Poor Relationship - Chapter 7

The park was bustling with people, and many girls stopped to watch, all praising Wen Jiang’s handsome looks. Even some other guys joined in the game. Xu Yizhou still sat resting on the sidelines, rarely seeing the great CEO Wen so carefree and unrestrained.

Without rushing him, he waited just like he did when they were kids, letting Wen Jiang finish playing. In the middle, Xu Yizhou checked his phone. As soon as he opened it, he was bombarded with a series of messages from Yu Xin:

[Teacher Xu, have you read the script? Have you recorded it? Why haven’t you sent it over yet?]

The triple question made Xu Yizhou’s temples throb. Thinking back to the eye-polluting text he saw last night, Xu Yizhou felt a headache coming on.

[Can that even be called a script?]

Xu Yizhou slowly typed a question mark on the screen.

[So you did read it. Well, why else would someone offer such a high price? And since you agreed to take it, you have to see it through to the end. Besides, they’ve already paid.]

Yu Xin replied almost instantly.

[Where’s the money?]

If the money was already paid, why hadn’t he seen a single cent?

[Of course it’s with me. I’ll give you one installment for each episode you submit.]

Reading Yu Xin’s message, Xu Yizhou couldn’t help but marvel at how shrewd this woman was.

[Then I’m not doing it. Find someone else.]

[Don’t be like that, Teacher Xu. I’ll transfer half to you now, and I’ll give you the rest after you finish recording.]

Just as he saw this message, his phone buzzed with a notification. His bank account suddenly had an extra 250,000 yuan. He hadn’t expected her to actually send it.

But the thought of that entire script filled with cringe-worthy words made him shudder. He couldn’t even imagine how embarrassing it would be to record it.

[Remember to submit on time, Teacher Xu. ]

Seeing that Xu Yizhou hadn’t replied, Yu Xin sent another message.

[Okay]

After sending it, Xu Yizhou tossed his phone aside. He finally understood why Wen Jiang hardly ever looked at his phone at home. Who could handle it when every time you check your phone, it’s just work-related stuff?

The sun gradually set, and the crowd slowly dispersed. Xu Yizhou picked up the bottled water he had just bought and waved at Wen Jiang in the crowd. Seeing Wen Jiang’s gaze shift toward him, Xu Yizhou waved even more enthusiastically. A faint smile tugged at the corner of Wen Jiang’s lips.

The setting sun cast a warm glow on them, leaving long shadows on the ground.

Xu Yizhou handed him the water.

“Bro, I haven’t seen you play basketball in so long. Why did you stop back then?”

Wen Jiang took the water, a flicker of something dark passing through his eyes, but it was quickly hidden behind his slightly lowered gaze.

“Because of you.”

As if remembering something, Wen Jiang smiled faintly, unscrewed the cap, and took a few big gulps.

“Because of me?”

Xu Yizhou didn’t understand. What did it have to do with him? But Wen Jiang just smiled and didn’t say anything. The hair on his forehead was damp with sweat, and some of it trickled down Wen Jiang’s face, over his slender neck, and into the collar of his athletic shirt. When he tilted his head back to drink, his Adam’s apple bobbed with each swallow. Xu Yizhou stared at Wen Jiang’s face, momentarily lost in thought. His brother had always been this dazzling, ever since they were kids.

“Let’s go, bro. I’ll treat you to dinner.”

The afternoon had passed, and he was actually getting a bit hungry. Since he just got paid, he could show off a little in front of Wen Jiang.

Wen Jiang raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical.

“You treating me to dinner?”

Thinking about how Wen Jiang usually took care of his daily expenses for food, clothing, and other necessities, Xu Yizhou scratched his head sheepishly:

“I recently took on a job with pretty good pay, so I can definitely afford to treat you to a meal.”

“Mm.” Wen Jiang nodded thoughtfully. “Alright.”

Originally, Xu Yizhou thought he’d have to find a five-star restaurant to match Wen Jiang’s status. But when they passed by a street food stall, Wen Jiang said,

“Let’s go with this.”

He then stepped forward and ordered two servings of fried skewers and fried potatoes:

“One spicy, one not spicy.”

Even though Xu Yizhou knew Wen Jiang was probably trying to save him money, he couldn’t resist the temptation of street food. And Wen Jiang even remembered he liked spicy food.

Truly the brother who had always doted on him the most since childhood. Even though they weren’t blood-related, the love and protection Wen Jiang had given him over the years were no less than what his parents had provided.

After finishing the simple meal with Wen Jiang, they returned home, showered, and went about their own work. Xu Yizhou opened the file again with a headache. This time, Yu Xin had thoughtfully marked the lines he needed to voice with a red highlighter, as if afraid he wouldn’t know which parts to record.

Even though he had mentally prepared himself this time, he still felt a wave of nausea when he saw the text. But there was no way around it—he’d taken the money, so he had to do the job. After adjusting his mindset, Xu Yizhou opened Adobe Audition.

One hour later.

Xu Yizhou pushed open the door, his face flushed, and rushed out of the recording room, gasping for fresh air. He thought his lung capacity was pretty good, but breathing heavily for a full hour straight was truly unbearable. It felt like his lungs were about to explode.

Voice acting really took a toll on one’s health. He hadn’t realized it before, but ever since he started recording this stuff, he’d come to understand.

After finally finishing one episode, Xu Yizhou felt like he was on the verge of oxygen deprivation. When he sent the raw audio to Yu Xin, he made sure to add a note:

“Please don’t make me redo this. I really can’t handle it.”

Unexpectedly, after receiving the file, Yu Xin sent him a laughing emoji a while later.

[Teacher Xu, can I interview you about what was going through your mind while recording this?]

So many of the lines were too embarrassing to even say out loud. Thankfully, he was at home, and only he could hear them. If this had been in a recording studio, it would’ve been a social disaster. But honestly, this was his first time voicing a BL drama, and he had no experience. However, the voice for the bottom character was probably similar to what he’d overheard from Wen Jiang’s room last time. He just imitated that and relied on his basic skills for the rest. Surprisingly, Yu Xin didn’t say anything about it. Rolling his eyes, Xu Yizhou quickly typed back:

[Thanks for asking, but half my life is gone.]

[Teacher Xu, keep it up! This is a big client. Also, remember to go live tomorrow at 8 PM to promote the old drama and collaborate with Fanhua Studio for some fun content.]

[Fans nowadays love shipping couples, so just follow the script with the people from Fanhua Studio and have some fun with it.]

[Remember, 8 PM. Don’t forget.]

Important things needed to be said three times, and Yu Xin actually sent the reminder three times. In situations like this, he usually just followed the studio’s arrangements. After all, everyone wanted to stand out among the crowd of voice actors and make a name for themselves in the industry.

[Mm.]

After replying, drowsiness washed over him again. Xu Yizhou glanced at his watch—it wasn’t exactly early anymore, already around eleven or twelve. He hurried to his bed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Yet again, he had a wet dream.

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