Chapter 21: The Twenty-First Day of Crossing the Book – I Wait for Your Return

The novel Qiming Chaoge mainly tells the story of the decline of one dynasty and the rise of another.

A massive empire, after enduring long periods of baptism, has become decayed and decrepit. At such times, a new dynasty inevitably rises to take its place.

The protagonist of this story is the emperor of the new dynasty—Ming Yi. After experiencing countless hardships, he ultimately becomes the emperor of the Ming Kingdom, in accordance with the will of heaven.

The Qi Dynasty, which had been around for hundreds of years, would have a new Saintess whenever a new emperor ascended the throne.

The role of the Saintess was to prophesy, using her predictions to maintain the stability of the empire. As a Saintess, she was required to dedicate her entire being to the empire.

Qi Ling, the last Saintess of this empire, was one such figure.

Before becoming the Saintess, she had a childhood sweetheart—Yan Qingzhi.

After being chosen as the Saintess, she carefully buried her past.

Upon becoming the Saintess, she gained the ability to foresee the future. However, the things she saw, she could not speak of, for the will of heaven could not be altered.

She saw the fall of the dynasty and, with a head of white hair, exchanged a fleeting life for a chance to report this to the emperor.

At that time, Ming Yi was the leader of a small tribe, and the emperor ordered that Yan Qingzhi be sent as a general to quell the rebellion.

Before he set off, Qi Ling had already foreseen his fate.

How could the will of heaven be so easily defied?

Before he left, she went against her duty for the first time and found him. “Can you not go?”

It wasn’t that she couldn’t live without him.

But Yan Qingzhi just smiled and looked at her, his eyes filled with a depth and tenderness she didn’t understand. “Saintess, this is my duty.”

“But what if going leads to danger?”

“Saintess, dying in battle is the most honorable end for a soldier.” He always referred to her as “Saintess” to remind himself that she could only be the empire’s Saintess.

Qi Ling had already foreseen this conversation before coming, but she still came.

When she returned to the Saintess Hall, she could no longer tell whether the pain in her chest was because she had leaked the heavenly secret or because of her fear of the fate that awaited him.

On the day he went to war, she could only stand on the city wall and, for the first time, smile at him: “I will wait for you to return.”

Only she knew that she would never wait for him again.

Even though she had fought against fate, the will of heaven could not be defied.

Only a few months later, news came that General Yan had died in battle. That was the first time Qi Ling felt that the world had lost all color.

To survive, Ming Yi rebelled, and the downfall of the Qi Dynasty began.

As the Saintess, Qi Ling saw the citizens of the Qi Dynasty sinking into the mire, saw the officials and emperors living in excess, and she could see that, after revealing Ming Yi’s plan, the empire would survive for another three years.

She could also see how the citizens of the empire were oppressed during those three years, how they slowly descended into despair.

She could also see that under Ming Yi’s rule, the people would live in peace and prosperity.

What should she choose?

Should she fulfill the Saintess’ centuries-old duty, or…?

In the end, she went against her duty. In her struggle, she concealed the events she foresaw and allowed Ming Yi to freely invade the imperial city.

Then, despite knowing she could survive and be worshipped by millions, she personally set fire to the Saintess Hall, burying both the position of Saintess and the Qi Dynasty forever.

Yun Shuning put down her phone and suddenly understood why Gao Jiangping was so obsessed with having her voice the Saintess. Her voice really suited the role.

The Saintess character was truly exceptional—full of love and understanding, both of small love and great love.

Even though the Saintess appeared infrequently in the story, she left a deep impression on Yun Shuning’s heart.

Her gaze lingered on the part where the Saintess stood on the city wall, bidding farewell to Yan Qingzhi. That strengthened her resolve to take the role.

The Saintess at that time bore a striking resemblance to Yun Shuning as she spoke.

If the fictional her foresaw that He Yan would disappear, but could do nothing to prevent it or speak of it, the only thing she could say seemed to be this:

“I will wait for you to return.”

Even though she knew she would never wait for him, and even though her heart was numb from the pain, she still had to smile and say those words.

It was her most beautiful wish for him, but also a wish that would never be fulfilled.

