CH 47

Xiang Wan felt a little bit nervous, but luckily not too much. She exchanged a few words with her classmates but still didn’t quite adapt to the new environment.

She didn’t understand the things they were chatting about, which were related to the voice acting industry. Plus, she missed Yu Zhou a little bit.

Xiang Wan took out her phone, pressed the voice message button after opening the chat with Yu Zhou, but she hesitated and said nothing.

Then she slid on the finger to cancel the sending.

Xiang Wan stood up before walking to the tea room at the corner, looking up at the vending machine that stood taller than people.

It contained colorful soda that people would crave when thirsty, which seemed like ordinary thoughts with beautiful packaging.

She suddenly heard light footsteps from behind, accompanied by a distant fragrance.

“Did she leave?” Su Chang asked.

“Yeah,she intended to say hello to you earlier, but you weren’t there,” Xiang Wan turned around as she said to Su Chang.

Su Chang nodded before handing her a stack of materials, “I got the lecture notes of two teachers in advance today, as well as mine. I translated them into traditional characters and printed them out.”

“Thank you so much,” Xiang Wan took the materials.

“I’m not sure how much you can read in simplified characters, but you can use this as a reference. However, it’s better for you to learn simplified characters as soon as possible.”

“I am learning,” Xiang Wan said, “I recognize some of them now.”

She then shook her phone, “I also changed my system to simplified characters.”

Su Chang smiled, “Buy some water and go in. You can find me if you need anything.”

“I know,” Xiang Wan nodded.

Su Chang was about to leave but paused for a moment when she heard Xiang Wan’s last two words.

She asked softly, “Did she ask you to find me?”

Su Chang’s heart skipped a beat as her words were a bit hesitant as if expecting something.

“What?” Xiang Wan didn’t hear clearly.

“Nothing,” Su Chang pursed her lips before walking away.

Thirty-one students sat in a simple classroom with white tables and chairs. A big screen and a whiteboard were in front of them. The person in charge gave a brief introduction first, mainly about the establishment and development of the Three Sounds Studio, as well as the courses, lecturers and main content of this training class.

As the opening lecturer, Su Chang stood at the back, leaning against an empty chair while waiting for the person in charge to finish the introduction.

Some students occasionally looked back at her, but Su Chang just calmly glanced in their direction.

After being caught by her, the students shrunk back apologetically.

At the end of the presentation, the person in charge displayed a QR code on the PPT before saying, “Please add our training class WeChat group. The teachers will also be in the group so you can ask any questions or receive any temporary notices from the group.”

The students pulled out their phones to scan the screens for the QR code.

Xiang Wan glanced at the person next to her as she also pulled out her phone, but she activated the camera function instead.

She silently took a picture and looked down, studying the QR code for a while, unsure of how to use it.

Su Chang glanced at her and then withdrew her gaze, taking out her own phone.

One by one, the students joined the group through scanning the shared code. Some were already chatting actively.

Suddenly, a prompt appears at the bottom: “Group member ‘Su Chang’ invited ‘Xiang Wan’ to join the chat.”

The WeChat group suddenly quieted down.

The classroom also became quieter. Xiang Wan turned her head and met the gaze of a male classmate who hadn’t had time to withdraw his gaze.

The teacher noticed that everyone had joined the group so she said goodbye after closing the PowerPoint.

Su Chang stood up and lightly knocked her phone on the desk.

“Class is starting,” she said.

The first day of class went smoothly. When Yu Zhou met Xiang Wan at the subway station, she could tell that Xiang Wan was very happy. Her young face exuded a bit of excitement as she even suggested going to the supermarket to see if there were any pea sprouts. Ms. Zhao said she wanted some but they couldn’t find any yesterday, so she wanted to check if there were any available today with Yu Zhou.

They still couldn’t find any, but they bought some other small vegetables.

Xiang Wan paid and then sent the remaining 25.7 yuan to Yu Zhou’s WeChat wallet.

“I got paid for that audio project I did last time, but it’s just a little bit. I’m giving it to you,” she said.

People like to gossip. After a commotion online, many people now knew about Xiang Wan. She had joined the club that Su Chang recommended, but the club wasn’t sure what project to give her.

After all, Su Chang had introduced her so it seemed inappropriate to just let her play an unknown role. But the club was serious about audio drama, making a new person play a lead or supporting role in a commercial drama was also not proper. Therefore, someone only contacted her a week later, saying there was a guest role in an ancient-style original drama, asking if she was interested in trying it out.

Of course, she was interested. She quickly recorded and sent it over, the other party didn’t give any feedback on the first day, but on the second day they paid her in advance.

The pay wasn’t much, since there weren’t that many lines, but Xiang Wan was very happy.

After transferring the money, she smiled, “I’ll give you all the money I make in the future.”

“Why me? Keep it for yourself. You don’t have any money,” Yu Zhou packed up the vegetables at the cash register before walking home with her.

“I don’t need the money. I’ve been living at your home for so long, I need to pay for my meals,” Xiang Wan said.

“Wow, you sound so grateful and capable of repaying kindness.”

“Of course.” Xiang Wan smiled again. “As I earn more in the future, whatever you want, I’ll buy for you.”

Yu Zhou laughed at her. “You talk as if you’re making big bucks.”

“I can.” Xiang Wan said seriously.

“How do you know?” 

“Father had someone read my fortune and it’s very good.” 

“Can your ancient fortune really be useful in modern times?” Yu Zhou laughed. 

“It is useful.” Xiang Wan thought to herself, I met you, didn’t I?

When they got home, they cooked together as usual. Yu Zhou and Xiang Wan washed the dishes while Mrs. Zhao watched her drama with tears and snot running down her face. Yu Zhou and Xiang Wan played with their phones for a while, exchanged glances while suppressing their laughter. 

