TL: Hua
The provincial TV news channel studio.
At exactly 7:00 PM, the director gave the cue to go live. The camera slowly zoomed in, settling on the anchor.
“Hello, audience friends.”
“Today is Saturday, September 14th, the twelfth day of the eighth lunar month. Welcome to the evening news program…”
In the control room, two rows of interns, wearing work IDs around their necks, consciously squeezed into the back row where they would not be in the way.
It was an open day at the provincial station, and interns could apply to observe and learn from different program teams. The news center was always the most popular department.
After a while of looking around, most people’s attention fell on Yu Qingtang, who was on the other side of the glass wall.
To be the anchor of the evening news, one’s ability naturally went without saying, and Teacher Yu was certainly the best of the best.
In the eyes of others, Yu Qingtang had a good image, excellent demeanor, and strong professional skills. He was directly signed by the provincial station after graduation, and within less than a year of working, he caught up with the news channel’s expansion, becoming the third pair of anchors for the program with his partner.
After the verbal broadcast, the director switched to video footage.
Then a “sizzle” sound was heard.
Discussions broke out in the control room.
“What’s going on?”
“It looks like the teleprompter is broken.”
The assistant relayed the message, “Director Wang, the technical department says there’s a problem with the line. Repairs will take about ten minutes.”
The interns whispered amongst themselves.
“That’s such a long delay. The leader’s important speech is about to be broadcast.”
“This part is all broadcast by Teacher Yu. There’s so much content. Will he read it from notes?”
“They’ll probably give some to Teacher Feng.”
“Teacher Yu has a pretty good memory. Maybe he’s already familiar with it.”
“The speech only finished five minutes before the broadcast. Where would he have had time to get familiar with it?”
“Be quiet, let’s see how Director Wang arranges it.”
The director pressed the intercom, “Teacher Yu, the teleprompter repair will take ten minutes. There’s one minute and sixteen seconds left until the video ends.”
Everyone looked towards the glass wall.
Yu Qingtang remained calm. He lightly tapped his earpiece as a response, focusing his attention on the paper script.
A prompt came through his earpiece: “Fifteen seconds left, male voice.”
Yu Qingtang neatly arranged his manuscript. He held his head upright, his hands naturally placed on the anchor desk. “Next, we will report on our country’s comprehensive promotion of the rule of law regarding various…”
Listening to Yu Qingtang’s clear and steady voice, the interns compared it to the news script in their hands. One page, two pages, more than a thousand words of the leader’s speech were delivered in their entirety without a teleprompter.
His expression didn’t change; not a single detail was off.
The interns’ eyes were wide with amazement.
The director, accustomed to this, casually twirled his intercom.
The ace of the news channel was never just a false reputation.
—
Work ended.
Yu Qingtang changed out of his suit and put on a soft knitted sweater.
At the locker room door, Director Yang from the technical department stopped him. “Teacher Yu, we caused you trouble today. The new technician didn’t check thoroughly enough; it was our oversight.”
“It’s no big deal; you’re too polite.”
Yu Qingtang said it lightly, but this was the evening news, and at the crucial moment of broadcasting an important speech. If it hadn’t been salvaged in time, not only would the technical department’s monthly performance bonus be gone, but his title as director would probably be at risk.
Director Yang felt he couldn’t repay him. “Come on, I’ll treat you to dinner. The new Hunan restaurant across the street is pretty good.”
“Maybe another day.” Yu Qingtang shook his phone. “My mother has called several times, urging me to go home early.”
Bidding farewell, Yu Qingtang went down the elevator and indeed received a call from his “mother.”
“Xiao Tang, are you coming home for dinner?”
Yu Qingtang was walking towards the parking garage. “I made plans with colleagues to eat out.”
“Restaurant food is too greasy. Don’t eat out so much.”
“Got it.”
“What do you ‘get’? Every time I ask you to come home, you just brush me off.”
“I’m too busy; no time.”
His parents had moved to a new house, and it took two hours to travel back and forth.
“I shouldn’t have listened to your father back then and bought a house so far from your workplace. Now you don’t come back for ten days or half a month.” Mother Yu continued her usual nagging. “Oh, by the way, the matter that your second aunt asked for help with. Do you have time?”
His second aunt’s son was getting married after the New Year and wanted to invite Yu Qingtang to be the wedding MC.
“No problem, I have time.”
