Troublesome – Chapter 20

Supervision

I can help supervise.

Jin Shuilan turned off the car’s Bluetooth and reopened her phone. The file was already paused. The scene was preceded by a long passage of description and atmospheric buildup, but Lu Zhenqiu had recorded her part directly, omitting the beginning. As a result, it sounded incredibly stimulating right from the start.

In truth, Jin Shuilan had listened to her fair share of bed scenes. She had even heard Lu Zhenqiu’s before; many versions with various voice actors had circulated in the past.

But this was different.

The feeling was different.

This was sent to her by Lu Zhenqiu.

Just moments ago.

A scorching, scalding emotion swept over her, making her body flush with heat. Her heart was about to leap out of her throat, thump, thump, thumping wildly. The hand holding her phone felt weak, nearly dropping it onto the seat. Jin Shuilan took two deep breaths, only to find that it didn’t suppress the wave of heat. Instead, her face began to burn.

Helpless, she got out of the car. A cool breeze blew over, bringing some relief and allowing her to barely suppress some of her emotions. However, when she glanced at her phone, a fiery light still flickered in the depths of her eyes.

Jin Shuilan didn’t listen to the recording again. She didn’t open it again before her meeting with the editor-in-chief of Mi Qi¹ to discuss their collaboration. They had arranged to meet at a coffee shop. Mi Qi’s editor-in-chief was named Chen Hong². She was in her thirties and appeared steady, intellectual, and possessed a deep sense of substance. When she saw Jin Shuilan walk in, she stood up to greet her, “Teacher Jin.”

Then she asked, “What would you like to drink?”

Jin Shuilan tilted her head and ordered a coffee, then asked the waitress to get one to-go for her. Chen Hong smiled. “Teacher Jin is very fond of this coffee shop?”

“No,” Jin Shuilan said with a smile. “I have a friend at home. It’s for her.”

As she said the word “friend,” her gaze and expression softened, and her tone was different from when she had first walked in.

Chen Hong nodded, observing her. It was common knowledge that Jin Shuilan was single. There was no shortage of people in their circle who had shown interest in her, and a few pursuits had even caused quite a stir. But Jin Shuilan had never paid them any mind. Not only that, but some of her dismissive maneuvers were classic “terminally straight woman” behavior—the kind that suggested she’d never find a partner in this lifetime. Chen Hong had done her research before coming to discuss this collaboration, but she hadn’t expected to see such a soft side to Jin Shuilan.

This friend.

Is no simple character.

Playing to her interests, Chen Hong asked with a smile, “A friend of Teacher Jin’s? Then she must be a very outstanding person as well.”

Thinking of Lu Zhenqiu, Jin Shuilan nodded. “She is indeed more outstanding than me.”

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Chen Hong seemed to have grasped some sort of trick. During their conversation, she kept bringing up this friend. Although Jin Shuilan knew what she was up to, she still said a few more words upon hearing someone praise Lu Zhenqiu. The two chatted happily. Chen Hong found the right moment to push the contract over. “Well then, Teacher Jin, would you have a moment to look over the contract?”

Jin Shuilan took it and looked down. Chen Hong said, “Teacher Jin, rest assured, this is our first collaboration, so the terms might not be the best yet. But I guarantee that the terms for future collaborations will be better than this.”

It was a typical industry promise of a bigger pie³, and Jin Shuilan had been fed countless of them. But this time, she was willing to take a bite. Jin Shuilan nodded slightly. “Alright, I’ll take it back and look it over.”

“Ah!” Chen Hong said. “Then please contact me anytime if there’s anything you don’t understand, Teacher Jin.”

Jin Shuilan agreed.

After leaving the coffee shop, she carried two cups of coffee, one of them iced. Unsurprisingly, she received a call from Ji Zibo after getting in the car. Ji Zibo opened with, “Planning to work with Mi Qi?”

Jin Shuilan laughed. “News certainly travels fast.”

“Of course,” Ji Zibo said. “The whole circle is watching you right now. They all want to know if you’ll compromise with your old employer or find a new magazine.”

Jin Shuilan spoke, “Compromise?”

