Chapter 19: The Nineteenth Day of Crossing Books – Radio Drama Dubbing

Yun Shuning felt a deep sense of relief surge through her. Thankfully, she had already gotten used to adjusting her state before going out. If she had stepped out of the apartment with a face full of joy, she probably wouldn’t have any future left.

Whether Su Muqing knew she was lying or not didn’t matter. What mattered was that she had to maintain her persona. She absolutely could not make a mistake in front of this expert actor.

She controlled her expression, ensuring her surprise didn’t seem too out of place.

Su Muqing had moved in next door? It seemed like a joke.

She had initially thought they wouldn’t meet again, as if they were from two different worlds.

She really couldn’t figure out his intentions unless… he really liked her voice, just like he had said that day.

She calmly closed her door and softly spoke in a voice nearly identical to how she sounded during a live stream, “It’s quite a coincidence. I hope you enjoy living here.”

As she spoke, she kept her gaze fixed on Su Muqing, showing no visible emotion. It seemed like she was just following the rules of social interaction, but her attention level was already quietly at its peak.

Sure enough, as soon as she spoke, his expression relaxed, and his eyes grew brighter.

Acting skills may fool people, but microexpressions have a much lower chance of deception.

At this point, she had to believe that Su Muqing was truly a fan of hers, though she also felt he probably didn’t have much sincerity.

When Su Muqing heard her voice, his smile became more genuine. Even the irritation from his insomnia the previous night slowly melted away under the soothing effect of her voice.

“I really should go buy a lottery ticket today.” He spoke with unmasked delight, as if he were bubbling with happiness. “How could this be so lucky? My favorite person lives next door.”

When he spoke the last few words, he shyly looked away, and his left hand awkwardly touched the back of his head, looking just like a fan who had unexpectedly met their idol.

Yun Shuning suppressed the urge to sarcastically think: With such good acting skills, he’d be wasting his talent by not entering the entertainment industry.

“Thank you so much for your support.” She raised her head and looked at him seriously, as though gazing at a willful child. Her voice was calm. “But the one most worthy of your admiration is always yourself.”

She effortlessly downplayed his affection into a fan’s surprise at meeting their idol.

“You must be busy with moving into your new place. I won’t disturb you.” She nodded slightly to him and turned to leave.

“Shu Shu!” Su Muqing quickly called out as he noticed her turning, “I was looking at apartments early this morning and didn’t have time for breakfast. Since you live here, you must know where the good places to eat are, right?”

This caught her off guard. Even though she went out to eat every day, she usually picked places that weren’t particularly good but had fewer customers and available seating.

Yun Shuning stopped and spoke with some helplessness in her voice: “I’m sorry, the places I frequent might not suit your tastes.”

“It’s fine.” Su Muqing walked briskly to catch up with her, showing no signs of noticing her reluctance. “As a fan, I’m really looking forward to trying the food my idol likes.”

Yun Shuning felt a sense of confusion as she sensed him following so closely behind. Did this person intend to stick to her?

She really didn’t want to have breakfast with him. Her stomach was already bad enough, and eating with him would probably give her an ulcer.

Despite her strong internal refusal, her face remained calm and indifferent. She gently spoke, with a barely noticeable hint of resignation, “If you don’t mind, I can give you the names of a few places.”

Let her struggle a little longer.

“Great! Let’s talk as we walk.” Su Muqing, with an overly familiar air, followed her, completely unaware that they were strangers at the moment.

Yun Shuning, knowing she couldn’t refuse him, suppressed the urge to voice her feelings and started thinking about how her character would respond in this situation.

She was still in the shadow of He Yan’s disappearance. She forced herself to stay strong, acting fine in front of people who cared for her, while privately, she felt hollow and indifferent.

She was learning to be strong, learning to smile like a normal person.

So, with someone like Su Muqing, who was overly familiar, she needed to keep her distance. She would respond to everything he said but wouldn’t take any of it to heart.

In simpler terms, it was a more sophisticated form of ignoring him.

With that thought, her tense mind slowly relaxed. She naturally and calmly led him to the breakfast shop she found the least appetizing.

If he wanted to eat with her, let’s see if he could actually stomach it.

During the walk, Su Muqing noticed her immersed in her own world, so he didn’t speak but observed her from the corner of his eye.

Along the way, Yun Shuning seemed calm and relaxed, but with a careful observation, one could tell that her composure was too superficial. It seemed like she was trying to show the world that she was fine.

