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

Qi Jing closed his eyes. Not because of the glaring 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 displayed 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 to complain about your boyfriend.”

“As much as I want to press 2 and 3, but before that... what should I press for services related to voice acting?”

“That service is currently unavailable. 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—”

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 a community 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 platform, he had already created a personal account 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 popular 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 alarm ringtone~(≧▽≦)/~”

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 has come into contact with quite a few voice-related 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 a comment 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 incomplete 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 really composed 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 blacked out. And till this day, she still blames him for destroying that image of a cultured lady that she worked so hard to create.

As such, whenever she needs something from him, that lass would whip out her classic opener, “Don’t you remember that time I drank with you”.

“Senior! Don’t you remember that time I drank with you—”

“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 net, publishing it on Weibo.

March Bamboo Shoots: ≧▽≦ 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!! @Ninth lady @Rolling ball of Meows @Plainclothes with vermillion embroidery @Bumpy, not Indented @I won’t survive if I don’t procrastinate!!

Plainclothes with vermillion embroidery: Mark! I’m in class, I’ll listen when I get back!

Rolling ball of Meows: ( ⊙o⊙) Wowowowow that voice... It’s so sexy! (Pounding on the ground)

Plain vermillion embroidered clothes: Really?? As someone who currently has no access to a computer, I am filled with jealousy and envy!! ┭┮﹏┭┮

Ninth lady: ...I’ve finished listening to it... All I have to say is, Freak, he really sounds like my life’s core!!

Bumpy, not Indented: ￢_￢

Ninth lady: You understand me Bumpy!! ┭┮﹏┭┮

Bumpy, not Indented: ￢_￢ Your life’s core has already retired from the circle for many years. Wake up.

Ninth lady: Stupid ***! Don’t remind me!! ┭┮﹏┭┮

March Bamboo Shoots: Pfft, patting Little Ninth. Now now, don’t cry, time to get up! ≧w≦

Ninth lady: Grab hold of Bamboo Shoots!! Aaaaaah, I want to hook up with your senior!! Hook me up with him, aaaaAaaah! Is he part of the community? Does he voice act? Doing covers is good too! Shit, he really sounds too similar to my life’s core!

Since he was mentioned in the post, he clicked into the comments out of curiosity and when he read till that point, he couldn’t help but laugh. It would appear to be quite unwise to continue drinking his coffee in front of his computer.

He met this junior when they took the same Media and Communications class in university. At that time, he already knew how passionate she was about broadcasting and dubbing. She also seemed to frequently mix herself in with communities that shared her interests online. After graduation, several alumni from the same city would occasionally have small gatherings and he would often hear her talk about the goings-on in the online voice acting community. 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 become the centre of a topic for discussion.

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

Don’t know, don’t ask: Haha, thanks for your comments, I feel quite embarrassed being called sexy.

March Bamboo Shoots: Senior!! ≧0≦

Ninth lady: !! Holy heck!! He replied!! Please hook up with me Senior!!

Bumpy, not Indented: ￢_￢

iCookie: I just got home. Seems like I’ve missed a good show ⊙▽⊙... Ninth, who are you trying to hook up with?

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

iCookie: I’m listening... I have to say the sexiness is just off the charts! I kinda understand Ninth’s feelings now, pfft...

Plainclothes with vermillion embroidery: Reading all your comments really makes me wanna claw at the wall. This mobile phone user can’t take it ┭┮﹏┭┮

I won’t survive if I don’t procrastinate: Mobile phone user can’t take it +1

Rolling ball of Meows: I’ve been looping it over and over again. The more I listen, the more he sounds like a younger version of Lord Qiu (￣▽￣)~*

Ninth lady: I know right? You think so too right, Meows!!

Rolling ball of Meows: Yep yep, but Bamboo Shoots’ senior’s voice is clearer, Lord Qiu’s voice sounds huskier.

Ninth lady: It’s such a pity that my life’s core retired so soon... (Wailing)

I won’t survive if I don’t procrastinate: Ninth lady’s life core Kuaima Qingqiu?? So that’s the kind of voice you like.

Bumpy, not Indented: ￢_￢ She has too many life cores.

Ninth lady: Get lost, Bumpy! (Continues wailing)

Don’t know, don’t answer: 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 placed 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— Basically the one called Ninth Lady 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 particularly 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 escalated, “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 ‘Ninth lady’ 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. This lass, her fingers sure do move faster than her mouth. She had completely mastered the art of doing before asking for permission.

