Qiu Tianyang could finally feel at ease.


    ¡°Alright, then I will gather everyone. It¡¯s a bit earlier than I expected, but that¡¯s fine. At least we can meet first online before we meet in person.¡± Qiu Tianyang paused for a moment, then turned to Qi Jing, saying, ¡°Return Date, this marks your first time acting as the main character since you joined us, and it¡¯s also Six¡¯s first time in leading role, so there could be more suitable time and opportunity than this.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s also the first officialeback of Big Sleek Horse,¡± Qi Jing chuckled, asking, ¡°Since we¡¯re making such a big ssh here, what could Big Sparrow Terrace¡¯s team possibly do to match it?¡±


    ¡°That Bronze Sparrow Terrace guy... You have to either not bother engaging with him, or if you do, go all in.¡± The former great god chuckled lightly, his aura not any less impressive than his past dashing self, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡¾6 hours before the New Year¡¿


    ¡°Aah¡ª!¡±


    The person on the motorbike let out a miserable scream as he got thrown off, crashing to the ground along with his bike. While desperately scrambling to get up from the snow, a hand suddenly grabbed his forehead and pressed him down, making him take a mouthful of gritty snow. His teeth instantly turned frigid, just as did his racing heart.


    The passersby on the street fell into an uproar, forming a circle of bystanders when they heard the disturbance.


    At that time, a middle-ageddy rushed over, clutching her bag. She looked rmed as she watched the man on the ground struggling like a fish on a chopping board, rendered speechless by the sight.


    ¡°For real, why are there so many purse-robbers and thieves before the New Year?¡± He could even bump into one when eating dinner outside, and this time it was actually a motorcycle thief!


    The man firmly gripping the thief¡¯s hands behind his back let out a disdainfulugh as he thought this. He didn¡¯t ease his grip, merely raising his head to address the gathering crowd, ¡°Apologies, I don¡¯t have an extra hand to make a call. Could someone from you please assist in calling the police?¡±


    ¡°I can do it, I can do it!¡± That woman who almost got her purse stolen hurried over, looking at him with gratitude, ¡°Thank you so much for helping me!¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me, just be careful when walking by the roadside next time.¡± The man remarked casually, not thinking much of this situation at all.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s just that his movements were a bit forceful, causing the not-yet-fully-healed wound on his arm to reopen slightly, sending asional sharp pains shooting through. In response, he only furrowed his brow and rubbed it for a moment. However, if that Little Stammer, who diligently called him everyday to check on his condition, were to find out about it, she would probably burst into tears.


    Thinking of this, he suddenly couldn¡¯t hold back a smile.


    Coincidentally, his phone started ringing at that very moment.


    Unfortunately, he was still subduing that motorcycle thief on the ground, so he couldn¡¯t free his hand to take it out. The phone kept ringing several times, but he was too preupied to attend to it. He was only able to pick up the call once the police hurriedly arrived.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Could it really be that girl, the one who stuttered whenever she was anxious?


    However, as soon as he heard the voice in the call and then their first sentence, he was momentarily taken aback. He even instinctively let out a soft ¡°eh?¡±.


    After a moment, he blinked his eyes, a glimmer of light seeming to appear within them.


    ¡¾4 hours before the New Year¡¿


    ¡°End-year Grand Sale! End-year Grand Sale! The final big price drop before the year ends! Don¡¯t miss it today!¡±


    The mall¡¯s promotional broadcast continued to beckon the customers repeatedly, and the upper and lower level of the mall bustled with people, creating a spectacr view.


    Rushing out from the chaotic frenzy of shoppers scrambling for discounted products, the woman¡¯s hands were full of bags of various sizes, filled with her spoils of war. She was nning to take a lift downstairs when she caught sight of an auntie shopping nearby. With a forceful fling, the auntie discarded a piece of clothing in her hand she decided against onto a counter, causing a neat pile of wool sweaters some shop worker meticulously stacked to copse in an instant, turning it into a mess.


    ¡°My goodness...¡± The customers these days.


    She thought for a moment, then turned back from the lift entrance. With the rhythmic tapping of her red heels, she reached the counter. cing all her bags down, deftly and quickly folded the dishevelled clothes, arranging them back into a neat pile.


    After arranging it, she took a stroll around to inspect the result of her work. Satisfied with the oue, she finally prepared to leave.


    A shop worker who witnessed it hurried over and expressed gratitude, saying, ¡°Thank you so much, miss! Not only did you help with folding it, but you also did it so professionally!¡±


    She shed a bright smile at this girl and said, ¡°I just did it in passing. I used to be a clothing department manager at a mall, so I know your pain. When I saw the situation, I couldn¡¯t resist lending a hand. I need to go meet my husband now, so bye bye~¡±


    Then, followed by the shop worker¡¯s gaze filled with admiration, she picked up her spoils of war and strode confidently towards the lift.


    Just as she was on her way to the parking lot, her phone started ringing.


    She picked up her pace, quickly reaching her car. She efficiently stowed away her haul in the trunk before fishing out her phone from the bag. However, when she nced at the ID disyed on her screen, her eyebrows lifted in surprise.


    This number had been calling her persistently for the past hour, filling her calls history with a page full of missed calls.


    At that time, she was likely caught up snatching the discounts, and the noisy inside of the mall made it difficult to hear her phone ringing. With a cheerful smile, she dialled back and eximed yfully, ¡°Hi handsome, what¡¯s going on¡ª¡±


    However, she paused abruptly, listening to the voice on the other end of the call., her eyes widening involuntarily. It wasn¡¯t until a moment after she set down the phone, that she fully snapped back to reality. Without hesitation, she leapt into the driver seat, started the car, and hastily reversed before elerating and speeding towards the exit.


    She rushed all the way to the entrance to the orthopaedics hospital.


    She paid no mind to her high heels anymore and sprinted with the cking to the entrance of the outpatient department. Unexpectedly, a man emerged from the entrance just as she arrived, causing a wide smile to spread across her face.


    ¡°Hubby! Hubby!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Upon hearing her voice, the man lifted his head. He was tired after having just finished his work, and got caught off guard by the woman leaping into his arms. The impact sent him into a stumble, and they nearly tumbled together. Luckily, he reacted fast and he promptly caught her in time, preventing a fall as they both regained their bnce.


    The man simply didn¡¯t know whether to cry orugh, ¡°Why did youe here? Weren¡¯t you out shopping?¡±


    He didn¡¯t even get to ask about the situation before he got a big kiss on the cheek, causing his face to blush slightly. Seeing his embarrassment, his colleagues around him giggled. He coughed awkwardly, trying to hide his flushed face, but he didn¡¯t wipe off the faint lipstick mark left by the woman¡¯s kiss. Laughing helplessly, he asked, ¡°What are you doing, being so flirtatious?¡±


    ¡°Quick, let¡¯s go home! I¡¯ve already driven here!¡± The woman showed no sign of flirtatiousness, linking her arm with his all in smiles and pulling him towards the car as she spoke.


    ¡°Go home? Why are you in such a hurry to go home, just what...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask now, you¡¯ll know once we¡¯re back, so let¡¯s go~¡±


    ¡¾2 hours before the New Year¡¿


    ¡¾Both of you, get on Skype.¡¿


    Said the message from Five.


    Qi Jing ced hisptop next to Shen Yan¡¯s PC and settled down beside him. Even within the mere minute it took for hisptop to boot up, he managed to steal a moment to lean his head over and nuzzle Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder.


    Shen Yan just smiled, lowering his shoulder a bit to make it morefortable to lean on.


    ¡°Ah, Skype. It¡¯s so nostalgic...¡± Qi Jing murmured as he stared at the blue icon on the screen. He had this software installed on hisptop before, but it had been idle for quite a while. The main reason was that fewer and fewer people in the online voice acting circle were using it these days. ¡°I used to have discussions with some production teams on Skype when I first joined the circle. Back then, YY wasn¡¯t as popr, but now it¡¯s Skype that¡¯s gradually disappearing. Maybe it¡¯s because Skype doesn¡¯t have the in-built recording feature.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, having an option to record is pretty useful.¡± Shen Yan suddenly chuckled upon hearing this, lifting his hand to hold Qi Jing¡¯s nape, gently rubbing the hair there.


    Qi Jing immediately understood what he meant and he smiled silently, continuing tozily enjoy his personal ¡®benefits¡¯.


    Logging into a newly created ount, Qi Jing began adding contacts one by one based on the list of ounts provided by Shen Yan. Then, it was Five who initiated the group voice call.


    To make his identity clear, Qi Jing even changed his ID int ¡°¢÷¡± matching the other people present in the group.


    Five truly lived up to his reputation. He excelled in talking to people, making him the best person to gather everyone together. With him taking the lead, ¡°¢ò¡±, ¡°¢ó¡±, ¡°¢ô¡±, ¡°¢õ¡±, ¡°¢ö¡±, and his own ¡°¢÷¡± ounts were now all online status in the chat window.


    ¡°¢ò¡±-¡¾Gimme a proper dub, dumbass¡¿


    ¡°¢ó¡±-¡¾Porcin Bowl¡¿


    ¡°¢ô¡±-¡¾Biluochun Tea¡¿


    ¡°¢õ¡±-¡¾Swift horses run fast¡¿


    ¡°¢ö¡±-¡¾Geese Fly North¡¿


    ¡°¢÷¡±-¡¾Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¿


    The only one to remain missing was the one ranked first on the list, ¡°¢ñ¡±¡ª


    ¡°What about One? Isn¡¯t Onehere?¡± Two¡¯s voice grew sombre, disying clear displeasure, ¡°We agreed to wee the New Year together with all seven of us, how can we do that without One here?¡±


    Five mumbled, ¡°I know, I know! What else can I do if he won¡¯t pick up my calls? The best I can do is to continue trying.¡±


    Four was eating some melon seeds while watching him scrambling frantically to get in touch with thest person, ¡°Good luck, you don¡¯t even have two hours before the New Year~¡±


    Five could only gaze listlessly at the skies, first pushing Qi Jing forward to act as a decoy, ¡°You guys first talk to the new boy Seven, and I¡¯ll keep trying to call him. Going AFK for a bit.¡±


    ¡¾1 hour before the New Year¡¿


    ¡°I... Can¡¯t... Contact... Him...¡± They heard Five¡¯s dispirited voice, sounding as if he was on the verge of tears.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already talked about everything I could, so condolences.¡± Qi Jing expressed his helplessness.


    During the time he was trying to contact the missing member, Qi Jing chatted with Four about the possibility of Jade Butterfly being the owner of the ¡°Dissing g Gays¡± side ount and her peculiar logic. Then, he shared various funny anecdotes with Three from the time when he had broken his arm, expressing his gratitude for his rehabilitation advice at the time. Lastly, he even started some impromptu script acting with Two for ?Trap?.


    Luckily, Qi Jing was quite chatty himself, so he didn¡¯t find it boring even after an hour.


    Still, just continuing chatting wasn¡¯t a solution.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t managed to contact One?¡± Three was asking concerned.


    ¡°Come on, Five, can¡¯t you put in more effort,¡± Four was urging impatiently.


