Troublesome – Chapter 26

Okay

Teacher Jin, can you turn on your mic?

Ji Zibo was trying to stifle her laughter the entire way into the studio. Jin Shuilan walked in with a grim expression, her sharp gaze fixed on Ji Zibo, who was already used to it. What she wasn’t used to, however, was hearing Jin Shuilan say something like that.

What happened to being cold and proud, lofty and unapproachable?

Teacher Jin, the way you’re acting right now is really making people—find you cute! The contrast was just too great. Ji Zibo had known Jin Shuilan for years, but she had never seen her in love. For so many years, the only person who had ever made her heart flutter was Lu Zhenqiu, and even that had been intercepted midway. After that, her temper became even more unpredictable, her words laced with sarcasm. If something displeased her, she would retort directly, which gradually earned her a reputation for having a bad temper.

She truly never expected this woman to be like this when in love. Although they weren’t together yet, Ji Zibo could already imagine it. She would undoubtedly be a childish, jealous person. If Lu Zhenqiu so much as exchanged a few words with Tang Yingxia, Jin Shuilan would probably sit beside them and sulk for two hours before making a couple of awkward, sarcastic remarks.

The more she thought about it, the more she looked forward to it. Her eyes shone brighter as she looked at Lu Zhenqiu. Lu Zhenqiu felt inexplicably stared at and turned her head. “Is something wrong, Teacher Ji?”

“It’s nothing.” Ji Zibo sat down next to her. A sharp gaze drifted over, and she scooted sideways, putting a little distance between herself and Lu Zhenqiu. “Have you finished looking over the contract?”

Lu Zhenqiu nodded. “More or less. It’s just this voice acting fee…”

It was too high. She remembered that voice acting for a main character used to be eight hundred per episode, and now it had risen to fifteen hundred? And she was just a supporting character. Wasn’t this a bit much? Or was she just out of touch with the current market rates?

Ji Zibo said, “Oh, that. You have a lot of lines in the drama, and you’re a major supporting character, so your fee is based on the rate for a main character. We’ve already discussed it with them, and they had no objections. Do you?”

Lu Zhenqiu shook her head. How could she have any objections? She just felt that after being away for two years, the prices had skyrocketed. But since no one else had an issue, she went ahead and signed her name.

Ji Zibo took the contract, signed it as well, and asked Lu Zhenqiu, “When are you available for promotional activities?”

Lu Zhenqiu said, “Any time works. I can cooperate whenever.”

Ji Zibo nodded. “Alright, then. You’ve just returned to the scene, so many fans aren’t familiar with you. Record a short skit for me as soon as you can—I’ll send you the script in a bit. And before the official recording begins, I’d like to do an online live stream, right here in our studio. You can interact more with the two main voice actors then…”

Lu Zhenqiu listened intently, even jotting things down in a notebook. Jin Shuilan glanced up, taking in her calm side profile. Her eyes were slightly lowered, her eyelashes thick and curly. She wasn’t wearing eyeliner, and the corners of her eyes had a natural, narrow upward tilt. As she looked down at her notes, her tranquility held a faint illusion of laziness. After Ji Zibo had chatted with Lu Zhenqiu for a good half-hour and explained everything, she said, “If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask Teacher Jin directly.”

“Oh, okay.” Lu Zhenqiu turned to look at Jin Shuilan, her expression not as reserved as it had been with Ji Zibo; she seemed much more relaxed. Jin Shuilan smiled, walked over, and squeezed in between Ji Zibo and Lu Zhenqiu. She sat down. “What don’t you understand?”

Ji Zibo let out a low “tsk,” stood up, and moved away from them. Lu Zhenqiu said, “Nothing yet.”

Ji Zibo had just explained everything very clearly. Lu Zhenqiu remembered her first voice acting job, also a supporting role. From the scriptwriter to the director, no one was very familiar with the industry, and their grasp of the script was a muddled mess. They had fumbled their way through the recording process, and naturally, the result wasn’t very good. She had worked with others since then, but few were as meticulous as Ji Zibo, who had even explained the character’s emotional changes to her in detail.

This must be because of Jin Shuilan.

