Chapter 71

TLC: Lilies

unedited

The sound of that man’s breathing stopped for a moment and the previously weak breath suddenly became urgent, uneven.

“Who is it… Who are you! Who—”

His words were far from being coherent; they were interrupted by his gasps for breath quite a few times, and even his teeth seemed to be chattering. Listening to it made one realise that this person was struggling while speaking, and it was as if one could see him crawling stubbornly in the mud.

In the official lines, this line was simply written as “who is it, who are you”, with a question mark at the end, so a lot of contestants chose to carry on with the previous sense of weakness, only adding the usual questioning tone. What’s more, “Fang Yisheng”’s character setting was that of “Bei Ke”’s life saviour, so there were quite a few people who added a bit of pleasant surprise suitable for a person being rescued to their voice acting.

Yet this version deviated completely from that course.

“Bai Ke” was a man of many suspicions, it was hence easy to imagine that after getting ambushed and almost killed, the sudden appearance of a stranger would not only not make him feel relieved, but he would even feel more despaired.

—Who are you, a hound of the imperial court, chasing me all the way here to kill me?—You’re asking me for my attachments, is it because you want to ask if I have any last words?

That was the effect that was being presented to Qi Jing and the audience.

The dying man’s intense will to survive, as well as his fear—both were distinct beyond compare, each word pulling on listener’s heartstrings.

Then, how should “Fang Yisheng” reply under those circumstances?

Before him was a man on his last breath, so even if he didn’t do anything and just looked from the sides, this person would without doubt die.

This man was already in such a sorry state, but his appearance made him look even more wretched just like that.

It was kind of ludicrous, but also… miserable.

He subconsciously lowered his voice, making it light and devoid of any pressure, as if he wanted to comfort the man, “I’m but a man of jianghu who happened to pass by, I bear no ill will toward you.”

After responding with that line, Qi Jing slowly leaned back and slumped against the back of the chair, sitting there in silence as if paralysed.

So that’s how it is.

So that’s why the previous contestants’ performances couldn’t get his lines to come out smoothly—it was because this whole part of dialogue was done fundamentally wrong from the very beginning making it such that it didn’t make any logical sense with regards to the character. When trying to act his lines, he would feel like something was strange, hence he would get stuck constantly.

I never thought it could be acted like this, he thought.

His heart was pounding hard, but apart from it being due to him being completely immersed in the tense atmosphere of the scene, it was more so due to the excitement of acting with another VA.

The time for the change of scene was very short, so short that this excitement had still yet to fade away when it was reignited.

In one moment it was still a man covered in dirt, but in the next, that voice sounded as if it was washed in a clear water; the sharp tone was put in a perfect order, and even a bit of gentlemanly manner could be heard.

Perhaps one would really think that man a gentleman, if it wasn’t for the chilling, mocking tone of his next words.

“Master Fang, if it wasn’t for your rescue back then, my lowly life would probably end under the hands of the imperial court’s thugs.”

At this point, he paused for a moment.

When he spoke once again, his voice was darker and colder than before as he said word by word through his clenched teeth, “A tremendous grace… One I won’t be able to forget till death.”

Qi Jing went stiff upon hearing this.

He didn’t know why he felt a kind of invisible oppression seeping through from between the words; it wasn’t obvious, but it made him feel as if a blade was held to his throat, and he actually couldn’t utter another word.

Crap…

“Fang Yisheng” was a man who experienced all kinds of adversities, so he wouldn’t even bat an eye in such a situation, and would face it calmly instead.

“At that time I also said that it was but a trifle… Brother Bai needn’t think much of it.” Suppressing the uneasiness in his heart, he tried to carry on with the scene dully, using as calm of a tone he could muster.

At that time, a low chuckle could suddenly be heard in his headphones.

At first, it was more like a faint scoff, then came those two syllables.

“Keke.”

This was neither in the lines nor in the acting prompts. It reverberated without the slightest foreshadowing, as if surfacing from the depths of bone-chilling still water.

Qi Jing froze, then he shivered from a sudden chill.

“But a trifle… How can Master say it was just a trifle?”