    ¡°Crunch, crunch, crunch...¡± As for Two, all that could be heard from his end was the sounds of him munching on potato crisps, with him probably having already given up onining.


    Shen Yan also didn¡¯t say anything, just waiting in silence. However, Qi Jing really couldn¡¯t help his curiosity.


    ¡°What kind of person is One? Why is he so hard to find?¡±


    ¡°One, huh... He¡¯s a man behind high-ranking officials.¡± Upon hearing him ask this, Five chuckled suddenly, deliberately putting the emphasis on the plural ¡®officials¡¯.


    ¡ªA man behind high-ranking officials.


    ¡ªIt¡¯s not only a high-ranking official, but also a number of them?


    With those words, a whirlwind of eye-catching news headlines swept through Qi Jing¡¯s head: ¡°Kept Man Exposed¡±, or ¡°The ¡®Second Master¡¯ Behind the Officials¡±, or ¡°Unveiling the Scandalous Private Lives of Officials¡±, and so on...


    Qi Jing shivered, scared by the door to a whole new world that opened in his mind.


    Seeing him momentarily at a loss of words, Five couldn¡¯t contain hisughter any longer and eximed, ¡°Hahaha! Just now, you must have imagined One as some sort of kept man for the officials, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Qi Jing turned his head away in an awkward silence.


    That¡¯s just a professional bias, a professional bias...


    ¡°Ah, One is an interpreter, nothing more¡ª¡± At that time, Two, who had finally finished eating his bag of crisps, chimed in to tell him the truth.


    Qi Jing finally understood.


    No wonder Five referred to him as a man behind high-ranking officials... It was indeed kind of the case. He often encountered individuals like that at press conferences, serving as the alternative ¡®voice¡¯ for the officials. The simultaneous interpreters mostly operated in the background, rarely appearing during public events.


    Bringing One up got everyone in the group chatting energetically once again.


    ¡°Seven, listen up! Listen! One has a built-in voice-over~¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, when he¡¯s voice acting in audio dramas with English lines in them, he sounds like a real foreigner...¡±


    ¡°But in exchange for that, he¡¯spletely useless in the historical plots... For example ?Order to End The Heavens?. If he were to participate in that contest, he would definitely end up identally ying a transmigrated modern guy.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which...¡± Five feebly tried to catch their attention among their chatter, ¡°The main point is¡ªwe still can¡¯t contact him?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Qi Jing pondered for a moment and drew from his experience working at the TV station, offering an exnation, ¡°Today is the day right before the New Year¡¯s, and typically, official year-end summaries and New Year forecasts are released this evening. If One¡¯s profession involves this kind of work... I believe he might be upied with his job at the moment, and during such formal asions, it¡¯s likely that he has his phone turned off.¡±


    His statement left everyone stumped.


    Five wailed miserably, ¡°Damn it, I think that Seven¡¯s right¡ªour ns to wee the new year together got busted!!¡±


    But suddenly, Shen Yan, who didn¡¯t really speak much up till that point, said, ¡°He wille. Let¡¯s wait a bit more.¡±


    ¡¾10 minutes before the New Year¡¿


    ¡°It¡¯s 11:50 now.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Qi Jing slightly opened his eyes, confirmed that ¡°¢ñ¡± still hadn¡¯t appear, and then closed them again, going back tozy nuzzling against Shen Yan¡¯s shoulder for some warmth.


    On the other side, Four let out a yawn, and Three gave her a gentle pat with a wry smile.


    Two¡¯s potato crisps stash seemed to have run out, and even him, the guy who usually talked the most, didn¡¯t have the energy to keep pushing. So, he just turned to having a sporadic conversation with Shen Yan.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s already good that we managed to gather six people for tonight.¡±


    Five sighed wistfully, and he was about to abandon attempting to contact One. But then, his phone rang loudly, and the ringtone was transmitted to everyone on the Skype call, momentarily rousing them all from their drowsiness, perking up their ears to listen.


    Since it was a phone call, they couldn¡¯t hear the person on the other side, only Five who was talking to them.


    The content of the call also had them on tenterhooks¡ª


    ¡°One! Aaaaah, you finally...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you finally listened to the message I left you? Yes, yes, everyone else is here, you¡¯re the only one missing.¡±


    ¡°What! You¡¯re telling me that you have noputer around you? You actually don¡¯t have aputer??¡±


    ¡°Phone? I think you should be able to download a mobile app for Skype...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never used it before? Even if you haven¡¯t, it¡¯s okay, just give it a try quickly. We only have seven minutes left until the New Year!¡±


    No one dared to take a deep breath.


    After a moment, Five hung up the phone and informed everyone that One was currently downloading and installing the mobile app, so they had no choice but to wait. The tension in the atmosphere remained, getting more palpable with each minute and second.


    ¡¾5 minutes before the New Year¡¿


    If there was anything more agonising in this world than forgetting password, then it was forgetting an ount name.


    Passwords are often more or less reused, people would usually just use a couple of them, but it was a different case with the ount ount names¡ªespecially when they haven¡¯t been used for over half a year.


    And so, One currently found himself in this tragic state¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯m... Impressed by him.¡± Five¡¯s tonepletely embodied a pure deadpan expression.


    ¡°Have him register a new ount!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°I told him that, and you know what? He said no,¡± Five¡¯s deadpan expression seemed to escte even further, ¡°He said something about how true old friends should use their old ounts to meet...¡±


    The corner of Two¡¯s lips twitched, and he voiced the collective sentiment, ¡°May I ask if I can give him a beating?¡±


    ¡¾30 seconds before the New Year¡¿


    ¡°...I¡¯ve got both bad news and good news. Which one would you like to hear first in thest thirty seconds of this year?¡±


    During thest moments, Five actually came to say something like this.


    Two simply lost it.


    ¡°Tell! Us! Both! Now!! Goddammit!¡±


    Perhaps due to his exasperated tone, it unexpectedly hit aical nerve, making everyone burst intoughter almost simultaneously.


    Even Fiveughed along.


    The first news came out with a dryugh, ¡°The bad news is that One... in the end, he didn¡¯t remember his ount.¡±


    Then, with a bright smile, he delivered the second one, ¡°The good news is, I remembered it for him.¡±


    At that time, they got surprised with another person joining the voice chat window, the ¡°¢ñ¡± mark appearing on the list.


    ¡°Seems like you¡¯re all here.¡± A calm and deliberate male voice could be heard, his manner of speaking a reminiscent of thebed-back hair of old-fashion foreign movie actors, each word meticulously arranged, ¡°Good evening¡ª¡±


    And Two¡¯s response was in turn like someone reaching down to tousle those perfectly neat hair in an instant.


    ¡°In ten seconds it won¡¯t be evening anymore! Hurry up, we¡¯re about to start the countdown!¡±


    Laughter erupted through earphones, blurring the distinction between the voices.


    The arrival of thest person elevated everyone¡¯s spirits, filling the atmosphere withughter and excitement.


    ¡°Quick, quick, let¡¯s count down together!¡±


    ¡°Ready¡ª!¡±


    Three!¡±


    ¡°Two!¡±


    ¡°One!¡±


    ¡¾New Year, midnight¡¿


    ¡°Happy¡ªNew¡ªYear¡ª!¡±


    The six of them eximed together in unison, but it got disturbed by e Happy New Year in English,te by half a bit and almost making all of them choke.


    ¡°One! You...¡±


    ¡°One! What are you doing, mixing the English in!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry... I had just left my workce, and my reflexes kicked in, so I interpreted it on the spot...¡± One humbly engaged in self-critique. upational habits are sure hard to control.


    Qi Jing smiled among the noisy atmosphere on Skype, then suddenly, he turned his head to the side and, covering the mic, passed a bit of his smile in the corner of his lips onto the lips of that man.


    ¡°The first ¡®mwah¡¯ of the year.¡± He said.


    Novels would often use the word ¡®sweet¡¯ to describe a person¡¯s smile. Turns out, it really wasn¡¯t baseless...


    ¡°Happy New Year, A-Yan.¡±


    A/N:


    That¡¯s a long, long, long chapter... _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_


    I hope that this will mean that there will be long, long, longments... _(:3¡¹¡Ï)_ (Actually, as you guys are always checking everyday for the updates, I¡¯m also checking in everyday for thements, sobs)


    T/N:


    Luci: It is indeed, a long... long... long chapter... (dies)

 Chapter 151

    <h4>Chapter 151</h4>


    unedited


    Before, those words,¡¾Happy New Year¡¿were his retaliation against the¡¾Merry Christmas¡¿greeting from Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s side.


    However now, he genuinely, truly felt happy from the bottom of his heart. To only use those words as a means of retaliation would only diminish their real importance.


    Just as Five said, ¡°The main point is for us to once again create a great audio drama together. Taking the opportunity to p Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s face along the way to avenge Seven should just be an amusing bonus¡ªthere¡¯s no reason to get so invested in ying along with someone like him.¡±


    Indeed.


    Retaliating against Bronze Sparrow Terrace shouldn¡¯t be the reason for their reuniting, but voice acting.


    In the wee hours of the first day of new year, their group of sevenughed and chatted, almost going through the entire night together. Only when dawn was fast approaching they were finally all ovee by sleepiness and surrendered to their beds. He, too, nestled into Shen Yan¡¯s embrace, rubbing his weary eyes, and drowsily cocooning them both with the covers. They drifted into a deep sleep as the first rays of the morning light filtered in, marking the beginning of new year.


    On the afternoon of the first day of new year, the production team of the new ?Trap? audio drama weed several new members. Guided by the oversight of producer Ninth Lady and director Knives cutting in from four sides as the chief evaluator, each member was assigned tasks based on their individual strengths and qualifications.


    On the afternoon of the first day of new year, the teaser for the new ?Trap? audio drama officially began collecting the recordings¡ª


    ¡°Since their Christmast gift was a teaser, then how about we also release one as a New Year¡¯s gift?¡± Tu Xiaotu, the sound designer, was the first one to suggest this idea. ¡°If we keep it under five minutes, our scriptwriter girl can draft a trailer-style script today. Each of you guys would contribute a couple of lines and if I work really hard and rush for a few days, we could have the final product ready in about a week.¡±


    This idea received unanimous support from everyone in the team.


    During the end of the lunar year everyone would be busy, and the long lines for the actual audio drama episodes would require going through the slow PIA-ing process. Meanwhile, a trailer-style teaser would only have so many short lines, and it was easy to showcase their strengths with them, so this way of making a big ssh first was very promising.


    ¡°Exactly, exactly! After securing the adaptation rights, we need to produce something quick and of high quality to show them the spirit of our team!¡±


    ¡°Mn, if it¡¯s just a trailer, then Five can still pull off acting with some difficulty, but during the actual recording of the first episode you guys need to give him a thorough training, otherwise he might ruin the whole project.¡±


    ¡°Two, you...! You¡¯re being too much! I¡¯ve been practising so hard, you know...¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha, let¡¯s not talk about Five acting anything else, cause he¡¯s an absolute master of acting pitiful!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha, Lord Sleek Horses is ying cute again!¡±


    ¡°Hahahaha...¡±


    Qi Jingughed along as he stole a nce at the desktop calendar, then another nce at the person by his side. He didn¡¯t say anything, keeping his little ploy a secret for now.