Lu Zhenqiu was very grateful. She closed her notebook and said to Jin Shuilan, “Teacher Jin, would you like some milk tea? I saw a shop nearby just now.”

“Okay.” Jin Shuilan glanced at Ji Zibo. “Get her a cup too.”

Lu Zhenqiu smiled. “Of course. What flavors would you two teachers like?”

Jin Shuilan said, “Anything is fine.”

Lu Zhenqiu nodded. “Then I’ll pick something.”

With a smile, she left the studio. As she walked out the main door, she noticed that the studio across from theirs had opened, but she was too preoccupied to pay it much mind. However, someone in that studio spotted her.

“Lu Zhenqiu?” Lu Yan tugged on Yu Wen’s hand. “That’s Lu Zhenqiu, right?”

Yu Wen followed her gaze. Lu Zhenqiu was wearing a long, light-blue trench coat over a shirt and slim-fit jeans. She wasn’t wearing high heels, but her figure was still tall and slender. The jeans looked as if they were made for a model, her legs shapely, her calves long and straight. Under the trench coat was a white lace-trimmed blouse, which made her skin look as fair and radiant as jade. The sunlight outside cast a halo around her, and her side profile was exquisite. No wonder Tang Yingxia refused to break up with her.

She asked Lu Yan, “What is she doing here?”

It definitely wasn’t for Tang Yingxia’s crew. Yu Wen was a minor investor in this project and knew all the voice actors. Lu Yan said, “I don’t know. Probably for the studio opposite us.”

Yu Wen frowned. “Whose crew is that?”

Lu Yan had also just finished signing her contract. She pulled aside a staff member and asked, “Which production is across from us?”

“The one opposite?” The staff member smiled a little shyly. “That’s Teacher Jin’s.”

Lu Yan shot up from her seat. “Whose?”

The staff member was confused. “Teacher Jin’s.”

“Jin Shuilan?” In this circle, there didn’t seem to be anyone else who could be addressed as Teacher Jin. The staff member smiled and nodded. “Yes, Teacher Jin Shuilan.”

Lu Yan’s expression darkened, her eyelids drooping in clear displeasure. The staff member glanced at her, didn’t dare to say another word, and left with their head down. Yu Wen was also puzzled. “Weren’t the main voice actors for Teacher Jin’s radio drama officially announced a long time ago?”

They were two very famous voice actors in the industry. What did that have to do with Lu Zhenqiu?

Lu Yan said, “Maybe she’s a supporting character. Some unknown D-list¹ actor. She’s quite capable, though, to have already managed to suck up to Teacher Ji.”

Yu Wen said nothing, merely glancing in the direction Lu Zhenqiu had gone. She had sent Lu Zhenqiu a friend request, but it was never accepted. Later, she had unintentionally clicked on Lu Zhenqiu’s Weibo and discovered she had been blocked. That day, when Lu Yan had asked her to join the PK battle, she hadn’t thought much of it. She was willing to spend some money to let Lu Yan—and herself—vent some frustration. Who would have thought they’d run into a whale²?

But for a whale to be willing to spend that much money, their relationship was probably not entirely proper.

There were rumors that she was being kept by that whale, but she never mentioned this to Tang Yingxia. Yu Wen snapped back to her senses and said, “Don’t tell Tang Yingxia that Lu Zhenqiu is in the studio next door.”

Lu Yan nodded. “It’s not like I have nothing better to do.”

She looked across the way, her eyes burning. Finally, she said, “But I do actually have something to discuss with Teacher Ji. I’ll head over for a bit.”

Yu Wen knew she was aiming for the lead role in Jin Shuilan’s next radio drama; rumors were already circulating in the industry. She didn’t stop her. The fact that Lu Yan was telling her this openly meant she was being transparent, which was much more comforting than if she had run off to curry favor secretly. Besides, the person she had wanted to get close to most was Jin Shuilan. If Lu Yan could build a connection first, perhaps she could help bridge the gap for her.

Lu Yan smiled and walked out of their studio, heading to the one next door.

When Lu Zhenqiu returned with the milk tea, she saw that there was an extra person in the studio—and a familiar one at that. Lu Yan didn’t notice her; she was busy laughing and chatting with Ji Zibo. “Teacher Ji, good morning.”

