AFMWDX Chapter 10

TL: Hua

After the evening news, Yu Qingtang returned to his office with the news script. He always made it a habit to summarize the day’s work before leaving.

Not long after, Liu Siyan knocked and entered.

Yu Qingtang tidied his script. “Why haven’t you left yet? Are you working overtime again?”

“No,” Liu Siyan said, sitting in the chair beside him, “I was waiting for you to get off work.”

“Waiting for me for what?”

“What do you think?” Liu Siyan grabbed his wrist, bringing the glinting ring finger into view. “Spill it, what’s going on?”

The interns outside were going crazy, saying that Teacher Yu was wearing a ring on his ring finger today.

Yu Qingtang pulled his hand away from her, twirling the ring twice. “It’s right in front of you; what else is there to say?”

Liu Siyan: “That TCM doctor?”

Yu Qingtang nodded.

Liu Siyan clicked her tongue, “Didn’t realize he moved so fast, proposing so quickly.”

“No, I proposed to him.”

Liu Siyan: “…”

“What kind of person is he, to make our great Anchor Yu, who has been detached from worldly affairs and single for nearly thirty years, actively propose? Is he a moon from the sky or gold from the earth?”

“It’s not that exaggerated; I just hadn’t met the right person before.” Yu Qingtang didn’t hesitate to praise Xu Baizhang: “But he is indeed very good.”

Regardless of appearance, character, personality, or any other aspect, he was flawless in Yu Qingtang’s eyes.

“Not like your style.” In Liu Siyan’s view, Yu Qingtang was always meticulous and thoughtful, rarely making such impulsive decisions.

“Life always calls for different decisions. Since I wasn’t impulsive in childhood, I’ll be impulsive as an adult.”

“I think there’s more to it than that.” Liu Siyan narrowed her eyes. “Are you two already…”

“What are you thinking? We’ve only known each other for half a month at most; it’s not that fast.”

Liu Siyan’s face was full of gossip. “How far have you gone?”

Yu Qingtang was exasperated. “Stop thinking nonsense; it’s just normal progress.”

Liu Siyan: “Have you kissed?”

Yu Qingtang: “Too fast.”

“You must have hugged or put an arm around each other, or something like that.”

Yu Qingtang didn’t reply, lowering his head to flip through the news script. Liu Siyan had already guessed the answer.

“Then you must have held hands, right? After half a month of getting to know each other, holding hands isn’t fast.”

Yu Qingtang said casually, “When we exchanged rings yesterday, we touched hands.”

Liu Siyan: “Bro, you two are sixty years old combined; why are you so pure?”

Yu Qingtang: “Who was it that said, ‘Men are boys until they die, and purity is the most romantic thing’?”

“I told you to be as pure as a high schooler, and you went straight to kindergarten. Is that the same thing?”

“It’s precisely because we’re not high schoolers that we don’t have all those youthful ideas.”

“Who says only high schoolers have those? Love can last until old age!” Liu Siyan exclaimed, frustrated. “What about the heart pounding? The flirtation? The push and pull? You’re not just getting married to find a companion for life, are you?”

On this point, Yu Qingtang was firm: “No, I’m doing it for love.”

Although they hadn’t deeply understood each other yet, and their feelings weren’t that solid, there was definitely a spark.

Whether it was holding hands, hugging, kissing, or even anything more intimate, he wasn’t against it and looked forward to it. Perhaps due to his personality, Xu Baizhang exuded an air of asceticism, and their interactions were always very polite. He couldn’t just force intimacy; that would be too deliberate.

Liu Siyan: “So you’re planning to fall in love after marriage? You’re going to save all the dating stuff for after you’re married?”

Yu Qingtang: “Who knows? We’ll see when the time comes.”

Some things are best left to chance.

Liu Siyan: “…Alright, when are you getting your marriage certificate?”

“We’re looking at houses right now, so the exact date isn’t set yet.”

Liu Siyan: “After you get married, what about your live streaming and voice acting? Are you going to hide it from him or tell him?”

Yu Qingtang had considered this question: “I plan to retire from the industry.”

Liu Siyan was surprised. “Have you really thought this through?”

“Yes, I’m not young anymore; it’s time I retired.”

Yu Qingtang entered this industry at eighteen and has been in it for over ten years now. The ACG community tends to be for younger people, and he, an “uncle” nearing thirty, was indeed getting a bit old.

Moreover, audio dramas mostly focus on romance. Voice actors and live-action actors are fundamentally different, especially in the online voice acting community, where recordings are mostly done at home, without meeting, without connecting live, without involving direct interactions, and thus without developing feelings from the work.