She truly rarely compromised on anything.

Ji Zibo laughed too. “I know you won’t compromise, of course. But be prepared. Since you agreed to meet with Mi Qi, the other magazines will understand your intentions. You’ll definitely have no shortage of offers during this time.”

Jin Shuilan pressed a hand to her head. “Got it.”

Hearing her lack of energy, Ji Zibo asked, “Also, what about Qiuqiu’s recording? Is she coming to the studio?”

Jin Shuilan thought for a moment. “I’ll go back and ask her.”

“Alright,” Ji Zibo said. “The studio is in the city anyway, it’s not far.”

Jin Shuilan hummed in agreement and hung up.

She didn’t put her phone down. Instead, she tapped into her chat with Lu Zhenqiu. The file hadn’t finished downloading yet. Jin Shuilan took a sip of her iced coffee, the chill shooting through her body, suppressing the surging emotions and restlessness.

The car was quiet. Her finger tapped the screen, and the file expanded. A black screen popped up, and then the sound began. Lu Zhenqiu’s voice was low and slow. A light tone was followed by a trailing note, which rose at the end like a hook, instantly snagging all of Jin Shuilan’s emotions. The voice was like a siren’s, drilling through her eardrums and whispering temptations right next to her ear.

“Just like that…”

The voice rose, and every emotion tensed. Her body was on the verge of collapse, every gap between her bones yielding in response. Her blood was stained with a high temperature, boiling. All the skin on her body, including her pores, tightened.

It was followed by a high-pitched cry.

Tinged with a sob, the final note was drawn out, carrying with it an infinite satisfaction.

The back of Jin Shuilan’s ears burned red-hot. Her tense body had yet to relax. She clutched the cup of iced coffee, the heat from her palm scorching. She forced herself to calmly take a sip, but the cool sensation had already turned scalding as it slid down her throat, burning her so much that a fine sweat broke out on her forehead and her back was soaked.

Thank god no one is here.

Jin Shuilan felt utterly disheveled at that moment. She immediately opened the car door, not forgetting to save the file before getting out. Outside, the cold wind whooshed past, the chill hitting her face, yet it couldn’t dissipate the heat inside her body.

When she got home, Lu Zhenqiu hadn’t started her livestream yet. She was eating. Hearing the sound of Jin Shuilan entering, her hand paused. She peeked out and called out a little sheepishly, “Teacher Jin.”

She must have listened to the file. She saw that it was downloaded.

Lu Zhenqiu’s face was slightly red, but Jin Shuilan’s expression was normal. Heaven knew how long she had stood downstairs in the cold wind, applying foundation to compose herself before coming in. Jin Shuilan asked, “Haven’t started the stream yet?”

“In a little while.” Lu Zhenqiu gave a faint smile, her gaze averted, looking a bit embarrassed. Jin Shuilan didn’t look at her directly either, instead sitting on the sofa. Maomao obediently walked over to her, rested on her lap, and nuzzled its head against Jin Shuilan’s hand.

Lu Zhenqiu asked, “Teacher Jin, have you had lunch?”

It’s almost four o’clock, of course she’s eaten. Lu Zhenqiu felt she had just asked a stupid question. Jin Shuilan said, “I’ve eaten.” After speaking, she got up, walked over to Lu Zhenqiu, and handed her the coffee. Lu Zhenqiu said softly, “Thank you, Teacher Jin.”

Jin Shuilan smiled.

The doorbell suddenly rang. Jin Shuilan glanced at Lu Zhenqiu, who was still eating, and said, “I’ll get the door. You finish eating.”

Lu Zhenqiu was almost done anyway. She put down her bowl and chopsticks and peeked over. It was a delivery, probably something she had bought earlier. Lu Zhenqiu hurried to Jin Shuilan’s side and took the package. Her name was on it, but Jin Shuilan had already signed for her.

“What did you buy?” Jin Shuilan asked. Lu Zhenqiu opened it and said, “Some small decorations.”

