Chapter 74: A Test of Intimacy

As soon as Ruan Jier left, Ji Xiao got up from the bed.

He lit a cigarette and leaned against the curtain, watching Ruan Jier’s figure disappear from the apartment entrance. He licked his lips.

Black Cat: “…” The host had really changed.

Ji Xiao: “Cat.”

Black Cat: “Here~”

Ji Xiao: “Is there some kind of medicine…”

…

Ji Xiao spent a few days drawing a short comic. Through the number Black Cat gave him, he added the long flute dubbing club’s leader, “Loving Hamster,” with a note saying it was a submission.

After the other party agreed, they greeted him first.

Loving Hamster: [What submission?]

Ji Xiao sent the first three chapters of the comic: [Take a look first]

The three chapters weren’t long. Hamster quickly finished reading and pursued: [Is it finished? How much do you want?]

Ji Xiao: [It’s finished. I’ll give it to you for free, but there’s one condition.]

Loving Hamster: [What?]

Ji Xiao: [I want to voice the gong, and I want Shang Chu to voice the shou.]

Loving Hamster: [I’ll have to ask Shang Chu about that. Our club doesn’t force members to voice roles.]

Ji Xiao: [I await your good news.]

Shang Chu was Ruan Jier.

Since college, Ruan Jier had been doing online dubbing under the name Shang Chu. He later joined the Long Flute Dubbing Club and had been there for eight years, now a backbone member.

The club was founded to bring together people with common interests.

Even now, their original intention remained unchanged.

Everything was for love—no commercialization, no profit.

Members could develop freely on their own.

Ruan Jier had other jobs before; he treated dubbing as a hobby and only voiced the club’s radio dramas.

But when his previous company was acquired, the new leadership’s work style made him uncomfortable, so he quietly resigned.

Through a club member working at Qianman, an anime company, he tried to join them.

Qianman was a company with a relaxed work environment and great benefits.

Ruan Jier didn’t want to work mechanically like before, so he decided to pursue what he loved. He went for an interview.

With eight years of dubbing experience, impeccable voice and technique, and a large fanbase, he easily passed the interview and officially joined.

Shang Chu was very popular in the online dubbing circle.

He had voiced male leads in romance stories and gongs in danmei. He rarely voiced shou, and when he did, it was the cold and aloof type or the restrained type—nothing compared to the various gongs he’d played.

His voice was versatile; he could create any feeling you wanted.

He had many fans from different groups, but they all shared one thing: they loved his voice to death.

When Ruan Jier received a call from Hamster, he was eating fried skewers on the street, mourning a crush that had just bloomed and was already fading.

“I got a submission. It’s probably from a fan of yours. They specifically want you to voice the shou. Interested?”

Ruan Jier’s eyes were a little red from the spice: “What kind of shou?”

“A selfish, vicious, crazy, abusive shou.”

“…”

Ruan Jier took a gulp of beer.

“I’ve never tried this type before.”

Hamster chuckled: “So I wanted to ask if you’re interested. It’s quite a challenge. This summary is my own take—actually, he’s gentle, obedient, even groveling in front of the gong, but deep down he’s selfish, dark, possessive, and…”

Ruan Jier was a bit intrigued.

It was a challenge.

He had never tried this type before because it was hard to pull off. One mistake and he’d get roasted.

“Let me see the script?”

Hamster smiled: “He sent me a comic, only the first three chapters. If you agree, he’ll send the full version. Want in?”

“Yes.”

After hanging up, looking at the fried skewers and beer in front of him, Ruan Jier’s clear eyes showed regret.

To protect his throat, he rarely touched these things.

Indeed, beauty was a distraction.

He grabbed a tissue to wipe his lips, paid, and left.

…

Hearing that Ruan Jier had accepted, Ji Xiao wasn’t surprised. He sent the full comic over.

This short comic was titled “Accompany You into Demons, Bind Demons for You.”

The gong, for the shou, accompanied him into becoming a demon.

In the end, the shou, for the gong, bound his own demonic nature.

Since it was a short piece and didn’t need adaptation, the Long Flute script team quickly made a script based on the comic and recruited voice actors for supporting roles in the group chat.

If you’re going to do it, do it best.

That night, after checking that Ji Xiao and Ruan Jier were both free, Hamster had them log into a voice software, enter a channel, and get familiar with each other.

After all, they were going to voice a couple, so they needed to build some chemistry.

Ji Xiao created an account and casually named it “Brother Xiao.”

When Hamster saw they were both there, they left directly.

Ruan Jier cleared his throat: “Hello, I’m Shang Chu.”

Ji Xiao’s voice carried a smile: “I’m Brother Xiao.”

He deliberately lowered his voice a few notches, giving it a magnetic feel.

Ruan Jier paused. If that voice were a bit softer…

“Brother Xiao, are you… a guy?”

Ji Xiao chuckled quietly: “Of course I am.”

“Sorry,” Ruan Jier said apologetically, “I didn’t mean to offend. It’s just that your voice sounds a lot like a female friend of mine.”

“A female friend?” Ji Xiao’s smile deepened. “Is she someone you like?”

Since they were strangers, Ruan Jier felt no embarrassment and admitted openly: “She’s very pretty. Who doesn’t like a pretty girl? But that crush was from before.”

Ji Xiao: “Don’t you like her anymore?”

Ruan Jier felt a bit stifled: “She wasn’t what I imagined.”

Ji Xiao: “Oh?”

“I thought she was gentle, beautiful, reserved, and polite, but…” Ruan Jier sighed softly. “She seems pretty open. Probably has a lot of… lovers.”