She had to subtly convey to everyone how important He Yan was to her—not just to the male and female leads and supporting characters in the book, but to many others as well.

Only He Yan and the others knew that if they wanted to erase this affection, it was simple—they just needed to silence those who knew.

But once so many people learned of her story with He Yan, many things would no longer be as simple as they wished.

With that thought, she picked up her phone and opened her message interface with Gao Jiangping.

“Mr. Gao, do you have time now?”

“Yes.”

Yun Shuning looked at the response, which took less than a second, and for the first time, she truly understood what it meant to have an instant reply.

“If I take this role, can the recording be done at my own home?”

Gao Jiangping thought about it carefully after reading her question.

He had listened to Yun Shuning’s live stream yesterday. While her equipment wasn’t top-notch, it was good enough. As long as there was no background noise, there shouldn’t be any issues.

Moreover, since the Saintess’ role wasn’t large and her voice was highly demanding, the recordings would require special processing afterward.

After thinking it over, he decisively replied:

“Yes, but you need to ensure the clarity of the recording.”

“I’ll try my best,” Yun Shuning quietly sighed in relief. She wasn’t planning on showing her face anytime soon, so the fewer people who knew her appearance, the better.

“I’ll send you the script and the related requirements right away. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.” After sending the materials, Gao Jiangping suddenly realized they hadn’t discussed compensation yet, so he cautiously asked:

“What kind of compensation do you think is appropriate?”

“Anything is fine, I don’t mind.” Yun Shuning knew that voice actors didn’t earn much money, and honestly, considering her current income, the amount wasn’t significant. “Just donate it to a charity organization in the end.”

“Don’t you want to confirm it first?” Gao Jiangping was surprised. He knew Shuyan wasn’t materialistic, but he hadn’t expected her to be willing to donate the money without hesitation.

After a brief exchange, Yun Shuning put her phone down and began to carefully study the novel.

She liked to make sure she was fully prepared for everything.

Even before crossing into this book, if she hadn’t read the original work multiple times and made a lot of notes and annotations, she would have ended up in prison on the first day just like the original protagonist.

After all, how could someone who hasn’t paid attention to a novel be concerned with a character like He Yan, who has never made an appearance and only exists in the male protagonist’s memories?

The book Qiming Chao Ge has become so popular for a reason. Its pacing is fast, and from the perspective of the main character’s storyline, it’s quite satisfying. Even the supporting characters have their own backstories.

Reading this book always gives the feeling that this world and these people might have really existed.

In the two days, Yun Shuning read the novel three times and made many notes for the character of the Saintess.

When Gao Jiangping urged her for the third time, she finally decided to start recording.

First, she couldn’t immediately portray her understanding of the character with her voice, because she was only a livestreamer and didn’t know how to use her voice professionally.

In fact, pretending to be inexperienced was also not easy. She had to carefully hide her skills so that Gao Jiangping wouldn’t notice.

The first time, her voice was not much different from when she was livestreaming. If you listened closely, you could still hear some tension and unease.

When Gao Jiangping received her first audio, he was standing outside the recording studio. As he pressed the play button, everyone in the room looked at him.

“Ping Ge, where did you find such a talent?” A plump man walked over with an amazed expression. “This is the Saintess’ voice actress, right?”

“Now I know why you haven’t been worried about finding the Saintess’ voice actress, Ping Ge. You’ve been hiding a big secret,” said a girl with a baby face, looking at him with admiration. “You’ve got a big weapon in your hand.”

“Let’s listen again.” A thin man with black-framed glasses walked out of the studio with a serious expression.

Gao Jiangping nodded and pressed play again.

After listening, Li Zhou adjusted his black-framed glasses and said with a bit more admiration in his usually serious demeanor: “Although the girl’s skills are not perfect, her natural talent is too great.”

“With training, she could definitely become a standout in the voice acting industry.”

In voice acting, talent plays a big role. Some people can tell just by listening to a voice how far the person can go.

“But she doesn’t intend to pursue this career,” Gao Jiangping recalled his conversation with Shuyan and shook his head helplessly. “She’s not interested.”

“Didn’t you try to persuade her?” Li Zhou asked incredulously. “It’s such a waste not to pursue voice acting with that voice.”