    The first day of the new year was filled with excitement andughter. However, once the excitement subsided, it was like people at a cinema scattering after a movie¡ªwith most of its scenes still vivid in their minds, the emotions they experienced nevertheless started mellowing out, bringing them back to the tranquillity, to reality.


    The second day of the new year went as usual.


    The third day of the new year went as usual.


    The fourth day of the new year went as usual...


    Every day of the new year went as usual. The mundane, everyday life wouldn¡¯t change just because of a new calendar on the wall, and their real life obligations too wouldn¡¯t change just because of the fast approaching online release of their teaser.


    Their days were just like in the past, ordinary and simple.


    Qi Jing lowered his head, making a line across the line of days in January in the desktop calendar with a pen, starting at the square for 1st January and ending at the one for 6th January¡ªthat is, the present day. He circled this date, the corner of his eyes crinkling up in a thoughtful smile. After a while, he set down the pen andzily watched as the hand of the clock approached the twelfth mark.


    During the three-days holidays for Lunar New Year, the TV station was still busy with overtime work as usual. He had managed to exchange half a day during the holiday with someone else, and today, he only had to go to work in the morning. He finished his tasks early, so by noon, he finally grabbed his bag and left the office.


    When he passed by the mailroom, the supervisor hurriedly called out to him, ¡°Xiao Qi, today¡¯s deliveries have already been received! Do you want to take a look if the thing you¡¯re waiting for is here?¡±


    These days, Qi Jing would visit the mailroom multiple times a day, at least four times, but once he received a package, he would just leave with a smile, nowhere to be seen again. However, every time the supervisor of the mailroom saw him passing by, he couldn¡¯t resist asking him.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t have any more packages. Thank you!¡± Qi Jing waved his hand, saying goodbye with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m heading out now, have a good day.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so early? Do you have an interview?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t, I¡¯m just going back home.¡±


    The mailroom supervisor just scratched his head in bewilderment, watching him leave while thinking.


    Going back home?


    For someone who used tock enthusiasm about this ¡®going back home¡¯, he now appeared quite enthusiastic. Strange... Very strange.


    Qi Jing left the station, but didn¡¯t take the tube, just hailing a cab instead.


    The taxi driver was also a patient fellow. Along their way, Qi Jing asked him to stop three times, each time asking him to stay for a few minutes on the roadside, yet he didn¡¯t mind the multiple stops. And each time, Qi Jing would quickly go to the store, thene back with shopping bags in hand, cing them carefully one after another, as if afraid of breaking something.


    The driver scratched his head, perplexed, but didn¡¯t inquire.


    It was only around 2PM by the time he was back to the northern part of the city. Qi Jing ced the things in his hands on the coffee table. He made sure to fill the bellies of the two whining little fellows before picking up the already prepared grocery list and going on a walk to the nearby food market. With the help of a few aunties, he managed to gather all the items he needed and returned home, satisfied.


    ¡°It¡¯s so rare to see such a young man doing groceries himself...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that it¡¯s because his wife made a ruckus.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that his wife is staying at home for her postpartum confinement.¡±


    ¡°No matter what, his wife is very lucky~¡±


    The aunties all scratched their heads, somewhat jealous.


    He unlocked the door, lined up the ingredients, opened the recipe, then once again read the text he had secretly studied for the past few days.


    He rolled up his sleeves, tied his apron, and finally put this knowledge into practice.


    Before Shen Yan got off work, he received a message from Qi Jing:¡¾No need to buy groceries, juste straight home¡¿


    He thought that maybe Qi Jing nned to eat outside.


    It was only when he opened the door and was greeted by the rich aroma of food filling the apartment that he realised what was going on. He stood still for a few seconds, processing the scene before him, then stepped forward and slowly made his way towards the kitchen. There, he saw a man standing in the soft glow of the setting sun, his head lowered over the pot among the whirls of rising steam. He spooned up a bit of soup to taste it, a satisfied smile gracing his lips. His finger tapped a yful tune on the bowl in his hand, creating a rhythmic sound.


    Shen Yan stared, dumbfounded.


    ¡°You came back?¡± At that time, Qi Jing turned his head and met Shen Yan¡¯s gaze. His smile was just as pleased as the tone of his voice, ¡°Wait a moment, the dinner will be ready in a minute.¡±


    Shen Yan opened his mouth, but it was as if he opened an empty script, leaving him at a loss of how to find the right words to form a coherent sentence.


    It took him a long while to ask in a low voice, ¡°...Do you need help with something?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Qi Jing smiled and didn¡¯t leave any room for interruption, ¡°You go rest a bit, just leave everything to me. Oh, and don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve personally tasted all of these dishes. While I might not be as skilled as you, I¡¯m pretty confident in my ability to learn and replicate.¡±


    Shen Yan made a soft noise in response, but he didn¡¯t leave. Instead, he remained by the door, unable to peel his eyes off this sight.


    As he watched Qi Jing, he couldn¡¯t stop the memories of his childhood from flooding in.


    In this moment, his present self ovepped with the tiny figure from years ago. Standing by the kitchen entrance, he watched his mother chop the ingredients meticulously on a cutting board. In those moments, he would feel the most content after the loneliness he felt whenever she left for work, at least not feeling lonely anymore. And in his youth, he would also alwayse here after getting back from school, silently watching his grandpa cooking, feeling... relieved.


    Him from before didn¡¯t know how to express his &#k2018;presence¡¯. Or maybe, he was afraid to express it, dreading that what he saw was just a reflection on the water¡¯s surface. He feared that he might be a stone sending it into ripples, destroying and disturbing its warmth. That¡¯s why, he would only ever watch it in silence.


    But now¡ª


    Now, he believed that even if he were to be a stone dropping into the waters, this scene wouldn¡¯t shatter like the reflections on its surface. It wouldn¡¯t vanish from his side.


    Subconsciously, he took a few steps forward, then paused for a deep breath before walking behind Qi Jing. He instinctively embraced him from behind, holding Qi Jing¡¯s waist and burying his head in his hair, greedily breathing his smell in. Its mixture with the subtle fragrance of cooked rice wafting over from the pot felt warm andfortable¡ªfor him, who had just got back from the winter streets, there was nothing he could yearn for more than this sensation.


    ¡ªAs if his actions were saying, ¡°I¡¯m here, I¡¯m with you.¡±


    ¡ªAs if his actions were making sure, ¡°You¡¯re here, you¡¯re with me.¡±


    Silently giving a voice to how he loved and was loved.


    Qi Jing smiled faintly, letting Shen Yan hug him as his movements never stopped, finishing preparing all of the dishes.


    Before the meal, Qi Jing urged him to go take a shower first and get back for the dinner clean and fresh. Shen Yan couldn¡¯t convince Qi Jing otherwise, so he could onlyply.


    As he walked out of the shower, he found that Qi Jing had managed to set up the meal during his absence. Not only that, but a few new ss candle holders had appeared in the centre of the ck walnut table. The candle mes swayed inside them, their pale gold light refracted through the ss, creating a pattern, a golden openwork on the ck surface of the table. With the dimly lit room without the main lights on, it looked especially atmospheric. And on the table, right in front of where he always sat, there was a single red rose.


    Only a single one, neither grand nor extravagant, but it was wrapped with utmost care, looking very unique and lovely.


    Qi Jing was standing by the table, looking like a genteel waiter as he smiled and pulled back the chair for him, inviting him with a gesture, ¡°Please sit down, Mr Shen.¡±


    Shen Yan looked at him, a bit dazzled, looked back at the chair, then finally walked over.


    To be fair, everything else aside, when he sat in front of that rose, he couldn¡¯t contain a small sputter ofughter.


    ¡°Why am I getting a rose?¡±


    He asked as he picked it up. His movements were gentle, loath to leave it there yet also loath to hold it in fear of damage it could cause. However, the sincerity of Qi Jing sending him this rose made him chuckle.


    ¡°Do I need a reason to send flowers to the person I like?¡± Qi Jing raised his eyebrows slightly, then asked in return, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going topliment me? Where else would you find such a romantic boyfriend like me?¡±


    Topliment himself so boastfully, this was also a side of himself Qi Jing would only show to Shen Yan. When he thought of this, he couldn¡¯t help but smile even more.


    ¡°Mn, thank you.¡±


    Qi Jing didn¡¯t say anything, a small smile curving his lips as they both sat down to enjoy the meal together.


    Qi Jing¡¯s culinary skills weren¡¯t really exceptional, but for a workaholic who rarely ever entered his kitchen when he used to live alone, it was already an achievement to cook this many dishes.


    However, Shen Yan was unable to provide ament on their taste. No matter what he ate, it all tasted delicious and overwhelmed him with happiness... So it was impossible to offer a fair appraisal.


    At that moment, the only words he could muster were, ¡°Thank you for your hospitality.¡±


    Qi Jing chuckled, ¡°I won¡¯t ask you how it tasted, so just let me deceive myself for a moment to satisfy my vanity.¡±


    Just as Shen Yan was about to say ¡°I think it was delicious¡±, Qi Jing suddenly stood up. He looked around and swiftly moved some chairs against the wall, clearing the space in the middle of the dining room. Shen Yan was puzzled by this sudden action, but before he could ask, Qi Jing returned with a smile and reached out to take his hand, guiding him to the newly cleared floor.


    ¡°You received your flower, ate the meal, so how about you dance with me to return the favour?¡±


    Qi Jing cocked his head and asked with a smile.


    Shen Yan was stumped by this question, then replied with a wry smile after a moment, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to dance.¡±


    Qi Jing wasn¡¯t at all surprised with his reply, and offered with a chuckle, ¡°I¡¯ll teach you.¡±


    Without waiting for Shen Yan¡¯s response, Qi Jing took out his phone and selected the first song from the list¡ªhe was obviously well-prepared.


    ¡°Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have a speaker at home, so we have to make do with my phone. Come on, it¡¯s starting.¡±


    And sure enough, a quick-paced rhythm started ying from the phone¡ªand for some reason, it was Latin dance music.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry.


    ¡°I already forgot how to dance, and you still chose such a fast-paced song... No, I can¡¯t do it...¡± He chuckled and shook his head, but Qi Jing didn¡¯t let him continue, grabbing his hands and dancing to the music.


    ¡°Come on, after me!¡±


    Shen Yanughed, somewhat helpless, and followed his lead, having no other choice. Initially, he kept messing the steps up with no elegance at all, looking especially clumsy. They stumbled on quite a few asions, and he nearly tripped Qi Jing. Each time, he tried to step back, but Qi Jing held onto him firmly, never letting go. From the beginning to the end, he held Shen Yan¡¯s hands and showed him steps repeatedly, guiding their chaotic movements until gradually, their rhythm started aligning, eventually merging into a harmonious dance.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t know how he got the gist of it, but by the time he noticed that he couldn¡¯t differentiate the sound of their steps on the floor, he realised that at some point, his and Qi Jing¡¯s tempo had already reached a unity. A peculiar carefree spirit flowed between their moves.


