TLC:Lilies

  Warmth can be shared.

  From the very beginning, all he’s ever gotten from Shen Yan was warmth. That’s why when the “cold” sensation got passed to him for the first time, Qi Jing was a bit bewildered.

  Like the surface of a lake covered in a layer of ice during winter.

  It was not only cold, but also hard—no longer as easy to break……

  “Do you…… want to lay down for a bit?” Qi Jing parted his lips and asked in a very soft voice.

  The way he spoke was also like a man threading on the ice, cautious about his balance, threading forward step by step with utmost care.

  Shen Yan had let go of him.

  He let go, but he didn’t push him away.

  It was a proof that he could still make some effort to soothe that man before leaving this room.

  Sure enough, Shen Yan gave him a weary nod. Qi Jing’s eyes gleamed and he hurriedly took the other man’s arm into a gentle hold, helping him over to that small bed in the study, “Either way, I’m already done with my audition, so you just have a good rest on the bed. I will come and call you when it’s time later.”


  All the lights were off in the study, so the two of them supported each other like a pair of blind people in the dark.

  However, as they walked, Qi Jing could feel the man beside him moving closer with every step, even reaching out his other hand and silently resting it on top of Qi Jing’s hand that was holding his arm. This instinctive gesture made Qi Jing heave a small sigh of relief, gaining some form of comfort from it.

  “Over here.”


  He sat Shen Yan down on the edge of the bed, then pulled up the corner of the duvet, watching that man slowly get under the covers. It was as if his heart had also been tucked into a warm and cosy place, the chill he just felt going away for a moment. He also climbed into the bed and quietly squeezed under the duvet, pressing closely against Shen Yan—it would always be easier for two people to warm up a bed.

  “Sleep.” Shen Yan was lying down while Qi Jing was sitting, so when he talked, he deliberately lowered his head, pressing his lips against Shen Yan’s ear.

  After whispering into Shen Yan’s ear, Qi Jing naturally moved in to kiss the other man on his temple. Qi Jing’s fingers combed slowly along Shen Yan’s hairline, gently stroking his black hair.

  Seemingly comfortable, Shen Yan’s breathing slowly became even and the furrow between his brows smoothed out under Qi Jing’s continuous stroking. He didn’t move a single bit as he lay with his eyes closed.

  But Qi Jing knew he wasn’t sleeping—his eyelids would sometimes twitch a little, as if his heart was still in a turmoil, still struggling.

  What are you thinking about?To be honest, Qi Jing really wanted to ask him so, but since Shen Yan had asked to be alone for a while, then he probably wouldn’t want to answer that question.

  “Don’t think too much.” That’s why he could only manage such a line within his limited scope.

  “Mn.” Shen Yan replied vaguely. However vague it was, a response was still better than nothing.

  Until the thick layer of ice is cracked, it would be hard for the person standing atop of its surface to hear the sounds of the undercurrents below it. For now, all there was was a deathly silence and he had to accept that reality.

  Qi Jing kept a silent watch on him for a long while. When the bedding was already completely warmed up, Qi Jing got out of the bed just as he promised, tucking Shen Yan in without a word. Then, he left the room quietly to give Shen Yan a chance to sort out his emotions alone.

  When he went back to his computer, the headphones that had been warm from his hold, had already cooled down, just as his heart did. The overwhelming joy from ten minutes ago was gone, as if it had been washed away completely with cold water. What was left was only that stifling feeling in his throat; not that it hurt, but it still made him feel like he had trouble breathing.

  “I’m…… only ever this proactive for you.” Qi Jing’s movements as he put on the headset were visibly weak, completely lacking in energy.

  If Shen Yan continued to remain silent, then it would be of no meaning for him whether he lost or won that night.

  Once that thought took root in his mind, no matter how high a score he got, it would still be an insignificant number for him.

  When that thought came to his mind, Qi Jing quickly shook his head, “No&#k2026; I can’t lose my morale. We promised that if my score ends up higher than that of Bronze Sparrow Terrace, then you will tell me something I didn’t know about you.”


  Shen Yan, you will stay true to your words, right?

  He always kept his promises, so as long as he made a promise, then he will surely honour it……

  Qi Jing’s expression turned grave as he slowly put his headphones back on. There were eight contestants to perform between his and Bronze Sparrow Terrace’s turns, and with twenty minutes having already passed, it should be about the time for his turn.

  At that time, contestant No.24 had just finished his performance and it was the middle of the scoring and voting segment and next in the line was none other than Bronze Sparrow Terrace.

  The impact Went off with a bang made was probably already diminished by Qi Jing’s performance, so the commotion his fans made was much less aggressive than at the beginning; they calmed down a lot. Still, the atmosphere at the scene was getting more and more heated and before contestant No. 24’s score even got published, the public chat had already been flooded with cheering slogans from Bronze Sparrow Terrace’s fans.

  Audience 1: °.°(((p(≧□≦)q)))°.° Sparrow is finally going to go on the stage!! So excited!!

