Chapter 32
What's the difference between liking and appreciating?
This doesn't sound like a question Gu Yubai would ask at all.
But in reality, ever since that thought crossed his mind, Gu Yubai has been searching for the answer to this question all day.
I think about it when I'm doing voice acting, when I'm sitting in the office signing contracts, when I'm in the bathroom, when I'm in the elevator, and even when I'm walking.
I don't think I've ever been this engrossed in studying, even more so than during the college entrance exam.
As he was thinking about this, he walked to the front of the building and saw a familiar figure.
As a result, thinking is temporarily interrupted, and the body reacts before the brain.
He watched Yu Xia walk into the dessert shop and then walk out. He noticed four neatly arranged pineapple cakes in a transparent dessert box. He thought that perhaps the little anchorwoman liked to eat these, and he could buy a box and send it to her next time.
Then, he watched Yu Xia walk to the bus stop across the street to wait for the bus, and then squeeze onto the same bus with the crowd.
Then, his body reacted before his brain could react. Before he could even make a judgment, he was already driving behind the bus. He didn't even know why he had done such an inappropriate thing until Yu Xia got off the bus.
He knew perfectly well that it was wrong, impolite, inappropriate, and out of line. He knew very well that the most important thing to do was to turn around and leave immediately, but he didn't.
Deeper inside the brain, a voice is telling me to keep going.
He followed her from the building to here. In two hours, he watched the entire process that happened to Yu Xia on her way home from the studio.
After doing all this, he really did become a pervert, just as Chi Ximin said.
It's impossible to wash it clean.
But he did not regret doing so.
Although this is not in line with his code of conduct.
All he knew was that he had a very strong urge to do it.
This is beyond his control.
curious.
Gu Yubai thought of this word.
Does liking someone mean you'll become curious about them?
I want to know more about her, what she does, what she's up to, her habits, and most importantly, everything about her as a person.
Admittedly, everyone's time is precious. Even in today's information-saturated age, where every message is fed to us in fragmented pieces, no one is willing to waste their precious time looking at someone who is completely irrelevant to them and has no interest in them. So when they see such messages on social media, they will not hesitate to click "not interested" to reduce the amount of information they receive, as if those brief one or two seconds are an eternity for them and they can no longer bear it.
Conversely, when people fall deeply in love with someone, time becomes the best way for them to express their affection.
They will scour all social media platforms for every bit of information about this person, simply because they want to know everything about them completely and specifically. They want to know their past, their experiences, their hobbies, their habits, they want to know everything about them.
These two diametrically opposed attitudes made Gu Yubai unconsciously connect the two.
Does liking someone necessarily make you curious about her?
Will I feel a desire to explore her?
Do you also want to know everything about her?
In other words, if you want to understand someone, do you just like their initial behavior?
He was curious about what Yu Xia would do after get off work, what she would see, and what would happen.
Even the most mundane things happening to her would amuse him.
Having found the middle bridge, the initial problem was broken down into these three smaller questions, and the solution to the problem that was previously incomprehensible became clear.
In the few seconds he waited for Fu Ze's reply, his brain was like molecules spinning at high speed, breaking down, refining, and analyzing the question in just a few seconds. He no longer needed Fu Ze's answer; he already had the answer.
“I understand,” he said.
Eleven hours and fifty-two minutes.
The answer has surfaced.
It is liking.
—
Today is Yu Xia's scheduled live stream day.
Since Yu Xia's first live stream saw a surge in traffic after being tagged by Yu Bai Studio, subsequent live streams haven't generated the same buzz, and traffic has gradually declined, now stabilizing at around two to three thousand views.
This was within Yu Xia's expectations. After all, when Yu Bai officially announced the picture, it was very popular and caused a small-scale discussion online, which attracted many people outside the circle. Most of those who came at that time were just looking at the picture because they thought it was nice, so they came to see what the artist looked like. It was more like joining in the fun. Later, as the popularity of the picture faded, naturally, more than half of the people left.
Fortunately, Yu Xia managed to extract the truly valuable portion of this mixed traffic, which ultimately led to the current audience of three thousand viewers in her live stream.
After the tide recedes, what truly belongs to her will be revealed.
Although Yu Xia's dream of becoming a top-tier livestreamer with tens of thousands of viewers is still some distance away, with the experience gained from these two or three thousand viewers, Yu Xia's livestreaming skills are becoming more and more proficient and natural, and she is beginning to develop her own unique characteristics and style.
Yu Xia's live streams are usually short, around two hours. If it gets too late and she doesn't have enough time, she'll shorten it to an hour and a half.
Yu Xia isn't particularly talkative in her livestreams, even though she's usually quite lively and chatty, always ready to chat with anyone. But once she's in the livestream room, for some reason, facing so many people, she doesn't know what to say, what to say to keep the room from becoming awkward, or what to do to make her livestream as natural and lively as others. Deliberately trying to talk to maintain a certain atmosphere is quite difficult for her.
Therefore, Yu Xia usually focuses on explaining painting techniques. This is much easier for her. When talking about painting, she doesn't need to deliberately think about what to say. Just like drinking water, she can naturally and habitually express her thoughts completely, which makes her feel very comfortable.