As she spoke, she took out all the decorative items from inside. Jin Shuilan helped carry some of them. The two walked into Lu Zhenqiu’s room. Lu Zhenqiu hung some colored lights along the edge of the bay window. She said to Jin Shuilan, “Don’t worry, Teacher Jin, this can be pulled off. It can be torn off directly later without damaging the wallpaper.”

Jin Shuilan nodded, watching her bustle about. Besides some decorations, there was also a blanket, a stand for a ring light, and a few vacuum-packed plush dolls. Now exposed to the air, they rapidly expanded to be half a person tall. Jin Shuilan casually picked one up; it was soft to the touch.

Lu Zhenqiu took the items out of the delivery box one by one and put them in their places. Jin Shuilan looked around. Not many things had been added, but it felt distinctly different from before.

It was cozier, more like a proper room. She leaned against Lu Zhenqiu’s computer desk, and with a tilt of her head, she saw a notebook next to the computer. The notebook was open, filled with densely packed small characters. Jin Shuilan’s sharp eyes spotted a familiar name. She pointed to the notebook. “Did you write this last night?”

Lu Zhenqiu looked up, following her gaze, and smiled sheepishly. “Mhm, I hadn’t read that novel, and I was afraid I wouldn’t get the emotions right when recording, so I stayed up all night reading it.”

A soft light entered Jin Shuilan’s eyes as she looked at her. No wonder Lu Zhenqiu had woken up so late this morning. It turned out she had stayed up all night reading the novel. Not only had she read it, she had also taken notes.

For just one bed scene, she’s quite meticulous.

Jin Shuilan asked her, “What did you think of it after reading?”

Lu Zhenqiu had just finished tidying up. She sat down in front of her computer, which was still off. The screen reflected the images of the two of them. Jin Shuilan was leaning back against the desk, her head tilted. When Lu Zhenqiu looked up, she happened to see a hint of a smile in those eyes. She relaxed her body and said, “It’s very good, very captivating. But the overall style is very oppressive, and the protagonist’s way of thinking is too extreme.”

That’s Bai Mao’s writing style.

Lu Zhenqiu added shyly, “Also… there are too many bed scenes.”

Jin Shuilan asked, “You don’t like voicing bed scenes?”

Lu Zhenqiu opened her mouth to explain, “It’s not that I don’t like it. Actually, bed scenes are just like any other scene; they’re necessary for the script.”

A very thorough understanding. It would have been more convincing if her face wasn’t completely red. Jin Shuilan glanced at her expression, then lowered her head and smiled. “Then which part in this book do you think is the most intense?”

Without a second thought, Lu Zhenqiu replied, “It should be the part where the two of them reunite.”

Jin Shuilan pondered, “The reunion?”

Lu Zhenqiu nodded and turned on her computer. “I’ll find it for you to see.”

After speaking, she logged into the website, clicked on that novel by Bai Mao, and found the reunion scene from memory. That scene was probably the most intense and stimulating in the entire novel.

Jin Shuilan followed her lead and looked at the webpage she had opened, her eyes narrowing slightly. Lu Zhenqiu asked, “Teacher Jin, are you nearsighted?”

“Mhm.” Jin Shuilan rubbed her eyes and heard Lu Zhenqiu say, “Although this part is the most intense, it’s also the scene with the biggest emotional fluctuations in the whole novel. It’s also an emotional turning point for the protagonist. I think it’s the hardest part to record.”

Jin Shuilan nodded. “Then do you want to give this part a try?”

“Try this part?” Lu Zhenqiu said. “The emotions in this scene need to erupt completely. I’m not sure I can grasp it.”

Jin Shuilan said, “If you can’t grasp it, you can re-record. I can help supervise.”

Lu Zhenqiu nodded. “Alright, then I’ll try.”

After speaking, she glanced sideways at Jin Shuilan and said, “Thank you, Teacher Jin, for helping to supervise.”

“No need,” Jin Shuilan said.

Her tone was light, without much fluctuation, but the base of her ears behind her hair had long since turned completely red. She touched her earlobe, and the heat stung her fingertip.

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The author has something to say:

Thirty red envelopes, muah muah.

Jin Shuilan: I’m very good at supervising and whatnot.

Lu Zhenqiu: Put your hand down before you say that.

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