  Audience 2: °.°(((p(≧□≦)q)))°.° Good luck, Sparrow! Crush all the previous contestants! Show them the pride of a top Gong!

  Audience 3: °.°(((p(≧□≦)q)))°.° Sparrow-sama, I will love you the most forever, there’s no doubt about that!!

  Audience 4: °.°(((p(≧□≦)q)))°.° Good luck, Sparrow-sama!! Although the scores of the previous contestants are indeed high, you will surely get the highest score!! We strongly believe in that!!

  Audience 5: °.°(((p(≧□≦)q)))°.° That’s right! Go for it with all you’ve got and make that noisy ignorant bunch shut their traps!

  Audience 6: °.°(((p(≧□≦)q)))°.° I kept holding on to that vote without giving it out, all for the sake of Bronze Sparrow-sama’s performance! I will only vote for Bronze Sparrow-sama and no one else! I didn’t even vote for Don’t ask for my return date! Humph! 【Ah~ So shy~ So shy~~ I really am Bronze Sparrow-sama’s loyal fan~】
……

  “Bring it on,” Qi Jing’s gaze didn’t stray away from the screen as he said slowly, “Let me hear your, great god’s, exquisite acting—the best of you.”


  Go ahead.Once the performance, the judging, the voting ends, it will be obvious at a glance who’s better than who. That’s all I could wish for.

  “During this audition, I could care less about how the other contestants perform, the only thing I’m interested in is the competition between us.” Because this is a stake between me and Shen Yan. Besides that, you hold no other meaning for me.

  But it seemed like the Bronze Sparrow Terrace himself had a different view on that matter.

  “Everybody seems to have some kind of misunderstanding about me.”


  That voice he didn’t hear for a long time reverberated in his headphones; Qi Jing could still feel that assault of male hormones in his voice, the first impression just as during the PIA they agreed to do back in the day. Either way, it was an inborn advantage, the other party was born with superior voice conditions—even Qi Jing couldn’t deny it, not to mention those little fans infatuated with this low subwoofer-like voice.

  “In fact, I didn’t intend to offend other contestants, and my fans also didn’t have such an intention. They’re all sweet girls, they mean no harm.”


  That was Bronze Sparrow Terrace’s opening remark.

  This confident display of defending his fans without doubt made these “cute girls” of his momentarily go crazy, making them immensely proud for choosing the right idol to follow.

  From his voice to the way he talked, all of it made Qi Jing think of that luxurious wrapping paper from the high-end stores—it was so exquisite and dazzling, it could even make the buyer overlook the quality of the product wrapped in it. But he had to admit, that was also a kind of marketing technique and a rather successful technique to boot, so he couldn’t complain much about it.

  “Especially…… Don’t ask for my return date.” Suddenly, Bronze Sparrow Terrace mentioned his ID specifically; one could hear the smile and nonchalance in his tone.

  Hearing that, Qi Jing instinctively sat straight, wary of this man’s next words.

  He didn’t want to become a part of this packaging, a pattern on the wrapping paper.

  But it seemed like that was how the wrapping paper was clearly designed, “My relationship with Don’t ask for my return date is very good; we practised voice acting together, played in an audio drama together, and I also had invited him to the city I live in.”


  Qi Jing was stunned—when he finally came back to his senses, a light scoff escaped his lips.

  It was true that they practiced together, but it was only a one-time thing. Moreover it happened partially because he had no choice and partially to cater to Bronze Sparrow Terrace.

  It was also true that they played in an audio drama together, but it was only for one episode, and it was mainly him who shouldered all of the hate later.

  And as for the invitation……

  If it was about the weibo post that got reposted over three thousand times, in which Bronze Sparrow Terrace @-ed him, then it indeed happened.

  “So if someone said that we’re at odds with each other…… Then it’s surely a misunderstanding.” All in smiles, Bronze Sparrow Terrace clarified the previous negative remarks that appeared in the public chat.

  “Oh……” Qi Jing piqued his brow, then also smiled from behind his screen.

  They were both smiling. It’s just, one smile was warm and the other was cold, a striking difference from one another.

  “Then, contestant No. 25 Bronze Sparrow Terrace, if your equipment is ready, I will mute my mic now.” It was easy to catch one’s heart with Bronze Sparrow Terrace’s voice, and even Yang Chunqu wasn’t an exception. Qi Jing could easily hear a softer tone than usual in her inquiry, indicating her strong good-will.

  Just like this, the situation was already tilting in Bronze Sparrow Terrace’s favour.

  His urbane reply only improved his impression, “Thank you, you worked hard, Ms host.”


  Qi Jing took a deep breath and waited silently for him to start the first line. The counter with 120 seconds on it appeared on the left corner of the window just as Yang Chunqu announced. But although the time elapsed between each second was the same, Qi Jing felt as if the numbers were moving down faster. His anxiety had been stirred by Bronze Sparrow Terrace’s opening remarks just now, affecting his composure

  But there was no need to worry.

  It wasn’t about what he thought, but rather about how the other party performed.