Ji Xiao understood: “No wonder you don’t like her anymore.”

“Maybe all pretty girls are ‘sea kings,'” Ruan Jier said gloomily. “But I don’t want to be a fish in the sea. I just want a sincere, exclusive love.”

Ji Xiao laughed: “If you don’t want to be a fish, you could become a ‘sea queen’ and drive away all the little shrimps and fish.”

“Forget it,” Ruan Jier sighed. “Enough of that. Have you read the script?”

Ji Xiao: “No, I only read the comic.”

“Same thing. The script didn’t change anything; it’s just in text format for us to dub from,” Ruan Jier said curiously. “Your ID looks unfamiliar. Did the club leader recruit you?”

“No, I came on my own.”

“Oh,” Ruan Jier didn’t ask further. “How about we try a scene to get a feel for it?”

“Sure,” Ji Xiao opened the comic. “Which scene do you want to try?”

“I’m fine with anything.”

“Then let’s start with an intimate scene.”

“?” That intense? Starting with an intimate scene?

Ji Xiao licked his lips: “I think intimate scenes will help us adapt to each other faster. If we can handle intimate scenes, the rest will be a piece of cake, don’t you think?”

Ruan Jier: “…” That made some sense.

But he had never practiced intimate scenes with anyone before.

Wouldn’t he be embarrassed?

Who, who would try intimate scenes?

Ji Xiao: “Worried someone might barge in? True, this channel lock can’t block admins. Then, should we go to my channel?”

“Uh… how about we try other scenes first?”

“I’ve posted the channel number in the public chat. Follow me.”

“…”

Ruan Jier watched helplessly as the person disappeared from the channel. After hesitating for a moment, he copied the number and followed.

As soon as he entered the channel, he heard the crisp sound of a lighter and couldn’t help saying: “To protect your voice, you should smoke less.”

Ji Xiao: “I’m a bit nervous.”

“Since you’re nervous…”

“Then I need even more practice,” Ji Xiao said softly. “I have no experience. I’m afraid I can’t record well alone. I hope the senior can teach me… more.”

“…” That ambiguous tone when he called him “senior” made Ruan Jier’s scalp tingle.

“Ready to start? Senior.”

“I just entered the circle, but you’ve been in it for eight years. That ‘senior’ is well deserved.”

“…Alright then. Which scene are we doing?”

There were three intimate scenes in the drama.

The first: the shou couldn’t suppress his inner desires, coaxed the gong into drinking, and got intimate with him while he was tipsy.

The second: the gong realized his feelings, pinned the shou down and kissed him, releasing the beast within.

The third: near the ending, the shou bound his own demonic nature and led the gong into shared downfall.

Ji Xiao said softly: “The drunken scene, chapter five of the comic.”

Ruan Jier opened the comic. He hadn’t noticed before, but now seeing the panels of them embracing and kissing, his heart suddenly raced. He even thought the shou in the comic looked a bit like him, just with different eyes and expression.

Expressions he had never shown…

“Senior?”

Ruan Jier took a deep breath to get into character: “Let’s go.”

He was an eight-year veteran; he had done breathy lines before. What was there to be afraid of!

But breathing alone in private was a bit different from breathing opposite someone…

Ji Xiao flicked the ash from his cigarette. His expression was calm, but his voice carried drunkenness: “A You, why are you… swaying?”

Ruan Jier closed his eyes, immersing himself in the story. His clear tone became low and husky: “Your Excellency, you’re drunk.”

“A You, I feel dizzy. Come here and help me back to my room.”

“Okay…”

Ruan Jier paused, imagining A You walking over, wrapping an arm around the lord’s waist, but instead of taking him back, pressing him onto the table and kissing him deeply…

Ji Xiao: “Mmm… ah.”

Ruan Jier’s scalp nearly exploded.

He said he had no experience?

!

As Ji Xiao’s breathing grew heavier, Ruan Jier abruptly opened his eyes. What came into view was the computer screen, the comic panels almost pressed together.

He wanted to take off his headphones.

But he didn’t move. Instead, he stiffly lowered his head and saw… his arousal.

He sucked in a sharp breath.

“Hm? A You?”

Ji Xiao’s voice was thick with desire. Without changing his tone, Ruan Jier said in his normal voice: “I have something to do. Let’s call it a day. I’m logging off.”

In one smooth motion, he unplugged the headphones and shut down the computer.

Ji Xiao’s apartment.

Black Cat: “Host… you’re so seductive.”

Ji Xiao made an ambiguous grunt.

Black Cat muttered: “It’s true…” He was getting more and more sensual. Which world did this start from? Can’t remember.

Ji Xiao’s voice was still low: “Maybe it’s because I’ve tasted the sweetness.”

Black Cat: “…”

Ji Xiao: “Cat, have I never tasted love before? The more I taste it, the more I want it?”

Black Cat: “How should I know? In the first world, you were already amazing. You probably weren’t a virgin before, right?”

Ji Xiao: “Really? Actually, in the first world, I followed my memories, but my actions were still a bit rusty. Instinct took over quickly, though.”

Black Cat: “I couldn’t tell. But before, you… damn.”

Ji Xiao laughed: “What about before?”

Black Cat: “Host, you’re so bad! I’m not talking to you!”

You have to listen to the team leader—less communication! Less! Communication!

Ji Xiao fell into thought.

Either Black Cat used to know him but wasn’t familiar enough to know his personal affairs, or Black Cat didn’t know him at all, and the one who did was the person behind it.

Could it be the “team leader” it mentioned?

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