“Alright.” Mother Yu paused for a few seconds, then said, “Xiao Tang, your younger brother, who’s three years younger than you, is getting married. You know what I mean, right?”
Yu Qingtang: “I know.”
“Don’t think I’m annoying, but you’ll be almost thirty after the New Year. Your dad and I just want you to have a partner so we can rest assured when we’re gone.”
Yu Qingtang had heard the same words a hundred times. “Mom, I know.”
“Tell me honestly, is that boyfriend of yours real?”
Yu Qingtang rubbed his forehead. “Yes, he’s real.”
“Why do I feel something’s not right? You don’t bring him to see us, and you don’t even tell us his basic information.”
Yu Qingtang could only make excuses. “He’s older than me, he looks okay, and his job is fine too. We’re still in the adjustment period, so I want to wait until our relationship is stable before bringing him to meet you.”
“Adjustment after adjustment, and then it’ll be like the last one, a waste of three years. If you had brought that doctor home earlier, you might have been married by now.”
Yu Qingtang was speechless.
He recently realized deeply what it means to have to cover up a lie with countless lies.
Three years ago, Yu Qingtang had just become the anchor of the evening news. He was busy with work and heavy tasks, but his parents were busy trying to find him a partner. He wasn’t in the mood to date then, so he lied about having a boyfriend studying for a doctorate abroad.
When his parents suggested meeting, Yu Qingtang would use the excuse that his boyfriend was temporarily unable to return to the country. Three years later, his doctoral boyfriend was finally graduating, and the recently retired Mrs. Chen at home began pressing him to get married.
Yu Qingtang had no choice but to turn his “doctoral boyfriend” into an “unfaithful doctoral boyfriend,” claiming that the other party wanted to settle abroad and he couldn’t go, so they had a peaceful breakup.
To reassure his parents, three months ago, Yu Qingtang told another lie, saying he had found a new partner.
Before hanging up, he boasted again that he would bring this “boyfriend” home soon.
The problem was, where would he find a boyfriend?
Yu Qingtang leaned back in the driver’s seat. A thousand-word news script didn’t stump him, but a boyfriend did.
After a moment of relaxation, Yu Qingtang put on his headphones and started the car.
As he was nearing home, a voice prompt popped up in his headphones.
“Ding—Mobile Assistant Xiaoyuan reminds you that you have a live stream at ten tonight. Please don’t forget!”
Last night, his phone updated automatically, and the system’s built-in mobile assistant became very talkative.
“Master, I am Xiaoyuan, your little life helper. If you have any trouble, please call Assistant Xiaoyuan anytime.”
Yu Qingtang hit the brakes. “Assistant Xiaoyuan.”
“Master, I’m here.”
Yu Qingtang felt like he was grasping at straws. “What do I do if my parents are pressuring me to marry?”
“I’ve found 36 matchmaking agencies for you. Among them, there are four within three kilometers.”
Yu Qingtang parked the car at the entrance of his residential complex. “Which one is closest to home?”
“I’ve found the closest matchmaking agency to your home, 36 meters away. Do you need directions?”
Thirty-six meters?
Yu Qingtang picked up his phone and looked at the map. Directly opposite his neighborhood, there was a red rectangular sign with large characters flashing.
[A Match Bestowed by Heaven]
He had lived here for a year and only just discovered it.
At 8 PM, the glass door revealed a packed interior, like a supermarket during a clearance sale.
Are there really so many people looking for dates now?
The matchmaking agency was bustling with people, and the street outside was noisy. Yu Qingtang’s hand was on his seatbelt buckle, but he never pressed it.
—
Back home, Yu Qingtang showered and put on a light-colored T-shirt. Water clung to the ends of his hair, and his neck was wet. He opened his phone, picked a random article, and clicked on the text-to-speech option.
A low voice came through his headphones. The non-human voice had a relatively monotonous tone and not much emotion, but it was tolerable.
Yu Qingtang tore open the packaging and put the instant rice into the microwave. The male voice in his headphones narrated slowly, and the rice in his mouth was hard and salty.
He cut three oranges, and after eating them, he threw the orange peels and the empty rice box into the trash can.
At exactly 10 PM, Yu Qingtang logged into the live streaming platform.
During the day, he was a news anchor, but in private, he had another identity: a voice actor named Qingfeng. He occasionally took on voice acting for audio dramas and also streamed on D Station[mfn]Should be B stations or Bilibili station, a live streaming platform that focuses on ACG content.[/mfn] in his free time.
