Chapter 5
The phone screen kept shaking. When the call came in, Li Ye first turned off the alarm clock, then answered the video call. He rolled off the sofa, took all the snacks back to the bedroom, then went back to the living room to get a pomelo and filled two thermos cups with hot water.
After bringing the phone back to the bedroom, it was placed on the desk stand to livestream from the other side, even though no one was watching. Judging from the sound from the speaker, the other side was doing the same thing. After Li Ye had set everything up on her side and the computer had completed its daily startup self-check, Ye Tinglan hurriedly returned to the phone camera with the takeout.
"You were already awake when I messaged you, but I wanted to ask, what time did you get up?"
In the footage, Ye Tinglan is wearing pink loungewear, her hair is tied in a bun with a headband, and she looks like she just woke up and hasn't had time to put on makeup yet.
"It's rare that I don't have classes during the day today. In the dead of winter, isn't it nice to lie in bed and play on my phone?"
While unpacking her takeout, Ye Tinglan complained to the camera, "Not everyone is like you, able to get out of bed before seven in the morning no matter what."
"I'm just an ordinary person who's prone to all sorts of disordered routines. I only get up to wait for takeout when I'm hungry."
Li Ye logged into his computer email, downloaded the received attachment to his local computer, opened the file sent by Zhou Yuan and began reading it, then randomly picked up a bag of jelly.
"I didn't say what time you have to get up. It's normal for everyone's schedule to be different. The main thing is to maintain a relatively stable routine, including the time and frequency of meals."
"Sister Lanlan, do you have a live broadcast tonight?"
The sweet and sour pork ribs I ordered today looked pretty good and tasted great too. Ye Tinglan first took a small bite of the brunch dishes, then silently turned on her tablet to play a TV series. She's a person who can multitask.
"I'm referring to the fact that we always schedule a time to talk on the phone, and of course I know that we have a stable schedule. But knowing is one thing, but putting it into practice is another, not to mention how much freedom my line of work offers in terms of time and money."
"It's not me who's going to do a live stream tonight, it's the streamer Anzhi who's going to do a live stream, don't get confused."
It was clear that Zhou Yuan hadn't spent much time preparing the materials. The document itself wasn't very large, and Li Ye quickly finished reading it. He also had some ideas about buying a house and took out paper and pen to start analyzing his needs.
"So, no one has noticed yet? You've been in the voice acting business for several years now, you could be considered a senior, right? I think I heard you say a while ago that you took on a voice acting role for the female lead in an anime."
"I told you I usually have a fixed voice, and I usually don't get noticed unless I tell others. You're the one who's ridiculous! You only heard a few words from both sides and you were sure it was the same person, and this unlucky guy really is."
"I've been doing voice acting for several years, so I guess I have some skill, but I'm still clearly a step behind those senior veterans. To be honest, the most famous work I've voiced, according to my introduction on the website, is probably your game 'Flower Tears,' but that was the first game I worked on when I first entered the voice acting industry."
"As for the female lead you mentioned, it's a dubbed version of a foreign animation, not many people care about that. Nowadays, most people watch the original version. I took this job mainly to learn and gain experience."
"It's not too bad now. I can use my voice acting background to do live streams, singing, chatting, playing games, and watching TV. There aren't many viewers, but it's mainly about providing companionship, since it's easy to get bored in a big city."
"Alright, that's enough about me. Didn't you have something to say?"
Li Ye briefly summarized the events of the past two days to Ye Tinglan, and then tried to explain her feelings.
"How can a confession be so simplistic? Your rejection was the right choice; these kinds of things shouldn't be taken so lightly."
"Um?"
"It's not about how grand it has to be, but the occasion. The occasion for the confession should at least match the atmosphere of the two main characters. Even my ex-boyfriends, when they asked me out, the worst one of them had a bouquet of roses in his hand."
Ye Tinglan slid the video progress bar on her tablet. This episode was about the male lead confessing his love to the female lead in public, and the scene she had prepared in advance was both beautiful and romantic.
Li Ye listed the requirements and priorities for the area where the house was located on the draft paper, and the next item was the requirements for the house itself.
“I understand what you mean, but I feel like he’s just confessing his feelings, in the most basic sense, expressing his feelings to me. He called this morning and was talking about pursuing me, and then at noon he said something that was very similar to a confession.”
Ye Tinglan pulled back the progress bar and continued playing the scene in the TV series where the female lead shyly agreed to be with the male lead.
"So you're just not used to the sudden change in your relationship? After all, I didn't sense that you disliked your childhood friend; at least you had quite a bit of affection for him."
"I do have feelings for them, but the complicated part is on my end."
"Just because you're an adopted orphan?"
"It's me who's bothered by that!"
"Then there are only two possibilities: you either don't like him enough, or you like him too much. Do you know which one you are?"
After quickly finishing the last bite of her meal, Ye Tinglan threw the takeout box into the trash can, exited the video, closed the tablet, tidied up the table in front of her, placed her makeup products on it, and then quickly went to the bathroom to wash her face. She was preparing her makeup for the evening's live stream.
No one spoke during that time. Li Ye had asked someone to talk to her about this in order to figure out exactly what her feelings for Zhou Yuan were. She put down the paper and pen she was using to design the room and began to look through her not-so-distant memories.