Ji Zibo turned her head and smiled. “Lu Yan? You’re in the studio next door?”

Lu Yan nodded. “Yes, I am. I can’t believe we rented the studio right next to yours, Teacher Ji. My luck is so good, I should go buy a lottery ticket.”

As she spoke, she snuck a glance at Jin Shuilan, who was sitting several meters away, looking out the window. The light glinted off her gold-rimmed glasses, giving off a cold shimmer. When she wasn’t smiling, she looked extremely serious, her features deep-set and sharp, making it impossible to tell if she was in a good mood or not.

Lu Yan had actually wanted to greet Jin Shuilan when she came in, but seeing her like this, the words caught in her throat. She simply nodded and smiled. “Teacher Jin.”

Jin Shuilan gave a nearly imperceptible nod in acknowledgment.

Lu Yan didn’t dare say more and continued chatting with Ji Zibo. They were still talking when Lu Zhenqiu entered the studio. She walked over and handed the milk tea to Jin Shuilan.

Jin Shuilan tilted her head up slightly. Her gaze, hidden behind her glasses, was soft as she asked Lu Zhenqiu, “Is it cold outside?”

“It’s fine,” Lu Zhenqiu said. “The milk tea is hot. I added an extra portion of coconut jelly. See if you like it.”

Jin Shuilan liked coconut jelly in her milk tea. This was something she had mentioned in an interview once. Lu Zhenqiu had spent the first two days after moving in binge-watching many of her interviews to learn her habits, so she knew a few things. Jin Shuilan pierced the seal with the straw, took a sip, and nodded at Lu Zhenqiu. “It’s very sweet.”

Lu Zhenqiu blinked. “You don’t like it?”

Jin Shuilan took another sip. “I like it,” she said flatly.

Lu Zhenqiu didn’t notice that when she said those two words, her voice was taut and a pitch lower than usual. After speaking, Jin Shuilan glanced at Lu Zhenqiu and saw her looking down, sipping her own milk tea, showing no reaction at all. She couldn’t help but lower her gaze.

Over on the other side, Lu Yan had finished her chat and came over to greet them. “Qiuqiu.”

Lu Zhenqiu really didn’t want to deal with her, but they were on the same platform and in the same industry circle. They were bound to run into each other. Lu Zhenqiu looked up. “Morning.”

Lu Yan said, “Morning. Are you here for voice acting too?”

“Mhm,” Lu Zhenqiu replied. “You too?”

Before Lu Yan could answer, her phone rang. She took it out, and Lu Zhenqiu saw the name “Tang Yingxia” on the screen. She averted her gaze. Lu Yan said, “I’m just next door. Come find me when you’re free. I’ll head back now.”

Lu Zhenqiu nodded.

Lu Yan took two steps, then turned back. “About that incident on the website last time, I’m sorry.”

Her attitude was quite sincere, completely unlike the person who had tried to make things difficult for her on the website, or the one who had tried to embarrass her at the hotel. After speaking, Lu Yan glanced at Jin Shuilan, lowered her head, and left.

Lu Zhenqiu clutched her milk tea cup, her good mood completely gone. What a coincidence. The studio right next to theirs was for Tang Yingxia’s radio drama. She had already guessed it when she saw Lu Yan, but hearing Lu Yan confirm it still left her feeling a bit down. Jin Shuilan watched her expression and took a sip of her milk tea.

Suddenly, it didn’t seem so sweet anymore.

---

On the way back, Jin Shuilan asked, “Do you know Tang Yingxia?”

Lu Zhenqiu turned her head, thought for a moment, and said, “I used to. Not anymore.”

She wasn’t even sure if she had ever clearly known this person. Lu Zhenqiu gazed out the window and narrowed her eyes. Jin Shuilan only gave her a faint glance and said no more. The car fell silent. After they got home, Lu Zhenqiu fed Maomao and was about to head into the kitchen to cook when Jin Shuilan said, “I ordered takeout. You don’t need to cook.”