  But at that time, a faint sigh was heard in his headphones, “Ha……”


  Almost at the same moment, Qi Jing felt a chill rushing up his spine and every single strand of his hair standing on its ends, the shudder of his hand almost knocking the mouse down from his desk.

  What……

  What the……

  That opening of the scene with a sigh…… That’s clearly—


  “We really don’t understand……” Bronze Sparrow Terrace said those words in an ailing voice, then paused for a bit before questioning in an annoyed and shrill tone, “The country prospers, the people live in peace and favourable weather brings bountiful crops—why are there still rebels causing trouble?”


  By the time Bronze Sparrow Terrace finished the first line, Qi Jing was basically sure of it.

  From the tone to the speed of speaking, from the outline to the details—everything was hardly any different from his performance from not so long ago. Even the change of attitude from leaning on the dragon throne to standing up impatiently was no different.

  The difference was, the advantage of Bronze Sparrow Terrace’s voice type was too superior—even though his grasp on the acting out the details didn’t compare to Qi Jing’s, his voice could to some extent overshadow those flaws, shifting the listeners’ focus to that deep and captivating bass, making it hard to catch the stiffness of his acting.

  And as for the reason behind that stiffness, was because he was imitating, and not performing.

  Bronze Sparrow Terrace, that guy…… He intended to completely copy and paste his performance?

  All at once, Qi Jing shot up from his chair, unaware of how his hand that was shaking from anger almost plucked the headphone cord out. But he had calmed down a little, he realised there was little he could do, nothing he could stop, other than unplugging all the cables in front of his computer in a fit of rage.

  Many noticed this situation as well, but few actually translated it into words.

  And even if they did, they would surely get refuted.

  Audience 1: …… Is it me, or is No.25’s performance very similar to that of No.16……（⊙＿⊙；）

  Audience 2: It seems that just as some person in the chat said just now, No.25 seems to be No.16 mentor or something?? In a word, if there really is this type of relationship between them, then they might have very well quietly discussed it in private, so using the same acting style wouldn’t be that strange. No.25 himself had said before that he has a very good relationship with No.16, right??

  Audience 3: So it’s not only me that feels that their acting style is very similar…… But I feel like it’s No.25 that is copying No.16……

  Audience 4: Oi oi, don’t go around accusing people of plagiarism, okay? Wasn’t the performance of that whole Uncle Bang before similar to those of many other contestants? Why didn’t you say that he is a copycat? ╮(╯▽╰)╭


  Audience 5: There’s so many contestants taking part in this audition, what’s so strange about two people’s acting being similar, the character is still the same character, and the setting is still the same setting. If everyone’s character comprehension is right, then their acting would also turn out the same!! What’s more, Sparrow himself had said that his and Don’t ask for my return date’s relationship is good, so perhaps it was him who taught Don’t ask for my return date, so what’s so strange about a teacher and his disciple giving a similar performance??

  Audience 6: ~\(≧▽≦)/~ In terms of the voice, I prefer this contestant……【Aaaah, I’m such a sucker for the absolute gong voices】
……

  The situation unfolding before him was so absurd that Qi Jing laughed in exasperation.

  To be honest, there was a speck of truth to those rebuttals—before he performed, many contestants, Went off with a bang included, all used a very similar acting methods, just as the regal bearing of the emperor, the royal stylisation of the emperor’s wrath, the way they handled the tone while acting out the lines…… And so on, and so forth.

  But every single one of those people would perform different details in a different way, Went off with a bang counting as an outstanding contestant among them, his execution of those details remarkable. Under those circumstances, it couldn’t be determined if someone was copying someone else.

  But Qi Jing’s comprehension of the characters was completely different from that of the others, so his performance was naturally unlike any other.

  That sigh at the start, his irritability and neuroticism as the character was sitting on the dragon throne…… All kinds of such details was what he thought planned through by him when he went over the lines while linking them with the plot of the original novel—it could be said that it was one and unique “Don’t ask for my return style Emperor Chang”. Unless there was a person capable of reproducing his thought process, there was no possibility of creating an identical “Emperor Chang”.

  Bronze Sparrow Terrace didn’t replicate his thought process.

  Bronze Sparrow Terrace directly reproduced the fruits of his work, picking up the currently best scored by the judges performance. The reason was simple enough—if he intended to copy, then he would surely choose to copy what was by far regarded as the best by the public, otherwise there would be no meaning to it.

  “Damn it……”


  Qi Jing looked as the headphones cord tangled into a ball in his hand, his voice shaking along with his fingers.

  At the beginning, he thought it was him being furious, but only later did he realise that he actually got overwhelmed by an immense fear.

  If he…… was unable to prove that it was the other party that copied him, using him as a stepping stone. In that case, he would lose.

  With his disadvantage of having a less suited voice type, and the performance style being similar…… He would probably lose. And it wasn’t as easy as losing just this match—he would also lose that bet he had with Shen Yan.

  T/N:

  Lucilla: Although I don’t know how such situations are regarded and resolved in the actual voice acting competitions, that move from Sparrow…… *closes eyes to chant mind-soothing sutras*