Chapter 129

unedited

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 G.o.d, this number was bound to continue growinga number of followers approaching six digits was not to be trifled with.

Ning Xiaoxiao had already completely abandoned her lady-like facade as she almost huffed and puffed through her nose, exclaiming loudly, Senior! Dont you think its lit! Dont you think its sweet! This is exactly the legendary Big Sleek Horse, Little Ninths life coredid you forget it? The one whos the reason why youve 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

place in the background, Qi Jing waved his hand at her with relative composure, afraid that she would flip the hot pot in the moment of excitement.

So handsome! So handsome! For the great G.o.d of his calibre, crus.h.i.+ng you all is easy like crus.h.i.+ng ants with this kind of power! Ning Xiaoxiao remained deep in her fantasy.

Like crus.h.i.+ng 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 b.u.t.terfly effect it initiated It wasnt 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 someones 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 didnt even change

thinking of this, he didnt have it in him to laugh at it easily.

For good or bad,

Bronze Sparrow Terrace

himself had his G.o.dly 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 the comments as her comment section right now would certainly be full of derision.

This lady might really have to kill this ID off because of this

Maybe its a good thing, focusing on her real life and studies shouldnt be that bad for her. He had heard that this lady 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 cus.h.i.+on.

As the proverb says,

take a look at the owner before hitting his dog

and

Sleek Horses Run Fast

was an individual so scary, he didnt even need to take a look at anyones master. So if this dogs 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 little lady before so many people, is this really becoming of a former great G.o.d? //@

CV-Sleek horses run fast

: How about me? //@

Da Qiao of Bronze Sparrows 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 everyones inclination to side with the weaker and putting the emphasis on bullying a little lady. Whats more, he also intentionally or otherwise stressed this tad bit mocking former, giving him another push downtruly 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 mans 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 G.o.d to show me whats becoming and apologise to Little Noodles in your little ladys stead? //@

CV-Bronze Sparrow Terrace:

To bully a little lady before so many people, is this really becoming of a former great G.o.d?

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 smilethis 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 didnt even have time to react to, especially the way he used that

current

to parrot the shade perfectly Sure enough,

Bronze Sparrow Terrace

started playing dead afterwards.

Big Sleek Horse sure isnt easy. Qi Jing spoke without thinking.

Because he got used to cute kaomojis he used like () and ( 3) before, he forgot that this guy was also in possession of a great G.o.d t.i.tle. In this online VA circle ridden with haters and drama, those worthy of this t.i.tle couldnt possibly be sweet and pure little sheep, they all had more than one trick up their sleeves.

Also This wasnt only him defending his lover before the public. It wasnt only protectionhere, he took an initiative to attack as well.

He cant 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 gla.s.s of water in his hand, making it impossible to discern any flavour 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 gla.s.s of water.

By the time Qi Jing turned his head to stare at him, stupefied, he already put the gla.s.s 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 gla.s.seasily missed unless someone looked carefully.

This is just a comment from an observers 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, Kittys Papa, how do you know that? Unless Ah!

She got too excited for a moment and b.u.mped 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.

Im sorry

There was also a crying emote at the end.

Shen Yans gaze coincidentally pa.s.sed 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 dont know that. He gave a rather simple reply, I guessed.

So you just guessed, Ning Xiaoxiao was cleaning the splattered tablet with utmost care. When she heard him, she raised her head aggrieved, face coloured with disappointment after having her antic.i.p.ation 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 n.o.bodies like us have no say here. At times like this, we can only join the people watching from the sidelines.

This was true.

It wasnt only online voice acting, this stayed true no matter the circle. Sometimes facts dont mean anythingif the opponent has a huge fanbase, they can gradually talk everyone into believing black is white and vice-versa.

Sleek Horses Run Fast

had something him and Shen Yan didnt, and that wassupport.

Hearing this, Ning Xiaoxiao said out of the blue, Senior, a VA with a personality like you How to say this, although you wont have many fans, but you will have friends.

Qi Jing was stupefied by her words.