Lu Zhenqiu said, “Oh.” After a moment, she glanced at Jin Shuilan. Was it her imagination, or did Jin Shuilan seem to be in a bad mood? Was it because Tang Yingxia was in the studio next door? She had always heard Tang Yingxia say she disliked Jin Shuilan, but she never knew how Jin Shuilan felt about Tang Yingxia. Could it be that she disliked her too? Is that why she was unhappy when she heard Tang Yingxia’s crew was next door?

She hugged a pillow and let her thoughts wander. Jin Shuilan sat on the sofa, scrolling through Weibo for a while. Nothing major was happening, but before she logged off, she used her main account to follow Lu Zhenqiu.

A few seconds later, she added Lu Zhenqiu to her special follows.

When lunch arrived, Lu Zhenqiu received the script from Ji Zibo. After accepting the file, she remembered that she still hadn’t sent the audio clip she recorded to Jin Shuilan. During the meal, she said, “Teacher Jin, about that clip I recorded earlier, I don’t think I’ve sent it to you yet.”

Jin Shuilan, holding her chopsticks, paused for a moment before recovering. “Mhm, send it to me after we eat.”

“Okay,” Lu Zhenqiu chirped.

Halfway through the meal, Jin Shuilan took a long phone call. Lu Zhenqiu finished eating, but Jin Shuilan still hadn’t returned, so she went back to her room first, took a nap, and then chatted idly in a group with Hua Luo and Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu posted: 【@Lu Zhenqiu, are you free tonight?】

Lu Zhenqiu: 【What’s up?】

Xiao Yu: 【Want to link up and play some games tonight?】

Hua Luo: 【Why are you suddenly asking Qiuqiu to play games?】

Xiao Yu: 【Don’t even get me started. There’s a new streamer in the gaming section, don’t know her. The manager asked me to show her the ropes. Last time, I saw her interacting with Lu Yan, so I figured I might as well help out Qiuqiu instead of some random person.】

Lu Zhenqiu: 【Can I even do that since I’m in the entertainment section?】

Xiao Yu: 【It’s fine, we’ll just play for an hour or two. Don’t you have that feature where fans can request you to play games with them? I’ll get my fans to request you, and we can link up.】

Lu Zhenqiu: 【Alright then.】

Xiao Yu continued to chatter in the group, and the conversation drifted to Hua Luo’s new novel. Hua Luo asked Lu Zhenqiu: 【When is Teacher Jin starting her new book? I need to time it so we don’t clash.】

When Jin Shuilan released a new book, it was no joke. She got all the major recommendations, and her fans were fierce when it came to boosting her rankings. So, upon hearing she was starting a new novel, all the authors would avoid the one-month period before and after her release. Lu Zhenqiu hadn’t heard anything from Jin Shuilan. She replied: 【I don’t know, she hasn’t said anything.】

Hua Luo: 【Ask her for me next time.】

Lu Zhenqiu: 【Got it.】

Hua Luo: 【Love you!】

A layer of goosebumps rose on Lu Zhenqiu’s skin. She procrastinated until just past four o’clock, then started her live stream on time. As she shared the link to her Weibo, she noticed a familiar name among her new followers. She stared at it for several moments before confirming that it really was Jin Shuilan.

Jin Shuilan had over two million followers. Her username was nothing special, just her pen name. She clicked into her Weibo profile and saw that Jin Shuilan’s feed was mostly just reposts.

Radio drama promotions, repost.

Physical book release, repost.

Fan lottery, repost.

Scrolling down, the only original posts were announcements for new books. However, she had posted one a few days ago. It had only two words: Happy 【Cute】.

She actually uses cute emojis. Lu Zhenqiu saw readers exclaiming in the comments, asking what she was so happy about, but Jin Shuilan hadn’t replied to any of them. Lu Zhenqiu checked the date and realized it was the day before she had moved in.

She must have had a reason to be happy.

Lu Zhenqiu didn’t dwell on it. She casually liked the post, followed her back, and also followed Ji Zibo and the other teachers from the production team, only to find that they had all already followed her.

She didn’t have many followers, her count always hovering around forty or fifty thousand. It had only risen to one hundred thousand in the few days she’d been here, but the people who usually interacted with her were the same familiar IDs. After sharing the link, Lu Zhenqiu returned to her stream room, where her fans were already chatting away. She answered their questions one by one and saw a comment in the bullet chat: 【I just saw that Qiuqiu and Teacher Jin are mutuals! And she’s mutuals with Teacher Ji too! Could it be the radio drama that was mentioned before???】

Are they that sharp? They noticed the moment she followed them. Lu Zhenqiu chuckled and said, “Wait for the official announcement.”

