CH 26

Peng Xiangzhi hated Su Chang so much that she wished she could skin her alive.

Both of them were professional voice actors. Intimate scenes were never too excessive due to censorship standards, often just a few breaths, or recording the sound effects of kissing the back of one’s hand or the cleft between thumb and index finger. 

From a professional standpoint, such scenes were no different from any other and could be recorded with just a few takes.

So naturally, there was no need for “clearing the set.”

But Su Chang suddenly became affected.

It should be said that ever since Su Chang became involved with this project, she had been somewhat abnormal.

Peng Xiangzhi didn’t care, however. She just wanted to focus on her career.

Yu Zhou reluctantly made her way to the restroom and then spent some time wandering in the hallway. After Bro Feng glanced at her three times, she decided to stand by the door for a while.

She had no experience in these situations; she had no idea how long these scenes took to record or when she should go back in. She was worried.

As she idly stood there with her hands in her pockets, the elevator chimed as a strangely familiar figure appeared.

Yu Zhou blinked, thinking she might be hallucinating.

It was Xiang Wan! She was wearing the white t-shirt she had worn for their photoshoot yesterday, tucked into high-waisted denim shorts, her thin waist and long legs exuding a youthful charm. 

Xiang Wan held her phone in both hands, her eyes lighting up when she saw Yu Zhou. She wanted to quicken her pace, but being a well-bred young lady, she maintained her leisurely stride.

Why is she still walking like that? Feeling impatient, Yu Zhou jogged over, asking, “Why are you here?”

“Are you hungry, Miss Yu?” Xiang Wan asked.

So, that was it. Xiang Wan was famished again.

“I left you some food, remember? I even taught you how to use the microwave. Just put it in, heat it up for three minutes, and you’re set.”

“I did,” Xiang Wan replied.

“And then?” Yu Zhou prompted.

“Then… it was too hot.” Xiang Wan lowered her eyes.

My goodness, did she really need to be taught to use oven mitts or a tissue to pick up a hot plate? Yu Zhou couldn’t help but feel dumbfounded.

“How did you get here?” she asked.

“You used a taxi app, and I saw it,” Xiang Wan took out her phone, wanting to show her.

Yu Zhou laughed, “So you figured that out on your own?”

Xiang Wan smiled softly.

“Wait a sec,” Yu Zhou remembered, “How did you pay? I got a new phone, so it shouldn’t be linked to my WeChat wallet.”

“No need to pay,” said Xiang Wan.

What?

“When I arrived at the building, I sat in the car, wondering how to pay. However, the driver said I could pay him later.”

“Oh, I see. What did you say then?”

“I told him that I would have my servant girl bring the money to his residence.”

Yu Zhou imagined the scene, feeling a shiver run down her spine. “What…what did he say then?”

“He just asked me to get out of the car.”

“Pfft!” Yu Zhou covered her mouth, afraid that her laughter would be too loud.

Seeing her laugh, Xiang Wan also showed a faint smile.

Yu Zhou felt slightly embarrassed. She took Xiang Wan’s phone and opened the app, explaining to her, “We can pay online, which means we ride first and pay later. It’s not about not paying at all — eighty?! What?!!!”

Her expression dramatically changed, as if her eyes were about to bulge out, “Why did you choose a luxury car?!”

“Hmm?” Xiang Wan tilted her head in confusion.

Yu Zhou realized that Xiang Wan couldn’t understand the checkmarks and crosses on the screen, so she must have just clicked on the taxi button and followed the system’s recommendation, which inevitably would have selected the most expensive option.

Tearfully, Yu Zhou handed the phone back to Xiang Wan, “I don’t want to pay anymore, either.”

Xiang Wan felt a deep pain in her heart, but she didn’t know why she was so heartbroken. All she could do was gaze at her sympathetically.

Yu Zhou waved her hand weakly, as if she was stripped of a layer of skin, feeling weak and not wanting to dwell on it. Seeing that it was almost time, she led Xiang Wan to Studio A8.

First, she politely knocked on the door, and Peng Xiangzhi opened it slightly. “We just finished recording. I was about to send you a message on WeChat.”

“Alright,” Yu Zhou said softly, “Wanwan has arrived, can we come in?”

“Oh, sure, sure, sure!” Peng Xiangzhi said with a slightly teasing tone.

Yu Zhou laughed and led Xiang Wan into the room while bending her waist, not knowing why she was doing so, as if there were actors singing on the stage.

The one with more drama was her.

