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nEditor: whiteflare

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nOne of the most widely believed and abided by “rule” amongst those in the news media was to strike while the iron was hot. Once it was delayed and the heat had cooled, even the most worthwhile feature would become a pile of scrap paper to be discarded.

nNaturally, Qi Jing was not going to break that rule.

nThe moment the dishes were cleared away, without wasting even a second, Qi Jing immediately dragged Shen Yan to his laptop and had the latter sit down in front of it. “All you need for registration is your personal ID number and the event ID. You don’t need to send in any recordings yet, so you can just register first. As for what role to choose and when to record, those can wait.”

nShen Yan complied and sat in front of the computer, but Qi Jing still kept a hand placed on his shoulder as if afraid that he could suddenly get up and run away.

nShen Yan was thoroughly amused by Qi Jing’s actions.

n“Don’t be so nervous. Since I said I would participate, I naturally won’t go back on my word.” He turned on the computer without being prompted and did as Qi Jing said.

n“But I’m nervous,” Qi Jing said with a wry smile as he shook his head, “I’m much more nervous than when I signed up myself.”

nWhen he was signing up, he did it with the mindset of competing with the Great God, Bronze Sparrow Terrace. Even if he had nerves, they were positive ones that came from excitement. But the nervousness he felt now was of the more traditional meaning, the negative kind that stemmed from anxiousness, worried that Shen Yan might change his mind at any time and give up on this opportunity.

nThat’s why, while the iron was still burning hot, he’d better quickly hammer away at it.

nAfter logging on to the browser, Qi Jing pulled out the official website of《Order to End the Heavens》from his browser history, found the golden icon for the dubbing auditions, and clicked in for Shen Yan to register an account for the event.

nShen Yan did as he was told.

nAfter entering his ID number, came the part where he had to fill in his event username.

nShen Yan had already typed in the words “Geese Fly North” when Qi Jing suddenly sprung up and hurriedly stopped him. “Wait, I think it’s better if you use another ID for this competition.”

nQi Jing had some considerations of his own when making this suggestion.

nFirstly, Shen Yan was someone that kept a low-profile both in real life and in the online voice acting circle. If he were to use his usual ID for such a highly anticipated and publicised event like《Order to End the Heavens》, it might bring unnecessary troubles for “Geese Fly North”.

nSecondly, based on his understanding of Shen Yan’s ability, if he could overcome his psychological barriers, advancing should not be a problem… It’s just that those producers who caught wind of Shen Yan would definitely come begging for him to voice in their dramas, act in main roles, and gossip about him to their heart’s content. Qi Jing didn’t want to make things difficult for Shen Yan again and again just because of his one selfish wish.

nAfter all, it was already not easy for Shen Yan to agree to participate in a competition like this where the number of online audience members easily went over 10,000.

nAfter thinking it through, Qi Jing became firmer about his initial idea. “I think you should use another ID to sign up for the audition. It’ll be easier for you that way and the psychological burden you face won’t be as big.”

nShen Yan calmly pressed the backspace button three times until the initial ID was completely deleted. Only then did he turn to Qi Jing with a faint smile. “Is it because the name ‘Geese Fly North’ sounds too cold? Unpleasant?”

nEveryone in the circle seemed to have an inherent impression of his ID.

nAt first glance, the word “North” would often be associated with imagery related to winters such as wind, snow, ice, and frost. And since he was so quiet and not the most sociable, it further made people feel that he was cold.

nBut Qi Jing simply blurted out instead, “Eh? Doesn’t ‘Geese Fly North’ mean the arrival of spring?”

nWhen winter arrives, the geese fly south.

nWhen spring arrives, the geese head north.

nWild geese were migratory birds that migrate according to the changing seasons. They flew north because the temperature of the land was rising, the east wind was thawing away the ice, and spring was in full bloom. It had nothing to do with the cold, and was, in fact, quite the opposite.

nQi Jing didn’t know about this before. It was only by chance when the Science & Education Channel got him to compile information on the symbolism of bird totems that he read about it from the numerous documents. Back then, the first thought that came to his mind was that this name perfectly matched the voice of its owner.