“I had to beg her to do the Saintess’ voice,” Gao Jiangping said with a bitter face. “I’m really afraid that if I say anything more, she’ll quit.”

He then told them how he found Shuyan and summarized their conversation.

“Why?” Tang Qiu’s baby face turned into a bitter melon expression. “Her voice is so beautiful.”

“Not everyone wants to do this kind of work. We need to respect other people’s choices.” The chubby man smiled and comforted them. “Besides, there will be other opportunities in the future. We have other radio dramas to prepare, right?”

“Let’s look for this streamer again when the time comes. We can train her, and we’ll eventually bring her into our team.”

“Alright, the most important thing now is the voice recording for Qiming Chao Ge. We only have a week left until the first season airs. We have to finish recording the Saintess’ lines before then.”

“If you guys find any problems with this audio, let me know. Otherwise, we’ll talk to Shuyan about the issues later,” Gao Jiangping interrupted their cheerful musings and urged.

Then, the rest of the team listened to the audio two more times.

“The voice is a bit tense; the tone can be more ethereal. The breathing rhythm needs some adjustment…”

Li Zhou summarized these issues slowly.

Actually, if the requirements weren’t too high, this audio could be used as is because her voice is truly stunning. The first time you listen to it, you don’t notice any problems with her voice.

Only after listening a few more times, becoming more familiar with the voice, can you calm down and identify the flaws.

“Since you’ve all pointed out your concerns, I’ll go ahead and voice chat with Shuyan now,” Gao Jiangping took a deep breath and reminded them before pressing the voice chat button. “Shuyan is a streamer and has no voice acting experience, so don’t rush her or say anything discouraging. Let’s take it slow.”

“Got it, got it,” the three of them responded in unison.

“Is this Mr. Gao? I’m Shuyan.”

Since everyone in the room worked with sound, they had a good sensitivity to voices.

They had all heard countless types of voices—beautiful, seductive, deep…

But none of them had ever heard a voice like this. It was hard to describe with words. So many compliments came to mind, but they couldn’t bring themselves to say them. In the end, all they could think was: “It’s just beautiful.”

“You… hello,” Tang Qiu, the most talkative and lively person in the group, could only stutter, unable to believe her own reaction.

“Hello,” the voice on the phone was soft, as though it wasn’t bothered by Tang Qiu’s awkwardness.

“I’m Tang Qiu, a voice actress,” Tang Qiu’s face flushed red. Her pride in her own vocal control disappeared without a trace, and she couldn’t believe how she had lost her composure.

Her voice was so captivating that even a girl could fall in love with it.

The others snapped back to reality and quickly greeted her.

For a moment, Yun Shuning on the other end couldn’t make out what they were saying.

After a while, the voice on the phone finally quieted. At Gao Jiangping’s signal, they began sharing voice acting knowledge.

Yun Shuning listened carefully and occasionally asked a question or two.

After some communication, she realized that the voice acting knowledge in this world was quite similar to that of her original world. But she still absorbed the knowledge step by step, as any normal person would, and practiced it.

After hanging up the call, Gao Jiangping and the others looked at each other in admiration.

They were all top-notch in the voice acting field, and hearing Shuyan’s voice for the first time, they marveled at her unnatural talent.

But after the exchange, they suddenly realized that her brilliance wasn’t just in her talent—it was also in her ability to learn.

In the end, Tang Qiu dreamily summed up: “If this person doesn’t join the voice acting industry, it’s not her loss—it’s the industry’s loss.”

Meanwhile, Yun Shuning had no idea what they were thinking.

She sat at her desk, sipping the honey tea she had made, preparing to record the Saintess’ voice for the first episode later.

She didn’t intend to show all her abilities in the second recording; it was better to take it one step at a time.

This time, she improved the tension and breathing from the previous recording, making her voice closer to how it sounded during her livestreams but with a slightly ethereal touch.

Sure enough, when she sent the audio over, Gao Jiangping felt it was good enough, but Li Zhou felt there was still room for improvement. He was always very particular about getting things just right.

One take, two takes—by the third take, he finally thought it was good enough.

By then, three days had passed, and there were four days left until Qiming Chao Ge’s radio drama would officially air. The full voice acting team would be announced in two days.

