“Who’s the better driver? Me or her?”
“Huh…?”
Xu Yinian doubted her own ears. She looked at Qin Jiashu’s profile in disbelief.
Qin Jiashu hummed expectantly, insisting on an answer as if she absolutely had to win this competition.
“Senior Sister… is better,” she stammered truthfully.
After all, Ji Yan’s motorcycle had been terrifying. If she hadn’t held on tight, she would have flown off. The whole trip had been a blur of panic, and she had been forced to wrap her arms around Ji Yan’s waist—a memory she’d rather not revisit.
Qin Jiashu was satisfied. Her tone brightened instantly. “Then I haven’t spoiled you for nothing.”
Xu Yinian didn’t understand the point of the comparison, but she was relieved it wasn’t a confrontation.
The “wind-swept” feeling lasted until they reached their destination. Usually, Xu Yinian was the type to get motion sickness and sleep the moment she hit a car seat, but the open air had kept her wide awake and alert the entire way.
The audition was held in a media industrial park in the north of the city, at Monologue Studios’ private recording facility.
Before coming, Xu Yinian had not only finished the original novel but had also done some research online. She had originally thought it was a small-scale operation, but her search revealed they were the hottest audio drama producers in the industry, holding the rights to almost every major novel adaptation.
Seeing all those famous titles made her feel even more like her chances of being cast were slim. But since she had promised her Senior Sister, she couldn’t back out now.
The project she was auditioning for, Improper Thoughts, was a GL ABO novel.
To be honest, this was only the second GL story Xu Yinian had ever read—the first being the original novel of the world she was currently living in.
The trendy “ABO” setting was entirely new to her. After reading the introduction, she learned there were three genders: Alpha, Beta, and Omega. Alphas and Omegas had pheromones and heat cycles, and Alphas could “Mark” an Omega.
In Improper Thoughts, the protagonist was a stuttering Omega who was a “B-grade” failure. Not only were her heat cycles irregular and troublesome, but she also couldn’t smell any Alpha pheromones.
One day, she realized she could smell the pheromones of the elite Alpha Imperial Princess. Drawn to that scent, she began to harbor “improper thoughts” for the high-and-mighty princess.
The tension between the clumsy, “bait-type” Omega and the cold, celibate Alpha was palpable.
As Xu Yinian read about the Omega’s clumsy attempts at seduction and how she was eventually marked and dominated by the Princess, she found herself too embarrassed to continue. She had to bite her lip to finish the chapters.
She had once asked Qin Jiashu if “straight” voice actors felt embarrassed when recording such… stimulating and erotic scenes.
Qin Jiashu told her she simply hadn’t seen enough of the world. She explained that even famous Japanese voice actors often started their careers with “adult” anime or eroge games. In the recording booth, those suggestive sounds weren’t romantic or intimate; they were recorded over and over until the actors were numb to them. It was just work.
Seeing how knowledgeable her Senior Sister was, Xu Yinian had assumed she had voiced dramas herself.
But when she asked, Qin Jiashu explained that her career goal was to be a host or broadcaster for the national television station. In that professional world, “going into the sea” (working in adult or suggestive media) could be a problem. If she couldn’t keep her alias perfectly hidden, it would jeopardize her chances of being hired.
Xu Yinian was in awe of Qin Jiashu’s professionalism.
Indeed, even in the talent-dense X University, the Senior Sister was the go-to host for every major event and the Vice Station Manager of the Broadcasting Station. Her skills were top-tier; she truly had a boundless future.
Qin Jiashu parked the car and walked around to open Xu Yinian’s door.
This time, Xu Yinian didn’t forget. She hurriedly unbuckled her seatbelt, terrified that Qin Jiashu might lean in again on a whim.
However, she still miscalculated. As Qin Jiashu held the door open with one hand, she braced her other hand against the car frame, effectively boxing Xu Yinian in.
“Junior Sister, did you forget something?”
Qin Jiashu’s red lips curved into a charming, soulful smile.
Xu Yinian’s heart thudded. She suddenly remembered what Qin Jiashu had mentioned in the car—the question she had left hanging.
“What were you laughing at back at the dorm? Tell me and then I’ll let you out. Consider it the ‘fare’ for the ride. It was a ten-kilometer trip; in the Capital, that’s at least sixty yuan, isn’t it?”
Xu Yinian clenched her hands, whispering, “I… I wasn’t laughing at you…”
“Liar. Three… two…”
Xu Yinian had no choice. She surrendered. “I… I saw Senior Sister’s fingernails…”
As she spoke, her gaze drifted back to the hand braced against the car.
Qin Jiashu had received plenty of jokes and teasing comments on social media about “cutting her nails for love” whenever she posted a manicure update. But she never expected Xu Yinian—who seemed as pure and straight as a whistle—to get the “short nails” joke instantly.
The bold and flirtatious Qin Jiashu actually felt a flush of heat rise to her face. She didn’t know how to respond. After all, cutting one’s nails was a joke on the surface, but anyone who knew the “code” knew exactly why the length of those fingers carried such deep meaning…
She felt a strange sense of guilt, like she was making a dirty joke with a child.
How was she to know that Xu Yinian’s next words would be:
“I used to think Senior Sister was so domineering, but your nail beds are actually all pink and soft. I guess your true nature isn’t what it looks like on the outside.”
“…Huh?” Qin Jiashu froze. She had a bad feeling. “So… what exactly is my ‘true nature’?”
Xu Yinian thought she had successfully exposed her, causing the “delicate flower” to be shy.
Because she was so embarrassed, Xu Yinian stammered for a while. She didn’t know the proper terms for a “softer” partner, so she could only vaguely use the words she had just learned from the GL novel:
“You know… like the one who likes Ji Yan… you’re a shou (bottom).”
I actually laughed out loud at the end of this chapter