And thus, Ninth lady became the first producer he met when he first joined the community. She was also the first to ask for his ID for voice acting.

“Don’t ask for my return date,” after some contemplation, that was the answer he gave her.

In the following years after that, Ninth lady 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 the community—her successful collaboration with the VA known as Don’t ask when I’m returning.

The second, being the thing she regretted the most ever since she joined the community—agreeing to him using the ID, Don’t ask for my return date.

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

True to its name, Don’t ask for my return date, 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 be completely broken by his QQ signature:

‘1. Those rushing for me to send my recordings please see ID.

Those rushing me for retakes please see point 1.’

“I really regret it,” those four words had gradually become Ninth lady’s mantra whenever she chatted with Qi Jing.

With Qi Jing’s exceptional ability to adapt to the language used in the community, he had changed his explanation 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, the company 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 accidents happening. For example, the location that he went to for this business trip had experienced a large-scale landslide. 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 accommodations were also pretty bad. After labouring 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 the computer 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 uncomfortable, 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 his computer instead.

Due to his job requirements, he usually brought the company-assigned laptop 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 terribly large 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 the computer 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.

Rouge Flower: Don’t ask for my return date-sama!! That’s precisely what I’m asking for!! Your return date!! Don’t ask me not to ask!! TAT

M.E.E.: 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)

Prospective prime minister: ...Your... grace... please... send... your... recordings... (Cries)

Fried cake: I’m gonna be dead if you don’t show up, Return date! ╥﹏╥

......

......

......

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 account anymore.

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

It was late 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 smell coming 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.

Irregular sleep.

Irregular 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.

Though compared to back then, the current him had gotten over it. The only thoughts that would appear in his head were laughable, like this one: a time like this where one could virtually hear a pin drop falling, without any disturbances; it’s perfect for recording. 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.

In comparison to him, his computer was sound asleep.

Qi Jing actually felt a flash of jealousy towards his computer.

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 the community

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.

Ninth lady: Ever since I joined the time-difference gang, I always miss the times when everyone is online. Such torture ┭┮﹏┭┮

Rolling ball of Meows: I’m here too, Ninth ┭┮﹏┭┮

Ninth lady: Meows! I’m guessing you’re burning the midnight oil, working on your designs again, aren’t you?

Rolling ball of Meows: (Plopped onto the floor) Yes... the life of a design intern is too hard for you to comprehend...

Ninth lady: Pfft, all those that do design have a tough life.

Rolling ball of Meows: What time is it over there?

Ninth lady: Almost noon.

Rolling ball of Meows: Pfft, you have the time to come online in the middle of the day? Don’t you have class?

Ninth lady: It’s the summer holidays over here, pfft. I’m currently helping out around the lab 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.

Rolling ball of Meows: I see. Everyone else is asleep. Looks you’re the only one who can accompany me here, Ninth (′へ`、 )

Ninth lady: If there’s anyone else online, please tweet.

Don’t ask for my return date: Tweet.

Ninth lady: !!

Rolling ball of Meows: !!

Ninth lady: Heck! You’re back, Return date!

Don’t ask for my return date: Un, I just woke up ╮(￣▽￣”)╭

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

Don’t ask for my return date: (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.

Rolling ball of Meows: Runs away in tears ┭┮﹏┭┮

Ninth lady: You just woke up?? What kind of messed up sleep schedule is this Σ(°△°|||)︴

Don’t ask for my return date: (Looks to the sky) My sleep schedule has been messed up for many years...

Ninth lady: I really regret it...

Don’t ask for my return date: Stop!! Hold it right there and don’t say any more (((￣__￣o )~

Back then when he first got to know Ninth lady, 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 relatively young within the circle, she was more experienced and senior compared 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 even come to be known as the ‘Three Seven Nine’ combo.

However, Ninth lady 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 Ninth lady headed to the West to study abroad, she could no longer keep up with the time and energy required in the current community to put out new shows. She’s basically in a half-retired state. She didn’t have any new projects planned 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 Ninth lady, busy with their lives and didn’t have many new plans in the making.

Hence, it was quite accurate for the name of their group to be called, &#k2018;Gradually inching towards quitting the community’.

