Chapter 147

Chapter 147

unedited

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.

—Strange.

Shen Yan was a bit surprised, since Qi Jing’s shoes were there in the shoe cabinet, meaning that he should be back already. However, despite Shen Yan’s return, he didn’t immediately come 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 black 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 was completely different from what he expected—

“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.

—Was 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—ing—hun—gry—”

“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 a laugh, 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 particularly joyful activity for him. It changed from being dispensable before to now becoming 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 becoming 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 flashing of Qi Jing’s phone, indicating incoming 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-related. Without even bothering to check the phone, he let it keep flashing 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 talk later.”

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 flabbergasted 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 his laughter, “...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—I 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 glances at their illuminated reflections on the glass. 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...”

—He was back to his state from when Shen Yan had just come 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 flashing QQ notifications in the corner were also hard to ignore.

Finally, he saw the name of the file opened in a media player—“⟪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 play button.

“I knew from the very beginning that everything you did was a scheme against me——”

When played 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—doesn’t that mean that you’re interested in me?”

As the line played, Qi Jing’s hand on his shoulder moved gently, his finger intentionally or unintentionally brushing by the line of his collar. 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 he laughed.

He could also hear someone typing furiously on the keyboard, probably communicating through the messages with the other two muted staff members.

—That pleasant atmosphere, he really thought he wouldn’t have a chance to re-experience it.

“Let’s continue, shall we?” After laughing, 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 discomfort 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, quite comfortable—

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 his composure, 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⟫ accused the director lady 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 director lady 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 or later.

Qi Jing finished explaining in a soft voice, “Initially, the director lady didn’t mention your ID, but when I heard the sound producer use some hurtful words to belittle you, saying that you couldn’t compare 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’s last comment, which was the one where he added【Happy 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—it 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 suddenly laughed 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—”

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 with laughter, 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.

【Comment 1001】: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

【Comment 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)

【Comment 1002】:

......Originally I was just joking with my friend, how funny it would be if that “newcomer” was one of the champions from the ⟪Order to End the Heavens⟫ competition... 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 two completely 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)

【Comment 1004】:

Originally, I just wanted to casually listen and check out how skilled that “newcomer’s” really was before closing it, but as soon as I started to listen, I just couldn’t stop... _(:з」∠)_

Since I don’t play games, I wasn’t interested in listening to that voice acting competition 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 to communicate 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⟫!

【Comment 1005】:

〒▽〒 I totally agree with every single word from the comment above!!

〒▽〒 I decided to stealthily edit a version with uninterrupted voice acting, just for my own enjoyment as a teaser!

〒▽〒 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)

【Comment 1006】:

This girl from comment 1005, wait for me!! (Erkang hand)

I’m begging, share the edited version!! You can’t rest in peace before sharing it!! ┭┮_┭┮ (Oi)

【Comment 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 from comment 1005, I actually prefer the complete 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(*////▽////*)o

【Comment 1008】:

My goodness!! So when Kitty’s Papa mentioned “first time playing 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... (//////艸//////)

I was already shipping it hard when I listened to their performance for Bai x Fang, but even in this early-stage run-through—you can hear how Lord Return Date’s voice acting skills aren’t as polished as in the competition, and Kitty’s Papa isn’t as completely unrestrained as after getting enlightened by Teacher Pu’s guidance—you 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... (//////艸//////)

I dare you guys to officially voice-act a CP once!! I dare you guys to do it!!

【Comment 1009】:

New... Year’s... Main... Show... _(:з」∠)_

It really is the New Year’s main show... _(:з」∠)_

And all that “Happy New Year” and whatsoever... _(:з」∠)_

While trembling from excitement while listening to the recording, I secretly worried for the current ⟪Trap⟫ production team... I guess that they will probably play dead now?

Sure enough, the production team really started playing 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 she completely 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. Particularly within Bronze Sparrow Terrace’s QQ fan group—since it was his territory, the intensity of those aggressive remarks escalated 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 claim that a newcomer 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 ~\(≧▽≦)/~

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 accounts bought by Don’t ask for my return date to spread hate~ ╮(╯__╰)╭

Fan No.5: He even went as far as using marketing accounts, 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 such comments. However, this changed when one of them timidly spoke up, her words completely out of line with the group’s prevailing atmosphere.

This person’s ID perfectly reflected her feelings at that moment—”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 owner lady, listen to me...

So Conflicted: I... Until now, I already listened to it twice, and I still plan 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. ┭┮_┭┮

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.

According to the righteous passerby who shared this screenshot, the above statement was the last 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.