Im chummy with a lot of staff members, and those who take their job seriously all speak highly of you, saying youre both gentlemanly and charming It makes people think that youre worth getting along with for a long run. Then she remembered something and added, Ah, its just the whole G.o.d of Playing Dead thing is scaring people off. Theyre afraid that you would drag out the recording process for way too long, so they dont 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 Xiaoxiaos face flushed red, then s.n.a.t.c.hed a meatball from his bowl with her chopsticks and wolfed it down.

Qi Jing laughed heartily.

But Im being serious here, your popularity literally exploded after the end of Order to End the Heavens compet.i.tion! Aside from the normal listeners, Im sure that a lot of staff members are talking about you two. Although they couldnt compare with the great G.o.ds of

Sleek Horses Run Fast

s calibre, Ning Xiaoxiao still found it worthy of celebration, eating as she continued talking, Ah, right! Right! Kittys Papa is going to go the Order to End the Heavenss company headquarters in Beijing for signing the contract, right?

Mhm Shen Yan nodded his head slightly.

After the compet.i.tion 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 aeroplane ticket to Beijingthe 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 the company.

But Senior wont be able to go such a pity. Ning Xiaoxiao was still brooding about Qi Jings 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 plans for it. When the date for Shen Yans 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 a commercial company wouldnt take a chance to grab some cash.

Oh, then if youre both going, then I beg you to persuade that Two fellow to voice-act in an audio drama! Ning Xiaoxiaos staff-mode was now on. She was talking to Qi Jing, but her eyes were s.h.i.+ning as she stared at Shen Yan. From the moment she got to know that

Kittys Papa

knew

Two

, and that

Kittys Papa

is Shen Yan, she was already making calculations on her small abacus.

Junior, did you come here to atone for your sins or to fool around

Cant I do both of the above?

You cant. 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 successfully 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 peoples rest time, leaving the streets bathed in silence, with only the rustling wind sc.r.a.ping by the tree branches. It wasnt a particularly pleasant sound, but it had a sense of peacefulness unique to the winter. The street lamps kept their solitary watch at the sides of the street, spreading a layer of pale warmth on the asphalt road beneath their feet.

Aside from it, there were also two shadows casted on the roadat first only side by side, but later conjoined together.

It was because when they were going out, neither of them remembered to bring gloves, so Shen Yan just took Qi Jings 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 Yans that were warmer. But now, Shen Yans 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 played for a bit with Big Goose and Little Return Date.

It was only as Shen Yan later opened the computer 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.

Theres 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 Gooses side, s.h.i.+fting 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 partic.i.p.ating and so on, with the flight gift coupon number and the address written at the very end of it.

If its 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 available tickets section.

Qi Jing was curious why he stopped talking midways and looked at the screen, then he also couldnt help himself from exclaiming 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 explanation to thatShen Yan was a double champion, so it wouldnt be surprising if there were twice the amount of prizes prepared.

Turns out the organisers really didnt spare the second ticket for a double champion And here I thought that a commercial company like this would be a bit stingy, saving a bit on the fact that youre 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. In comparison, the developers of Order to End the Heavens sure were quite generous.

Shen Yan still didnt say anything, looking down without a word, as if pondering something.

Qi Jing supported his chin on Shen Yans shoulder, muttering to himself, But This way I can accompany you without having to buy a ticket for myselfas if they knew that I want to go. Its almost too timely.

Hearing him say so, Shen Yans 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 lifethis 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.

This 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 the compet.i.tion 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 bottomabout us. Opening it sent him to the game companys own main page. Shen Yans 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 the company, 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 pa.s.sed by, as if to make sure that he didnt omit a single person.

Suddenly, the cursor stopped.

His eyes grew wide, his gaze as if frozen by the same place 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 the computer with his back facing him as he said so, leaving him a bit lost.

I intended to do so in the first place. He came over with a smile, putting the milk on the desk.

I was afraid you wouldnt have time After all, Qi Jing had just come back from Beijing, if he were to go for another trip, who knows if his higher-ups wouldnt 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 Jings 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 didnt quite know why it was the case.

