Poor Relationship - Chapter 3

“Teacher Xu, care for a chat?”

The crisp sound of high heels halted before him. Yu Xin adjusted her glasses frame and looked at Xu Yizhou. Being addressed as “teacher” by this woman sent a chill down Xu Yizhou’s spine, giving him a rather ominous premonition.

“I know you’re going to scold me, but hold off for now. I’ll take on more roles right after I finish voicing this one.”

A child who proactively admits their mistakes is a good child—Xu Yizhou executed this principle with remarkable efficiency.

“Huh?”

Yu Xin looked puzzled, but Xu Yizhou’s expression of remorse was far too earnest. Considering how she usually hounded him like a debt collector to take on more projects every time they met, it was no wonder Xu Yizhou now reacted to her as if she were some kind of specter.

Yu Xin put away her smile and cleared her throat:

“Ahem, Teacher Xu, let’s chat somewhere else.”

The café downstairs wasn’t exactly empty in the afternoon, but Yu Xin chose a spot by the window with fewer people. Golden sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling glass window, casting a shadow on Xu Yizhou’s slightly tousled hair and across his cheek.

Xu Yizhou ordered two coffees.

“Teacher Xu, are you willing to ‘take the plunge’?”

Yu Xin wore an unusually serious expression, as if she were about to discuss a million-dollar contract with him. Hearing this, Xu Yizhou nearly spat out the coffee he had just sipped.

“What?”

He distinctly remembered their studio primarily focused on BG (boy-girl) projects.

Yu Xin had anticipated Xu Yizhou’s reaction.

“Teacher Xu, I know you’re excited right now, but hold that thought. Hear me out.”

“This is also an experiment for our studio. After all, you know how the audio drama market is these days. BL (boys’ love) has carved out its own niche, and its audience is growing.”

Xu Yizhou nodded:

“But what does that have to do with whether I’m willing to ‘take the plunge’?”

“Of course it does!” Seeing that Xu Yizhou wasn’t too resistant, Yu Xin’s expression grew animated.

“A certain author specifically requested you to voice the protagonist in her story. This is a rare opportunity.”

“The protagonist? The ‘gong’ or the ‘shou’?”

Xu Yizhou had some understanding of BL novels—that seemed to be how the roles were categorized. At this question, Yu Xin’s eyes sparkled, her black-framed glasses unable to conceal the calculations dancing in her gaze.

“Of course… the ‘shou.'”

“Uh…”

Xu Yizhou knew that ‘shou’ roughly referred to the one being pinned down, similar to what Wen Jiang had been watching in that ‘gay’ video last night. Damn, why was he thinking about that again?

“Xu Yizhou, your face is so red. Could it be you’re shy?”

Yu Xin could clearly see Xu Yizhou’s flushed face, resembling that of an innocent young boy, and couldn’t resist teasing him.

“Do I have any other options?”

To be honest, he really wasn’t keen on voicing BL, especially when he thought about having to perform emotional scenes with another man in the studio—it gave him the creeps.

“Yes, you do!”

Yu Xin grew even more excited as she mentioned the other option. “There’s also a private project that specifically requested you. You don’t need to record together in the studio; you can just finish your part at home and send it over.”

“The pay for this one isn’t bad either.”

“How much?”

Yu Xin raised her hand and showed ten fingers.

“Ten yuan?”

“Ten thousand. Ten thousand per episode. Who would take a ten-yuan job? Even dogs wouldn’t.”

Yu Xin rolled her eyes.

“I’ll take it! I absolutely will. Who the hell would turn down money?!”

Xu Yizhou admitted that upon hearing that number, he was genuinely tempted. Usually, they’d earn at most twenty to thirty thousand for dubbing an entire series, but this client was quite generous, offering a hundred thousand per episode. And specifically requesting him to do the voice?

“Well, taking it wouldn’t be bad. It could be a transitional project—maybe you’ll get used to BL. I’ll send you the script later.”

Yu Xin finally picked up her coffee and took a sip, but as if suddenly remembering something, she looked at Xu Yizhou again.

“Oh, and Teacher Xu, your livestream hours this month are a bit short. As a qualified CV…”

“As a qualified CV, you need to be more active online, engage with your fans more, otherwise how will you break through? Alright, alright, Sister Xin, I get it. If you keep going, my ears are going to grow calluses.”

“I still have one voice recording left to do. I’ll head upstairs to finish it.”

With that, Xu Yizhou turned and hurried off, not giving Yu Xin any chance to lecture him further. When he returned to the studio, the person inside the booth had already finished recording. Outside the booth, the voice director was casually chatting with a man.

The man had thick, dark hair, with a center-parted fringe framing a fair, sharply defined face.

His expression was well-controlled, maintaining a polite smile throughout. If he wasn’t mistaken, this was Wen Shi, the person he was supposed to work with today.

“Oh? Xu Yizhou, perfect timing. Come here, let me introduce you.”

Su Fei turned and spotted Xu Yizhou, quickly waving him over.

“This is Wen Shi from Fanhua Studio.”

“And this is Xu Yizhou from our studio.”

Su Fei introduced them to each other.

Meeting Wen Shi’s gaze, Xu Yizhou noticed Wen Shi’s eyes curving slightly as he extended his hand.

“Hello, Teacher Xu. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Uh… just call me Xu Yizhou.”

It was one thing for people in the studio to joke around, but why would a stranger also call him “Teacher Xu” right off the bat?

Though confused, Xu Yizhou still reached out and shook Wen Shi’s hand lightly. He could feel Wen Shi’s hand subtly caressing his for a moment. But when he looked at Wen Shi again, his face still wore that harmless smile. Assuming it was just his imagination, Xu Yizhou didn’t pay it much mind.

Su Fei, standing nearby, watched the two of them, her eyes practically sparkling. Honestly, she had never seen so many good-looking guys gathered at Chengyin Studio in her life. While Xu Yizhou’s looks were certainly impressive, they still couldn’t compare to the aesthetic appeal of two handsome guys together.

“Director Su, we can start now.”

The so-called recording booth was just a small, not particularly spacious, soundproof glass room. Xiao N had even specially brought in an extra chair for them. The scene they were about to record was the final showdown where the male and female leads defeat the last villain.

Wen Shi’s voice was steady, capturing the low yet authoritative tone of the male lead perfectly. It was completely at odds with his gentle appearance. But after spending so much time in the voice-acting industry, Xu Yizhou wasn’t surprised. After all, voice actors were like monsters—you never knew what kind of voice lay beneath their faces.

There was only one microphone in the booth, so when the two of them performed their lines, they had to lean in closer to it. Unconsciously, the distance between them grew somewhat intimate. Xu Yizhou could even feel Wen Shi’s breath. His body stiffened slightly, and he subtly shifted away, putting some distance between them.

“Teacher Xu, Teacher Xu, come a bit closer. We can’t pick up the sound.”

Xiao N, listening through the headphones, reminded Xu Yizhou.

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