As the live stream was about to end, Yu Xia glanced at the screen and, as usual, a long string of "I'm so reluctant to part ways" messages flooded the chat.
[Ugh, why does time spent with Mrs. Summer always seem so short!]
[Wow, this is so fast! It feels like a completely different timeframe than when I go to work at 8 AM (crazy JPG).]
[Waaaaah, this is like a free masterclass! I learned so much new knowledge!]
Watch Summer's live stream, enjoy unparalleled drawing skills, and indulge in the silky smoothness of Dove chocolate!
After spending some time together, Yu Xia had become used to these compliments. She said that fans were truly a group, and their words were exactly the same as when she praised Bai He.
It seems everyone really enjoys using flattery.
Some of the comments were quite good; she should learn from them and then comment on them under Teacher Baihe's post next time.
Amidst a barrage of compliments and reluctant farewell comments, just as Yu Xia was about to end the stream and say goodbye, she suddenly came across a message:
[Mrs. Summer, could you please turn on your old live stream replays? I really, really want to watch them. I feel like I'm missing out because I haven't seen them before. Please, please let us see them!]
"Previous live streams?" Yu Xia was taken aback.
[Yes, yes, it used to be closed. Can you put it back on? (starry-eyed anticipation)]
Huh? There are still people who want to watch her old live streams.
Yu Xia does have records, but they haven't been made public.
But... what's so interesting about a live stream with zero viewers? It's definitely a black mark on my past.
Yu Xia sighed.
Sigh, she won't be able to pretend anymore. Everyone will know that she was a pitiful nobody who nobody cared about before.
well.
My dream of showing off has been shattered.
“Okay, I’ll go offline and turn it on,” Yu Xia said.
[!! Mrs. Summer, you're so kind! I'm so touched I'm crying! I love you (crying JGP.)]
"Goodnight, everyone." Yu Xia ended the broadcast and found the historical live stream records in the background.
Looking at this long historical record, Yu Xia sighed inwardly. She was a bit of a perfectionist; how much she put in behind the scenes and how much effort she made was unimportant and unnecessary for others to see. She only wanted people to see the well-done, glamorous side.
Press the button.
Everything from the first show I saw in Beicheng until today has been made public.
After the live broadcast of the historical event was made public, Yu Xia sighed inwardly once again.
Sigh, I hope you'll still love me after seeing my embarrassing past.
This is the road I came from!
After publicly revealing her dark past, Yu Xia, having nothing better to do, went on social media to browse Bai He's Weibo.
Speaking of which, Bai He hasn't posted on Weibo for a while. Has he not taken on any new jobs?
Yu Xia clicked into the homepage and found that the last blog post about his broadcasting work was three months ago. Since then, Bai He has not been online and has not posted a single blog post.
Wow, so much time has passed.
Yu Xia wretchedly scrolled through old blog posts and dubbing videos to quench her thirst for more. She listened to the same old dubbing clips several times over, her resentment growing stronger, and she went to confide in her fellow fans.
—
Gu Yubai came out after taking a shower and heard his phone ringing on the bedside table.
He dried his hair, walked to the bedside, picked up his phone, and turned it on.
The first thing I saw was a message that the junior streamer had just sent.
【Summer】: Teacher Baihe hasn't released any new works in a long time.
Upon seeing this message, Gu Yubai was slightly taken aback.
【Summer】：(Sad JPG.)(Sad JPG.)(Sad JPG.)
【Summer】：(Melancholy JPG.)(Melancholy JPG.)(Melancholy JPG.)
[Summer]: How could he do this! Does he even know how many people are waiting for him to cook?! How could he abandon us like this?!
Hmm? Has it been that long?
He thought about the small streamer's complaint seriously and realized that he hadn't been online for a while since he shared the promotional material last time.
Just then, his phone rang again, and when he saw the message, his typing paused.
[Summer]: The voice acting scene is like a battlefield! Doesn't he know how many newcomers are waiting to surpass him?! He's still not taking on work, how can that be! You have to maintain a sense of urgency at all times, and ideally, maintain a high output so your fans are always entertained—that's the foundation of an actor's career! Don't you agree?
Gu Yubai: "..."
As a boss, this is the first time I've been criticized for lacking ambition and urged to work in person.
Faced with this very impassioned criticism, and with a strong sense of disappointment and frustration between the lines.
Gu Yubai typed a word.
【Bai and Bye】: Yes.
Yu Xia, feeling affirmed, became even more enthusiastic in expressing herself.
[Summer]: As a rising voice actor, how can Bai He be so lax!
Gu Yubai continued typing with a blank expression.
【Bai and Bye】：That's right, that's right.
【Summer】: Doesn't he know that I can't live without him?
Gu Yubai, who was typing with a blank expression like a machine, suddenly stopped when he saw this message.
【Summer】: Even if you don't post any content, you can still go online, share your daily life, and chat with us. How come there's been no activity for three months? You're so heartless, waaaaaah.
Gu Yubai was taken aback.
【Summer】: I miss Teacher Baihe on the first day he's gone, I miss him on the second day he's gone, I miss him on the ninetieth day he's gone, I miss him so much...
As Gu Yubai looked at the last two messages, a gentle smile slowly and involuntarily appeared on his lips.
At that moment, he understood what it meant to be "soft-hearted".
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