Su Chang and Zhou Ling saw Xiang Wan enter the studio and greeted them with a nod before resuming their non-stop recording.

Several more supporting characters arrived for the subsequent scenes, outlining their roles in a scattered manner, one after another. By the third act of the fourth episode, Peng Xiangzhi flipped through the script with a sigh.

Yu Zhou looked over, seeing Peng Xiangzhi ask Dian Dian, “For this Aunt Qian, I intended to have Zhao Qiang record it together, right?”

“Yes,” Dian Dian recalled.

“Oh no, I just let Zhao Qiang go after she finished recording the previous part.”

“Oh.”

“Wait a moment, let me see who else is in the studio.” Peng Xiangzhi flipped through her WeChat and began sending voice messages.

However, after several attempts, either there was no reply or no one had time. Sighing, Peng Xiangzhi thought about scheduling someone else for the next time, but Yu Zhou nudged Xiang Wan’s waist beside her.

What an opportunity!

Xiang Wan lightly exclaimed in surprise, gazing at Yu Zhou.

“Go on, nominate yourself,” Yu Zhou mouthed to her, “Got it? Mao Sui.” [1]

Xiang Wan understood, stepping forward to ask Peng Xiangzhi, “Director Peng, can I give it a try?”

“You?”

“Yes, I’m nominating myself.”

“Well…”

“Is she not suitable?” Yu Zhou stepped forward, thinking that if it was a no, she’d quickly pull Xiang Wan back.

“I’ll guide her, she’ll definitely do well,” Peng Xiangzhi said with confidence. “But you might not have heard clearly just now, it’s Aunt Qian who’s missing from the recording.”

Aunt Qian… the pregnant woman about to give birth? Yu Zhou was taken aback.

“Mm-hmm.” Peng Xiangzhi used her eyes to tell her to think it through.

“I can do it,” Xiang Wan said. She had watched a lot of TV dramas over the past month.

So, Peng Xiangzhi asked Su Chang and Zhou Ling to step out before letting Xiang Wan go in to do a test recording.

“Put on the headphones, take a deep breath first, and don’t rush,” Peng Xiangzhi kindly instructed. “Close your eyes and imagine you’re giving birth. When you’re ready, let me know. I’ll tell you the rhythm in advance: breathe in first, then endure the pain – you need to express it in waves – and make your voice a little more intense. Add a few moans, like you can’t catch your breath. When it’s time to push, remember the technique – constipation.”

“Imagine the feeling of struggling with constipation, after all, both are about trying to get it out,” Peng Xiangzhi said very seriously.

Yu Zhou was dumbfounded.

It was a bit embarrassing for a well-bred lady like Xiang Wan to talk about constipation in front of everyone; her cheeks turned slightly red, but she still nodded solemnly.

Yu Zhou suddenly felt a little sorry for her, as if she was going to the execution ground.

When Xiang Wan was ready, she made an “O” shape with her fingers in front of the glass, thinking for a while before straightening out her remaining three fingers.

Mom, that’s so cute! Yu Zhou laughed as she watched her.

Xiang Wan made eye contact with Yu Zhou, and then put on the headphones before closing her eyes.

She breathed rapidly, moaned, tensed and relaxed rhythmically, finally letting out a piercing scream.

Her veins were pumping, which made Yu Zhou feel the pain for her with even a little sympathy.

After Xiang Wan finished the recording, Peng Xiangzhi called it to a halt. Yu Zhou was a bit nervous, but then she heard Su Chang softly say, “The audio is peaking.”

She frowned slightly while pointing at the waveform on the screen, asking Dian Dian to have it dragged back to the second half.

Peng Xiangzhi nodded, “Yes, the emotion is good, but it’s a pity about the audio peaking.”

Su Chang bent down to the microphone before speaking softly to Xiang Wan, “Try not to yell, hold in the strength. In a real childbirth situation, the midwife or doctor would ask you not to shout, as all your energy should be put into pushing.”

She pinpointed the issue with Xiang Wan’s performance: don’t learn from TV dramas, observe real life instead.

Watching Su Chang’s serious expression, Yu Zhou suddenly realized that although they had been together for so long, she didn’t really know Su Chang as well as she thought.

She didn’t give Xiang Wan a hard time as Yu Zhou had assumed, but instead gave her professional advice.

This made Yu Zhou’s previous reluctance to let Xiang Wan come here seem quite narrow-minded.

After Su Chang finished speaking, she stood up straight, and Peng Xiangzhi said, “Got it? Let’s try it again, Wanwan.”