【Ooooh! I get it!】

【Family, this is great news!】

【Is Qiuqiu really going back to voice acting? For real? Is it for Teacher Jin’s novel? Holy crap! I’m ecstatic!】

Lu Zhenqiu saw the chat going completely off-topic and tried to steer it back, but her attempts were futile. It wasn’t until after a PK battle that things calmed down a bit. She was up against a newcomer, also from the entertainment section. They had a singing battle, but the comments on Lu Zhenqiu’s side were constantly asking if the Boss was here, why the Boss was so slow today, and if the Boss had a Weibo. Lu Zhenqiu pressed her lips together. The first PK battle ended in a lively atmosphere. She lost, and her punishment was to wear a cat face filter.

When Jin Shuilan entered the live stream, she saw Lu Zhenqiu with a cat face filter on. The filter had a blank space in the middle, and Lu Zhenqiu’s face fit perfectly inside it, complete with long whiskers and two fluffy ears on her head. It was truly adorable.

She stared at the Lu Zhenqiu on the screen, listening to her voice, which now sounded like a cat’s meow. A tingling, itchy feeling crept into her heart. Jin Shuilan opened her phone, intending to message Lu Zhenqiu, when she saw the file she had sent over—the audio clip from last night. She hadn’t even opened it yet, but her heart was already racing.

Lu Zhenqiu lost three rounds in a row and had to wear the cat face for half an hour. The fans were dying of laughter, turning screenshots into all sorts of reaction stickers and spamming them in the chat while calling for the Boss. Seeing that the Boss hadn’t appeared, Lu Zhenqiu breathed a sigh of relief. As the PK was about to end, someone came in and requested a gaming session. She said, “Alright, then I’ll link up with Xiao Yu for a bit?”

【Yes, yes! Beauties should play with beauties!】

【Qiuqiu, come here!】

【Qiuqiu, you’re so cute, can I take you home to sleep? I want to raise monkeys for you!³】

【Xiao Qi】 has been muted for two hours by moderator 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】.

As this message scrolled by, the bullet chat instantly exploded.

【The Boss is here!】

【Good afternoon, Boss! That’s what you get for pushing your luck, locked in the little black room, huh? @Xiao Qi】

【@Xiao Qi, sis, hahahahahahahahahaha, why must you dance on the Boss’s last nerve?】

【Who’s shipping this? I’m shipping this!】

Of course, the mute wouldn’t last for two hours. It was only two minutes before Xiao Qi was back. Lu Zhenqiu helplessly messaged the Boss: 【Boss, why did you mute someone again?】

Jin Shuilan typed back with a placid expression: 【My hand slipped.】

I’ll believe you when pigs fly…

But she couldn’t revoke the Boss’s permissions, and the other moderators wouldn’t allow it either. Lu Zhenqiu exited the message page and told Xiao Yu she was ready to link up for a game. Xiao Yu replied: 【Coming, coming.】

She quickly started her live stream. It was early today, and the notification had just been posted in their group chat, so the fans weren’t used to it yet. Xiao Yu replied to messages in the group while logging into the game. She casually clicked on a familiar profile picture, and her jaw dropped when she got into the party.

How could it be Tang Yingxia!

Of course Xiao Yu recognized Tang Yingxia’s avatar. Lu Zhenqiu used to play with her many times using Tang Yingxia’s account. But after they broke up, she hadn’t queued with her anymore and had forgotten to delete her. Now, Tang Yingxia had changed her avatar to one identical to Lu Zhenqiu’s, and Xiao Yu hadn’t noticed, so she just invited her into the party.

The atmosphere instantly turned awkward. Fans had already recognized Tang Yingxia’s account; she had played games on other live streams before, so they knew her ID.