    ¡°How about it? Don¡¯t you think it feels great?¡±


    At that time, the sky was alreadypletely dark, and the candles became theirst source of light. Despite this, Shen Yan could still perceive a sheen of sweat on Qi Jing¡¯s temples illuminated by the candlelight, and how each step they took painted a glimmer at the bottom of his eyes.


    ¡°Mn.¡± He replied softly, his hands suddenly shifting from passive submission to being actively in charge as he gently pulled Qi Jing closer.


    And that man seemed to read his thoughts, leaning forward with a smile and resting against his chest.


    The first track ended exactly there, and the phone automatically yed the next song in the ylist. This time, it was a slow-paced and rxed tune, aplete opposite of the first one.


    It was when they slowed down that they felt how tiring it was to keep up with the previous fast pace. They were both gasping slightly,ughing childishly while nuzzling their noses. They also released their tightly grasped hands to interlock their fingers tenderly.


    Qi Jing¡¯s face rested against him in silence for quite some time, as if gathering his thoughts and asionally grazing against his lips.


    And at that time, Shen Yan released his grip, letting his palm trace a leisurely path down Qi Jing¡¯s back. As it reached the small of his waist and pulled him slightly closer, Qi Jing naturally shifted half of his weight onto Shen Yan. With his hands resting near the cor of Shen Yan¡¯s shirt, they swayed to the unhurried cadence of the music, like in a scene in a movie captured with slow-motion in itsnguidness.


    ¡°A-Jing.¡± Shen Yan called him softly.


    In response to his call, Qi Jing replied by opening his eyes and lifting his head. The light streamed through the narrow seam between their faces, shimmering vividly until a kiss closed that slender divide, intercepting it. In that moment, their surroundings seemed to sink beneath the water surface, only letting the muffled sound of their breaths trickling in. The sensation of reaching their feet, leaving the texture below feeling so unreal, as if it could give way at any moment.


    ¡°Ngh...¡± So he whimpered softly, his fingers instinctively clutching at Shen Yan¡¯s cor to bring him lower, closer to himself.


    Shen Yan held his shoulders and gently pushed Qi Jing forward, making him take a few steps back, his back hitting the wall. And at that time, Shen Yan pressed against him, caressing his flexing back through the fabric of the shirt, his fingers crumpling the material into one big mess to secure Qi Jing in ce, exerting as much restraint as he could while indulging in kisses.


    Once the second song neared its end, Qi Jing leaned his head back, his moist lips parting from Shen Yan¡¯s as he panted slightly just a sliver away from them.


    ¡°A-Yan.¡± He called that name softly, the aftertone of his voice a bit hoarse, like a lingering note of a violin.


    ¡°...Happy Birthday¡ª¡±


    Throughout one¡¯s life, how often can one discover their whole self reflected in another¡¯s eyes? Without anything else, just their true self?


    Perhaps this was exactly that very moment for him.


    Shen Yan swallowed, about to say something, but at that moment, the track number on the phone ylist jumped from ¡°2¡± to ¡°3¡±, ying the third MP3 file.


    ¡°Happy Birthday, Six!¡±


    Multiple voices erupted in the MP3 yer, momentarily baffling him. Meanwhile, Qi Jing watched his expression change with his eyes crinkling from a smile, but he remained silent.


    One after another, a session of well-wishes followed the suit.


    ¡°Six, as thest one to know about youing back, I will use this opportunity to say this once again: I¡¯m so happy to have you back with us. Mn, Happy Birthday.¡±


    ¡°Six, I¡¯m definitely happier about it than First, definitely. Saying it like this sounds really awkward... But, but I just want you to know it, so Happy Birthday¡ª¡±


    ¡°Happy Birthday Six! Even though we¡¯ve stayed in touch, I never anticipated you¡¯d return to voice acting, let alone working at the same audio drama, I¡¯m so thrilled! Being the only non-VA among us, I¡¯ll put in my best effort with the ending song¡ªI won¡¯t be dragging you guys down!¡±


    ¡°Six, I not only want your birthday to by happy, but also for you to be happy everyday, along with Seven~¡±


    There was a short pause between Four and Five, as he probably hesitated with his words.


    However, he still mustered the courage to slowly voice his heartfelt wishes.


    ¡°Originally... Given my position, it might not be appropriate for me to speak on this day. However, I want to tell you one thing. Perhaps in the past, you didn¡¯t look forward or find much happiness on this day, but I genuinely hope that now, you can anticipate and take joy in it. Not only today, but also in the future toe¡ªHappy Birthday, Six.¡±


    And that was it.


    Shen Yan listened to it silently, and light glimmered in his eyes as he smiled without a word.


    Next was the fourth MP3 file,ing from ?Trap? Production team.


    ¡°Kitty¡¯s Papa, it¡¯s Ninth Lady here, the producer of the new ?Trap?~ I have an honour to participate in this production, as well as wish you Happy Birthday on behalf of the entire team!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Yan, Uncle Yan, it¡¯s Knives here~¡±


    ¡°And Puppet~¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re also honoured to work together with this team, and to wish Uncle Yan Happy Birthday! We wish you plenty of good audio drama offers in the future, for your poprity to soar, and the sess in both your private and professional life!¡±


    ¡°En, it¡¯s Bumpy here, Happy Birthday. I hope that this rushed teaser will be a satisfactory birthday gift... Oh, and my husband is also wishing you a Happy Birthday.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Your husband is actually listening to audio dramas?!¡±


    ¡°Eh?? And your husband also knows Uncle Yan?!!¡±


    Since they were recording this together, the voices in the background also got recorded. Hearing their surprisedments, Shen Yan couldn¡¯t help a soft chuckle.


    After that, a couple of other staff members also sent him their wishes.


    Finally, Ninth Lady cleared her throat and proceeded with the concluding remarks.


    ¡°Ahem, thank you everyone for your hard work. Despite the tight schedule to make our teaser ready, we managed to finish the trailer in time for us to send it as a gift for Kitty¡¯s Papa on this auspicious day! Since Return Date told us that you prefer to stay low-profile, our team decided to not explicitlybel it as a ¡®birthday gift¡¯ when releasing it to the public, to avoid the negative attention it could bring you from our haters. Therefore, we all recorded our birthday wishes to you in private, to express our gratitude for you taking on the lead role in the new edition of ?Trap? and your continuous support for Return Date! Thank you so much, Kitty¡¯s Papa, and once again, a heartfelt Happy Birthday!¡±


    And with that, the fifth MP3 file started ying. It was none other than the trailer for the new ?Trap?¡ª


    ¡°Do you want to see everyone¡¯s thoughts on it? Hm?¡±


    Qi Jing picked up the phone with a chuckle, opening the forum page and tapping on the most popr post on top, showing it to him


    ¡¾Modern mafia BL audio drama¡¿?Trap? teaser (new edition)


    ¡¾STAFF¡¿


    Author & Supervisor: ckbox


    Producer: Ninth Lady¡¾Senior Staff Retirement Club¡¿


    Scriptwriter: Puppet Show


    Director: Knives cutting in from four sides


    Sound design: Bumpy, Not Indented¡¾Senior Staff Retirement Club¡¿


    Designer: Rolling Ball of Meows¡¾Senior Staff Retirement Club¡¿


    Publicity: iCookie¡¾Senior Staff Retirement Club¡¿


    ¡¾CAST¡¿


    Jiang Hui: Geese Fly North


    Lin Qu: Don¡¯t ask for my return date


    Lin Yu: Sleek Horses Run Fast


    Wen Wen: Crossing the Bridge Noodles


    Wen Rou: Little Kapok


    Brother Meng: Gimme a proper dub, dumbass


    Sister Rong: Biluochun Tea


    Investigation team leader: Longbow


    British Smuggler: Headquarters


    Subordinates: How long away is forever


    Grandpa Jiang: Geese Fly North


    ¡¾Ending Song¡¿


    ?Losing Guard?


    Vocal: Porcin Bowl


    Lyrics: inclothes with vermillion embroidery¡¾Senior Staff Retirement Club¡¿


    Ending song post-production: I won¡¯t survive if I don¡¯t procrastinate¡¾Senior Staff Retirement Club¡¿


    The teaser, though only a short couple of minutes long, quickly caused a stir on the forum upon its release. No one anticipated their production team to start off with a bam by making a trailer, and the fact it got released so soon after the New Year¡¯s added to their surprise and delight. But apart from that, their fans soon bursted into excited shrieks seeing the names in their cast.


    First of all, it was rare for the author to also appear as the supervisor of an adaptation. Even if it was just for show, this gesture was certainly a form of her recognition and support for the production team.


    Apart from that, not only the staff, but also the voice actor cast made everyone so excited, they couldn¡¯t stop talking about it for days.


    ¡¾Comment 1¡¿:


    As the producer representing the entire staff, voice acting team and our sweetest author, I¡¯m snatching! The! Sofa! ¨t(*¡ã¨Œ¡ã*)¨s


    Thank you everyone for your support, and please look forward to the official release!


    ¡¾Comment 2¡¿:


    Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, bench!! A teaser for the new ?Trap?!!


    My Kitty¡¯s Papa, aaaahh!!


    My darling Return Date, ahhhhhh!


    It¡¯s their first CP audio drama, AHHHH!!


    ¡¾Comment 3¡¿:


    I¡¯m! The! Floor!


    Holy crap, I actually get to witness such a historic moment with my own eyes! (I¡¯m crying here, gaahhh...)


    ¡¾Comment 4¡¿:


    What, did, I, just, perceive?!


    In the cast, that¡¯s actually... That¡¯s actually ¡°Sleek horses run fast¡±?? ¡°Sleek horses run fast¡± is actually a part of this audio drama??


    This production team actually managed to summon the great god from his four year seclusion, aaaaaaaaaagggghhhhhhhhh... (my heart is so done already)


    ¡¾Comment 5¡¿:


    ¨“¨Œ¨“ Holy heck! I kept dreaming of Sleek horses running fast and Don¡¯t ask for my return day to y brothers together one day!! And... And my dreams actually came true, and it¡¯s even in an audio drama I enjoy agghhh!!


    Big Sleek Horse and Small Sleek Horse, aaagghhh!!


    My two Lin brothers!! I couldn¡¯t love any production team more, aaaaggghhhh!!!!


    The first tens ofments were basically drowned in ¡®Aaaaggghhh!¡¯s, so it was only around the hundredthment that people slowly began toment a bit more rationally.


    Even if their rationale was still stunted from joy.


    ¡¾Comment 102¡¿:


    ¨“¨Œ¨“ Brother! Meng! I dare you! To choose! A proper ID! (What¡¯s up with this ¡°Gimme a proper dub, dumbass¡±?! But fine, this ID actually makes me miss those shenanigans from thepetition...)


    ¡¾Comment 103¡¿:


    ¨“¨Œ¨“ Thementer above, let me join you in crying!


    I didn¡¯t expect the actor responsible for the main protagonist in ?Order to End The Heavens? to actually y the main antagonist from ?Trap?... Awoooo! I¡¯m so looking forward to hearing this scum!! (Oi)


    ¡¾Comment 104¡¿:


    ¨“¨Œ¨“ Oh my goodness~ I can¡¯t believe Teacher Longbow is actually in the cast~


    Ever since the ?Order to End The Heavens? voice actingpetition, I really took liking to him. Who would have thought that amercial voice actor like him would actually join our online circle, even take on a role in a BL audio drama! (cough, cough, cough)


    But also! ALSO!