nPerhaps it wasn’t the more intense warmth that came in late spring. Instead, it was a mellow warmth from the beginning of spring that gradually melted away the frost and snow which covered the earth. And as the snow turned to water, it seeped in, warming the heart from within.

nSpring beckons when the geese fly north.

nRather surprised, Shen Yan raised his head to meet Qi Jing’s eyes. There seemed to be a glimmer in his eyes which quietly flashed across. Then, his eyebrows relaxed to reveal a smile that very much fitted his name.

nIt wasn’t the first time Qi Jing had seen him smile. However, this one seemed somewhat different. It really gave Qi Jing the feeling like a thin layer of ice had been broken, allowing the waters of spring to overflow and well up in his heart.

nMoreover, Shen Yan didn’t seem to have rested well last night; under such circumstances where he appeared a little tired, a smile like this becomes especially precious.

nQi Jing could only stare at the other party blankly, forgetting how to even react.

nSeeing him stunned, Shen Yan lowered his head, still smiling, and sighed softly, “You’re the first person to say that.”

nHe had thought that no one would realise; no one would understand. Never would he have ever imagined that it would be pointed out by the one person he longed to be near. He didn’t need to use words as a medium. Without even needing to open his mouth, the other person was his “voice”—saying the words he wanted to say, doing the things he wanted to do; these were things he never even dared to dream for.

nNow, there was no need to ask, no need to dream, there was already someone like that by his side.

n“Then, how about you come up with another username to replace it?” Shen Yan asked for Qi Jing’s help with a faint smile. It was a gesture that carried a tinge of childishness, acting cute even, though the person himself did not realise it.

nQi Jing did not notice it either, his eyes were completely focussed on the screen while he thought hard about what ID Shen Yan should use instead. Then, after staring at Shen Yan for a bit, he suddenly had an idea.

n“Geese Fly North-sama, I’ve thought of a wonderful username for you.” His eyes that curved when he smiled looked so sly.

nWonderful, too wonderful, I can’t think of an ID more brilliant than this.

nKitty の Papa.

nTo appear more trendy and also to confuse people, so as to hide Shen Yan’s true identity, he specially added the “の”, popular amongst youngsters, instead of just using “Kitty’s Papa”. After all, no matter how one looked at someone as upright as Geese Fly North, there’s no way he would have a username like that.

nQi Jing tried to hold back his laughter as he typed the words in the field for “event ID”. But once he keyed in the last word, he couldn’t contain it anymore and virtually collapsed onto the ground laughing out loud.

nShen Yan looked at this new name in silence for a while before shaking his head with a smile and calmly clicked on the “Register” button.

n“That’s a really good name.”

n“Pfft.” Qi Jing, who had originally got up, fell back onto the ground into yet another bout of laughter at his words.

n“But you’re actually the one who’s more suitable for this name.” Shen Yan got up from his seat and reminded Qi Jing while pulling him up from the ground.

nAlthough he had treated countless cats, he had never been an owner of one. Strictly speaking, Qi Jing was the one who could really be considered to be a cat dad since he had a cat. Also, it seemed to be time for the cat dad to go fulfil his parental duties.

n“In that case, let’s go to the hospital to visit Little Return Date.” Qi Jing wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes that’d formed from laughing so hard. He was in an incredibly great mood.

nIt was bound to be sunny today.

nSure enough, the weather was clear outside. The long-awaited sun shone down on the earth, warming the path.

nBig Return Date had a good night’s sleep yesterday and Little Return Date was no slouch either, sleeping with its belly up and all four limbs in the air; clearly, it had a wonderful night as well.

nThe moment Little Return Date saw its owner, it sprung up to its feet and started meowing excitedly, stretching a fluffy paw through the cage bars to tap Qi Jing’s outstretched hand with all its might. It looked to be in good spirits, worlds apart from its pitiful appearance at the other clinic.