But her aura carried an inescapable sadness.

Perhaps the solitary woman he had seen in the park was her true self.

Soon, they arrived at the restaurant, and Su Muqing looked at the small, modest interior with a slight frown. It didn’t look like the kind of place with good food.

Though skeptical, he still followed her lead and ordered the same breakfast.

The restaurant wasn’t crowded, and soon the waitress brought their wontons to the table.

Su Muqing, following the local custom, picked up some cilantro from the side of the table and, without thinking, started to put it in Yun Shuning’s bowl.

Yun Shuning gently placed her hand over the bowl and spoke calmly, with a hint of dislike in her voice, “I’m sorry, I don’t eat cilantro.”

Su Muqing paused, then transferred the cilantro to his own bowl.

“So Shu Shu doesn’t like cilantro?” He smiled and said, though his mind was full of doubt.

He had some information about Yun Shuning’s preferences, and it clearly said she loved cilantro. Why did she…

He lowered his head, thinking, and casually ate a wonton.

…It tasted awful.

Su Muqing quickly drank a glass of water to wash down the awful wonton.

The wontons were handmade by the restaurant owner, but the skin was thick, the filling was sparse, and it lacked flavor. It felt like chewing on raw dough.

He watched Yun Shuning eat her wontons expressionlessly and felt confused. Didn’t Yun Shuning have taste buds?

If Yun Shuning knew what he was thinking, she would probably tell him that she’d eaten things far worse than this. As long as it filled her stomach, she could eat anything.

The wonton portion wasn’t big, and even though Yun Shuning ate slowly, she finished it quickly.

She looked up and saw Su Muqing’s bowl hardly touched. She nodded slightly, “Take your time. I’ll go ahead.”

The wonton’s horrific taste was so overwhelming that Su Muqing forgot to ask her to stay.

Looking at the figure that was already out of sight, he turned to the waitress and asked seriously, “Does the girl I was with often eat here?”

The waitress, seeing his handsome face, happily answered, “Oh, Miss Yun? Of course, she often eats here. If it weren’t for her being such a regular, our shop might not even be able to stay open.”

“Is that so?” For some reason, after hearing the staff’s response, a feeling of inexplicable frustration arose in his heart.

Is Yun Shuning stupid? There’s nothing more important than one’s own body in this world. What’s the point of her torturing herself like this?

Forget about torturing herself, what if she injures her vocal cords and her voice doesn’t sound as good anymore? What will he do then? Where will he find another “tool” with a voice like hers?

Since he was young, he had always known how important a healthy body was to him, which is why he lived a very health-conscious lifestyle in his early twenties.

After his insomnia, he had consulted numerous psychiatrists and neurologists, but nothing worked. After a thorough examination, he finally resorted to medication to sleep. Even then, he carefully controlled his intake of sleeping pills to minimize any harm to his body.

Because of this, he was particularly critical of people who didn’t take care of their own bodies.

As he thought about it, Su Muqing strolled back to his apartment.

Looking at the tightly closed door of the apartment across from his, he shrugged and turned to enter his “new home.”

On the other side, Yun Shuning sat on the sofa, contemplating the possibility of moving.

She could move, but so could Su Muqing.

She knew that power could achieve many things, and knowing her address didn’t really mean anything.

So, she would just reduce her outings and try to avoid Su Muqing. He couldn’t possibly show up at her place every day like a persistent pest, right?

He probably wouldn’t… right?

Anyway, she was already quite reclusive, so for now, she decided to let things be and deal with whatever came.

After sitting on the sofa for a while, it was time for her daily live stream.

She walked over to her desk, quickly set everything up, and started the stream.

“Shushu, you’re finally here! I’ve been waiting so long, the flowers are about to wither.”

“I just sent a little red flower, Shushu, life is so hard without you.”

“I was up all night again, but thankfully, Shushu’s live stream is here to keep me going.”

“Sniff sniff, Shushu, I still haven’t started sleeping. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that I can’t, the kids miss you so much…”

…

The screen was flooded with numerous little red flowers and comments from people who hadn’t slept well the previous night.

“I’m just a simple calligraphy streamer, I don’t know how I could be that useful,” Yun Shuning said, seeing the barrage of comments on her phone. “If insomnia is severe, you should see a doctor. If it’s not too bad, maybe try listening to white noise, counting sheep, or drinking a glass of milk before bed.”