Shuyan had only recorded the first episode for the Saintess because two episodes of the radio drama were released each week, and since the Saintess didn’t have many lines, there was still plenty of time.

Gao Jiangping was finally able to relax and get some good sleep.

Everyone was happy and satisfied—except for Su Muqing.

As the deputy general manager of the branch, ever since moving here, he had been spending a lot of time close to Yun Shuning, trying to get nearer to her. He hadn’t been going to the office much.

Even when he did go to the office, it was just to be there as a mascot, clocking in and out.

Originally, he thought being closer to Yun Shuning would allow him to hear her voice more often and interact with her more, slowly getting closer to her heart.

But!

No matter how close he tried to get these past few days—whether by knocking on her door, sending her gifts, or running into her by chance—it seemed like he had left no impression on her at all. No matter how many times they met, in her eyes, he always seemed like a stranger.

The coldness and indifference in her eyes left him feeling defeated.

How could someone like Yun Shuning exist in this world? She was practically his nemesis.

He had always been able to make people like him, but Yun Shuning seemed like a bug in his system, specifically designed to thwart him.

Actually, she wasn’t targeting him—she was targeting the whole world.

This world is so vast, is there truly nothing worth her attachment?

Su Muqing glanced at the candied pear he had specially made for her, his expression dark.

For a moment, he forgot that he had first approached her simply because of her voice. Now, he was filled with curiosity and a twisted sense of possessiveness.

He wanted to be the one in her eyes—an entire Su Muqing.

Soft-hearted, huh?

Having a weakness isn’t so bad.

He closed his eyes, hiding the darkness in his gaze.

…

Over the next two days, Yun Shuning continued

to focus on voice acting while also livestreaming on the side. Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly, but deep down, she had a slight unease she couldn’t shake.

Something was going to happen.

So, when she heard the knocking at the door, her first feeling was not annoyance or helplessness, but indifference. It was as if no matter who was knocking on the door, they couldn’t stir any emotion within her.

The knocking continued, one knock after another, slow but persistent, as if it could go on forever.

She slowly straightened up and glanced toward the door.

It should only be Su Muqing; no one else would come knocking on the door of this apartment.

She stood up somewhat stiffly and walked mechanically to the door, opening it.

“Shushu, I…” Su Muqing, seeing the door open, smiled and raised the snacks he was holding in his hand. Before he could say anything, he saw Yun Shuning, whose eyes were slightly red.

In his memory, Yun Shuning was someone who seemed to have no attachment to the world. She didn’t seem to care about anything, only during her livestreams did he sense a touch of realness from her.

But this person, who appeared to be indifferent to everything, now seemed like a completely different person, filled with despair and exhaustion.

Her eyes held a mix of numbness and sorrow that was painful to witness.

Su Muqing’s smile froze. He raised his hand, frowning slightly. “Shushu, are you feeling unwell?”

In his heart, he had a firm belief that the reason for her current state was He Yan.

“Thank you for your concern, I’m fine.” Yun Shuning, still not fully out of character, spoke in the same tone of despair and indifference she used while voice acting.

“Are you really okay?” He looked at her with a seriousness he had never shown before, his voice both stern and concerned. “If you’re not feeling well, you must tell me.”

He considered himself to be eloquent, but when facing her eyes, he suddenly didn’t know what to say.

It was easy for him to guess the reason behind her current expression.

Was He Yan really that good a person? Worthy of such… deep and persistent love?

“I was just thinking of some happy memories, I’ll be fine after a short rest.” She finally adjusted her voice to calm, and the sorrowful expression on her face slowly faded. She almost obsessively repeated, “I’m fine, really, I’m fine.”

She didn’t know if she was saying it to Su Muqing or to herself.

Su Muqing rarely envied others because he knew that envy was useless; instead, he would find a way to get what he wanted. That way, he would become the one others envied.

But this was the first time he felt jealous of He Yan, not envy, but jealousy.

He softened his youthful demeanor and appeared more like an adult capable of taking responsibility. He gently looked at her. “If you’re not happy, you can talk to me.”

“Although I may not be good at comforting others, I can be a good trash can.”

“You can come to me anytime, whenever you need.”

