She offered some comfort: “It’s always difficult for a newcomer to handle this kind of material. Your emotional range is a rare gift. You’ll get used to it, and it won’t feel so strange after a while.”
“If there are no issues,” Lin San continued, “let’s go ahead and sign the contract.”
Xu Yinian lifted her gaze. Her eyes were as red and watery as a frightened rabbit’s, and she didn’t dare accept the praise. She felt no excitement about passing the audition.
Only she knew where that “gift” had come from. Her Senior Sister had basically helped her cheat…
Thinking of the scripts that would only get more difficult and the fact that this success wasn’t truly hers, she hesitated. She wanted to refuse. At the very least, she hadn’t embarrassed Qin Jiashu.
“I don’t…”
Before she could finish her refusal, Qin Jiashu cut in. “Great! Let’s sign it right now.”
When it came to dragging Xu Yinian into the world of voice acting, Qin Jiashu and Lin San were in perfect alignment.
Under their combined pressure, Xu Yinian quickly folded. She signed the contract in a state of reluctant compliance.
Still, she knew deep down that high-paying part-time jobs were hard to come by, especially for someone as introverted and prone to stuttering as her. She had debts to pay, and her future living expenses were nonexistent.
She truly needed the money…
Maybe it’s just the beginning that’s hard, Xu Yinian consoled herself.
Besides, when she eventually worked with her real partner, it wouldn’t be someone she knew like Qin Jiashu. Surely it wouldn’t be as humiliating as today…
Thinking of her partner, Xu Yinian recalled the rumors about “Briefly Put.”
It was said that she kept her online and offline lives strictly separate because she wasn’t actually interested in women. In the behind-the-scenes clips and fan-service audios for various Baihe dramas, Briefly Put was always the most distant and professional.
If she was straight, it would just be business for her. That was exactly what Xu Yinian wanted.
However, she had no way of knowing that the woman with the familiar voice—Briefly Put—was actually Ji Yan.
After being ushered through the contract signing, Xu Yinian could no longer suppress her discomfort. She stood up and excused herself to the restroom.
Her pleated skirt sat obediently past her knees once more. Her fallen stocking had long since been pulled back up to a perfectly normal height.
Yet, as she passed Lin San, she was still terrified of being looked at. Her gait became awkward and stiff. She could only offer a hurried, head-down greeting before rushing past.
The studio was empty today, and the restroom was deserted. Xu Yinian finally found a moment to relax in front of the mirror.
She splashed her face with water at the sink and then bent down to tidy herself.
The flushed red marks on her skin were unavoidable—patches of crimson against her pale complexion. She looked like she had been bullied. She couldn’t bring herself to blame Qin Jiashu, though. Her Senior Sister had genuinely wanted to help, and she hadn’t actually hurt her…
Xu Yinian wasn’t one to waste water. She dampened a paper towel and dabbed at her skin, bit by bit. She wasn’t even sure what she was trying to wash away; she just wanted to cool the heat that refused to dissipate.
But as she reached for a fresh towel, the colors in the mirror shifted. A distinct shadow loomed over her.
Xu Yinian was so startled the paper slipped from her fingers. There, reflected in the mirror, was the last person she expected to see.
She was so shocked she even forgot her usual fear of Ji Yan.
As if sensing her disbelief, Ji Yan leaned lazily against a nearby pillar and drawled, “I saw everything just now.”
“Everything you and Qin Jiashu did in that recording booth.”
As she spoke, Ji Yan’s gaze swept downward, her eyes darkening with intensity.
Only then did Xu Yinian realize her stocking was still bunched around her ankle. She scrambled to pull it up, only to hear Ji Yan’s mocking voice.
“I’ve already seen it all. Is there any point in hiding now?”
Xu Yinian’s fingers froze for a second before she gritted her teeth and yanked the stocking up in one quick motion. Because she was in such a rush, it was crooked and looked even stranger…
At least it’s covered, she told herself.
Ji Yan’s downward gaze didn’t waver. Her lashes partially obscured the flicker of amusement in her eyes. The girl clearly didn’t realize that looking this flustered only made people want to push her further.
Xu Yinian wasn’t stupid. Knowing who the owner of Monologue Studios was, it wasn’t hard to guess Ji Yan’s connection to the place. Accessing the surveillance feed for the recording booth would have been trivial for her.
Only one realization filled her mind… everything she had done with Qin Jiashu had happened right under the nose of Qin Jiashu’s girlfriend.
Ji Yan didn’t even ask about the marks she had seen; she clearly knew exactly where they came from.
And yet, Xu Yinian wasn’t even sure what the current status of Ji Yan and Qin Jiashu’s relationship was…
“Is Qin Jiashu… still your girlfriend?”
It was the first time she had spoken. Her voice trembled—partly because she couldn’t shake the tone of her performance, and partly out of sheer, panicked terror.
Ji Yan’s eyes turned dangerously dark, but she looked up, surprised by the absurdity of the question.
Girlfriend? Qin Jiashu?
Is that what Xu Yinian thinks?
She realized the girl wasn’t joking. A scoff nearly escaped her lips, but then the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the distance.
Lin San wore soft indoor slippers; they didn’t make such sharp, rhythmic sounds. It was Qin Jiashu.
Ji Yan suddenly changed her mind.
She stepped forward before Xu Yinian could retreat, bracing her hands casually against the marble countertop. She effectively trapped the small, fragile girl against the sink.
Leaning close to her ear, she whispered, “Yeah. And now my girlfriend is coming. Should she catch us in the act? Or should I choose to get back at her through you instead?”
Xu Yinian’s hands pressed helplessly against the sink. The cold marble bit into her back; she had nowhere left to run.
She finally realized the person coming was indeed Qin Jiashu.
Feeling the crushing weight of Ji Yan’s presence, she couldn’t find her voice. She could only shake her head, her face turning deathly pale.
“If you’re so scared, then stay quiet.”
Ji Yan’s hands, which had been resting on either side of Xu Yinian’s waist, suddenly tightened. She easily swept the weak-kneed girl into the nearest stall.
A split second before Qin Jiashu entered the room, the door clicked shut.
Qin Jiashu heard a noise in the restroom. Assuming it was Xu Yinian, she called out, “Junior Sister? Are you taking that long…?”
To be honest, ever since Xu Yinian had fled to the restroom, Qin Jiashu’s smug confidence had wavered. Even with a valid excuse, those kinds of suggestive actions—commonplace as they were among veterans in the industry—were clearly too much for Xu Yinian to handle.
Had she pushed too hard? Was Xu Yinian going to start avoiding her now?
The longer the silence stretched, the more uneasy she became. She had decided to come in and try to smooth things over with some smooth talk.
But when she walked in, the room appeared empty. Her voice trailed off.
She looked around. There were fresh splashes of water on the sink, and a soaked paper towel sat discarded in the basin. Everything pointed to someone having just been there.
Xu Yinian wasn’t the type to be messy. Either she hadn’t thrown it away, or she had dropped it in a massive hurry.
Qin Jiashu’s gaze shifted to the stalls. Only one was closed. Someone was inside.
But as far as she knew, there was no one else in the studio today besides the three of them…
She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes as she asked in her usual tone, “Junior Sister? Are you in there?”
