Exclusive Rights to an Online Voice Actor

Chapter 1

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It was just past 3 PM in the afternoon when he got back to his apartment.
The blazing midday sun was blinding to the eyes.

Qi Jing closed his eyes.
Not because of the glaring sunlight but because he barely even had the strength to keep them open.
For most of the residents living in the area, it was still during working hours, so the neighbourhood was hushed.
It was almost as if the surrounding sounds had evaporated from the heat and became beads of sweat that stuck to his skin.

Qi Jing lived on the seventh floor.
He’d usually take the stairs, but this time, he made an exception and pressed for the lift.

When the lift doors opened with a ‘ding’, his ringtone virtually rang at the same time.
The two noises sounding simultaneously felt ten times more piercing than usual.

It was often said that those who suffered from sleep deprivation were extremely sensitive to sounds and that would appear to be true.
What’s more, he was standing right in front of a confined space with a great echo effect.

Qi Jing looked at the phone number displayed on his screen and figured that if he didn’t pick it up now, this phone would probably continue ringing for the next half an hour.
It would cause such a din that he wouldn’t be able to catch up on some sleep.
If he turned off his phone, the caller would probably appear in person, knocking on his door, within the next hour.
Should that happen, he can kiss any form of sleep goodbye.

Thus, his best and only option was to pick up the call.

“Hello?”

“Senior! I knew you came back today! You never ever answer your phone when you go on business trips and I didn’t want to bother you during work either.
But now that you’re back, I can continue badgering you!”

Qi Jing could already feel the symptoms of his sleep deprivation worsening.

“Please press 1 if you want to treat me to a meal.
Please press 2 if you want me to treat you to a meal.
Please press 3 if you want to complain about your boyfriend.”

“As much as I want to press 2 and 3, but before that… what should I press for services related to voice acting?”

“That service is currently unavailable.
Goodbye,” Qi Jing tried to end the call but just as he was about to remove the phone from his ear, a wretched and miserable cry came from the speaker.

“Senior! Don’t you remember that time I drank with you—”

And there it was, her trump card.

He sighed in resignation, “Alright, I get it.
Just let me sleep for a few hours and I’ll check the messages when I get up.”

Online voice acting, the name of a community made up of online voice acting enthusiasts.

Everyone in the circle had their own story and every story has a beginning.

Qi Jing was no exception.

Qing Jing worked in the media industry and given the nature of his work, he was destined to dabble extensively in the 2D world.
From public forums to personal blogs, from serious academic journals to all kinds of strange, ridiculous gossip posts.
He would scroll through them whenever he had the time and he was pretty willing to try out new things.

During the advent of Weibo, a microblogging platform, he had already created a personal account and invited many of the friends around him to join.
During the first two to three years, he would simply check out the news on current affairs or follow some celebrities in the industry.
Sometimes, when he was in the mood, he would even jot down some interesting anecdotes about his life.
Until one day, when his junior from his university days @ him on Weibo.

When he opened the app, it turned out to be a popular Weibo post with a considerable amount of reposts.
The title of that post was, “Please @ the person with the sexiest voice that you know of to record an alarm ringtone~(≧▽≦)/~”

Sexy? The moment his eyes scanned the title, the sides of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch into a smile.

He had been working at a TV station for six years.
Although his main job wasn’t that of a radio host, he has come into contact with quite a few voice-related jobs.
Basically, Qi Jing had an immunity towards his own voice and didn’t have the ability to evaluate his voice.
And no one’s ever made such a comment about his voice before when he was in school.
He never would’ve thought that little girl had such thoughts.

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“I saw that post where you mentioned me.
You aren’t thinking of cheating on your boyfriend with me, are you? Your boyfriend is part of the armed police force, I don’t want to die an incomplete corpse,” He called her and said half-jokingly which resulted in a scoff from the other end of the line.

“Please, I don’t wanna straighten the bent.”

Qi Jing is actually a really composed and straightforward person.
He came out of the closet very early and very calmly at that.
And didn’t hide it from his friends.