In his younger, more ambitious years, Yu Qingtang had voiced many R-rated scenarios, accumulating a large number of fans.
In the ACG (anime, comics, games) community, the name Qingfeng was more well-known than Yu Qingtang.
Across the internet, he could fearlessly show his true self. As long as he didn’t show his face or use his news-anchoring voice, no one could connect the two identities.
His live stream had a regular activity: he would pick three listeners each time, who would provide text content, and Yu Qingtang would read it according to the situation.
The first listener provided an English reading comprehension passage for the postgraduate entrance exam. Yu Qingtang used his standard broadcasting voice.
The second provided a secret crush diary, which seemed to be a personal experience, quite heartfelt.
As for the third, Yu Qingtang scrolled his mouse and leaned his head towards the microphone. “Baby, this one’s no good.”
The bullet chat exploded.
[Master Qingfeng, say it again!]
[Call me baby with more force, with more force!]
[My ears are tingling~]
[Why not?!]
Yu Qingtang: “It’s too explicit.”
[It’s midnight now!]
[The kids are asleep!]
[You can do it! You can do it!]
“Stop messing around; the live stream will be banned if I read that.”
“Also, with all these ellipses, tildes, and dashes, you guys are fine, but my voice will become hoarse.”
[Sorry, I’ve become perverted.]
[The more you talk, the more I want to hear it!]
“My friend, let’s switch to something cleaner.”
[Boss, you’ve become so restrained lately.]
[Can’t we have some adult fun?!]
[The adult world needs passion and release!]
“Alright, then let’s talk about adult topics,” Yu Qingtang said. “How did you all find your boyfriends or girlfriends?”
[We were college classmates.]
[My family introduced us.]
[Why the sudden question?]
[Could it be? Could it be…]
“My parents are pressuring me to marry. If I don’t have a boyfriend soon, I might not make it to the New Year.”
Yu Qingtang had never hidden his sexual orientation; his fans knew he liked men.
[Master Qingfeng is also worried about love?]
[Same world, same tragic reality!]
[If you don’t mind, I’m willing!]
Yu Qingtang propped up his chin. “Can everyone say something reliable, please? I’m in a hurry.”
[Boss, which city are you in? If it’s close, I can introduce my brother to you!]
[My brother works too! Let him go to your city. My brother is 196 cm, on the basketball team, with dark skin and super cool pecs!]
[If Master Qingfeng gets together with my brother, he’ll be my sister-in-law!]
[None of the above are reliable.]
[Qingfeng, you can try this dating website. My husband and I met there, and we’ve been married for three years now. It’s a national chain, so your city should have an offline store. I swear this isn’t an ad.]
[Their premium membership isn’t cheap, but it’s very reliable. They don’t push courses or marketing, and their service attitude is excellent.]
[The main point is that they don’t mislead people or falsely report others’ situations. You can try it. Web Link]”
“Thank you, I’ll take a look,” Yu Qingtang said. “It’s time. I’m going offline now. You should all go to sleep too.”
[Sleeping so early?]
[You haven’t been on for long!]
[Brother Qingfeng, I want to hear ‘goodnight’.]
Yu Qingtang’s voice was like a burst of sweet sparkling water: “Good night, babies, and sweet dreams.”
[Goodnight, Master Qingfeng.]
[Awoo, I’m satisfied~]
[Wishing brother finds true love.]
[Wish you meet a handsome guy!]
Yu Qingtang exited the live stream and clicked on the website link.
[A Match Bestowed by Heaven: Your Personal Love Butler.]
Yu Qingtang: “…”
It seems it truly was fate.
Applying online had an advantage: at least he wouldn’t have to face the awkwardness of too many people.
Yu Qingtang registered his personal information, and a prompt popped up on the page: Welcome to our premium membership. We promise no false information, no extra fees, and a full refund if you don’t find a match within three years.
He couldn’t wait three years; he didn’t even want to wait three days.
—
At 11:30 PM.
At [A Match Bestowed by Heaven] storefront, the curly-haired staff member saw off the last batch of customers.
She rubbed her neck and returned to her workstation. “The manager is really something. It’s a thankless task. We still won’t meet our target this month, and my bonus is gone again.”
In recent years, young people’s willingness to marry has been low, and the matchmaking agency business has been declining. To attract clients, the branch manager launched a “One-Yuan Matchmaking” event.