nThe guilt Qi Jing felt finally subsided a little as he grabbed the little one’s paw and played with it.

nWhile they were having fun, Shen Yan put on a white coat and a pair of gloves and went to the incubator in the laboratory to take out Little Return Date’s bacterial culture sample. He carefully examined the sample under a microscope and, fortunately, he didn’t find anything suspicious, so the possibility of a secondary infection could basically be ruled out.

nThe injection given yesterday had also taken effect and Little Return Date’s temperature had gone back to normal; it was no longer feverish.

n“Littler Return Date should be able to be discharged from the hospital today.” Shen Yan did one last check on the little fella before turning to give Qi Jing his final verdict.

n“Does… Does your place allow pets?” A hint of hesitation flashed across Qi Jing’s eyes.

nQi Jing had originally only intended to send it to the hospital for treatment, then bring it back to his apartment once it recovered; Shen Yan offering for him to move in was entirely outside of his plans. Right now, whether or not the lodging offer included a cat still depended on the owner of the house. After all, Little Return Date was not like Big Return Date, it wasn’t trained and couldn’t take care of its various needs like Qi Jing. Moreover, Shen Yan’s place was not already equipped with the necessary items for raising a cat, like cat food, cat litter, and a cat bed and blanket set. It wouldn’t be good to trouble him even more.

nHearing his question, Shen Yan smiled gently and spoke as he removed his gloves with his eyes downcast, “We welcome both the big and little one.”

nNo wonder Little Return Date’s fever went down so quickly… turns out it passed it all to me…

nQi Jing was carrying the kitten in his hand, so he couldn’t check just how hot his ears had become. Meanwhile, the little guy in his arm was still cluelessly staring at its two dads with its big, round eyes, without a care in the world. Little Return Date pawed at the chest of one of its dads, as if really leaving a mark on his heart—the thumping was thunderous.

nLuckily for them, the veterinary hospital itself had a small shop which sold various pet food and supplies, which was convenient for owners who didn’t have the time to grab anything with them when they came out.

nThey picked out a small crate from the shop. The bottom of the crate was lined with thick foam cushions while the walls were nicely padded, providing Little Return Date all the space it needed to fool around and scratch to its heart’s content. The top of the crate was a sliding wire cover, so they could just close the cover when they didn’t want the little one running about, and let it out again when it was alright.

nApart from that, Shen Yan also chose a few kinds of milk powder suitable for kittens and dry food for teething, as well as some common medication, sanitary items, and so on.

n“Dr. Shen, you’re finally getting a cat too?” The cashier at the shop was clearly shocked. In all the years Shen Yan had been working in this hospital as a vet, this was the first time they had seen him purchase these items in person.

n“I have two.” Shen Yan replied with a smile while nodding his head.

nWhen Qi Jing processed what he said, Shen Yan had already settled the bill while he was still stunned. When Shen Yan was done, he even gave Qi Jing a little nudge signalling that they should go. Qi Jing could only hide his awkwardness with a cough and follow behind the man with Little Return Date curled up in his arms.

nLittle Return Date was quite curious about its new home, or perhaps, it was because the house was more well-furnished, so it was surrounded by things to lay its sharp little claws on. The gleam in its eager eyes gave Qi Jing a headache.

nAs expected, Shen Yan was the more experienced of the two, he mixed some milk powder with warm water, along with some nutritious crushed cat food, and mixed it into a paste. Then, he fed it to the cat. Being a two-month-old kitten, the energy Little Return Date had was still quite limited and once it had its fill, its eyes were slowly starting to close. Little Return Date lazily stretched itself, it lay on its side on Shen Yan’s lap and started catching some z’s.

n“I’ll help the little one trim its nails while it’s sleeping, lest you keep getting scratched by it.” It seemed like Shen Yan had an ulterior motive for filling the little fella’s belly.

n“As expected of the kitty’s papa.” Qi Jing exclaimed. That ID was perfect for him.

nA patient like him was unable to help in any way and could only watch from the side; however, he was very engrossed and mesmerised by the sight before him.

