Chapter 42

Bai Siyi and Huo Xingming had already considered that after they left the show, some fans might follow them to the factory.

After all, they had been surrounded at the bar once before.

At lunchtime, Bai Siyi went to eat with Huo Xingming. The two of them sat in the cafeteria, and Bai Siyi sighed, “We can’t go out for a while.”

Even if they had to go out, they would probably need to wait until the workers got off work and then sneak out disguised.

After all, even the back gate of the factory had been surrounded, which was a real hassle.

Although Bai Siyi lived in the factory dormitory area, the dorm building was next to the factory, and the road leading to the dormitory was outside, with pedestrians passing by regularly.

The only thing was that he didn’t know if the fans knew about that road.

Bai Siyi began to worry. “What are we going to do in the future?”

Huo Xingming hesitated for a moment. “How about we take a short leave and come back after the hype dies down?”

Bai Siyi didn’t want to quit his job just yet, but the fact that he could now pay off his debt made the pressure much lighter.

This job wasn’t as necessary anymore. If the fans really stayed outside for a long time, it would cause trouble for the factory.

After a moment of hesitation, Bai Siyi decided to ask the supervisor for leave.

The supervisor knew about the situation. She had been asking the security to keep an eye on the front gate, fearing that the fans might break in or that something like a stampede could happen due to the crowding. That would be troublesome.

Bai Siyi went to the supervisor’s office and explained his reason for coming.

The supervisor was a bit surprised. “Xiao Bai, how long do you want to take off?”

Bai Siyi had brought so much attention to the brand. The supervisor was actually quite happy. After the higher-ups found out about it, they even specially praised Bai Siyi and gave him an outstanding employee bonus. However, the bonus hadn’t arrived yet—it would be paid at the end of the month along with his salary.

Bai Siyi sighed. “I don’t know yet, Supervisor. How about I take three days off for now? Then, depending on the situation, if no one else comes, I can come back to work.”

The supervisor sighed. “Alright. Xiao Bai, now that you’re famous, are you thinking of quitting?”

Bai Siyi was silent for a few seconds. He hadn’t thought it through yet. If he quit here, he didn’t know what he would do next.

But he did want to rest for a while.

Bai Siyi was quite torn. After resting for a while, what job would he look for next?

Bai Siyi remained silent. The supervisor motioned for him to come over and spoke softly, “Don’t quit just yet. You don’t realize how famous you are. After many fans found out you worked here, our brand’s clothing sales skyrocketed. Fans are saying the clothes were made by you personally, and they’re insisting on buying them. Our brand’s performance this quarter has tripled compared to last year! The suppliers’ orders are all overflowing.”

Bai Siyi was a bit shocked. “Really?”

He was that amazing?

No, it’s those fans who are too impressive!

The supervisor lowered her voice and added, “So, don’t quit just yet. You still haven’t received your salary and the outstanding employee bonus for this month. Plus, with your popularity, the sales you’ve driven, the brand might even ask you to be a spokesperson.”

Although their brand wasn’t big, it was a well-known national brand, so its reputation was decent. The celebrities they had hired in the past were the kind of actors that viewers recognized by face but not by name. Now that Bai Siyi was an internal employee of the company, wouldn’t it make sense to have him as a spokesperson?

The supervisor continued, “I know you’re short on money, but the factory manager and I will help you negotiate. Just wait a bit.”

The endorsement fee wouldn’t be high, but it would at least be a six-figure sum. Bai Siyi was extremely grateful. “Thank you, Supervisor.”

The supervisor looked at him. “You’ve been working here for so long, you’re an old employee now. Seeing you doing so well makes me happy for you.”

Bai Siyi left the supervisor’s office feeling very excited.

In the past, he used to be so frugal that he wouldn’t even take the bus to save two bucks, walking for four hours along the bus route back to the dorm. But now, all those hard times were behind him.

Good luck was suddenly coming to him in succession, and he almost felt like he was dreaming.

Bai Siyi took his leave and left the supervisor’s office. Huo Xingming was already waiting in the hallway.