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.

Ninth lady: 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...

Don’t ask for my return date: 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.

Ninth lady: I really regret it... I don’t even dare tell anyone that the famous ‘God of Playing Dead’ was brought in by me.

Don’t ask me for my return date: Pfft, wait a minute, when did I become God-level?

Ninth lady: Well, putting voice acting aside, you’re pretty godly at playing dead \=。\=

Rolling ball of Meows: 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 recommendation lists with your name on it. You can already be considered as a well-liked CV~

Don’t ask me for my return date: (Laughs) Please, I’m just a little nobody, forever transparent.

Rolling ball of Meows: 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 ┭┮﹏┭┮

Don’t ask me for my return date: Because I really don’t have the time.

Ninth lady: Plus you’re picky.

Don’t ask me for my return date: I’m not that picky. It’s just that if the plot or the lines are too embarrassing that it makes me 囧 I will definitely burst out laughing when recording XDDD

Ninth lady: Oh yeah, speaking of scripts, did you accept 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.

Don’t ask me for my return date: I have too many unread emails... Give me some time to organise it a bit _(:з」∠)_

In Qi Jing’s QQ inbox, he had special labels set up for drama related mails. These labels include “Producer’s invitations”, “Accepted 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.

Rouge Flower 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 relationship between a policeman and a mafioso.

Don’t ask me for my return date: I found the email. It’s the one called《Trap》right?

Ninth lady: Pfft, yeah, that’s the one. I’ve read the original work, the development of the plot in the later 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.

Don’t ask me for my return date: Haha, that’s because people rarely ask me to voice Shou characters.

Ninth lady: Pfft, that’s the only reason?

Rolling ball of Meows: 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-class sounding Gong voice to overpower you!

Ninth lady: (Facepalm) There are already so little Gongs within the circle, yet she wants to force a Gong to become a Shou? Oh my goodness.

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

Don’t ask for my return date: I’m too restricted by the way my voice sounds...

Rolling ball of Meows: Haha, it’s very distinct!

(*￣▽￣*)

Ninth lady: Pfft, it’s actually not that good to be too distinct, you end up being tied down by all these restrictions and fetters.

Don’t ask for my return date: 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 playboys 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.

Ninth Lady: Devilishly charming playboys with principles! HAHAHAHA! (Pounding on the table)

Rolling ball of Meows: Let’s bankrupt the Wang Group! HAHAHA I’m going to die laughing! Save me!

Don’t ask for my return date: ╮（￣▽￣”）╭

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—sexy, 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 salary was so low it could lower the average monthly income of the working class.

“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 a compilation 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 Rouge Flower 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 but laugh.

Qi Jing had actually roughly read through the novel prior to accepting the role. The drama kept the same settings of the story which was set in the underworld. The character he plays manages a nightclub under the Mafia. On the surface, it’s a place 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 would come to have various interactions with his character.

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

Just as Ninth lady mentioned, the first episode opens with three acts and there really was one scene with S.M.

In one of those listicles compiling 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 Rouge Flower, 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.

—It somehow felt kinda amazing, though he didn’t quite get it.

Qi Jing gave her a brief reply and also explained 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 his computer and go down to get some breakfast, Rouge Flower’s QQ profile picture lit up right when he moved his cursor onto the ‘shut down’ button.

Rouge Flower: AAaaaah what did I just see!! Return date-sama!! You’ve returned!! TAT

“Pfft,” a burst of laughter accidentally escaped his lips and he started doubling over in front of his computer 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.

Don’t ask for my return date: How early of you ^＿^

Rouge Flower: Awoooo I have a habit of checking my QQ while lazing around in bed... (Covers face in embarrassment)

Don’t ask for my return date: So sorry for holding back the production crew for so long, the 3D world is really too tough.

Rouge Flower: No! Problem! It’s good enough that you replied! /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~

Don’t ask for my return date: 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.

Rouge Flower: 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.

Don’t ask for my return date: Ok, thanks for your hard work (づ￣ 3￣)づ

Rouge Flower: (≧//v//≦) 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?

Don’t ask for my return date: Haha, sure.

Qi Jing realised that the ladies within the circle all had one thing in common—their 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: Your friend Rouge Flowers has invited you to join the group “《Trap》Production Crew”.

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 the community.