“Thank you.” Facing his seemingly heartfelt advice, Yun Shuning’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. She nodded at him, her expression unchanged from when they first met.

“But I don’t have anything bothering me.” At this point, she seemed to remember something, and there was a brief warmth in her eyes. “Actually, I’m a very happy person.”

“And Mr. Su,” she added, her warmth turning into distance as she looked at him. “Everyone has their own life. I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”

Her words were polite but carried an underlying meaning that was clear to anyone who heard it.

Su Muqing slowly lowered the snacks he was holding, looking at her with a hint of grievance in his eyes. The light he once saw in her eyes seemed to be gradually fading. “I’m sorry, I’ve been bothering you.”

“You should focus on your own life, Mr. Su,” Yun Shuning spoke gently to him.

She refused the snacks he offered and calmly closed the door.

Su Muqing was deep and had great acting skills; she would avoid him when possible.

She knew he didn’t like her, but that didn’t stop her from using similar reasons to reject him.

After all, his actions were very much like someone pursuing a girl.

From this conversation, she estimated that Su Muqing would likely reduce the number of times he tried to see her. As long as she stayed indoors more, their chances of meeting would be very few.

She couldn’t understand what was going on in this book. All these male side characters were starting to behave strangely.

She thought as she returned to her desk, where she had just finished recording. She still hadn’t had the chance to send the audio to Gao Jiangping.

She tapped her phone a few times and sent the audio over.

She always felt like Gao Jiangping was probably waiting by his phone, otherwise, why would he always reply so quickly whenever she sent a message?

“This is the final part of the audio, Shushu, you really are amazing,” Gao Jiangping praised.

He always showered Yun Shuning with compliments. Even when pointing out her flaws, he would first write several hundred words of praise before gently mentioning any issues.

After hearing this audio, he followed the usual pattern, complimenting her voice and efficiency, then carefully suggesting that they let others listen to this part of the audio to see if there was anything else that needed improvement.

Yun Shuning had no problem with it. She felt she had done everything she could, and whatever else was left was up to Gao Jiangping to decide.

Gao Jiangping didn’t open the audio immediately. He quickly walked over to the recording studio while the other people were still there, hoping to get some professional input.

Li Zhou, seeing how decisively he walked over, guessed what he wanted to say. “Shu Yan sent over the new recording, right?”

“Yes.” Gao Jiangping stood before him, smiling and calling over the people nearby. “Come on, everyone, listen up. This is the last part. Once it’s good, the Saintess’s scenes will be complete.”

“Shushu finally sent over the new audio. I thought I’d die waiting,” Tang Qiu hopped over to him, her eyes filled with excitement.

When enough people had gathered, Gao Jiangping didn’t delay and hit the play button.

This part featured the Saintess foretelling the demise of the kingdom, meeting the emperor, and bidding farewell to Yan Qingzhi.

There weren’t many lines, but the vocal requirements were high.

Li Zhou listened, nodding in satisfaction. At this moment, the Saintess was calm. Even knowing that the kingdom would fall, she wouldn’t let it disturb her because she knew it was fate.

But as the Saintess, she still had to find a way to give the kingdom a chance at survival.

This part of the audio was perfect. As long as Shu Yan performed similarly, using a slightly more ethereal tone than her livestream voice, it would be enough.

What he worried about was the latter part.

In the next segment, the Saintess’s emotions when parting with her lover were very complex and difficult to capture. Even he wasn’t sure he could perfectly replicate the mood she must have been feeling.

The audio continued, quickly arriving at the part he was most worried about.

After hearing this part, the atmosphere in the room was less quiet and more like silence.

After a long time, Tang Qiu wiped away tears that had unknowingly appeared and asked in a daze, “What do you think the Saintess was thinking at that moment?”

“Maybe… just like this voice,” Li Zhou said, his voice heavy with sorrow and despair, “She had to watch the one she loved leave her world.”

“Does it need any changes?” Gao Jiangping snapped back to reality, sighing as he spoke.

Before Li Zhou could speak, the chubby boy next to him spoke first. His voice was clear and crisp, not matching his physique at all, but it carried a touch of youthful spirit.

“I need to redo Yan Qingzhi’s scenes,” he said with a laugh, shaking his head. “Right now, I don’t think I can match Shu Yan’s delivery.”