nShen Yan brushed the little one’s fur to help it fall asleep as soon as possible while looking up at Big Return Date. “What about you?”

n“What?”

n“What ID did you register with?”

n“Well, just my original ID; I didn’t come up with another one.” Qi Jing’s reason for participating in the audition was different from Shen Yan—not only would he not hide his identity, but he had to let everyone know who he was. Only then, would it make a meaningful comparison. “I plan to win back a round against Bronze Sparrow Terrace and wholly overturn his fans’ impression of him.”

nThese were all things he mentioned in his chat with Ninth Lady and the other girls that Shen Yan did not know about.

nHearing him say that, Shen Yan’s movements froze momentarily.

n“Bronze Sparrow Terrace is…”

n“Your grand 'son'.” Qi Jing suddenly recalled the relationship between the character played by Bronze Sparrow Terrace and Shen Yan and couldn’t contain his laughter when he gave that answer. It would appear that Geese Fly North’s Grandpa voice gave him quite the advantage; when most CVs stood before him, they’d be a “grandson” whether they liked it or not.

nShen Yan probably understood the hidden meaning of Qi Jing’s words, but what could he do with Qi Jing other than laughing it off while shaking his head and waiting for the latter to finally calm down before following up with another question, “What did you mean when you said you wanted to win back a round from him?”

n“When I officially rehearsed the first episode of《Trap》with him, both he and his fans put a lot of pressure on me. Although they didn’t say anything too drastic to me, still… I wasn’t able to perform normally to accommodate him. And in the end, when the final product came out, I got a lot of flak from the fans of the novel. That you know of, don’t you?”

n“Mhm, I saw the post.” Shen Yan nodded.

nBut you probably didn’t hear the recording of that run-through—Qi Jing mumbled internally.

nWell, thankfully he didn’t, otherwise, all his dark history would pour out like free-flowing black ink for Shen Yan to see.

n“He was born with a very good voice,” Shen Yan stated after pondering for a bit, recalling Bronze Sparrow Terrace’s performance in the first episode of《Trap》that was released, “but… it felt like he went a little off track.”

nThat was the first time Qi Jing heard Shen Yan comment on the Great God and he hurriedly prompted, “When you say off track, do you mean that his understanding of the character was off?”

nShen Yan sighed softly,” That’s a part of it. The other is that his vocal presence is too strong in some parts; all your attention is drawn to his voice, so you end up forgetting about the plot when you listen to his lines. Moreover, the overall emotions don’t change much; there isn’t much change between emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness; they all sound similar.”

nQi Jing subconsciously moved his fingers as if to grab a non-existent recorder out of thin air and record what Shen Yan had just said.

nQi Jing sure did like comments which were spot-on.

n“Geese Fly North-sama,” Qi Jing deliberately addressed him as such and asked with a cheeky smile, “Based on your deductions, if I were to choose the same roles as him, would my chances of winning be higher than him?”

nApparently, Shen Yan did not expect this to be what Qi Jing meant when he said he wanted to get one back at Bronze Sparrow Terrace. “You chose the same roles as him for this competition?”

nQi Jing shook his head. “That was my plan at first, but there’s one character that my voice really can’t manage, so I gave up on it; otherwise, all three would really be the same.”

n“Qin Tuo” had a bright voice which he could try.

n“Emperor Chang” was a role that required more skill in acting which he could give it his best shot.

nHowever, for a character like “Marquess Shenyang” that asked for a deep voice and had a grand air to him, Qi Jing really did not want to force it.

n“Can you briefly tell me about the voice requirements for the character you said you can’t handle?” Shen Yan didn’t look closely when Qi Jing was browsing through the character information since he had absolutely no idea that he would be competing then.

n“Hmm, it’s probably a more rich and upright-sounding voice that carries a very strong aura.” It really was perfect for Bronze Sparrow Terrace who had a low bass.

nShen Yan kept silent and contemplated with his head lowered for a long time.

nAt last, he suddenly whispered, “If you don’t mind, I can help you get back at him with this role.”

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