“I really don’t know how I’m as useful as you all say. If doctors can’t help, how can my words make you sleep?”

Her voice was soft and gentle, with no hint of aggression. Even when asking a question, her tone was so mild that it made people want to calm down and listen.

“Shushu, as someone who suffers from severe insomnia, I’ve tried all those things, and they don’t work. But when I hear your voice, I can sleep well.”

“Me too, I’m mildly neurotic, I can’t stand any noise when I’m sleeping. Every time there’s noise from upstairs, I stay awake all night. But after listening to Shushu speak, I’m still sensitive to noise, but it’s so much better now.”

“I’ve also tried watching those hypnosis videos online, but they don’t work. Only you, Shushu, can save me.”

…

In today’s fast-paced world, everyone carries their own pressures, and when night falls and they are alone, those pressures tend to come rushing out uncontrollably.

As a result, many people struggle with insomnia, some tossing and turning in bed unable to sleep, and others waking up in the middle of the night, unable to fall back asleep.

This is why they are so obsessed and passionate about Yun Shuning. If someone’s voice could make them fall asleep, they would hold that person in the highest regard.

Those who don’t suffer from insomnia can never understand how important a good night’s sleep is.

Yun Shuning looked at the many people venting about their stress and lamenting their bodies, her brow furrowing slightly.

If her voice really was as powerful as they said…

“How about I stream for an extra half hour every night? I’ll tell stories and read books,” she said, pondering her wording. Her voice took on a rare hint of seriousness. “But let me be clear, the effect of my voice might not be as amazing as you think, so this is just a trial. If you really need it, I’ll give it a shot tonight.”

“However, if insomnia is really severe, it’s better to see a doctor.”

The screen exploded in a flurry of little red flowers, like a festival.

Don’t ask why it was only red flowers — because if they only sent red flowers, they had exceeded their daily gift quota.

“Sorry, the gift you sent exceeds the streamer’s allowed limit, please choose another gift~~”

Su Muqing looked at the notification, feeling a strange sense of mockery.

He, a wealthy heir worth hundreds of billions, couldn’t even send a gift?

He reopened the gift interface and selected a small red flower worth one yuan, sending it with a sense of bitter humility.

“s·mq sent a small red flower.”

After Yun Shuning finished her stream, he coldly dialed Xu Zheng’s number. “I want to buy Jinli Live, no matter the cost, just buy it.”

Xu Zheng: “…”

He must have been incredibly unlucky to end up with such a boss.

…

Since she decided to stream in the evening, Yun Shuning checked her balance and ordered a microphone from a nearby store, one used for broadcasting, so she could better capture the quality of her voice.

Tonight’s stream would focus on storytelling, so she needed the right equipment to highlight her voice’s unique qualities.

She needed to maximize her strengths and make herself irreplaceable.

The delivery from the nearby store arrived quickly, around 7 PM.

She made a simple dinner with the ingredients she ordered online, ate, and then began testing the equipment.

Once everything was almost ready, it was time for her and the fans’ agreed-upon schedule—ten o’clock.

She sighed, and after opening the live stream room, she immediately disabled the gift and comment features.

At first, the fans wanted to send a wave of gifts to show their excitement, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t access the gift section.

With a confused expression, they tried to post a comment asking what was going on, only to realize—comments couldn’t be posted either.

They now felt like mute people, with a belly full of words but unable to say anything, causing them discomfort and frustration.

“Alright, you don’t need to try anymore. I’ve turned off the gifts and comments now,” Yun Shuning said softly, as if she could see their frustrated faces. “As promised, it’s sleep time now. Everyone, put down your phones, we’re about to begin.”

The microphone’s audio made her voice clearer than before. Normally, such equipment without a sound card would amplify the flaws in a streamer’s voice, such as tremors or breathiness.

However, her voice wasn’t affected at all—it was still soft, calm, and despite sounding light, it showed no sign of lacking strength.

At first, the fans were uncomfortable with the inability to send gifts or comments, but when they heard the host speak, their unease and frustration gradually dissipated.

In the live stream room, there was a book with pictures, its cover reading “The Little Prince.” A slender, graceful hand gently turned the first page.

“When I was just six years old…”

Listening to the sound coming from their phones, they couldn’t help but yawn, and slowly, their consciousness slipped into a peaceful slumber.

With enough money, decorating a new home is easy.

Su Muqing lay on his familiar bed, listening to Yun Shuning’s voice through the familiar speakers.

