Yan Du Xian, Top talent, Top talent, Yan Du Xian...
Even after the dishes were served, Gu Sheng still felt it was surreal. Just her, alone with Top talent, sitting face-to-face eating Yan Du Xian... T T. She wanted to stay calm, composed, and focused, but this was purely and simply their first meeting... Clearly, that night in the supermarket when she held the dog and watched him pay didn’t count as real contact.
Yan Du Xian was her favorite dish, something she could only eat once the weather turned bitterly cold each year. It was absolutely Gu Sheng’s most delightful anticipation.
And then...
Well, the most delightful food and the most beautiful voice were now sitting together...
She poked the bamboo shoot in front of her with her chopsticks. What should she say when having a meal with a guy who wasn’t a classmate or a relative? T T
She looked up.
Top talent happened to be picking up some food and glanced at her: “What’s wrong?”
...
Nothing’s wrong T T, it’s just... Top talent, don’t you think it’s a bit too quiet and harmonious for a first meal together? Not talking at all, is that really okay? Isn’t it awkward... Gu Sheng blurted out: “The food here is really delicious.”
Mo Qingcheng smiled: “It is delicious here.”
It was such a simple and clean place, and it was near the recording studio, less than a ten-minute walk away... It must be a place Mo Qingcheng and his friends frequented, right?
“I really like Yan Du Xian,” Mo Qingcheng suddenly told her.
“Me too,” Gu Sheng agreed, “but most of the time, my parents make it for me at home. I rarely eat it out.”
“My parents are very busy with work,” he said casually, “so it seems like I’ve always made it myself. After graduation, when I lived with Jue Mei, sometimes we’d get lazy and just eat out.”
So pitiful T T
Even though he’s sitting, he’s still so much taller than you... Gu Sheng, what’s with this feeling of looking at a stray cat... She lowered her head and kept eating.
“Have you ever tried making it?” Mo Qingcheng’s voice was warm and gentle, like chatting with an old friend at the dinner table... No, wait, it really was chatting at the dinner table, just not with an old friend.
Gu Sheng shook her head.
“It’s very simple,” he naturally started explaining the recipe to her, and Gu Sheng just as naturally listened, “First, blanch the fresh bamboo shoot chunks in hot water, then soak the salted pork and flat bamboo shoots in cold water to reduce some of the saltiness.”
She nodded, listening attentively—partly for the recipe, partly for that beautiful voice.
Mo Qingcheng picked out the tender bamboo shoot tips and placed them in her bowl, continuing unhurriedly:
“Add scallion segments and ginger to cold water, bring it to a boil, then add the salted pork and pork ribs—though I also like adding salted pig’s feet. After bringing it to a boil over high heat, skim off the foam, and simmer for twenty to thirty minutes,” he said, recalling as he spoke, “Add the flat bamboo shoots and fresh bamboo shoots. Once the broth turns milky white, reduce to low heat and simmer for about an hour.”
“What about the tofu knots?” Gu Sheng asked.
He smiled: “Don’t rush.”
...
I’m not rushing...
Mo Qingcheng: “Finally, add the tofu knots and simmer over low heat for fifteen minutes. Sprinkle with chopped scallions, and it’s ready to serve.”
She hummed in agreement.
Sipping the soup with a spoon, delicious food paired with a beautiful voice—it was truly too enjoyable...
She had almost finished eating and felt her whole body warmed up. Mo Qingcheng had already called the waiter over to pay. The waiter walked over with a smile, handing him the bill folder while saying, “Is she a voice actor like you? She looks so young.”Mo Qingcheng took out the money and placed it on her tray. "No, still a student."
Gu Sheng smiled at the server.
They really seemed familiar beyond words. Probably the boxed meals Top Talent usually ordered for voice acting were from this place?
"Oh~" The server grasped a certain understanding.
Mo Qingcheng smiled in tacit agreement.
In their silent exchange, Gu Sheng was genuinely dying of embarrassment.