However, considering Xu Baizhang’s personality and the nature of his work, he would likely not accept the ACG world. Plus, Yu Qingtang had already been contemplating retirement, so this was a good opportunity to say goodbye.

“Hiiya from now on, our Master Qingfeng will belong only to Doctor Xu. How many young boys and girls will weep bitterly?” Liu Siyan deliberately drew out her words. “If Doctor Xu knew he possessed such a charming treasure, he would probably wake up laughing in his dreams.”

“Come on, Baizhang isn’t like that,” Yu Qingtang firmly believed. “He’s not interested in this.”

“Impossible.” Liu Siyan was doubly convinced. “As long as you whisper something into his ear, even if he were Tang Sanzang[mfn]The monk in the story Journey to West.[/mfn], he’d give up his pilgrimage for you.” A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. It was the director’s assistant, informing Yu Qingtang to go to the office.

Liu Siyan glanced at his ring finger. “Looks like there’s still a tough hurdle to clear. Good luck.”

Yu Qingtang put down his script, his steps feeling incredibly heavy.

He knocked on the office door and nodded slightly. “Director, are you looking for me?”

The director, Liao Wenfeng, was just over forty, without the potbelly of a middle-aged man, but with the maturity accumulated through the years.

Liao Wenfeng handed him a document. “There’s an exchange meeting tomorrow. The higher-ups attach great importance to it. It’s in the neighboring city. Pack your bags tonight and come with me.”

Yu Qingtang looked down and flipped through the document. “How long will it be? Just the two of us?”

“Three days, just the two of us.”

Yu Qingtang quickly skimmed it. It was a national-level conference with many leaders attending. But the document only requested the director’s presence. Even if someone needed to accompany him, it should be his assistant.

Moreover, he had already made plans with Xu Baizhang to look at houses tomorrow and the day after.

Yu Qingtang closed the document and pushed it back. “Sorry, Director, I have something important recently and can’t accompany you.”

Liao Wenfeng: “What is it?”

Yu Qingtang rubbed his ring finger. “Personal matters.”

“You should know how important this meeting is and how many people are hoping for this opportunity.” Liao Wenfeng’s gaze moved from his finger, cold as an unmelting ice cap. “You’re still young and in the prime of your career.”

Yu Qingtang disliked this way of communicating. “Thank you for your appreciation, Director. I think I’m doing quite well as I am.”

Liao Wenfeng’s face hardened. “Yu Qingtang, I suggest you…”

“Sorry, you should find someone else.” Yu Qingtang really didn’t want to continue the conversation. “I have something else to do. I’ll be leaving now.”

As he left the TV station building, Xu Baizhang’s car was parked right outside.

Yu Qingtang opened the door and got in. “Have you been waiting long?”

“Not long.” Xu Baizhang twisted open the thermos cap and handed it to him.

Yu Qingtang drank the water, leaned back in the seat, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Baizhang, you really don’t have to go out of your way to pick me up.”

“It’s on my way home from work,” Xu Baizhang started the car. “Did I bother you?”

“No, I was worried about wasting your time.”

“I’m fine. I’ll tell you if I’m busy.”

“Okay.” Yu Qingtang rubbed his temples.

Xu Baizhang: “Trouble at work?”

“Not really trouble, more like a bit of a nuisance, but it’s fine.”

Xu Baizhang: “I’ll make you some calming tea when we get back.”

Yu Qingtang was a little surprised. “You’re not going to ask me what happened?”

“I’ll listen when you’re ready to talk.”

The car drove steadily forward. Yu Qingtang turned his head to look at Xu Baizhang’s face. This was the kind of marriage and partner he wanted.

—

After dinner, and after seeing Xu Baizhang off, Yu Qingtang logged onto the D station platform.

He didn’t have a fixed streaming schedule; he would stream when he had time, and if busy, he might not log in for a month or two.

Before going live, Yu Qingtang habitually checked his private messages.

Official private messages were set to the default top, and Yu Qingtang clicked on the uppermost one.

[Ding ding ding~ Dear Great Qingfeng, this year marks your 11th year on D-station! Looking back on these 11 years, Little D is filled with emotion and gratitude that you’re still here, witnessing Little D’s growth along the way. “11” is truly a wonderful number, isn’t it? We wonder if you’d be willing to make a “lifelong” vow with Little D!

Finally, the annual streamer competition is about to begin! Little D especially invites you to participate. Your fans are really looking forward to it. Please don’t let everyone down again, please, please~]

Streamers were very enthusiastic about such competitions with generous prizes, and the official platform would only send a mass private message to eligible streamers in their public inbox.

Only Qingfeng was the most special and the only person the official platform racked its brains to invite.

