Chapter 2
【Summer】: Hahahaha! Chi'er!!! Finally! Finally! Finally, today I welcomed my first guest in my live stream!!!
As soon as the broadcast ended, Yu Xia couldn't wait to share her battle report with her friend Tang Chi, using several exclamation marks to show how excited she was.
Tang Chi replied quickly, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept much in the middle of the night either.
[Long Delayed]: Congratulations! After more than a month, you've finally officially opened! (Yawning and crying emoji)
【Summer】: Hahaha, that's for sure.
【Summer】: Let me tell you, the other person watched the entire rest of my live stream, hmph hmph hmph.
Yu Xia was typing on her phone in bed, swinging her legs back and forth, looking incredibly smug.
【Summer】: Do you know what this means? It means that my live stream is very attractive, which shows that I have great potential and am destined to be a top streamer with tens of thousands of viewers.
【Summer】: You know what a top streamer with tens of thousands of followers is? They're incredibly powerful, able to command the wind and rain with a mere flick of their wrist. I advise you to be careful and be polite to me now, or maybe I'll let you ride on my coattails and fly effortlessly in the future, you know?
When Yu Xia boasts about herself, she is anything but modest; she practically has the word "smug" etched on her forehead.
The other party cooperated quite graciously.
[Long Delay]: Yes, yes, yes, you are the rising star of the live streaming room. This humble servant here congratulates Your Majesty on your ascension to the throne! Long live the Emperor! I hope Your Majesty will take good care of this humble servant in the future. (bows deeply)
Yu Xia clearly appreciated this approach, and responded with a flourish of her hand.
【Summer】：No problem, no problem.
[Summer]: By the way, is there any news about the puppet recording of Teacher Baihe that you asked a friend to inquire about for me last time?
Yu Xia changed the subject very quickly.
Bai He is a voice actor famous in the dubbing industry for his Hermès crocodile skin diaphragm. His voice is priceless, possessing a high-end velvet quality, and he is known as a "walking intangible cultural heritage." Some even describe his unique and precious voice as "lingering for thirty days and unforgettable for three hundred days."
Every character he voices becomes a star. However, due to his pickiness about scripts, he has only voiced a handful of characters, prompting many netizens to frantically plead online for Mr. Bai He to increase his workload and give them a break.
He is also Yu Xia's favorite voice actor teacher.
However, due to the scarcity of his own works and the fact that Bai He himself has never appeared in the public eye, his merchandise is even more rare and precious.
The doll recording that Yu Xia wanted to buy was sold out on the very day it was released, so she had to rely on Tang Chi's connections to see if she could buy one from inside the company.
[Delayed arrival]: I asked, yes, I have it, I'll send it to you in a couple of days.
【Summer】: Ahhhhhh!!! Chi'er! I love you to death!!! I declare you are my one and only Aladdin's lamp, love you love you!!!
[Long delay]: Stop with the mushy stuff.
Yu Xia ignored her and sent a few more disgusting kissing emojis.
【Summer】：Mwah mwah mwah, I love you.
[Long delay]: Get lost, or I'll report you for sexual harassment.
Tang Chi, annoyed by Yu Xia's greasy manner, began to retaliate, his words carrying a powerful and offensive edge.
[Long delay]: You can't even get a meal, and you're still eating grains? You're just waiting to starve.
【Summer】: You don't understand. Eating is nothing compared to Teacher Baihe. He is spiritual nourishment, which is much more important than satisfying one's appetite!
Tang Chi had only two words to say about this behavior.
[Long delay]: Hehe.
After they had finished talking, Tang Chi casually asked about the important matter.
[Long delay]: Hey, you've been out adventuring for a while now, haven't you really planned to go back yet?
Since Yu Xia left home with her bags and belongings, breaking away from the comfortable life her parents had prepared for her for the past twenty years, she has resolutely embarked on her own proletarian path and begun to pursue her dreams. More than half a year has passed since then.
Yu Xia's parents initially thought it was just a passing fancy, and didn't take it seriously, assuming their daughter would come back after experiencing life's hardships for a few days. However, they were surprised to learn that Yu Xia was serious this time, remaining gone for over half a year and refusing all financial support from her parents.
During this time, no matter how many phone calls or text messages her parents made, or how many times they played the victim card, saying that she was their only daughter, how could she abandon them to wander outside, how heartbroken her parents were, and so on...
But no matter how tearfully the two elders pleaded with her, Yu Xia's attitude remained the same: NO.
Later, when her parents realized their plea for help hadn't worked, they gave up hope that their daughter would change her mind. They were content with just having her carry the card and accepting small payments from them so she wouldn't suffer too much hardship. But even this pitiful request was rejected by Yu Xia. She claimed she wanted to pursue her own ideals and values, and would never be tainted by even a trace of her parents' decadent capitalist ways.
Having repeatedly met with setbacks from Yu Xia, the two elders changed their strategy, spreading their influence to the periphery, determined to undermine Comrade Yu Xia's strong will.
As Yu Xia's close friend, Tang Chi became the primary target for the two elders to win over. During the time Yu Xia ran away from home, Tang Chi received numerous explicit and implicit hints from the two elders. They then used the same tactics they had used on Yu Xia on Tang Chi, passionately recounting how much they, as two lonely old people, missed their daughter and how difficult it was for her, and how much they wished she could stay by their side. Their words were all implying that Tang Chi could help persuade their daughter to change her mind.