"I first felt that I liked someone when I was fourteen. At that time, I judged that it was due to the influence of growth hormones during puberty and the psychological phenomenon caused by a sudden event. After that, it was the college entrance examination and going to university in Shanghai. It was more like my one-sided delusion."
"An emergency?"
"It's during the school anniversary celebration that the two of us go on stage together to perform. Theoretically, I wouldn't be in that performance."
"Then what?"
"Then when I went to college, he was in high school. Apart from the winter and summer vacations each year, we hardly had any face-to-face communication. There were exceptions, though. For example, the theme song and background music for 'Flower Tears' were done with his help."
"Didn't you write and sing the theme song yourself? No, he also composed and arranged it?"
"He also played the music, and that was pretty much it until he came of age, so would you say I have a lot of goodwill towards him?"
"This kid does have some talent, and the fact that he hasn't done anything reckless is a plus." Ye Tinglan picked up on the key words: "Before adulthood? Nothing happened after he became an adult? I don't believe it."
"After becoming an adult, I clearly felt the hidden crisis beneath the surface of both families. It was difficult to face either one, so I had no choice but to close my heart and focus on my studies. From then until last night, I did not feel that kind of affection when we were together."
"Hiss—! I always knew you could be ruthless to yourself, but I never expected you to go this far."
"In that case, the answer to the problem can only be found by you and him together. My advice is to experience the process of being pursued, relax, be natural, and you will know what to do in time."
"We're in the ambiguous stage before falling in love, so let's enjoy it."
Taking out the daily schedule, Li Ye drew an extension symbol after "emotional counseling," and said, "The result is just casual advice, I understand."
"Then comes the second topic I want to talk about, the limited-time comeback project of 'Flower Tears' and the invitation for the four of us to meet."
"I don't have any problem with it. You've always wanted to go out and have fun with the rest of us, haven't you? You still want to do it after all these years. You're really something." Ye Tinglan sometimes had to admire Li Ye's persistence in wanting to accomplish something.
"The game project is still just some ideas, the party is what you've always wanted to do, but these are two separate things."
Li Ye then dropped a bombshell, saying, "I will buy a house in Shanghai after the New Year. Including the time for renovation and ventilation, we can all meet at my house around October next year."
"Of course, if we can't move into the house on time, I'll rent a villa in Shanghai first, still next October, and I'll invite you all to come and have fun."
"I'll say it again, Li Ye, you're the ruthless one."
The two sides had a video call that lasted for about an hour. As Yao Yao had requested, Li Ye also sent a summary of the important points of the call to the Witch's House group chat. Finally, he also sent a group announcement about the game plan and the gathering.
It was 3 PM, still during working hours, so the group chat was only filled with Li Ye's output. Suddenly, a bunch of messages popped up and made her summary disappear.
Yao Yao Pills: I've really had enough!
Yao Yao Pills: That parachuted-in leader who got in through connections
Yao Yao Pills: It's so obvious that she's mixing personal interests into her work.
Yao Yao Pills: It feels like our project is doomed.
Yao Yao Pills: Someone already ran away last week.
Yao Yao Pills: I also want to run away with my bucket.
Yao Yao Pills: After thinking about it, I'd better get my year-end bonus first.
Yao Yao Pills: Make sure to use up all your annual leave before you leave.
Upon seeing these messages, Li Ye felt a moment of relief that he wasn't working, but then quickly remembered that being a freelancer also meant working at any time, such as the late nights and late mornings he used to stay up all night trying to catch up on updates.
After closing the chat interface, Yao Yao just needed a place to vent, and Li Ye believed she could recover quickly.
The warm casserole was very popular in the evening, and Li Ye enjoyed it immensely. Her good mood lasted until she went to bed. When she checked her phone for the last time that day, Zeng Yuan had replied to her message.
〇〇: I saw the message you sent me.
〇〇: Still reading group messages
〇〇: Landed this morning
〇〇: The meeting is scheduled for two days later.
〇〇: I have two tickets to an art exhibition.
〇〇: It's a full-day date
〇〇: Finished reading the group messages
〇〇: I agree too.
〇〇: We'll discuss the details when we meet.
The message didn't need a reply. Li Ye turned off his phone, placed it on the bedside table, turned off the light, and went to sleep.
Two days later, it was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for a date. The agreed time was nine o'clock. As usual, Li Ye got up, had breakfast, and returned to his bedroom to prepare for the whole day of their date.
The temperature isn't that low, so you can dress lightly and go to an art exhibition. Your hairstyle should match your overall look, so try a half-updo with the other half down for a more sophisticated look. Make up your face with a gentle and elegant makeup style, and add a few accessories for extra flair.
This outfit gets an S rating; you're the kind of beautiful person who will attract attention when you go out shopping. Your face gets a 90 out of 100, making you stand out and unforgettable.
After getting ready, Li Ye slung his bag over his shoulder and headed out. He ran into Zhou Yuan at the elevator entrance once again, but this time he was the one coming up, carrying a package box, which should contain the mouse that had arrived today.
Zhou Yuan clearly noticed that Li Ye had dressed up specially, making him more charming and eye-catching than when he had seen him before.
"Did Li go out on business?"
"Yes, it's a date."
His response was Li Ye standing in the elevator, smiling and waving goodbye.
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