“Great!” Huanhuan wrapped her arms around Xiang Xu’s neck and kissed his face. She straightened up, patted her chest, and promised, “Don’t worry, Brother Xiang Xu. Even though they all like Rui-Bo, Huanhuan only has you in her heart. For you, Brother Xiang Xu, I will behave myself and never let other men mesmerize me!”
Xiang Xu felt that this was not something a child would say, but Old Xu’s face turned bright red upon hearing it. He came over, furious and amused, intending to smack her. “That little brat, showing you all sorts of movies! You little devil, learning so fast!”
“My brother is not a little brat! He is the best!” Huanhuan was very protective of her brother. “Wasn’t The Seventh Letter dubbed by Grandpa? Grandpa said this too!”
“It was me who said it, but that is…” Old Xu’s face turned even redder, whether from anger or embarrassment. He doted on his granddaughter too much to vent his anger on her. “Huanhuan, my little ancestor, you have caused me to lose all face! I will break that boy’s legs when I get home!”
Huanhuan was unhappy and made a fuss about not being allowed to beat her brother.
Old Xu endured his granddaughter’s little punches and looked at Xiang Xu with a somewhat flattering expression. “Xiang Xu, you did not understand, did you? It is better if you did not understand. It is better if you did not understand.”
Xiang Xu had not cared much, but seeing Old Xu’s humble demeanor, his curiosity was instantly piqued.
After returning home, Xiang Xu opened his browser and searched for The Seventh Letter. It turned out to be an anime film about school life, with a cover featuring two student-looking boys back to back.
It was probably about friendship. Xiang Xu pondered this as he clicked to watch it.
Soon, Xiang Xu realized that one of the two protagonists was dubbed by Old Xu, though it was a younger Old Xu with a clearer voice.
Five minutes later, the delicate-looking boy was cornered against a wall by a tall school bully.
Xiang Xu frowned slightly. There is bullying? Can they still be friends after this?
Twenty-seven minutes later, the delicate-looking boy was forcibly kissed by the school bully.
Xiang Xu’s eyes widened instantly.
One hour and three minutes later, the delicate-looking boy was…
Xiang Xu covered his burning face with both hands, unable to watch anymore.
He was caught between embarrassment and a desire to die. He was so embarrassed he wanted to die.
No wonder Old Xu’s expression was so humble. He really should not have let his curiosity get the better of him. An romance film would have been fine, but it was a romance between men. A romance between men would have been fine, but it was so explicit!
He was afraid that every time he saw Old Xu from now on, these scenes would automatically loop in his mind!
He apologized to Old Xu a hundred times in his heart, recited “Amitabha” a hundred times, and took a shower. Only after lying back in bed did he finally calm down.
He clicked on the voice cast list, and the name “Xu Yingsheng” caught his eye. He went to search for “Xu Yingsheng,” and below the photo of the young Old Xu, a series of awards and works dazzled his eyes. Although Xiang Xu did not understand those awards, Old Xu seemed quite accomplished.
Xiang Xu changed his perspective. Old Xu was a professional; dubbing anything was professional, it was just work, they were just colleagues!
Having convinced himself, Xiang Xu watched The Seventh Letter from beginning to end with a learning attitude to avoid future awkwardness when meeting Old Xu.
After watching it this time, his strong psychological resilience took effect, and Xiang Xu found himself incomparably calm, as if his entire person had been sublimated.
Very well, next time he could look Old Xu directly in the face with an expressionless expression.
He exhaled, and with a “ding,” Old Xu’s WeChat message popped up. Xiang Xu, feeling guilty, was quite startled.
Old Xu: “Xiang Xu, an old friend recommended a dubbing job to me and asked me to recommend a few people. Do you want to do it? Your practice now is decent enough, and this is a good opportunity to hone your skills.”
Normally, Xiang Xu would have agreed without hesitation, but remembering the The Seventh Letter he had just watched, he hesitated for a moment.
After hesitating for half a minute, Old Xu sent another message.
“It is for a game dubbing, and it pays quite well.”
“I will do it!” Xiang Xu replied immediately.
In the face of money, everything else could be negotiated.
Xu Yingsheng’s comeback was as the dubbing director for the game project Cloud Ruins Realm.
Cloud Ruins Realm was a card-based turn-based game targeted at female players. The player, as an otherworldly traveler who had lost their memories, traveled between several countries in the Cloud Ruins with the goal of retrieving fragments of their memory. In the process, the player met a group of precious friends and witnessed several unforgettable stories.
Cloud Ruins Realm was still in the preparatory stage, developed by Siyunfan Entertainment, a game company with quite a reputation in recent years. They spent a massive amount of capital on art, screenwriting, and dubbing, hiring big names, and it garnered high attention in every aspect.
Old Xu had originally wanted to refuse, but he could not resist the enthusiasm of his disciples, and plus, he wanted to take his recent prize pupil, Xiang Xu, out for a spin. In the end, he agreed.
After a round of voice trials, Xiang Xu was cast as Lu Yuzheng, the young general of the Rain Country, the second country in the Cloud Ruins.
After Xiang Xu left, Old Xu was tugged at by his old friend and rival, Hu Zechuan.
“What is it?”
“Where did you dig up that kid?”
Seeing the envy in Old Hu’s eyes, Old Xu could not have been more smug. He hummed, “Picked him up on the road.”
“Bullshit. How could you pick up someone so talented on the road? Why did I not pick him up!”
Old Hu and Old Xu had been competing secretly since their youth. If one dubbed a major production, the other would go out of their way to find one to compete; if one won an award, the other had to do the same. As they grew older and could no longer compete themselves, they started competing through their disciples. Old Xu was a few years older than Old Hu and had retired two years ago, so their conflict had mellowed out somewhat.
He did not expect Old Xu to return so high-profile, bringing along a remarkably talented brat. Old Hu felt he had lost a round and was naturally very angry.
Seeing him so exasperated, Old Xu felt great. “I was just doing Tai Chi in the park, and my granddaughter helped me pick up a well-behaved apprentice. That is character!”
Old Hu tutted. “Old Xu, you are retired now. Why not let Xiang Xu sign with my Zechuan Studio? How about I help you make him famous?”
“Go to hell!” Old Xu was no fool. “You want me to hand over someone I worked so hard to train? Keep dreaming. With his voice and his face, where would he not become famous? I will let him play around with me for now, and then I will have Shao Heng keep an eye on him later.”
Jiang Shaoheng was one of Old Xu’s “ungrateful, disappointing” disciples who had inherited his mantle and was now doing very well in the dubbing circle.
“You old thing are so stingy. How about you let this kid come and play when Chuanze Studio produces a drama later?”
“That is fine. You take good care of him for me. The kid is honest and easily bullied.”
Old Hu rolled his eyes. “You only know how to command people without offering any benefits.”
Old Xu chuckled. “We have been old friends for so many years, what benefits do you need? At worst, I will keep an eye out and introduce a few handsome young men to your son, so he does not stay single at his age!”
Old Hu’s son was gay, and the moment he brought it up, he hit a sore spot, making Old Hu roll his eyes in fury. “Xu Yingsheng! You old geezer!”