What could Tang Chi do in the face of his two weeping elders? He could only routinely ask Yu Xia about it every now and then, and then tell the two elders about the proletarian stance. During this time, the two elders would inevitably start to cry again, and finally, our strong Comrade Tang Chi would comfort them. This was how the bi-monthly meeting between the two armies came to an end.
Yu Xia's reply was once again very direct.
【Summer】: No! I will never bow down to evil forces!
Tang Chi had been inseparable from her since childhood and knew her best. Don't let Yu Xia's usual carefree and seemingly simple-minded demeanor fool you; she's actually very determined to do what she's set her mind to, no amount of persuasion will change her mind.
Tang Chi had long anticipated her attitude and knew he couldn't persuade her; she was only doing a task to give her parents an explanation when she returned.
[Long delay]: Tsk, I see. You are the purest and most innocent dreamer, yet you have been utterly corrupted by this decadent money, haven't you?
【Summer】：Of course.
When Yu Xia first settled in Beicheng, others might not know, but Tang Chi knew best. She ran away from home with almost no money, only a bank card. Inside were some prize money from a previous painting competition—not much, just around eight thousand yuan in total.
Yu Xia rented her current small apartment with 4,000 yuan and bought some household items. She was a big spender with no sense of budgeting, so she didn't have much money left. Initially, Yu Xia interviewed at an artist's studio and took on some commissions to make ends meet. Later, she gradually came into contact with the profession of livestreamer. Estimating that her savings were barely enough, she quit her job at the studio and started creating and livestreaming her work from home.
However, the process was certainly quite arduous. Painting is expensive to begin with, and just buying paints and tools cost most of the money. With the addition of live streaming equipment, Yu Xia was penniless again.
Tang Chi may be sharp-tongued, but her stance is very unified. She was simply reminding Yu Xia to pay attention to her health and not ruin it for her passion. Besides, she was also clear in her mind that if Yu Xia went hungry, she would help her out, and wouldn't actually leave her starving.
There was no way around it; this guy had been bound to her since childhood. From the time they learned to read and write, they had sworn an oath to share both joy and sorrow, "If we become rich and powerful, we will not forget each other." And now, this person was in the difficult early stages of his wealth, so she, as his comrade-in-arms, couldn't just share the good times and not the bad, could she?
So what else can we do? We can only accept our fate and bear it. We can't really let her starve to death at home, can we?
Moreover, Yu Xia's journey to pursue her dream wasn't easy. For the first month of her livestreams, no one watched, and she only gained her first viewer today. However, this didn't dampen Yu Xia's confidence, as evidenced by her already envisioning a bright future.
Yu Xia was overjoyed to know that her most beloved merchandise had been secured. She hummed softly and resolutely typed out a line of text.
[Summer]: Don't worry, I have plenty of strength and means.
—
The next day, in the afternoon.
In a recording studio.
The room was brightly lit, and the walls were covered with a layer of gray sound-absorbing cotton, its textured surface refracting the falling light into an amber hue. Inside the control room, a massive mixing console stood before the glass, reflecting the man's indifferent profile.
A silver microphone stood in the center of the recording area, its metallic stand gleaming coldly. At that moment, a pair of slender fingers gripped it, lips close to the microphone, thin lips parting slightly.
Gu Yubai, wearing headphones and holding the script in one hand, finished reciting the last line of dialogue.
"The world has never belonged to me; the mountains and rivers have their own heartbeat and never submit to anyone."
Gu Yubai's tone was calm, yet it conveyed a sense of detachment born from experience and a profound understanding of the world. His understated demeanor contained a deep meaning, which served as a fitting conclusion to the emotions conveyed in the sentence.
It is not overly flamboyant, but it is enough to leave a lasting impression and make people think deeply.
After finishing, he looked up at the people in the control room outside the glass.
The person sitting in the control room gave him a thumbs up with both hands.
Gu Yubai took off his headphones, pushed open the door, and walked out.
As soon as I stepped outside, the staff member who had been waiting there handed me a water cup and said, "Teacher Baihe, you've worked hard. The last part you recorded today was especially good; it gave us all goosebumps."
Gu Yubai took the water glass, and the warm water soothed his throat, which had been strained from overexertion.
"Hmm," Gu Yubai finished his drink, nodded, then tightened the cap on his water glass again. He glanced at them and said in a low voice, "You guys should also go home early and finish get off work. You've worked hard."
As he spoke, he patted the staff member next to him on the shoulder.
"Oh, it's no trouble at all, it's my pleasure," the staff member replied several times, and the two exchanged some polite words.
Gu Yubai picked up his coat from the sofa and took his phone from his assistant.
"Boss, should we go back to the studio now, or back to Songya Villa?" Assistant Xiaowen asked.
Gu Yubai has his own studio, which is mainly responsible for his personal publicity and copyright activities. In addition, he also has his own animation projects and signs some voice actors, which is different from the business partners he usually takes on.
"We need to go back to Songya Villa to get something," Gu Yubai said.
"OK."
Gu Yubai doesn't like to be disturbed when he's doing voice acting, so he always turns off his phone while working. He turned his phone back on as he walked out.
The two took the elevator down, and just as they reached the first floor, they turned on their phones and a message popped up, filled with a long string of exclamation marks.
Gu Yubai clicked inside. Suddenly, he paused as he took a step outside, then his eyebrows twitched.
Upon powering on, two messages popped up on his phone, sent an hour earlier by a popular livestreamer he had followed the day before.
【Summer】：! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
【Summer】: Sister!!! Do you also like Teacher Baihe?!
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