Are you going to call them about that additional ticket, ask if they made a mistake? It wasnt impossible for some worker to make an error. Qi Jing raised his hand to stroke Shen Yans hair, the other one resting on his shoulder and pulling him closer into the embrace.

No need to, Shen Yan sounded m.u.f.fled, a bit more hoa.r.s.e than usual, No need to ask, if its two tickets, then its two tickets It shouldnt 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 wasnt tired yet.

Although Qi Jing also wasnt tired, it was still a work day for him the next day, he had an interview he needed to wake up early to. Whats more, after having just returned from afar and spending long intimate hours in the bed, he was certainly tired, so he couldnt change Shen Yans mind on making him go to bed and rest.

Shen Yan sat at the chair for a long time, then finally turned the computer on and downloaded Skype.

The last time he used Skype was many years ago already. Before YY became a thing, it was the main platform for online voice actors to practise acting with others, but these days, it was gradually getting forgotten.

He remembered that after the last time he finished using Skype, he uninstalled this program from his computer altogether. Now, he had to reinstall it if he wanted to use it.

But he still remembered his old login and pa.s.sword

Like an old directory. Even though he clearly hadnt 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 similar thought, he was quietly watching the installation progress bar filling, just like slowly opening the first page of the directory.

Ding

After the software finished installing, a log-in window popped out.

Shen Yan took a deep breath, typing in the login and pa.s.sword that he hadnt used in many years.

He didnt 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 wouldnt be a problem if it wasnt grey Just, he didnt 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 flas.h.i.+ng. Shen Yan put the headphones on and prepared the mic, then accepted this voice call invitation.

Six? He heard a young womans voice. Unlike

Jade b.u.t.terfly

with her voice of a well-bred lady 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, Its 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 its convenient, I would ask you to pa.s.s it to him, thanks.

After he said this, the woman chuckled, her laughter lined with deeper meaning.

The one who broke the bone hes your boyfriend, right?

Yes.

He wasnt covert about it, admitting it with complete composure.

For a moment,

Four

didnt say anything, as if figuring out whether the composure 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 account anymore. Having a person by your side really makes a differenceyour boyfriend seems incredible. Hes a good man.

Hearing this, Shen Yan understood that his previous conjecture was correct, Thank you for that time during the compet.i.tion too. That Doing good things in pa.s.sing It was you, right?

Four

seemed stupefied.

Then, after a moment, he heard a puff preceding her laughter hit the mic, brisk and jolly.

I actually got seen through Tell me, how did you know? She said unhurriedly, not at all fl.u.s.tered like someone who had just gotten exposedmore like, leisurely content.

The tone, Shen Yan said calmly, Especially that tone when you talked to Two. I couldnt think of anyone else speaking like this.

Haha, you sure are sharp. She fiddled lazily with something on her desk at the other side of the call, causing a clear tinkling sound, her mood visibly merry, You dont actually have to thank me. Just as that ID says, I was just doing good things in pa.s.sing, thats all. But later on, you two need to be more careful. Nowadays, theres a lot of people who know how to check IPs. Even if during the finals your IP wasnt the same, all of the IPs for the semi-finals were identical.

Doesnt matter, Shen Yan said lightly, If theres anybody interested in checking it, then they may as well do that. It wont have any effect on our relations.h.i.+p.

Hearing this,

Four

clicked her tongue, but sounded as if she was smiling at the same time.

At that point, Shen Yan suddenly said, Theres one more thing I want to thank you aboutthank you for not letting Two continue asking that time.

The smile on

Fours

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 dumba.s.s kept asking you questions like this was also because hes obtuse and insensitive. But aside from your grandpa pa.s.sing away you also had some other reason you couldnt talk about, right?

Shen Yan didnt say anything.

After a long while, he asked in a low, hoa.r.s.e voice, I never told that to anyone How much do you know, after all?

The woman laughed bitterly, Bingo. I wasnt supposed to know, but Five After he got drunk once, I heard him talking by accident. Ah, but dont worry, I havent 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:

Were starting to count the old scores

T/N:

Lucilla: Back to the uploading and it seems like were starting strong already! xD