Shi Sheng’s fingertips tapped restlessly on his knee. He saw Feng Guoqiang freeze, maintaining the pose like a paused video. Obviously, he hadn’t considered this aspect either.

“This is indeed a problem,” Feng Guoqiang nodded.

“But—”

“But our notice has already been sent out,” Feng Guoqiang set down the script, “Sheng, you should have told me about this earlier. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, there’s no way to take it back.”

Shi Sheng scratched his head.

“You’ll just have to bear with it. How about you talk to your boyfriend? I believe he’ll understand the professional requirements.”

“Um, okay,” Shi Sheng suddenly felt like a voice actor in an adult video. How did this become a professional requirement? He was actually starting to feel a bit unhappy, but he couldn’t show it in front of Feng Guoqiang.

“Then, go back and have a good chat with your boyfriend,” Feng Guoqiang patted him on the shoulder. “Tonight.”

As Shi Sheng walked outside, he checked the time. Lu Lin probably hadn’t landed yet, so he called Su Qi for help. He didn’t understand why the usually procrastinating studio had such strong execution this time.

The sky had already darkened outside, and Shi Sheng belatedly realized he was hungry. He ordered a bowl of noodles at a ramen shop, slurping while listening to Su Qi’s analysis. Was Lu Lin going to be angry? Maybe a little.

“When will Lu Lin be back?”

“In a week.”

“You can’t avoid this. Record the lines before he comes back. After recording, tell Junzi Yu that this is just part of the script and ask him not to overthink it.”

“Yeah, that’s the only way,” Shi Sheng sniffed.

As Shi Sheng ate his noodles, he felt like he had no appetite. He didn’t know when Lu Lin would have signal. But he also felt like he was relying too much on Lu Lin. Besides his job, he also had to worry about his own life. It was time to give him less trouble.

Shi Sheng was lost in thought when suddenly the screen lit up with the word “Baby” and played a good luck charm.

Shi Sheng picked up the call. “Hey—are you off the plane?”

“My phone ran out of battery this morning, forgot to charge it, so it was on during the video call.” Lu Lin’s voice carried a hint of exhaustion. “Just got off the plane, going to the hotel now. Have you had dinner?”

Shi Sheng felt a bit more comfortable hearing his voice. “I’m eating now, beef noodles.”

“Is it the one across from your studio? It’s so late, you must be tired.”

“Not really tired, just a little sore,” Shi Sheng chuckled. “You go to bed early tonight. You’ll be busy in the next few days. After you’re done, just text me.”

“Do you miss me? You don’t sound too happy,” Lu Lin walked to the elevator, not really wanting to hang up, then turned and slowly walked up the stairs.

“I’m fine, just a bit tired… But definitely not as tired as you,” Shi Sheng put down his chopsticks, leaned against the table, and thought for a moment before saying, “I miss you a lot.”

“Me too.”

There was suddenly silence on the phone. Shi Sheng’s fingernails scraped against the groove on the wooden tabletop, hesitating whether to mention the car scene, but decided against it. He looked around, no one nearby, and cautiously leaned close to the phone.

“Kiss.”

Lu Lin seemed to smile on the other end, and returned the kiss. “childish.”

“Where’s the childishness?” Shi Sheng paid and stood up, putting on his earphones, walking on the quiet street while chatting with Lu Lin, telling him that he slipped and fell when getting out of bed that morning.

“Where did you fall? Did it hurt?” Lu Lin’s concerned voice came through the earphones.

“It’s fine. I was bouncing around later, hehe.”

Shi Sheng chatted as he walked, but Lu Lin gradually stopped responding on the other end. He had leaned against the pillow and fell asleep, so Shi Sheng cautiously asked if he had fallen asleep. After a while, he silently muted his microphone.

---

In the following days, Lu Lin was busy with training and would chat with Shi Sheng on voice call whenever he had free time.

Wu Nan er intercepted Junzi Yu at the entrance of the studio.

“Are you trying to invite me for tea again?” Junzi Yu tried to walk past him, but his wrist was grabbed. He looked at Wu Nan er with confusion in his eyes.

“You deliberately hinted to the fans during your personal live broadcast, saying they could get bonus episodes by commenting on Weibo, right?” Wu Nan er blocked his way. “I guess you also said something to Director Feng in private. Why do you like to meddle in other people’s affairs so much?”

Junzi Yu shook his head with a smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“What you’re doing is pointless.”

“I’ve given up,” Junzi Yu stood at the threshold, looking serious. “Since you clearly don’t want Shi Sheng to voice dub that car scene with me, you should have a solution.”

Wu Nan er frowned, but Junzi Yu had already broken free from his grip and walked inside. He turned his back to Wu Nan er, lips slightly curled.

Meanwhile, Shi Sheng sat in the dubbing room at home, taking a deep breath.

Lu Lin would be back tomorrow. Today, he needed to finish recording this car scene, and then reiterate his stance to Junzi Yu. He nodded to himself, then put on his headphones.

“Shi Sheng, this is our second collaboration,” Junzi Yu asked on the other end. “Should we start now, or do you need some time to get into character?”

“…I need some time.”

“I don’t need to teach you how to pant, right?” Junzi Yu’s voice seemed to carry a hint of teasing.

“No need.”

Shi Sheng lifted his hand to turn off the microphone, feeling restless again. But Feng Guoqiang had blocked off all retreats. He lowered his head, leaned on the table, and closed his eyes, telling himself to immerse himself in the role and not think about anything else.

He immersed himself in the setting of the script.

Under the pitch-black night, pouring rain fell, and outside, rain battered the banana trees. Nantian embraced Huarong from behind amidst the flickering candlelight, and the jade ring of Chiyou fell to the ground, emitting a crisp sound of stone hitting jade.

Shi Sheng gripped the microphone, closing his eyes and immersing himself in the darkness. He tentatively made hurried gasps and choked sounds of swallowing, the hoarse moans between low murmurs and whispers. He clenched the tablecloth, searching for that feeling, and for some reason, he thought of Lu Lin.

Those nights with Lu Lin.

He raised his head, his Adam’s apple moved, softly reciting the lines, “Nantian, don’t…”

Outside the door, Lu Lin, who had increased the intensity of his training to come back a day earlier, pressed the doorbell of Shi Sheng’s house, who couldn’t hear it due to the soundproofing effect of the recording room.

Lu Lin wanted to surprise him. He took out the key from his bag, entered the house, and after searching around, his gaze fell on the closed soundproof room.

Inside the soundproof room, Shi Sheng breathed heavily as he delivered his lines, portraying the thrilling scene.

Outside the soundproof room, Lu Lin touched the door handle.