    That Porcin Bowl friend who sang the main theme, please wait a bit! Don¡¯t leave yet!


    I¡¯m so into this kind of a versatile voice that can pull off both a top and a bottom!!! Your high notes are so beautiful that they bring me to tears... Is there a cover page for your singing? I¡¯m begging for a coboration, and please tell me that you¡¯re open for the main themes requests!!


    ¡¾Comment 105¡¿:


    I heard that Geese Fly North is Kitty¡¯s Papa from ?Order to End The Heavens?petition¡ªis that true?!


    His chemistry with Don¡¯t ask for my return date in ?Trap? was so amazing... I already loved their duo when I first listened to that unofficial run-through version, and now knowing that I¡¯ll be able to hear them in the official audio drama, I¡¯m so happy I could jump from joy!


    ¡¾Comment 106¡¿:


    This... Lineup...


    For the main roles, I already had a hunch it would be Return Date and Kitty¡¯s Papa, so the psychological impact wasn¡¯t too bad...


    But the moment I saw ¡°Sleek horses run fast¡±, it shook me to the bone, and when I continued reading further and saw ¡°Crossing the bridge noodles¡±, I got so shaken that I fell from my bed... (Yes, that¡¯s right, I enjoy browsing the forum under my nkets on my phone~ Humph~)


    Speaking of which, ¡°Lin Yu¡± and ¡°Wen Wen¡± are canon CP!!


    From what I know, they¡¯re featured as the main characters of the currently serialised sequel for ?Trap?, ?Entangled?!


    Even though ?Trap? audio drama still has yet to officially release, so it might be a bit early for that, but I really need to say this¡ªI¡¯m begging the production team to eventually adapt ?Entangled? as well, and keep the original cast!


    ¡¾Comment 107¡¿:


    Just as thementer above had said! Awooooo! ¡ã¡£¡ã¡¤(((p£¨¨R¿Ú¨Q£©q)))¡¤¡ã¡£¡ã


    I¡¯m telling you, I was already quietly shipping them since Lord Sleek Horse publicly took Lord Noodles¡¯ side!


    ¡¾Comment 108¡¿:


    Pfft¡ªthe staff team is a group of friends (This ¡°Senior Staff Retirement Club¡± group couldn¡¯t have a more evocative name hahahaha), while the cast team is full of fellowrades from ?Order to End The Heavens?petition! It really gives an impression of a big and happy family! ¡«(¨R¨Œ¨Q)/¡«


    As someone with five years of experience in listening to audio dramas, I can vouch for the quality of the works produced by Ninth Lady, and even though the sound designer, Bumpy, rarely works on a project and isn¡¯t very known, she does a solid job and has some real skills. Seeing those two names, I can already tell if the quality of this audio drama will be good, not to mention how VAs in the cast are all a skilled bunch (especially Kitty¡¯s Papa and Gimme a proper dub, dumbass¡ûspeaking of which, buddy, you sure you don¡¯t want to change this ID?)


    In a word¡ªI¡¯m really looking forward to the release!


    P.S.: Quietly joining the person from thement above¡ªdoes the production team also happen to acquire the adaptation rights for ?Entanglement??


    ¡¾Comment 109¡¿:


    After I listened to it, I rushed here to shout out¡ªseeing how the person above is talking about the ¡°skilled bunch¡±, I really have to praise those VAs for the supporting roles, whose names I might not be as familiar with.


    ¡°Biluochun Tea¡± with her delivery of a mature imperial sister voice really caught my attention! Her voice is so distinct and full of character! It¡¯s a shame she didn¡¯t have that many lines in the teaser, but the few I heard were all impressive. Speaking of which, ¡°Sister Rong¡±¡¯s character and background are also very intriguing, and I¡¯m looking forward to hearing more of her voice acting in the official release!


    ¡°Little Kapok¡± and ¡°How far away is forever¡± seem to have more involvement with the PG13 content, so listeners who primarily listen to BL might be unfamiliar with those names, but both of them are promising and skilled talents. On another note, I was kind of surprised to see Little Kapok y Little Noodles¡¯... Ah, no, it¡¯s Brother Noodles¡¯ little sister (pfft, ever since I saw Noodles¡¯ IRL picture, I just have to call him Brother Noodles ¨r(£þ¨Œ£þ¡±)¨q). It¡¯s also quite impressive how Far Away manages to voice numerous subordinates by himself~


    And for thest, I want to ask if somebody knows if ¡°Headquarters¡± is an actual foreigner... His enunciation is as standard as it can get, but when he speaks English, he sounds like a genuine Brit, it¡¯s so eerie... £ß(:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)£ß


    Later on, everyone started vigorously writingments about the audio drama, words of thanks, and even the novel fans joined in to listen to it after ckbox¡¯s advertisement.


    If there was one word that could sum up their current state, then ¡®ecstatic¡¯ would probably do the work.


    With such a reaction from the spectators below the scene, what the ones on stage felt was too much to sum up in one word, too much to summarise in a single sentence. All kinds of sentiments and feelings had intertwined, defying anyplete description.


    ¡°Now, when you stand in the limelight¡ªwhat do you feel?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t know.


    However, he understood that this wasn¡¯t that freezing oppression he felt as a child when he tried to speak. It wasn¡¯t fear, and he was no longer timid. Standing in front of everyone as the ¡®main character¡¯ for the first time, if there was someone to hold his hand, even if the overhead light above him were intense, as long as his shadow had a pair on the ground, there was nothing to be afraid of.


    ¡°I told you before about me feeling like I ¡®escaped¡¯,¡± He suddenly spoke softly, ¡°But currently, I feel more like I am slowly feeling my way back from the escape, finally returning home.¡±


    Hearing him say this, Qi Jing smiled faintly. He set aside his phone and walked to a paper bag on the coffee table. From within, he retrieved two items¡ªboth he had delivered, then boxed them, wrapped meticulously in silver paper and tied with a blue silk ribbon as a gift.


    ¡°The teaser for the audio drama is the production team¡¯s gift for you. And as for me, I still have one thing that I want to give you myself.¡±


    With that, he handed the gift box to Shen Yan, who was still a bit dumbfounded.


    Shen Yan lowered his head to look at it in silence, and with a deep inhale, he finally slowly tore down the paper, opening the gift.


    In the box, there was a book¡ªa custom-made handcrafted book.


    It was thick, with a cover the colour of copper. A couple of ck squares were printed in the middle of it, each with a letter printed in white, forming a title.


    ¡ª?Doctor Shen¡¯s Diary?


    His breath caught slightly, and it took him a moment to open one of its pages. Inside, he found a collection of medical records and the recovery diaries for every animal whose stories he had recorded since meeting Qi Jing. The words were typeset neatly on the paper to narrate the stories of healing. Some of the entries were apanied by photographs, particrly those showcasing the contrast between the animals¡¯ initial condition upon admission and theirplete recovery, rousing a heartwarming feeling within him.


    And below them, in a different font, were the replies Qi Jing wrote to him.


    He still remembered the content of theirmunication at the beginning, but theter entries were all his handwritten notes. He would diligently write them purely out of a habit, handing them over to Qi Jing after filling each diary. Qi Jing epted them all, but Shen Yan never inquired about when he would receive a response. He assumed that since Qi Jing was usually so busy with his job, he had no time to reply after reading¡ªbut he didn¡¯t expect that...


    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I?¡± Qi Jing watched him all this time, his eyes full of smiles, ¡°As long as you wish to write, I will always reply to you, right?¡±


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t say anything, his hands trembling ever so slightly as he held the book.


    Qi Jing tooke the diaries he had handwritten, and typed them all into theputer, polishing, typesetting and designing the text, finally making it into a book. Such a huge workload couldn¡¯t possibly get done in one or two days, so Qi Jing had to somehow find time to do it all while keeping it a secret from him.


    And in that moment, Qi jing suddenly raised his hand, caressing his face as he coaxed him gently, ¡°My, my, don¡¯t cry... What if you wet the pages?¡±


    Only then he realised that his face was wet from tears, but he couldn¡¯t stop crying.


    He was really worried that he would end up wetting the book, so he could only listen to Qi Jing, and let him wipe the corners of his eyes.


    While doing this, Qi Jing chuckled quietly, murmuring, ¡°In the future... If you continue writing, then I will also continue replying, and then each year I will edit everything we wrote during the year for your birthday, then bind it into a new volume. Each year, you would have another one to ce in our bookcase, until one day, we will fill it entirely, okay?¡±


    No matter how many volumes.


    No matter how many years.


    They would record it all, until one of them could write no more, the other one could reply no more, leaving it there for eternity


    A/N:


    And then they fucked (.) ¡ûTen thousand words got omitted here on Kitty¡¯s Papa request. #No.1OfHowToRuinTheAtmosphere#


    T/N:


    Luci: Guys... It¡¯s happening. It was a long ride (three years, duh), but next week¡¯s chapter is thest one... And I¡¯m not ready for it QAQ

 Chapter 152 - Epilogue

    <h4>Chapter 152 - Epilogue</h4>


    <i>unedited</i>


    Epilogue


    He had once said half-jokingly to Shen Yan that collecting those diaries in their bookcase each year kind of reminded him of ritualistic blessings, as if with each book they added, their path would be more smooth and their days better.


    Him saying this stemmed, of course, reflected his purely optimistic attitude.


    However, as if by some prearranged agreement, year after year, everything unfolded favourably in their lives.


    After the first diary was ced on the bookcase, the Lunar New Year seemed to approach unnoticed. On the afternoon of the twenty-eight day of the New Year, he was hurrying at the provincial train station with the news production team, working on a rushed special programme about people heading home during the Spring Festival rush. It was then that he got a very fitting call for the asion. He stared at the caller ID for a good while, missing the first call,cking the courage to answer the second, and only after the third one called did he slowly walk away to a quiet corner, away from the team, to reluctantly answer the call.


    ¡¾During the New Year celebrations, take a day toe back.¡¿


    His father¡¯s words came through the phone.


    The tone he used was a bit cold andmanding, yet it was still the most affectionate words he had heard from his father during the years of them bing estranged.


    He didn¡¯t remember if he responded at that time, or how he did it... It was as if those brief minutes of memory had been erased, leaving only the recollections of the others to fill him in. The rest of the teamter recounted that when he came back to the recording site, his eyes were red, scaring everyone who saw him.


    Because of that, he couldn¡¯t return to recording right away, and he had to calm down for a good while before they continued shooting.


    Afterpleting all their work, he observed the hurried flow of people at the train station, each one boarding the trains to return home. This scene unexpectedly pricked at his heart like the gentlest of needles, prompting him to sit alone in a corner of the car on the journey back to the office, where he finally let tears stream down his face.


    On the first day of that year¡¯s Spring Festival, he spent it with Shen Yan.


    On the second day of that year¡¯s Spring Festival, he packed his belongings and prepared to take a coach back home. Shen Yan, who hade to see him off, held onto his hand tightly until he boarded. Just as they were about to part, he said one thing.