Originally, he was someone who had high standards for his resting environment. Every time he moved to a new place, he would stay up all night, even with medication, so he particularly hated moving.

Since he gained control over his life, he had always lived in that villa, until today.

This apartment, in comparison to his villa, felt cramped and small, and there were many things he wasn’t used to. If it weren’t for Yun Shuning, he probably would never have had the opportunity to live in such a place.

Thinking that he wouldn’t be able to sleep even while listening to Yun Shuning’s live stream, he closed his eyes slowly as the soft sound from the speakers filled the room.

…

Gao Jiangping was one of the people responsible for the radio drama “Qiming Chao Ge.” His main task was to find suitable voice actors.

“Qiming Chao Ge” had been extremely popular when it was first released, with a large fan base. Every time the book’s copyright was up for a vote, it far surpassed other books.

And it wasn’t just the male and female leads who were popular. The author had such a strong grasp on character development that every supporting character had their own story and traits. Even characters who appeared only a few times in the book had a large number of fans.

Because this IP was so big, the company decided to prepare a radio drama as a trial to gauge interest. On one hand, fans were more tolerant of radio dramas, and on the other, if done well, it would serve as a great prelude to adapting the book into a film or TV show.

The company attached great importance to this radio drama. After some discussions, they allocated enough funding to ensure the production would be done well, no matter the cost.

The more money they provided, the more anxious he felt. He knew how stingy the company could be, and with such a large budget this time, if he didn’t do a good job, he feared…

At this thought, he sighed helplessly.

As the person with the least experience, he was stuck with the parts that the other managers didn’t want—specifically, finding voice actors.

Since every character in the book was important, it had taken him considerable effort to gather most of the main voice actors. Now the recording process was underway, but he still hadn’t relaxed.

The problem was, there was a character with very little screen time but a huge fan base, and he just couldn’t find the right voice actor for her.

It was the character of the Saintess from the former dynasty. The author had devoted a large part of the book to describing the Saintess’s appearance and her ethereal, pure voice.

It was a voice like this that Gao Jiangping had listened to countless voice actor auditions for, but he couldn’t find a match.

Sometimes, writing about a character was easy, but finding someone whose voice matched the description was incredibly hard—it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

If he really couldn’t find anyone suitable, he’d have to settle for someone close enough, but the Saintess had a lot of fans, and the fans of other characters in the book also liked her a lot. If he found someone who didn’t meet their expectations, it would definitely hinder the promotion of the radio drama.

He knew well how crazy fans of big IPs could be.

At this thought, he shook his head helplessly. Being in charge of this project was truly difficult.

Perhaps once this task was finished, he could pack up and go home.

Gao Jiangping, holding a bottle of sleep-promoting oral medication he bought for his wife, tiredly pressed the fingerprint lock at the door.

He felt that he should also take this oral medication tonight, or he’d end up like his wife and suffer from insomnia.

It was already ten o’clock at night. He looked at the tightly closed bedroom door and quietly walked in.

“What are you doing?” As soon as he entered the room, he saw his wife, sitting with a devout expression, holding her phone, practically ready to bow three times.

“Shh.” Qiao Ling shot him a sharp glance, pointing to the wireless earphones in her ears. “I’m listening to a live stream.”

“A live stream? Let me listen too.” He affectionately sat next to her, casually took off one of the earphones, and put it on himself.

As soon as he put it on, he heard a voice that seemed to come from the heavens.

For a moment, all the worries and frustrations in his heart gradually dissipated.

Immersed in the host’s voice, he didn’t notice the death glare aimed at him from his side.

“Enough now, give it back.” Qiao Ling emotionlessly took the earphone off his ear. “I’ve been relying on Shushu’s voice to sleep lately. You go find somewhere cool to stay.”

Gao Jiangping sat dazed, ignoring her words.

All he could think about now was one thing—the Saintess’s voice. He had found it.

After a while, realizing what had happened, he looked at her with fervor. “Darling, what’s the name of this streamer? How can I contact her?”

“Forget it, I’ll do it myself.” He grabbed the phone from Qiao Ling’s hand, preparing to send more gifts to get the streamer’s attention.

As soon as he picked up the phone, he looked confused. “Is this streamer really that obscure? How come there aren’t any gifts or comments?”

Then, he clicked on the gift section and found that it wouldn’t open, just like the comments.

???

Could it be that the phone was lagging?