His smile had yet to fade away, it seeped into one’s ears together with those words, a hint of killing intent buried beneath his courteous act. But it was hidden too well, buried too deeply. The tone of his voice was like a low growl of a wolf from under the sheepskin may have made one sense of something wrong, but it wasn’t to the point of putting him out in a plain sight.

“‘Listen to the Wind Inn’ is as far as eighteen miles away from the place I was ambushed at that day.” Yet it was you, Fang Yisheng, who passed by.

“That mountain road was precipitous, what’s more, it was raining heavily that day.” Yet it was on that day, at that place that we met.

How possible such a coincidence might be?

He spoke with great composure and ease, his smile the more prominent the longer he talked, but he already ceased putting up a pretense and hiding his menace, and finally openly delivered the stab, “Master sure had a hard time on the way there.”

—Fang Yisheng, I already know you used to serve the imperial court, do you still want to continue fooling me?

—Your saving me then was a mere pretense, your real objective was to get me to unknowingly give you information; you were just using me, that’s all.—The me who once felt gratitude so great towards you… I really was such a fool.

… Qi Jing was dumbstruck.

This time, he really was unable to respond. He couldn’t even say a word.

So cold.So terrifying.

There wasn’t a single speck of warmth from “Shen Yan” at all. What appeared before him in his mind was now a complete stranger; he was already unable to visualise Shen Yan’s features, as the only thing he saw was a cold grin on the face of a betrayed man.

Qi Jing knew that “Fang Yisheng” still had his lines after that, but he was unable to act them out at that moment.

In the novel, there was a long period of silence at that point of the dialogue between those two characters, but it wasn’t easy to portray with a timer on the performance under competition conditions.

Yet that effect was delivered just right.

Of course, Qi Jing wasn’t the only one to realise that point.

Audience 1: … I got spooked into crying…【Really… Just now, I kept inching backwards until I almost fell off my chair】

Audience 2: … *bursts out in sobs* KITTY’S PAPA SO SCARY!! 〒▽〒

Audience 3: My heart almost stopped, ok?! What happened to the voice of a model youth I was promised!! What about the honest and considerate Bai Ke I was promised!! Quick, give me back my wholesome Kitty’s Papa, he’s so scary in this role!! 〒▽〒

Audience 4: (swoons) My entire person was unnerved by his “keke” just now…

Audience 5: … It’s the first time for me to listen to this contestant’s audition live… Who the hell told me his voice is of the upright and healing kind… My feelings! Got! Cheated! Was that sweet comment at the beginning only there to serve as a contrast for the latter performance?! “Kitty の Papa”, you got me this time!!【I’m covered in cold sweat, I really feel cheated _(:3」∠)_】

Audience 6: … So… good… I’m being real here, this gap moe is the best!! ≧□≦

Qi Jing glanced at the comments in the chat. He also wiped his face with his hand, and as expected, it was equally as chilly and covered in a cold sweat.

Just now, he didn’t think of Shen Yan’s type of voice at all. Whatever upright, whatever healing, it completely slipped his mind.

The sheer change of bearing was sufficient enough.

By the time the second scene concluded, he no longer had any qualms about Shen Yan acting as “Bai Ke”. Maybe it was because he had already listened to him playing all kinds of “heavenly immortal grandpa” roles before so he had a good idea of what to expect from the first audition and wasn’t too surprised by the result. But this time… he had to admit that he was blown away.

“Still, there shouldn’t be any major breakthrough with the third scene…” Qi Jing mumbled to himself.

The other contestants all performed splendidly during the third scene, with apt irascibility and emotions portrayed pretty much on point, so Shen Yan’s acting shouldn’t differ that much from the other people already presented.

But there’s no need to worry.

Based on the two previous performances alone, Shen Yan has already left a sufficiently deep impression on the audience, so even if there aren’t any highlights towards the end of his performance—

“None of those outsiders understand me, they all say I brought it upon myself… Yet… Master, even you don’t understand me?”

At that moment, a chilling cold query came from his headphones. It was the first line of the third scene; there was a slight tremble to that voice, and as he finished, the man couldn’t keep himself from taking deep breaths, as if he was about to go mad from fury.

Qi Jing immediately refocused his mind and sat still, listening.