Qingfeng’s popularity was not only the TOP in the ACG section but also the undisputed number one across the entire platform. He could drive the traffic of the entire D-station.

Yu Qingtang looked at this private message, full of “sincerity,” and couldn’t help but smile.

He was about to retire, so where would a “lifelong” vow come from?

He clicked on the registration link. The competition process wasn’t troublesome, and the timing was flexible. He’d consider it compensation before his retirement.

Yu Qingtang filled out the registration form and clicked submit.

Almost simultaneously, Yu Qingtang’s backend received a public-private message.

[Confirmed! VA Qingfeng has registered for the “Hello Streamer” competition. Stay tuned!]

Yu Qingtang: “…”

Did they have to be so fast? The surprise was gone.

Yu Qingtang logged into his live stream. Fans who had received the private message were already buzzing, and the number of concurrent viewers instantly reached a million.

Yu Qingtang did not turn on the camera or open the reward channel, but the screen was still lively with various comments flashing wildly.

He picked one or two to reply to. “Good evening, little fish. Long time no see.”

“Everyone should have seen the notification, but I’ll make it official anyway. I’ve been busy in the real world these past two years, so I’ve streamed less. I know you all wanted me to participate, so here I am.”

「He’s here; he’s finally here!」

「Finally waited for you, glad I didn’t give up~」

“I’ll actively participate and try to leave no regrets.”

「Wait, what does that mean?」

「Feels like there’s a hidden meaning.」

「Aren’t you happy about participating in the competition?」

「If you don’t like it, don’t participate.」

「Just chat with us occasionally; that’s enough.」

Fans understood his personality. Qingfeng’s demeanor was very much like his name, truly “pure and unburdened.” He was very professional and serious about voice acting. Even though he released free audio dramas, he put more effort into them than some commercial voice actors. In private, he was very laid-back, never trying to exploit his fans or flattering anyone for popularity.

Although he wasn’t online often, he was very sincere with his fans. Over eleven years, in the mixed bag of the online voice acting community, Qingfeng’s persona stood firm and never collapsed. It was precisely because of this that he accumulated such high popularity.

“It’s not about the competition.” Yu Qingtang was still hesitating; he wasn’t sure whether to announce it now.

「Then what is it?」

「What’s wrong, Great Qingfeng?」

「Is there something you can’t say?」

「You’re making me worried.」

“Alright, I can say it now.” It had to be announced sooner or later, and hesitation was pointless. Yu Qingtang said, “Darlings, I’m going to retire from the industry.”

「Ah???????」

「Why?」

「Wuwuwu what happened?」

「Don’t leave us.」

Yu Qingtang said, “I’m going back to my family.”

「No, no! You can’t!!!」

「Great Qingfeng, awwww…」

「I don’t believe it!!! Take it back!!! I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!」

Watching the frantic screen, this was why Yu Qingtang had hesitated.

“I will always love voice acting, and I love you all, but I’m not young anymore. I have to return to family life eventually. I hope you all do too, not just have a fairytale-like ACG world, but also a happy and fulfilling real life.”

The bullet comment section was filled with wailing, expressing reluctance in various ways, but most fans expressed understanding and sent blessings.

「Could it be that you found a boyfriend?」

「Help, is it that fast?」

「What?! A boyfriend?!」

「Do you have to retire if you have a boyfriend?」

「Damn, who got Great Qingfeng!」

Yu Qingtang looked at the bullet comments, neither admitting nor denying.

「I’m so envious of him; is he the one who gets to hear Great Qingfeng panting every day, wuwuwu.」

「Rolling around, grinding teeth, curling up, jealousy」

「Why can he have Qingfeng Gege all to himself, why!」

「Is he listening to the live stream too?」

「Friend, can you bear this?」

「Friend, step forward; I want to duel you on behalf of all the fans!」

Yu Qingtang looked at the bullet comments and couldn’t help but smile.

His Doctor Xu wouldn’t be interested in listening to this kind of program. Right now, he was probably buried in a copy of The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine.

—

Late at night, on a quiet street, Xu Baizhang parked his car on the side of the road.

He rested his elbow on the car door, moved the live stream to the background, opened his photo album, and entered the password.

The closed legs were as pale as green onions, with mosquito bites on the knees and thighs, and a few drops of water still clinging to the skin.

The voice from his headphones slowly came through: “Brother, do you like me with my legs apart or together?”

“Apart, we can get closer. But together, we can press more tightly.”

Xu Baizhang twisted open his thermos. The voice continued to stimulate his nerves, and in the whole world, only the breathing from his headphones remained.

“Spread my legs, and I will only belong to you from now on…”