“Don’t overthink it,” Tang Qiu said as she patted his shoulder. “Though Yan Qingzhi and the Saintess grew up together, they barely exchanged a word. On the city wall, Yan Qingzhi didn’t even know she was there.”

“But I should go back and review my lines. Maybe I can improve something,” she sighed. Though she didn’t want to admit it, she had to acknowledge that Shu Yan, who hadn’t received formal training, was better than her, who had been training for years.

“Maybe I should go back and work on the basics,” Li Zhou said seriously, determination in his eyes.

“Okay,” everyone responded in unison.

…

As post-production was being carefully prepared, the publicity for the radio drama had already begun.

As a top-tier IP, the official Weibo had a large following, and many fans kept an eye on the progress. Early in the morning, the publicity team posted the list of voice actors that had already been prepared.

Actually, many fans already knew the voice actors for the main characters, so this announcement was more of a prelude.

Upon seeing the official Weibo post, a large group of fans rushed to the site.

“Mi Yi is really voiced by Li Zhou, I have no regrets in life.”

“Oh my god, Yan Qingzhi, who barely appears, is voiced by Xiang Shi. The producer really spent a lot on this.”

“Ahhhh, Qiu Qiu, the female lead is really voiced by Qiu Qiu, I love her so much.”

…

Among the announced voice actors, one name stood out, different from the others — Shu Yan.

The Saintess had many fans, and they were quite formidable. Upon seeing this unfamiliar name, they looked at the fans’ ecstatic reactions to the other characters’ voice actors and couldn’t hold back their anger, starting to question the official Weibo.

They also wanted to directly search for Shu Yan’s Weibo, but the official account hadn’t @ her, and they didn’t want to make a mistake and blame the wrong person, so they could only ask in the comments.

“I’ve never heard of this name, why is this person voicing the Saintess? Can the official explain?”

“This is ridiculous. You’ve been hiding the Saintess’s voice actor, while all the others’ voice actors were leaked long ago. Why is the Saintess kept a secret? Seems like you’re paving the way for someone.”

“I thought the reason you hadn’t released the Saintess’s voice actor was because you hadn’t found the right person yet. I even told my friend that you guys were considerate. Looks like that conscience was fed to the dogs.”

“You really think you can make a voice actor famous just because of the Saintess’s popularity? Let me tell you, us fans won’t accept it!”

A massive online outcry against Shu Yan had begun.

The Saintess’s fans were numerous, and other character fans who liked the Saintess also joined in their defense.

Gradually, the hashtag “Replace the Saintess’s voice actor” quietly appeared on the trending list.

Gao Jiangping looked at the online discussions with a serious expression and walked into Lin Lesheng’s office.

“Mr. Lin, have you seen the news online?”

“Xiao Gao, come try some of this new Da Hong Pao tea I made,” Lin Lesheng seemed unbothered, leisurely sipping his tea.

“Mr. Lin!” Gao Jiangping’s tone became more urgent. “Have you seen the online news?”

“The youth are so impetuous,” Lin Lesheng said with a smile, taking another sip. “Don’t you think this is a great opportunity for publicity?”

“But…”

“I know, Shu Yan can’t be bullied. I’ll definitely handle this matter,” Lin Lesheng said. He was a fan of Shu Yan and couldn’t let his idol be mistreated.

In the past, he would have let the PR department stay silent and let the controversy simmer until it was time to release the real trump card.

But this time, he instructed the PR team to start working three hours after the Weibo post was made.

Seeing this, he looked at the trending list with some concern. “Such a good publicity opportunity, and it’s going to disappear soon.”

“Do you mean…?” Gao Jiangping asked, his voice unsure.

“Wait until it’s time,” Lin Lesheng said, looking at his phone. “Go check the official Weibo.”

Gao Jiangping hesitated and clicked the link. This was a nearly three-minute-long audio.

The audio featured key lines from each character, but to maintain suspense, the Saintess’s line wasn’t her most emotional one, “I’ll wait for you to come back.”

But no matter which line it was, once she spoke, everyone would understand why she was chosen to voice the Saintess.

The comments under the Weibo post seemed to freeze, but after a few minutes, they started flooding in.