Just as everyone was waiting before their screens for “Bai Ke”’s next line, an aged, pained voice suddenly said slowly, “Bai Ke… Are you set on going down the wrong path?”

Eh…?Qi Jing suddenly trembled, then he pressed on his headphones in disbelief, honestly suspecting that he was just hearing things.

It was “Old Man Xiao Shan”.

It was “Old Man Xiao Shan”’s line. A line that didn’t even appear in the lines published by the organisers, but was precisely the one that appeared during this juncture in the novel—

“Ke, hahahaha…”

“Bai Ke” laughed coldly, his laughter tinged with a crazed tone. After laughing, he suddenly roared angrily, “I’m going down the wrong path?? Who is the one going down the wrong path! You clearly knew I couldn’t compare to Qin Tuo, you clearly looked down on me! During all those years, you’ve always been biased towards him! And wasn’t that because you thought that the one most suited to succeed your position as a sect leader was him, not me?!”

The impact of this line had yet to dissipate when another long, soft sigh could be heard from the old man.

“I never thought so as your master…”

“Lies!” There was no pause all the way from the old man’s lines to the cut in—it was flawless, impeccable. “If it wasn’t for how you treated me, if it wasn’t for… your insistence that I go down to the mountain to find him in the first place, would I end up like this today?!”

The lines connected with each other so smoothly, it really felt like there were two people acting out the scene together.

The voices of “Bai Ke” and “Old Man Xiao Shan” were being switched smoothly, making it impossible to perceive any flaw.

Qi Jing finally reacted and gasped in astonishment.

—It was a one-man show.The one and unique one-man show, something only Shen Yan is capable of.

He never even imagined Shen Yan would perform like this…

Qi Jing covered his mouth subconsciously, but this way he discovered that he couldn’t keep his lips from curling up, an excitation like a giant tide washing over his chest—his heart was beating madly, “thump, thump, thump”.

Crap.Crap, I’m so happy.

Even though it wasn’t even his own performance, when he listened to that last scene, he couldn’t keep himself from standing up and applauding. Meanwhile, the chat had already exploded.

Audience 1: … HOLY HECK!! IT’S A ONE-MAN SHOW!! I’m instantly on my knees… Heck, there’s no way you can top that!! （╯‵□′）╯︵┴─┴

Audience 2: … Duck!! Why didn’t I remember that he also voiced Old Man Xiao Shan?? Just now, it was impossible to hear that they were being voiced by the same person, it really felt as if it was as if two actors were acting out a dialogue!!【I just can’t. Starting from today, I’m going to officially become Kitty’s Papa’s stan!! 〒▽〒】

Audience 3: … What surprises me the most though… HE ACTUALLY KNEW THE LINES FROM THE NOVEL BY HEART??【That’s right, as a novel reader, I vaguely remember that the dialogue in that part was something along those lines】

Audience 4: Is the previous commenter for real?? I was just thinking to myself that there’s no lines for the master on the official site, and thought Kitty’s Papa could be just making them up for the flow, but they’re actually real?? The one-man show is already exceeding my expectations, A! MA! ZING! Please accept me in the Kitty’s Papa stans’ association! HOOOWL—

Audience 5: … I am already speechless… I just feel that staying till late in the evening was so worth it, I CAN DIE WITHOUT REGRETS… _(:3」∠)_

Audience 6: After listening to all kind of audio dramas for two, three years already, I dare to say that “Kitty の Papa” is hundred times better than many of the so-called “great gods” of the online voice acting circle!! Honestly, please continue voice acting, I’m so hyped to see you in the competitions to come!

If there’s a Kitty’s Papa stans association, I would be the first to apply for the membership and check in daily—Qi Jing smiled at the screen, but his eyes grew hot for some unknown reason. He pursed his lips and said, trying to control his feelings, “Shen Yan, you really keep amazing me…”

He wasn’t just going through the motions.

If he simply wanted to complete his duty, then he wouldn’t go as far devising this scene. Shen Yan must’ve thought very deeply about how he wanted to pay back for everyone’s support.

“Anyone who wouldn’t give you this vote must have a problem.” Qi Jing said with a chuckle, then moved his mouse to click the vote option in the voting window.