【So she’s playing with God Xia.】【Share Live Stream】

【Go, God Xia, go! God Xia, Mama is here!】【Share Live Stream】

Tang Yingxia’s fans, hearing the news, rushed over. Xiao Yu was in a tight spot. Kicking her out now was out of the question. Tang Yingxia herself was stunned for a few seconds. Yu Wen had just said she wanted to play a game, and when she logged in, she accepted an invite without looking, thinking it was from Yu Wen. She hadn’t expected it to be Xiao Yu.

She was just about to message Yu Wen when she saw Xiao Yu ask, “Who is Xiao Wu?”

Tang Yingxia turned on her mic. “My friend, can she…”

Before she could finish, Xiao Yu let the person into the party. The bullet chat instantly erupted: 【Isn’t that Wenwen? It has to be Wenwen, right? Wenwen is here? My two favorites in one place! AHHHHHHHH![ efn_note]The original slang here is 双厨狂喜 (shuāng chú kuáng xǐ), which literally means “two kitchens are ecstatically happy.” In fandom terms, a “kitchen” refers to a specific fandom or ship.[/efn_note]】

Xiao Yu seethed, gritting her teeth.

It was Yu Wen!

Why didn’t that Tang Yingxia say so earlier?

She didn’t have Yu Wen’s ID, of course, so she thought it was just a regular friend. Turns out it was a special friend. She was so angry she wanted to disband the team on the spot, but that wasn’t realistic. Many of Tang Yingxia’s fans had already flooded in. Disbanding now would cause both sides to lose face. She went to explain to Lu Zhenqiu: “Qiuqiu, don’t join.”

Lu Zhenqiu saw the private message and, confused, sent a question mark back. Then she navigated to Xiao Yu’s stream and understood everything after seeing the bullet chat. She was silent for a few seconds. Seeing the chat urging her to join the party and team up with Xiao Yu, she pursed her lips and sent a request.

Xiao Yu frowned when she saw the request, but after a few seconds, she accepted Lu Zhenqiu into the party.

Tang Yingxia’s hand trembled when she saw Lu Zhenqiu join. She could see the bullet chat, of course, and spoke for the first time: “Everyone, please don’t joke around. We’re just friends.”

【Yeah, yeah, we get it.】

【God Xia’s friend—Wenwen.】

【The way God Xia said ‘Wenwen’ was so heart-melting!】

These were all Tang Yingxia’s fans, who had come for her. Xiao Yu lowered her head, turned on her mic, and said, “Anyone else? We’re still one short.”

Her friends list was long, but they were all night owls. Most gaming streamers started in the evening, so very few were online. Lu Zhenqiu stared at Tang Yingxia’s avatar, identical to her own. She wouldn’t use a matching couple’s avatar before the breakup, but she changes it to the same one after? She really couldn’t understand what Tang Yingxia was trying to do. Fortunately, the avatar was quite common, so many people used it, and no one found it suspicious. The fans’ attention was all on Tang Yingxia and Yu Wen. Lu Zhenqiu looked at the bullet chat spamming “Xia-Wen CP⁴” and suddenly felt nothing. The previous nausea and disgust seemed to have vanished with each successive heartbreak. Now, she could calmly look at the Xia-Wen CP, and even felt an urge to laugh.

She let out a muffled laugh, the corners of her eyes turning red.

Xiao Yu said, “I can’t find anyone, maybe we should just…”

Before she could finish, an invite request came in. Xiao Yu muttered, “Who is Qiu Shui⁵?”

Lu Zhenqiu jolted, quickly looking at Jin Shuilan’s account next to hers. It was lit up. She said, “That’s my friend.”

Xiao Yu let the person in.

They successfully formed a five-stack party. Xiao Yu laughed. “Qiuqiu, what heroes does your friend play?”

Lu Zhenqiu was picking her hero. “She can play marksman and support. You guys pick first, I’ll fill.”

Then she asked, “Teacher Jin, can you turn on your mic?”

A lazy and casual voice came through. Jin Shuilan said, “Okay.”

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The author has something to say:

Thirty red envelopes, mwah mwah. Thank you to the lovely ‘Hand Holding a Folding Fan’ for the deep water⁶, muah!

Who is that cheering for Teacher Jin?!

Lu Zhenqiu: Teacher Jin, can you turn on your mic?

Jin Shuilan: Okay. You can have anything you want.

Lu Zhenqiu: …

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