Producer – Rouge Flower: Ladies, come on out and welcome Return date-sama! ~(≧▽≦)/~

Publicity – Onion: Holy heck!

Designer –Cloud chip cake: Holy heck!

Script-writer – Puppet Show: Holy heck!【Actually I wanted to say, ‘Pounce on him!”, but I can’t mess up the formation!】

Director – Knives cutting in from four corners: I’m awake! Return date-greatgreat mua! ㄟ(≧3≦)ㄏ

Producer – Rouge Flower: Pfft, Knife cuts, you messed up the formation~

Don’t ask for my return date: Haha, just call me Return date, you don’t have to add those ‘greatgreat’ or ‘bigbig’ or whatever.

Script-writer – Puppet Show: Saying what “great big” so early in the morning, huhu you’re making me shy... o(*≥▽≤)ツ

Publicity – Onion: Pfft! Stop it, Puppet!

Producer – Rouge Flower: Stop it, Puppet! +1 【So annoying, but my mind drifted off in that direction as well】

Don’t ask for my return date: Sorry, it’s because I voiced too many Gongs, I got used to it. ╮(￣▽￣”)╭

Script-writer – Puppet Show: Save me!! My lord, are you acting cute??

Director – Knives cutting in from four corners: He’s definitely acting cute!

Designer – Cloud chip cake: Acting cute with a super Gong aura! ><

Producer – Rouge Flower: Super Gong aura +1

Publicity – Onion: Super Gong aura +2

Script-writer – Puppet Show: Super Gong aura +3

Director: Knives cutting in from four corners: Super Gong aura +10086... But I have to remind you that you’re voicing a Shou here~

Producer – Rouge Flower: (Covers mouth and smiles)

Designer – Cloud chip cake: (Covers mouth and smiles)

Script-writer – Puppet Show: (Laughs wickedly)

Don’t ask for my return date: (Smiles) Is your Gong lead in this group as well?

Producer – Rouge Flower: Not... yet... I’ve been contacting Bronze Sparrow Terrace-sama through Weibo DMs. I haven’t managed to add him on QQ. I plead guilty, I know I’m a shitty producer... TAT

Bronze Sparrow Terrace?

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

Wasn’t that guy a pretty legendary CV?

“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 unladylike 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 his laughter and very gentlemanly picked up the piece of fried chicken that his junior dropped on the table. He then placed it on the boyfriend’s plate 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 young lad’s face to change from green to red as he scratched his head rather shyly.

This time, it was Ning Xiaoxiao who turned green.

Bronze Sparrow Terrace 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 the community.

Accordingly, this CV comes 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 circle later 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 become one of the big shots in the community.

“My ears are gonna get pregnant,” a phrase the fans often say.

The magnetism 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 class 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 by comparing 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 Bronze Sparrow Terrace. Not to mention the six whole fan groups under him—the official VIP one with 1000 people and the other knock-off groups with 500 people.

—It’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’ve landed on something good.”

As a CV, if he played as a CP with the Godly Bronze Sparrow Terrace, 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 definitely come 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, Crossing the bridge noodles’

, who was currently in the centre of attention. Because he played the Shou in one of Bronze Sparrow Terrace’s more popular 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 Bronze Sparrow Terrace also became one of the hottest topics on the forum.

The few other Shou CVs whose popularity skyrocketed also had similar experiences. Even if they didn’t manage to become a popular CP, all their other works would also ride on the coattails of the successful collaboration 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—”

“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’s lamenting 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 play 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 glared 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 popular now, you surely will be once you’re done with this drama!”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“Once you become 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 exclaimed 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 relax 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 become.

《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 *** fans of Bronze Sparrow Terrace. Actually, there were other fans of Bronze Sparrow Terrace 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 Bronze Sparrow Terrace’s 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 play 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 Bronze Sparrow Terrace’s 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 Bronze Sparrow Terrace was considered God-class in the circle, he could probably bring the character to life with his acting—well, 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.

Producer – Rouge Flower: Good evening my lovelies! ~(≧▽≦)/~

Director – Knives cutting in from four corners: Oh, it’s little Shou Rouge, I gonna decisively push you down!

Script-writer – Puppet Show: Decisively push you down! +1

Sound designer – A lifetime’s lock: Decisively push you down! +2

Producer – Rouge Flower: You guys... TAT what’s this in broad daylight, ah no, I mean, what do you think you’re doing, launching a sneak attack on the producer in the middle of the night when the wind is high!