Something like that needn’t be hidden from true friends; those he had to hide from were no friends of his.

It was that line that caused his junior to cry so hard her face was covered in tears and snot.
She stayed up all night drinking with him and ended up getting so sick the next day, she cooped up in her room vomiting.
She threw up so much she felt like her world had turned dark and almost blacked out.
And till this day, she still blames him for destroying that image of a cultured lady that she worked so hard to create.

As such, whenever she needs something from him, that lass would whip out her classic opener, “Don’t you remember that time I drank with you”.

“Senior! Don’t you remember that time I drank with you—”

“I’ll record it for you.”

“Hehehe.”

Qi Jing had always been a man of his word and just as he had promised, he recorded a wake-up call for his junior that night.
He had only done it just for the hell of it, to join in the fun.
What he didn’t expect was for her to upload it onto the net, publishing it on Weibo.

March Bamboo Shoots: ≧▽≦ AaaaAaaah! My senior @Don’t know, don’t answer actually recorded a wake-up ringtone for me! It’s so freaking sexy!! Everyone hurry over and have a listen!! @Ninth lady @Rolling ball of Meows @Plainclothes with vermillion embroidery @Bumpy, not Indented @I won’t survive if I don’t procrastinate!!

Plainclothes with vermillion embroidery: Mark! I’m in class, I’ll listen when I get back!

Rolling ball of Meows: ( ⊙o⊙) Wowowowow that voice… It’s so sexy! (Pounding on the ground)

Plain vermillion embroidered clothes: Really?? As someone who currently has no access to a computer, I am filled with jealousy and envy!! ┭┮﹏┭┮

Ninth lady: …I’ve finished listening to it… All I have to say is, Freak, he really sounds like my life's core!!

Bumpy, not Indented: ￢_￢

Ninth lady: You understand me Bumpy!! ┭┮﹏┭┮

Bumpy, not Indented: ￢_￢ Your life’s core has already retired from the circle for many years.
Wake up.

Ninth lady: Stupid ass! Don’t remind me!! ┭┮﹏┭┮

March Bamboo Shoots: Pfft, patting Little Ninth.
Now now, don’t cry, time to get up! ≧w≦

Ninth lady: Grab hold of Bamboo Shoots!! Aaaaaah, I want to hook up with your senior!! Hook me up with him, aaaaAaaah! Is he part of the community? Does he voice act? Doing covers is good too! Shit, he really sounds too similar to my life’s core!

Since he was mentioned in the post, he clicked into the comments out of curiosity and when he read till that point, he couldn’t help but laugh.
It would appear to be quite unwise to continue drinking his coffee in front of his computer.

He met this junior when they took the same Media and Communications class in university.
At that time, he already knew how passionate she was about broadcasting and dubbing.
She also seemed to frequently mix herself in with communities that shared her interests online.
After graduation, several alumni from the same city would occasionally have small gatherings and he would often hear her talk about the goings-on in the online voice acting community.
Hence why he had a brief understanding of the terms they used.

Although he had a general understanding of what they were talking about, this was the first time he had become the centre of a topic for discussion.

And so, he put his coffee aside and made a reply with a smile.

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Don’t know, don’t ask: Haha, thanks for your comments, I feel quite embarrassed being called sexy.

March Bamboo Shoots: Senior!! ≧0≦

Ninth lady: !! Holy heck!! He replied!! Please hook up with me Senior!!

Bumpy, not Indented: ￢_￢

iCookie: I just got home.
Seems like I’ve missed a good show ⊙▽⊙… Ninth, who are you trying to hook up with?

March Bamboo Shoots: She’s trying to hook up with my senior hehehe.
Little cookie, hurry go have a listen! The link is on top!! Go listen!

iCookie: I’m listening… I have to say the sexiness is just off the charts! I kinda understand Ninth’s feelings now, pfft…

Plainclothes with vermillion embroidery: Reading all your comments really makes me wanna claw at the wall.
This mobile phone user can’t take it ┭┮﹏┭┮

I won’t survive if I don’t procrastinate: Mobile phone user can’t take