The official promise was to provide at least ten offline meeting services within six months. If unsuccessful, no further fees would be charged; if successful, only a “matchmaker’s gift package” of 188 yuan would be required.
As soon as the news was released, the store was packed with hundreds of single individuals registering that day.
The problem was that after a day of hard work, the entire store hadn’t made much money, not even counting the free peanuts, sunflower seeds, and bottled water.
“It’s bad enough to work for no money, but some of those who come to blind dates are utterly shameless.” The staff member ruffled her hair, tidying the forms on her desk. “Take this man, for example. He listed his height as 170 cm, but I’d estimate him to be just over 160 cm. He actually demanded the woman be 165 cm or taller, with the reason being he didn’t want to affect future generations. How dare he!”
“What’s that compared to mine? Look at this guy: monthly salary of 3,000 yuan[mfn]418.24 USD[/mfn], non-local, doesn’t own a house, car still has a loan. He demands the woman have a local household registration, be an only child, be able to cook, love doing housework, and have parents with no serious illnesses who receive pensions and medical insurance.” The staff member turned to the next page. “Oh, and he also said: public institutions and civil servants are preferred.”
“Bah! I didn’t do that even in my daydreams!”
Xiao Mei stretched. “You guys can take your time looking at these overconfident men. Anyway, my bonus for this month is gone, so I’m heading out.”
“Beep beep.”
A work email popped up in the lower right corner of the screen.
“Seriously? I’m about to leave, and you’re still tormenting me.” Xiao Mei reluctantly opened it. “After working here for half a year, I’ve already lost my interest in men…”
Xiao Mei’s eyes widened like lightbulbs. She patted the person at the next desk. “Beibei, what was that anchor’s name again?”
“Which anchor?”
“The one from the evening news, the one you said was really handsome.”
“Oh, Yu Qingtang. What about him?”
Xiao Mei pointed at the screen. “He’s… here for a blind date.”
“How is that possible?” Beibei turned her face to look at the screen. “Someone with his qualifications wouldn’t need to…”
Beibei looked at the name on the form and quickly shifted to the blue-background ID photo in the upper right corner.
If the name was a coincidence, the photo didn’t lie.
A suit and tie, a standard face, handsome brows and eyes—exactly as he appeared on TV.
“Oh my god, it really is him!”
“And he paid 68,800 yuan[mfn]9591.52 USD [/mfn] in introduction fees! Heaven and Earth, my bonus for this month is secured!”
The screams attracted other colleagues. Five or six people squeezed together, gathering around to look at Yu Qingtang’s profile.
Name: Yu Qingtang
Gender: Male
Role: 0 (Bottom)
Age: 29
Education: Master’s
Profession: News Anchor
Relationship History: No marriage history, no dating history
Financial Status: Owns a two-bedroom apartment, a car for commuting, no mortgage, has savings.
Relationship Needs: Seeking a single male, hoping he is emotionally stable and mature in character. Has a stable job, no bad habits, and can accept my work nature (no holidays, occasional overtime). Willing to join hands and spend a lifetime together.
Other Requirements: Quite urgent; hoping to arrange a meeting as soon as possible. If the other person’s voice is pleasant, that would be even better.
“That’s all he asks for?”
“How is that different from having no requirements?”
“What does ‘pleasant voice’ mean?”
“Maybe anchors have a preference in that regard?”
The staff members were energized, burying their heads in the database, offering their best male candidates.
“I have a good pilot here… Oh wait, no, he’s been divorced five times and is bisexual. No!”
“This computer engineer also seems… no no no! He just turned thirty, and he’s already bald.”
“What about this lawyer of mine? Ah… forget it, just by looking at his face, you know he’s a playboy.”
“Who else has good men? Quickly, contribute!”
—
In a residential complex, the study lights were off, with only the computer screen emitting a greenish-yellow glow.
A young male voice came from the man’s headphones, “Brother, mm… I want it.”
His chest rose and fell with his breathing. The man almost crushed the mouse, finally clicking on the web link in the live stream.
And filled out the information.
Name: Xu Baizhang
Gender: Male
Role: 1 (Top)
Age: 31
Education: Ph.D.
Profession: Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor
Relationship History: None
Financial Status: Seven-figure annual salary, owns a house with no mortgage
Relationship Needs: Male, works in news broadcasting
Other Requirements: Meet as soon as possible.
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