Director – Knives cutting in from four corners: Pfft, producers are meant to be attacked, you mean you didn’t realise this painful truth until now? ╮(╯▽╰)╭

Script-writer – Puppet Show: Hahahaha, as expected of Knives cutting! You’re so good at adding a cut where it hurts!

CV – Don’t ask me for my return date: (Smiles) Moving a chair over with some popcorn in hand to watch the show.

Producer – Rouge Flower: QAQ!! Return date-sama, you....!!

Sound designer – A lifetime’s lock: Aiyo! So this is the other lead playing the Shou in this drama, Don’t ask me for my return date-sama! Strongly onlooking!

CV – Don’t ask for my return date: Good evening everyone.

Sound designer – A lifetime’s lock: What an adorable little Shou, looks like our Bronze Sparrow Terrace-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 Bronze Sparrow Terrace. Most production crews won’t even be able to invite her and Rouge Flower was even thrilled for a long time when she joined.

Qi Jing was currently checking the members in the group—but it seemed like Bronze Sparrow Terrace wasn’t inside.

CV – Don’t ask for my return date: Hmm? The great god still hasn’t joined the group?

Producer – Rouge Flower: 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.

Sound designer – A lifetime’s lock: Pfft pfft, it seems like our little Shou can’t wait to see him? You sound so anxious~

Script-writer – Puppet Show: Since he is the Godly Bronze Sparrow Terrace!

Sound designer – A lifetime’s lock: 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!

Producer – Rouge Flower: Locky, are you in the official group?

Sound designer – A lifetime’s lock: of course.

Producer – Rouge Flower: 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.

Sound design – A lifetime’s lock: Ok, I’ll go have a look, but if his status is invisible then there’s nothing I can do either ╮(╯_╰)╭

Seeing that it’s almost 9 PM, the sound designer came and told them that Bronze Sparrow Terrace didn’t seem to be online. Rouge Flower knew that this was a rare window to catch Qi Jing when he’s free so she dare not delay 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 from coming 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, the communication 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, Knives cutting in from four corners, 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 mature lady through and through, which was very surprising.

For example, the seemingly sharp and meticulous script-writer, Puppet Show, was actually a little klutz who couldn’t even adjust her mic properly.

Or for example, the producer, Rouge Flower, 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 the community 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 Bronze Sparrow Terrace’s recent works in the group chat, in a little world of their own.

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

The sound designer got tired of waiting and went offline after saying, “If Bronze Sparrow Terrace comes, 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, Knives cutting in from four corners, 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, Puppet Show, 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 playing dead...”

“Puppet!” Knives cutting in from four corners got such a shock from her words she couldn’t help but interject.

“What are you so anxious about, Knives cutting, let me finish, “ Puppet Show said before clearing her throat and continuing, “I heard that although you like playing 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 playing 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, Rouge Flower

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Return date-sama! I’m sorry...” something was off about Rouge’ Flower’s 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 only comfort 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 one last time. B-But he really did say that he was coming in the DMs...” the more she spoke, the shakier her voice got, she even sniffed a few times.

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

After a pause, Rouge Flower 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 to comfort her.

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

Anyway, it looked like Bronze Sparrow Terrace won’t be appearing tonight—

Knives cutting in from four corners sighed, “How? It’s already 10.30 PM, are we still going to rehearse the lines?”

Puppet Show suggested meekly, “Can we just do Return date’s part?”

Knives cutting in from four corners 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 playing 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,” Rouge Flower 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 a lady 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 uncomfortable.”

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

From the group “《Trap》Production Crew”—

Director – Knives cutting in from four corners: Return date-sama, you... you really are such a sweetheart!! ┭┮﹏┭┮

CV – Don’t ask for my return date: Pfft, you’re welcome. Pats you on your head.

After learning about Qi Jing’s concerns, Rouge Flower decided to find another male CV who can come online as a temporary replacement.

“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 play 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, Puppet Show, started shouting with such force, it was probably comparable to the excitement Christopher Colombus felt when he discovered the New World.

“I have it! There’s one!”

“Who? Who?” Knives cutting in from four corners 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!” Puppet Show 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.

Rouge Flower replied a little hesitantly with a wry smile, “Gong-kun’s... Grandpa.”