Yu Zhou couldn’t take it anymore, she was afraid that her laughter would be too load that Mrs. Zhao would beat her. 

So she stood up and lightly kicked Xiang Wan’s leg. “Let’s go take a shower and go to bed.”

“I’ll stay in the master bedroom first. When you finish watching, I’ll come out and sleep on the couch.” Xiang Wan said to Mrs. Zhao.

Mrs. Zhao wiped her nose while crying, “Since there’s nothing between you two, what’s the problem if you sleep together? You make it sound like you’re chasing your mother away, not letting her watch TV. All she likes to do is watch TV at her age. Her husband isn’t doing well, her daughter won’t listen and doesn’t like boys…”

“Do you know that the aunties at the square dance all have grandchildren? Mom doesn’t even have a grandchild and is still pretending to be strong and saying, ‘oh, my daughter doesn’t want to get married, but we’re a new and open family as long as my daughter is happy.’ There are even some people telling me that life without having to take care of grandchildren is relaxing. But I just want to have a grandchild…” 

“If you’re with Su Chang, she’s rich so you can do IVF. You’re so poor now, Mom won’t be able to have a grandbaby in her entire life…” 

She empathized with the protagonist on the TV, crying non-stop. 

“Alright, alright, watch whatever you want.” Yu Zhou was going crazy. She pulled Xiang Wan up, “Let’s go.” 

The sound in the two bathrooms drowned out the sorrow of the middle-aged woman. 

After they finished showering, Yu Zhou and Xiang Wan lay in bed playing with their phones. After a while, Yu Zhou’s eyes hurt from staring at the screen as she remembered that she hadn’t discussed the training with Xiang Wan yet, so she asked her if she had any gains or interesting stories to share. 

Xiang Wan thought for a moment before saying, “Someone asked me what brand my clothes were.”

“Haha, beautiful right? What did you say?” 

“I said I didn’t remember and had to ask Miss Su.” 

“Hiss…” Yu Zhou felt a bit awkward.

She didn’t know whether or not to tell Xiang Wan that there were cp fans of her and Su Chang online.

“Anything else?” Yu Zhou turned to face Xiang Wan who was lying down next to her.

“I remembered your instructions for lunch and went to eat with the students at the canteen. But I didn’t have my card with me, so I borrowed it from Miss Su.”

“And?”

“After school, Miss Su offered to give me a ride, but I declined and said I would take the subway instead. You were waiting for me at the subway station.”

“Hmmm… How was the class? “

“Everything was great. The lessons were easy to understand and even those without any foundation could follow along. Especially Miss Su, she explained things very well. Many students praised her during tea breaks.”

“Is there… anything else?” Yu Zhou’s voice grew softer.

“Miss Su also said…”

Xiang Wan heard a gentle sob and looked up to see Yu Zhou quietly watching her in the dim room, tears rolling down her face and staining the pillow.

Her eyelashes trembled and her throat choked up as she fought to keep her tears at bay. She wept silently, suddenly and unexpectedly.

“What’s wrong?” Xiang Wan was worried and at a loss, wanting to wipe away Yu Zhou’s tears but afraid to lift her hand.

“It’s all Su Chang,” Yu Zhou choked out through her tears.

Another tear rolled down her cheek.

Suddenly, the whole world was filled with Su Chang. Her mother always mentioned her and Xiang Wan did too.

Everyone liked Su Chang, so she took over her world effortlessly.

Yu Zhou had been doing well with her smoking addiction, but she couldn’t resist the temptation from more than ten pairs of hands urging her to smoke again.

It was already difficult for her to quit, she was trying hard, didn’t they know that?

She closed her eyes with her throat bobbing up and down as she suppressed the intense sourness, crying in her pillow.

Xiang Wan raised her hand to hug her.

Yu Zhou wrapped her arms around Xiang Wan’s neck and buried her head in her neck, sobbing in silence.

“I was almost recovered,” she said.

The words were full of grievances as choked out between sobs.

Xiang Wan stroked her hair, Yu Zhou’s tears wetting her neck as hot breath washed over her face.

She had never seen Yu Zhou cry before. It seemed like she was always carefree and happy-go-lucky. She had never imagined that she could feel the fragility and helplessness in Yu Zhou’s breathing so clearly.

In fact, after the break-up, Yu Zhou had never shed a tear. For more than three years, she would have developed an emotional bond even with a dog. Sometimes, she would even forget and feel as if there was another person at home. And when she slept, she would find the extra pillow to be unnecessary.

When the door lock clicked, she waited and listened for her footsteps for a long time. But eventually, she realized that she wasn’t coming back, it was just the sound of the neighbor’s door closing.

Yu Zhou searched for many things to keep herself busy, but she didn’t understand that if Su Chang didn’t want to appear, she could disappear completely for more than half a year. And whenever she thought of her, there was only one update every three or four days on her Weibo.

She didn’t even post anything on her Moments.

But as soon as Su Chang reappeared, even if it was only for ten or twenty days, it felt as if Yu Zhou’s life revolved around her once again.

It wasn’t just her, you see. Even her mother and Xiang Wan, they all mentioned Su Chang incessantly.

Why was that?

Why indeed?

It was as if the world loved her. No, it wasn’t just “as if.”

As Xiang Wan held Yu Zhou, her eyes were also brimming with tears. She gently stroked Yu Zhou’s hair as she whispered, “I won’t mention it again.”

“It’s not that you won’t mention it. It’s not that.” Yu Zhou cried in her embrace.

Yu Zhou knew that the problem was not with others. It seemed like she was about to fall ill again.