Huo Xingming sighed, “Xiao Bai, I’ve been fired.”

Huo Xingming sounded upset. After all, he had only just started working, and he hadn’t even completed his one-month probation period. But after repeatedly asking for time off, the factory supervisors knew he wasn’t planning to stay long, so they directly told him to quit instead.

Bai Siyi reached out and patted Huo Xingming’s arm, comforting him. “You still have a convenience store to inherit, so let this job opportunity go to someone else.”

Huo Xingming: “…”

Huo Xingming then leaned his shoulder on Bai Siyi’s, lowering his voice, “Then Xiao Bai, you can be the boss’s wife, sitting at the counter every day collecting money.”

Bai Siyi: “…”

To be honest, Bai Siyi seriously thought about the scene for a moment. Huh, it sounded so nice, a bit exciting.

Bai Siyi said seriously, “I think I’ll open my own place. I want to be the boss, not the boss’s wife.”

Huo Xingming immediately shamelessly added, “Then I’ll be the boss’s wife. I like being your boss’s wife.”

After saying that, he grinned foolishly.

Bai Siyi was speechless.

The two of them left the factory. Bai Siyi went to the dorm to pack his things. The little path was quite hidden, so for now, no one had noticed. Bai Siyi quickly led Huo Xingming to the dorm.

The dorm was a shared eight-person room with four double-decker metal bunk beds neatly arranged. When Huo Xingming walked in and saw the cramped dorm and the other men’s beds, he felt a bit uncomfortable. “Xiao Bai, have you always lived in the dorm?”

In a dorm full of men, the smell wouldn’t be great, but Bai Siyi was always neat and tidy. Every time Huo Xingming got close to him, he could smell the fragrance of Bai Siyi’s shower gel.

Huo Xingming never imagined that Bai Siyi lived in such a cramped and narrow dorm.

Moreover, Bai Siyi was so good-looking, and he liked men. Wouldn’t it be inconvenient for him to live with so many men?

Huo Xingming felt conflicted inside but didn’t dare to ask.

Bai Siyi grabbed a backpack and quickly packed up his clothes and daily essentials. He actually didn’t have anywhere to go, but Huo Xingming had invited him to stay at his place temporarily. His home was large, with many rooms, and he suggested Bai Siyi come over and stay for a few days.

As Bai Siyi packed, he said, “Yeah, I’ve been living here since the first day I started working.”

In fact, after living there for more than two years, he had developed feelings for this dorm.

Although the living conditions weren’t great, at least there was a private bathroom and toilet, and the cafeteria was nearby. Every evening after work, he’d pull his bed curtain and have his own little world.

Bai Siyi looked at the dorm and sighed, “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to come back here in the future.”

Although he hadn’t mentioned quitting to his supervisor, once his debts were paid off, he’d have to return home to see his mother and take her to see a doctor for psychological therapy. If possible, he wanted to spend more time with his mother. After that, he might look for an easier job, as he planned to take the self-study exam. He also wanted to learn a skill, like learning a foreign language, or learning bartending or car repair.

In fact, learning a foreign language wasn’t as practical as learning car repair, but learning a language was necessary. After completing his undergraduate degree, he was thinking about pursuing a master’s degree, and foreign language proficiency would be required. Moreover, he thought about Huo Xingming.

Huo Xingming was planning to return abroad, and if they were to stay together for the long term, he would inevitably have to go abroad too. Language barriers would be troublesome, and Huo Xingming’s family might not accept him.

In a short period of time, Bai Siyi had already made plans for the next two years.

Learn a foreign language, complete his undergraduate degree, and find a job where he could learn a skill.

He didn’t want to be in a situation where he was short on money and couldn’t find a job. If that happened, he’d have to go back to the factory and do manual labor.

Manual labor was never a long-term job, it was a job that only lasted for youth.

Huo Xingming looked at Bai Siyi’s expression and softly asked, “Xiao Bai, what are you thinking about?”