    ¡°This year, you¡¯re going back alone. Perhaps next year, the year after, or maybe some other year in the future, we can go back together.¡±


    This ¡®perhaps¡¯ Shen Yan was talking about wasn¡¯t at all certain.


    But at least they had some ¡®perhaps¡¯, and he suddenly found himself having a glimmer of hope towards the idea of ¡®going back home¡¯. Even though it was bitter-sweet, it was also no longerpletely hopeless.


    After the second diary was ced on the bookcase, at the end of that year¡¯s summer, ?Trap? audio drama production also got finished with a total of three episodes.


    The people that were there from the beginning, the people that joined along the way, the characters in the drama¡ªeach of them following the ebb and flow of the storyline. However, the friends beyond the narrative all remained, and everyone persisted until the very end, ensuring thepletion of this audio drama for their listeners to enjoy. On the day ofpletion, he released a deep breath, gazing at the words¡¾The End¡¿in thest episode¡¯s title, his emotions unable to settle for a long time.


    The Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¯s version of ?Trap? didn¡¯t update anymore, and only came up every now and then in the gossip of the forum¡¯sizens.


    Bronze Sparrow Terrace himself also gradually faded from view. Reportedly, he returned to his YY channel, dedicating his attention to hosting karaoke events, listening to the lines of fans offering him their confessions, and other activities that had nothing to do with voice acting. In the audio dramamunity, where those with a title of Great God came and went in generations, if youcked high-quality works by your name, the day woulde when the sole asset of having a ¡®good voice¡¯ would no longer be enough.


    ¡ªAside from this, their teaser with the smut scene for which they appropriated and used his recordings had also disappeared without any trace.


    He had mentioned off-handedly on one asion, and Tan Zixian¡¯s cid words finally revealed him the truth, ¡°Oh, that time I sent Bronze Sparrow Terrace a legal letter.¡±


    A legal letter sent by awyer, with a genuine-looking seal of the legal office on the envelope, appearingpletely authentic¡ªof course, it wasn¡¯t actually valid.


    To ayman like Bronze Sparrow Terrace, it was practically impossible to discern whether it was real or not. However, a single nce at the words ¡®demanding apensation of five thousand yuan from the copyright-infringing party¡¯ on it would be enough to scare him silly.


    ¡°Bronze Sparrow Terrace had to file in his personal information when applying to ?Order to End The Heavens?petition. So, I just called that guy and used his position to get his name and address. But who would have thought that he would get scared away by the mere five thousand? So boring.¡± For this Mr Tan Zixian Esq. who had always given people an impression of being cool-headed and rational, to actually y with such surprising means, it really left people tongue-tied. When Qi Jing heard this, he was first dumbfounded, then burst intoughter as he apuded.


    Tomemorate thepletion of ?Trap? audio drama, the production team happily organised a closing interview. They specially invited an outsider who frequently conducted interview programs within the audio drama circle to host it¡ªafter all, there¡¯s no fun in interviewing each other, so this arrangement only enhanced the entertainment value of the interview.


    The interview featured the author, ckbox, the entire staff, and most of the cast. Nearly everyone was present, short for a few voice actors for the minor roles who couldn¡¯t attend due to othermitments.


    And, of course, the two main character roles were undoubtedly the focal point of this interview.


    Qi Jing, being a seasoned reporter, was quite ustomed to those kinds of interviews. He had no trouble replying to the questions, chatting and cracking jokes with the interviewer and the staff members. With him around, the atmosphere remained lively throughout the entire event.


    Meanwhile, Shen Yan diligently answered each question he was asked. Even after his poprity brought by ?Trap? audio drama soured, he still didn¡¯t show a sliver of arrogance, remaining humble and earnest as always.


    He only slipped up with one question.


    ¡°May I ask if Kitty¡¯s Papa would consider taking on roles in other audio dramas if it involved smut scenes? And if so, then what level of explicitness are youfortable with?¡±


    This question asked by the interviewer was exactly one the covetous bunch of producers wanting to recruit him looked forward to.


    Shen Yan wavered for a moment, remaining silent for a little bit before declining graciously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I will,¡± He replied in a hushed tone, ¡°That¡¯s not rted to the quality of the script; it¡¯s my personal issue. Because... If I were to act in scenes like this with someone other than my boyfriend, I would feel a bit unnatural. With an unnatural voice acting, the end effect would suffer a lot.¡±


    Geese Fly North¡¯s boyfriend, that is, his tmate.


    Everyone in the online voice actingmunity knew of this individual. However, all the insiders were very careful with keeping the secret, and it concerned his real-life privacy, so in the end, the identity of this person has never been revealed to the public.


    Upon hearing his response, the interviewer spontaneously blurted out, ¡°Eh? But your voice acting in ?Trap? was very natural?¡±


    At that moment, all of the ongoing conversations in the channel came to halt, falling into a silence as if everyone sensed that something was amiss.


    After a moment, they heard Shen Yan gasping quietly. His voice tinged with self-reproach, he asked quietly, ¡°...I¡¯m sorry... Did I just, identally let it slip?¡±


    At that moment, they heard a cheerfulughtering from the other main voice actor from ?Trap? in the background, not denying it, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    In the next moment, the host and everyone who wasn¡¯t privy about this situation eximed in astonishment.


    ¡°Whaaaat&#k2014;!?¡±


    And just like this, their efforts of&#kJ0; secrecy came to an end.


    After the third diary was ced on the shelf, a gentle rain persisted throughout that year¡¯s Qingming Festival. They took two days off and returned to the provincial capital to visit Shen Yan¡¯s grandpa¡¯s grave, as they did every year.


    However, a certain man had beaten them to it.


    Qi Jing had never seen this man¡ªhis posture was rigid, his clothes were neatly arranged, every button perfectly aligned. It was as if his own life could also follow a straight axis like the rows of buttons on his clothes, and he would never possibly encounter any forks in his path. The man¡¯s expression mirrored the cold hardness of the rain-soaked concrete, and despite his carefully-groomed, still-lustrous greying hair, he carried an air of ageing.


    He shivered slightly, immediately realising who this person was at first sight.


    Qi Jing had heard about him multiple times before, so he already had a fuzzy outline in his mind. And now, those vague sketches suddenly became clear, leaping off the pages and standing right before him.


    He gazed at Shen Yan, surprised, and Shen Yan also gazed at this man, both frozen in ce for a while.


    The man seemed to sense their attention, lifting his head to take a short look at them before lowering his gaze to fixate on the grave in front of him. His expression remained stern, and he didn¡¯t utter a word.


    ¡°...Wait a moment, just a moment.¡± Shen Yan said, giving Qi Jing¡¯s shoulder a gentle squeeze before releasing it and walking alone towards the man.


    Of course, the implication behind it was not as simple as it sounded, so Qi Jing didn¡¯t follow. He stood still, silently watching as Shen Yan walked step by step to that man¡¯s side, cing a bouquet of white chrysanthemums with an expression as calm as if the person next to him didn¡¯t exist.


    The white flowers he ced and the ones already arranged in front of the grave were nearly identical. With the same variety, the same pruning, and the same wrapping paper.


    It was only when they got ced side-by-side that their striking simrity became evident¡ªthey were so simr that it almost bordered on awkwardness.


    Shen Yan didn¡¯t utter a word or ask anything. He simply lowered his head, following the custom and cleaning the gravestone and the stones around it, as though the man¡¯s eyes on his back were air. He continued to sweep until there was no ce left to tidy, yet he still didn¡¯t rise.


    The atmosphere was even more unfamiliar than one between the strangers, more fitting to disperse in silence, ending with a full stop as one of them left.


    The man stood in silence for a long time. There was a soft sound under his shoe soles, hinting at his intention to leave first.


    However, it didn¡¯t end without a single word exchanged.


    ¡°After I pass away, will youe to sweep my grave?¡±


    Shen Yan was momentarily stunned, his brows instinctively furrowing, as he pursed his lips tightly.


    Unexpectedly, the man just nodded his head, as if he knew what Shen Yan thought. The man¡¯s tone was so calm that it was hard to imagine that he was talking about the situation after his death.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have toe,¡± The man slowly walked away from his side without turning back, ¡°I was the one who wronged you... and your mother.¡±


    At that time, Shen Yan suddenly said, ¡°Thank You for Your flowers.¡±


    Shen Yan couldn¡¯t bring himself to call that man ¡®dad¡¯, and he didn¡¯t want to either. Instead, he softly thanked him in the tone one would use to address one¡¯s elder. His voice was a bit raspy, but it carried sincerity, not weakness.


    That man¡¯s footsteps paused for a moment, and he stood there like a y figure, then nodded once more and continued heading toward the main gate. They couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s expression from behind or perhaps they wouldn¡¯t even be able to see it from the front. He left, expressionless, gradually bing a grey spot in their field of vision before disappearing entirely.


    Perhaps, that grey spot in your heart will also fade away someday¡ªQi Jing thought, then joined Shen Yan by the grave, where they stood together in silence until the sky cleared up.


    After the third diary was ced on the shelf, his three year-long internship came to an end, and Shen Yan officially graduated with his bachelor¡¯s degree.


    They had already reached the highest point in their life so far.


    However, the road ahead was far longer and farther, offering even more opportunities to reach even higher.


    The experience and connections umted over the past three years at the national TV station gave him an opportunity that even Mr S.O.B. couldn¡¯t obstruct. He went back to that familiar city, to that familiar TV station building, finally fulfilling his long-cherished dream¡ªfor the first time, he was hosting his own program.


    The program wasn¡¯t lengthy, just a short thirty minutes of air time, airing only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Yet, it revolved around his favourite topic¡ªnews analysis.


    He was already deeply content with it as a starting point.


    Tomorrow would mark his official recording day for the first episode of the show, as well as his debut as a ¡®news anchor¡¯ in front of the audience.


    That night, he specially asked the program¡¯s producer for the key to the broadcasting studio they would be using, iming that he wanted to rehearse¡ªthe producer readily agreed.


    The studio¡¯s location was excellent, facing the city centre. Positioned on the twentieth floor, it provided a stunning view through therge floor-to-ceiling windows. As the night descended on the cityscape of buildings, the twinkling lights resembled scattered stars. The stream cars on the main road rushed by, leaving a trail of golden light like sprinkled sugar, blending seamlessly into the city¡¯s every corner against the backdrop of the dark sky.


    ¡°So beautiful,¡± He eximed with sincere admiration, ¡°It was indeed worthing here at this time.¡±


    The official recording would be during the daytime; at that time, they wouldn¡¯t be able to see such beautiful scenery.


    ¡°It really is.¡± So beautiful. Shen Yan replied gently from the side, yet his eyes weren¡¯t on the scenery behind the ss, but on the man in front of it.


    Upon hearing his response and then seeing Shen Yan¡¯s eyes reflected in the window¡ªeyes that were fixed on him from start to finish¡ªhe couldn¡¯t help but let out a small chuckle. He said teasingly, ¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯s not really the same as what I meant, right?¡±


    They had been together for four years now.