Next, he just had to wait for thirty seconds in silence for the final score to come out.

But when the final score came out, Qi Jing’s first reaction was shock, and then followed by a frown.

Although he was already mentally prepared for it after his chat with Jade Butterfly,this kind of blatant manipulation… It really exceeded his expectations.

【Voice quality】：4.0, 4.0, 2.0, average score 3.33

【Enunciation】：4.5, 4.0, 3.0, average score 3.83

【Foundation points】：4.5，4.0，3.0，average score 3.83

【Charisma】：4.5，4.5，2.0，average score 3.67

Judging panel’s evaluation: 3.33+3.83+3.83+3.67 = 14.66 points

Additional audience vote points: 94.1% voting ratio = 0.941 points

Overall score: 14.66+0.941 = 15.601 points

This time you might have been a little too brazen with deliberately trying to lower the score—Qi Jing actually sneered when he looked through the scores, chuckling coldly as he shook his head.

With the first two judges having given scores this high, the last row of numbers seemed especially out of place, even containing a number beginning with a “2”, ruthlessly lowering average score for each criteria below four points.

Amazing.Too amazing—

Although the ratio of listeners voting was high, and they managed to win him a point, but with this overall score he only managed to get second place. Qi Jing could admit that the winner, who scored 15.733 and won by a narrow margin, was quite capable, but objectively judging… that contestant’s performance was far behind what Shen Yan showed.

Faced with this final score, the listeners proceeded to express their shock and dissatisfaction.

Audience 1: = =… The last judge is Northwest Road… Does he have a screw loose??

Audience : = = … When it comes to voice criteria, then everyone has their own opinion on how the character should sound. Personally, I feel like there’s no problem with Kitty’s Papa’s voice, even though it’s not of the “once you hear it you know he’s the bad guy” voice type, his tone was without doubt evil to the bone (I mean it as a compliment)—so what the hell is that 2 points for charisma??

Audience 3: Teacher Pu gave out 4.5!! Teacher Pu had said before that it’s the highest score she would ever give!! What an eyesore that 2.0 is besides Teacher Pu’s 4.5?!! （╯－＿－）╯╧╧

Audience 4: It’s the first time for me to feel an urge to kill a judge… Who is the one to give a commentary today!?! I demand the scores from the last column to be explained!!

Audience 5: Answering the commenter above, the judges take turns giving a commentary, and it’s either Longbow and Teacher Pu that would give the feedback. Northwest Road would never have to give his comment, so this evening, it’s Teacher Pu’s turn… But Teacher Pu’s evaluation is on point!! And I want to hear what the hell is wrong with those glaring twos and threes!! Kitty’s Papa clearly could have taken that first place…

Audience 6: To be honest, I also feel like the scores previous two judges gave were also unobjective… He obviously deserves all the 5.0s!! Even without the earlier acts, just the one-man show of the last scene alone was deserving enough of the highest score!! （╯－＿－）╯╧╧【I hate it, I’m so mad that I doubt I’ll get any sleep today】

Northwest Road wouldn’t participate in the commentaries, Qi Jing already saw other people mentioning it in the forum when he was browsing it before.

The officially proclaimed reason was that even though Northwest Road was one of the champions of the previous competition, he couldn’t compare to Longbow or Teacher Pu in terms of experience with judging and giving feedback. That’s why, to maintain the professionalism of the competition, he was only responsible for giving scores as a judge.

On the surface, he seemed to be the wronged one, but in reality he could judge the contestants however he pleased, without any need to justify the way he scored people.

Perhaps Jade Butterfly and that “person from behind the scene” she mentioned made use of that point.

“Damn it-…” Qi Jing couldn’t hold it and slapped the desk, the short flash of pain numbing the indignance that was about to take over his mind.

If that assumption was correct, then his future auditions, Shen Yan’s auditions, Crossing the bridge noodles’ as well as every other contestant’s auditions would get affected… It’s just how much they would get affected depended on how big of a threat they posed.

Lucilla: Kitty’s Papa is rockin’ his performance!! Scores and whatsoever mean nothing, just look at our amazing kitty goose! I’m so proud!