Bai Siyi put on a hat and mask, grabbed his backpack, and went downstairs with Huo Xingming. “I was thinking it might not be appropriate to go to your place. Maybe I should just buy a ticket and head back to my hometown, and visit my mom.”

At first, when Huo Xingming heard Bai Siyi say it wasn’t appropriate, his heart skipped a beat. But after hearing the second half of the sentence, his expression changed. He said seriously, “You’re right, it’s not appropriate. Let’s go, we’ll buy a ticket. I’ll personally take you home and visit your family.”

Bai Siyi: “???”

Bai Siyi glared at him in disbelief. “What are you stirring up? No.”

Huo Xingming: “But the show crew needs to film some bonus footage, didn’t you forget? They’re coming over this afternoon, filming for two hours every day for a week. Didn’t they say that when we’re on a date, they need to come over? If you don’t bring me along, how will we explain it to the crew?”

Bai Siyi: “…”

Damn, he almost forgot about that.

Right now, he definitely couldn’t bring Huo Xingming to meet his mother.

Bai Siyi’s mother knew about his sexual orientation.

She had known since he was in middle school. At that time, his mother had a heart-to-heart with him. Although she didn’t support him, she didn’t oppose it either and chose to remain indifferent.

If Bai Siyi were to suddenly bring Huo Xingming back now, he was a little worried it might upset his mother.

After weighing it in his mind, Bai Siyi sighed, “Then I guess I’ll just stay at a hotel.”

But staying at a hotel was expensive, and just thinking about spending so much money made Bai Siyi feel uneasy.

Huo Xingming put his arm around Bai Siyi’s shoulder, and the two of them left the dorm, avoiding the paparazzi at the factory gates, and walked to the shared bikes nearby. “Ah, don’t overthink it. Just come to my place.”

His neighborhood was the same one Bai Siyi had lived in when he was a child. Bai Siyi silently agreed. This time, neither of them talked about calling for a Mercedes or BMW, each took a shared bike and rode back home.

Along the way, Bai Siyi’s phone received several notifications. He stopped, took out his phone, and saw that it was a video app he hadn’t used in a long time. It was his voice-over account for Xiaoyang Baibai.

It had been a while since he logged in, so how did someone send him a private message?

Bai Siyi opened the message. The last one was a tip and a greeting from Huo Xingming.

The latest one was from an official account with a blue V verification mark:

【Hello, Xiaoyang Baibai. I’m the agent from Xingchen Empire. We’ve watched all of your voice-over videos and think you’re very talented and have great potential. We wanted to ask if you’re currently signed with any company? If not, would you be interested in signing with a company and becoming a professional anime voice actor?】

The sender also attached information about their company and some of the anime they worked on.

【Regardless of whether you’re interested or not, we hope to receive your response. My surname is Chen, my phone number is 13XXXXXXXX8, looking forward to your call.】

After reading this, Bai Siyi was a little surprised. How was it that as soon as he thought about changing jobs, a company contacted him?

Anime voice acting? It sounded good, and there was room for growth. The job prospects were decent, and if things didn’t work out in the anime industry, he could still branch out into other voice-over fields.

He had considered becoming a voice actor before, but since he wasn’t trained in the field, and didn’t have the right qualifications or connections, it was hard to find related work.

Bai Siyi pondered for a moment. Xingchen Empire? This company sounded so cheesy, he’d never heard of it before.

He’d have to go online and research it properly later.

Huo Xingming rode his bike back around and asked, “Xiao Bai, what’s wrong?”

Bai Siyi put his phone away, “Nothing, let’s just head back.”

He hadn’t yet figured out how to tell Huo Xingming about the voice acting opportunity.

After all, Huo Xingming had tipped him a million. It would be awkward to talk about it openly.

Huo Xingming had tipped so many female streamers before. He probably never expected that one of them was Bai Siyi!

Bai Siyi hesitated. Maybe he should wait a bit longer, get to know Huo Xingming better.

After all, letting Huo Xingming know that he had disguised himself as a girl and became a voice-over blogger seemed a bit embarrassing.