    Even Qi Jing himself couldn¡¯t believe it. So many years had already passed, and he should be used to it all. Yet, after toiling throughout the day, whenever he wearily returned home and was tenderly enveloped in that person¡¯s arms, he would still feel like most of the weight dissipating off his shoulders. He would still find himself so... content to indulge in this sensation.


    During those three years in Beijing as a program editor intern, he no longer had to go on business trips as often. He could stay at home more often, leading to a more stable life.


    Shen Yan would work during the day and attend university at evenings and on weekends. It was hard on him, but it had its rewards.


    After ?Trap? finished releasing, their engagement in the onlinemunity gradually diminished as they entered a half-retired phase. Especially as their work and studies progressed, they found themselves joining Ninth Lady and the other girls in the ¡®Gradually inching towards quitting themunity¡¯ group, where they basically just enjoyed their retirement. Shen Yan¡¯s voice acting workload increased at the university, and out of fear for him damaging his vocal cords, Qi Jing didn¡¯t encourage him to continue taking on new roles in audio dramas. Moreover, a new generation of VAs was emerging slowly, and there was no shortage of exceptional talents among them. Even with the disappearance of the ¡®elderly¡¯ like them from the scene, the listeners wouldn¡¯t really feel especially lonely.


    And as for them, they themselves would asionally feel a bit lonely and miss the friends they made in themunity.


    Luckily, their generation of ¡®numbers¡¯ would meet up in Beijing from time to time, sharing meals, outings, and heart-to-heart conversations... To some extent, this helped fill the void.


    Before their departure from Beijing, everyone came to see them off and congratted them on their sessful careers and academic performance.


    Upon hearing that Qi Jing was going back to be a host, Four couldn¡¯t contain her excitement.


    Four liked to explore all kinds of professions, and among her previous work experiences, she had worked as a manager of a men¡¯s clothing department in a shopping mall. In her own words, ¡°A woman can definitely have just as good, if not better, taste in men¡¯s fashion after working as a manager in a ce like that¡±. So, with enthusiasm, she took them into the nearby, well-reputed suit store and carefully picked out two sets.


    Currently, he was wearing one of them, while Shen Yan surprisingly had the other set on for the asion.


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯m seeing you in a suit¡ª¡±


    He smiled slightly, leaningzily against the wall as he observed the man before him. It was a ssic design, a ssic ck colour, and he wore it all neat and proper, making his figure appear even more straight and his demeanour more upright. Shen Yan hadn¡¯t been willing to wear it even during his graduation ceremony, yet now he had secretly put it on.


    Qi Jing had to admit...


    ¡°You look incredibly handsome.¡± He murmured softly, his hand reaching out almost as if on its own ord, his smile widening as he hooked his finger onto Shen Yan¡¯s ck tie, lips curling upwards along with the finger.


    Shen Yan remained still, his gaze fixed on Qi Jing, neither resisting nor rushing away. He simply remarked, ¡°You said that when you officially be a host, you want me to be your first guest, for a proper, official interview. So, since it¡¯s an official interview, I thought I should dress a bit more formal. Right?¡±


    Qi Jing really did say this, but in reality, it was just their own ¡®official interview¡¯ between the two of them; it wasn¡¯t as if they were actually going to be on television.


    However, Shen Yan took it very seriously.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± This earnestness was a proof of just how much he valued being a part of Qi Jing¡¯s first step towards realising his dreams.


    Qi Jing lowered his head with a faint smile, releasing his hold of Shen Yan¡¯s tie as he guided him to the news desk.


    Cameras were directed, lenses uncovered, and with a light press of the recording button¡ªthe recording began.


    The studio lighting and seating arrangement were all identical to those during an actual recording, with an only exception being the absence of the behind-the-scenes personnel, which prevented them from changing camera angles. But that wasn¡¯t important. What mattered was that their ¡®interview¡¯ this time would be captured in its entirety, a cherished memento to hold onto.


    Qi Jing adjusted the clip-on microphone on his neckline and, after finishing his preparations wereplete, he leaned backfortably in his swivelling chair, giving the man beside him a smile.


    ¡°Dr Shen,¡± Now in his thirties, Qi Jing¡¯s voice had deepened slightly since they they first met, and his demeanour exuded more confidence and maturity than back in his days as a reporter, ¡°Thank you for joining us in our studio today as my very first guest for an interview¡ª¡±


    ¡°Thank you, host.¡± Shen Yan slowed down on thest word, his smile warm.


    But for that single word, Qi Jing had to temporarily resist the urge to scoot over and steal a quick kiss. Instead, he opened the binder before him. delving into the main topic.


    ¡°The topic of the interview for today is¡ª¡¯memories¡¯.¡±


    Memories, that is, they had to go back to the very beginning.


    ¡°Maybe let¡¯s begin from those pages?¡±


    He continued to smile as he unfolded a couple of paper pages on the desk. They were just ordinary sheets of memo paper, the kind found in notepads, only slightlyrger than the size of a palm. After many years, they had started to wrinkle and fold due to age, yet the words on the paper remained clear.


    ¡®Meticulous, dedicated, cautious, responsible, patient,passionate¡¯. Those, and many more...


    These keywords were hastily jotted down on the pages, the handwriting a bit rushed and messy. On the slightly yellowed paper, each stroke of the pen conjured an image from years ago.


    One depicted a man in the surgery room, enduring the sweltering of over thirty degrees, quietly working to save the kittens brought in, their lives hanging by a thread.


    One depicted a man outside of the surgery room, observing him so closely and so intently that he ended up spellbound. The man transformed his emotions into a series of adjectives, serving as the initial material for the news report.


    ¡°These pages are exactly the ones from that time,¡± The surprise in the other man¡¯s eyes filled him with joy, ¡°I¡¯ve been secretly keeping them.¡±


    He paused for a moment, his voice growing softer.


    ¡°Those words, they represent my first impression of you. That being the case... I will ask you to also write down your first impression of me on a page¡ªjust one is enough.¡±


    Saying this, he took out a sheet of memo paper, simr in size to the ones on the table. He slid it before Shen Yan with a smiling crinkle of his eyes, putting down a pen for him to write with.


    He expected that this question would take quite a bit for Shen Yan to answer, but he didn¡¯t expect Shen Yan to only think for a short while before taking the pen and writing down a line of words.


    ¡®Tenacious, driven, rational, kind, self-assured, perceptive, tolerant¡¯


    Shen Yan intended to continue writing, but the person in question was too embarrassed to continue watching. With a flush on his face, he reached out to cover the page, wanting to snatch it back, however Shen Yan caught his hand in time, covering it with his own, keeping it from struggling free. And just like this, that pen finished scribbling thest words of exnation¡ª


    ¡®When embarrassed, his ears will turn slightly red¡¯


    ¡°Just like now.¡± Shen Yan murmured quietly with a smile, kneading his red and warm eartips between his fingers, making them turn even warmer than before.


    After that, many more questions were asked.


    Regarding the car ident.


    Regarding the visit afterward.


    Regarding their cohabitation.


    Regarding home.


    For him, listening to Shen Yan narrating their past experiences and emotions from his perspective was an indispensable part of their ¡®memories¡¯.


    When he finished asking thest question, the camera¡¯s timer had already reached three and half hours without them realising.


    ¡°We still have some time,¡± He posed the routine question every host would ask during an interview,¡°In that case... Do you have any questions for the host before we conclude this programme?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    Shen Yan replied softly, but he just gazed at him in silence for a long time.


    After a while, he produced a small square velvet box seemingly out of nowhere. Slowly, he opened it before Qi Jing, revealing a pair of silver white rings that shimmered gently under the studio lights, reflecting a warm radiance flowing silently along their curve.


    ¡°What I want to ask is¡ªHost, will you marry me?¡±


    Now, they both stood at the new starting point in life.


    It was at the right moment, as they stood side by side with the fresh faces to meet this new beginning, when it was finally the right time to ask this question¡ªnow with all confidence and capability tomit to a lifetime together.


    In that instant, the camera captured only the details of change in his facial expressions from astonishment to a silent smile, the tears that had unknowingly moistened his cor, and the enduring embrace they shared.


    What Shen Yan¡¯s eyes captured though was theplete course of gaining their happiness.


    Him and him, together.


    ¡ªWill you share this happiness with me?


    ¡ªI will.


    ¡¾The End¡¿


    A/N:


    ¡¾The words of thanks for the end¡¿


    Me writing this story had a simple origin¡ªsince I briefly came in touch with online voice acting, I came up with an idea of creating a story set in this circle.


    Before embarking on this writing journey, I didn¡¯t view ¡®online voice acting novels¡¯ as a distinct genre, it served more as one of the settings for the two main characters. That being the case, I initiallycked a clear blueprint of how to craft a ¡®voice acting novel¡¯, simply allowing my concepts and thoughts to guide the narrative. For me, this was their ¡®second upation¡¯, and I particrly liked illustrating the voice acting process, as well as the voice acting itself. I considered the ¡®online¡¯ part merely as a tform and not the focal point of the story, so maybe this novel doesn¡¯tpletely align with the idea of an ¡®online voice acting¡¯ genre.


    Within the online voice actingmunity, there are certain VAs who work diligently and selflessly, often without much recognition. Perhaps they aren¡¯t widely known, perhaps their busy schedules prevent them from joining numerous audio dramas, but theirmitted and conscientious attitude is something I admire deeply. I wanted to write a story about voice actors like them, which led to the creation of Qi Jing and Shen Yan.


    But I didn¡¯t anticipate that I would extend to over 150 chapters and exceed 800k characters in length.


    For me, who only ever wrote short stories, it also counts as a personal high-score. The story progression ended up deviating from my initial outline by quite a bit¡ªsure enough, the course of the story isn¡¯t always dictated by the author, but by its characters. ^£ß^


    This journey has taken nearly two years from start to finish. Throughout the writing process, there were a lot of changes in my life¡ªsome in my offline life, such as my career, my private life, and some online, where I also had a couple of less favourable moments. Luckily, despite numerous hiatuses, I somehow managed to persevere until the end. In light of this, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the readers who stood by and continued to support me throughout those times.


    Right now, I feel the same as the main characters at the end of thepetition¡ªI would love to say hundreds and thousands of words of gratitude, however I will just summarise it in two simple words¡ª¡°thank you¡±. During the darker periods of my online history, when I encountered a writer¡¯s block or went on hiatus, I was fortunate to have you, the readers, who helped me through those difficult times. Looking back now, I recall how I would sometimes leave rather immature replies to somements¡ªtimes when I lost my temper, acted unreasonably, or was overly sensitive. I find these instancesughable even as I read them myself now. To those readers who I may have unintentionally hurt, I offer my sincere apologies, as well as thanks¡ªno matter if you stayed here until the end, no matter if you can see it.


    During the course of writing, I often thought, ¡°I want to finish, I want to finish, I want to finish¡± (because there¡¯s a lot of readers who wait for more chapters toe out or won¡¯t read a novel until it¡¯s finished, flops). However, now that I have actually reached this point, I almost feel reluctant to part with it... But I believe that Kitty¡¯s Papa and 2Yan will undoubtedly continue to voice act, live their lives, and love each other in their world.


    So once again, I want to thank everyone for reading so far!


    And this time, please, really don¡¯t ask for my return date¡ª


    ¡¾Regarding Extras¡¿: At the moment, I don¡¯t n to write any extra chapters. I feel like I¡¯ve already covered enough, and if I wanted to tell the story of the side characters like Five and Noodles, it wouldn¡¯t be suitable to put it at the end of this novel. If I ever intend to write about them, I would likely start a separate novel (but I¡¯m sozy... lies down).


    T/N:


    Luci: Well... That¡¯s it guys, this is the end. It was an honour to contribute to tranting this novel, and I¡¯m so happy that I somehow made it to the end. It took us a long time to get here, that¡¯s why thank you all so much for sticking around for so long. It means a world.


    It feels weird being the one to speak for everyone who ever worked for this project, as I wasn¡¯t here from the beginning. Lilies, the original trantor for EROVA, recruited me along the way around two years ago. I¡¯m honestly so surprised that she even considered me as a co-trantor, as I waspletely new to fan-tranting, and not even an English native speaker, but I¡¯m so d she did, as this journey was an invaluable experience.


    Unfortunately, she disappeared suddenly a year or so ago and I haven¡¯t been able to reach her ever since. I haven¡¯t brought it to your attention before, but if there was a change for worse in trantion quality around that time, it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t have her help guiding my inexperienced ass through it. I¡¯m very sorry if it affected your enjoyment of the story, but I¡¯m d you stuck around for it.


    I think that I¡¯lle back to some chapters in the future to edit the parts I¡¯m not happy with or correct some trantion choices (I don¡¯t have the ess to the chapters Lilies updated, so unfortunately I can¡¯t change some things, like the trantion of Sleek Horses Run Fast¡¯s ID in the first chapters), but for now, I want to focus on my next trantion project.


    Huge thanks to Lilies for her amazing trantion, guidance and trust in me to learn how to go about it myself. Another thanks to Whitere and Mashiro for their help with editing and proofreading whenever they could!


    And most of all, thanks to you, readers, for being here to read it¡ªI hope that you enjoyed this amazing novel! It holds a very special ce in my heart, so I¡¯m so grateful for being able to share it with you ^^


    P.S. Normally, I would encourage you to support the author by buying the raws on jjwxc if you enjoyed EROVA, however the author¡¯s contract for this novel expired a few years ago, so it¡¯spletely free to read. Nevertheless, I hope that someday in the future we¡¯ll once again have a chance to thank the author for bringing Qi Jing and Shen Yan to life ^^


    P.P.S. The author added a little extra in their notes, and it will get uploaded as thest chapter of this novel. It¡¯s more of a character introduction than an extra chapter though.


    P.P.P.S. For those who would like to check out my future trantion project, it¡¯s ¡°Melting City¡± by Wuzhe. I n to start it at the beginning of October (I need some time to prepare an ample stockpile hhh), but you can check out this carrd!

 Chapter 153 - VA Files

    <h4>Chapter 153 - VA Files</h4>


    <strong> ¡¾Exclusive Rights to Inexhaustive VA Files¡¿</strong>


    ID: <b>¡¾Don¡¯t ask for my return date¡¿</b>


    Nicknames: Return Date, Little Sleek Horse, God of ying Dead, Seven


    Voice Type: 0.5-0.7, charming and refined young nobleman top voice


    Voice Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î


    Acting Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î


    Specialises at: Rich second generation characters, scum tops, flirty tops, ck-bellied queen-like bottoms.


    Weaknesses: Limited avability during the recordings, unique voice limits role diversity


    Most Interested in ying: Spineless viins, lunatics


    Least Skilled in ying: Pretty-boy bottoms


    Alleged CP: Bronze Sparrow Terrace, Crossing the bridge noodles


    Actual CP: Geese Fly North


    ID: <b>¡¾Geese Fly North¡¿</b>


    Nicknames: Uncle Yan, Kitty¡¯s Papa, Forever a Grandpa, Six


    Voice Type: Skilled in changing voices, 0.8 upright and honest young adult top, various uncle, grandpa voices.


    Voice Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡î¡î¡î


    Acting Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï


    Specialises at: Honest tops, all kinds of uncle, father, or grandpa small roles.


    Weakness: Almost exclusively ys only small roles, doesn¡¯tmunicate much with the production team.


    Most Interested in ying: No specific interests


    Least Skilled in ying: Roles with very high and specific voice requirements


    Alleged CP: Mysterious tmate-kun


    Actual CP: Don¡¯t ask for my return date


    ID: <b>¡¾Crossing the Bridge Noodles¡¿</b>


    Nicknames: Cute white rabbit, Little Noodles (previously), Brother Noodles ter)


    Voice Type: 0.4-05te teenager or youth, pure-hearted bottom voice


    Voice Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î


    Acting Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î


    Specialises at: Fresh and pure bottom, gentle bottom, naive and kind-hearted bottom


    Weakness: Will perform worse if the voice acting partner¡¯s voice doesn¡¯t suit his taste


    Most Interested in ying: Various viins and of tops


    Least Skilled in ying: All kinds of tops


    Alleged CP: Bronze Sparrow Terrace, Don¡¯t ask for my return date


    Actual CP: Sleek horses run fast


    ID: <b>¡¾Sleek horses run fast¡¿</b>


    Nicknames: Five, Big Sleek Horse


    Voice Type: 0.9-1.0 confident and dashing young top voice


    Voice Charisma: &#k2605;&#k2605;&#k2605;&#k2605;&#k2605;


    Acting Charisma: &#k2605;&#k2605;&#k2605;&#k2606;&#k2606;


    Specialises at: Charming and dashing swordsmen, emperors, kings, generals etc., rich and powerful noblemen


    Weakness: Relies too much on his voice and makes little progress with his acting skills, doesn¡¯t put much effort into voice acting


    Most Interested in ying: Various background characters, various bottoms


    Least Skilled in ying: Characters with high voice acting skills requirements


    Alleged CP: None, but there¡¯s a lot of rumours about his scandals...


    Actual CP: Crossing the Bridge Noodles


    ID: <b>¡¾Bronze Sparrow Terrace¡¿</b>


    Nicknames: Bronze Sparrow, Great God


    Voice Type: 0.9-1.0 deep and domineering emperor top voice


    Voice Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï


    Acting Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡î¡î¡î


    Specialises at: Domineering tops, strong tops, emperor tops


    Weakness: Proud, relies on his fans and fame, often engages drama


    Most Interested in ying: Heartthrobs, absolute tops


    Least Skilled in ying: Characters with high voice acting skills requirements, meek characters


    Alleged CP: Crossing the Bridge Noodles, Don¡¯t ask for my return date, and other bottom-leaning voice actors


    Actual CP: Jade Butterfly


    ID: <b>¡¾Headquarters¡¿</b>


    Nicknames: One


    Voice Type: Approximately 0.6, a steady and gentlemanly young top voice


    Voice Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î


    Acting Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î


    Specialises at: Voice-over, English lines


    Weakness: Utterly inept in at historical-style audio drama


    Most Interested in ying: Characters with foreign background


    Least Skilled in ying: Characters in historical dramas


    Alleged CP: ¡°The High-ranking Officials¡±


    Actual CP: Unknown


    <b>ID: ¡¾Give me a proper dub, dumbass¡¿</b>


    Nicknames: Two


    Voice Type: 0.7-0.8 robust and gant top voice


    Voice Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î¡î


    Acting Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï


    Specialises at: Characters requiring intense voice acting skills


    Weakness: Hot-headed, outspoken, prone to arguments with fellow coborators


    Most Interested in ying: Open to trying all roles


    Least Skilled in ying: None (except for roles limited by voice type)


    Alleged CP: None


    Actual CP: Little Kapok (Little Stammer)


    <b>ID: ¡¾Porcin Bowl¡¿</b>


    Nicknames: Three


    Voice Type: 0.4-0.6 gentle young man voice, either a bottom or a top


    Voice Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î¡î


    Acting Charisma: ¡ï¡î¡î¡î¡î


    Specialises at: Singing


    Weakness: Voice acting


    Most Interested in ying: Every kind of role


    Least Skilled in ying: Every kind of role


    Alleged CP: Biluochun Tea


    Actual CP: Biluochun Tea


    <b>ID: ¡¾Biluochun Tea¡¿</b>


    Nicknames: Four, Doing good things in passing


    Voice Type: Elegant and mature imperial sister voice


    Voice Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î


    Acting Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î


    Specialises at: Imperial sister characters, young married women, courtesans


    Weakness: Struggles to remain invested in working for audio dramas with illogical scripts, tends to give up easily


    Most Interested in ying: Characters withplex personalities or changing emotions, aunties, grandmas (skilled at changing her voice)


    Least Skilled in ying: Young girls, delicate and soft-spoken schoolgirls


    Alleged CP: Porcin Bowl


    Actual CP: Porcin Bowl


    <strong>ID:¡¾Jade Butterfly¡¿</strong>


    Nicknames: Sister Jade, Miss Butterfly


    Voice Type: Captivating imperial sister voice


    Voice Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï


    Acting Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î¡î


    Specialises at: Various goddesses


    Weakness: Easily gets lost in her own fantasies, overlypetitive, straight woman cancer


    Most Interested in ying: Female leads cherished and pursued by male leads, characters skilled at socialising among men


    Least Skilled in ying: Fujoshis


    Alleged CP: Sleek horses run fast


    Actual CP: Bronze Sparrow Terrace


    ID: <b>¡¾How far away is forever¡¿</b>


    Nicknames: Little Forever, Uncle Forever, Papa Forever


    Voice Type: 0.7-0.8 young man in histe twenties or middle-age uncle voice


    Voice Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡î¡î¡î


    Acting Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î


    Specialises at: Various uncle, father, and middle-aged roles


    Weakness: Requires rather highly-skilled voice acting partners to bring out the best out of his performance


    Most Interested in ying: Viins


    Least Skilled in ying: Youthful characters, young and inexperienced boys


    Alleged CP: None


    Actual CP: None


    <b>ID: ¡¾Little Kapok¡¿</b>


    Nicknames: Little Stammer


    Voice Type: Graceful and cultured young woman voice


    Voice Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î¡î


    Acting Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î


    Specialises at: Upper-ss youngdies, submissive characters


    Weakness: Gets nervous and stammers during live voice acting


    Most Interested in ying: Energetic characters, feisty characters, delinquent girls


    Least Skilled in ying: Quick and witty characters


    Alleged CP: None


    Actual CP: Give me a proper dub, dumbass


    <b>ID: ¡¾Went off with a bang¡¿</b>


    Nicknames: Uncle Bang, Bang Bang


    Voice Type: 0.8-0.9manding and forceful warlord-type top voice


    Voice Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î


    Acting Charisma: ¡ï¡ï¡ï¡ï¡î


    Specialises at: Authoritative figures, cunning antagonists, roles demanding strong vocal projection and intensity


    Weakness: Not very invested in the plot, often misinterprets scripts


    Most Interested in ying: Emperors, martial arts sect leaders, esteemed ranking court ministers etc., other highly admired characters


    Least Skilled in ying: Characters with subtle emotions


    Alleged CP: Often indulges in ambiguous interactions with the audio drama producers


    Actual CP: His girlfriend


    (Note: The above information is for reference only...)


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!