"Put on your coat," Mo Qingcheng had already stood up, holding his own clothes. "It's still some distance to your school, we should probably hurry." After saying this, he naturally picked up her heavy, bulging backpack again.
Gu Sheng quickly stood up, wanting to say she should carry it herself.
The words had just rolled on the tip of her tongue, about to be spoken, when she heard a burst of laughter at the entrance...
She broke into a cold sweat without even turning around. So familiar, seriously T T
Esteemed lords, must you all treat this place as your cafeteria? Could you occasionally change your taste...
"Mo! Qing! Cheng!" Fei Shao laughed loudly. "Weren't you taking her back to school? How come after forty or fifty minutes, you're still hanging around near the recording studio?"
"Don't expose our peerlessly handsome Top Talent," Dou Dou Dou Bing cheerfully unwrapped her scarf. "Was it good, Sheng Sheng? The food here is pretty nice, right?"
Gu Sheng didn't dare speak, just hummed in acknowledgment.
"Yan Du Xian?" W walked over, glancing at the table. "Top Talent, you're so unfair... I've been telling you for days I wanted to eat Yan Du Xian, and you wouldn't even accompany me..."
Jue Mei very seriously placed a hand on his shoulder. "Now that he has Sheng Sheng, who's going to eat with you?"
......
......
Everyone chatted happily.
The server listened, beaming even more brightly.
Gu Sheng was so embarrassed she wished she could die. She secretly glanced at Top Talent and whispered, "Shall we go?"
He smiled. "Alright," he looked at Jue Mei. "We're leaving."
Jue Mei gave an expression that said, "Brother, come and go as you please, I won't stop you," casually pulling out a chair and sitting at the large round table. "Everyone sit down, sit down. Let's just pretend we didn't see Mo Qingcheng. Don't make Sheng Sheng embarrassed, or she won't dare come next time..."
......
T T Can you even pretend like that?
Besides, Lord Jue Mei... you've already finished all your teasing, had your fun, and only now realize I'm embarrassed...
Top Talent also patted Jue Mei's shoulder somewhat helplessly, then left with Sheng Sheng, leaving behind the group's cheerful laughter as they continued ordering and eating.
The two smoothly caught a bus. It was a little past eight in the evening, not many people, and the back half of the bus was empty. They sat in the very last row, a full row of six seats, with only the two of them.
"You sing so beautifully, why do you never sing and only do voice acting?" This question had been weighing on Gu Sheng's mind for a long time. He didn't seem to think much of it. "Singing requires more effort."
...
Alright.
The bus turned a corner, the journey just beginning.
She didn't know what to say to Mo Qingcheng; they couldn't keep talking about recording forever...
But aside from singing and voice acting, she really didn't know what to talk about with Top Talent.
She couldn't exactly talk about having two classes tomorrow morning, taught by that old professor whose lectures could put anyone to sleep... But it was a relief that Top Talent finally didn't have to carry her heavy backpack for her; it was placed on the empty seat beside them. At least... she didn't have to feel guilty anymore.Gu Sheng's thoughts began to wander endlessly as she contemplated how to grab her backpack the moment she got off the bus, preventing him from actually carrying it all the way to her dorm building...
Suddenly, a faint voice.
Soft and lazy, humming a song in a low, melodious tone.
She looked at him in surprise.
He looked back at her, his dark, upturned eyes holding a faint smile as he casually continued humming.
In the spacious interior of the bus, the sound wasn’t likely to carry to the front section, so at this moment, only she could hear Mo Qingcheng humming this song, "Song Weiyang." It was a song perfectly suited for the night—listening quietly, it evoked a sense of old Shanghai’s lazy, decadent charm.
The bus stopped at a red light.
But his humming didn’t stop.
Gu Sheng felt as if she were listening so intently she could hardly breathe—such a beautiful voice...
She quickly turned her head away, continuing to stare fixedly out the window.
"Who is still lingering, singing
That familiar, unfinished song
The lights have gone out
The crowd has dispersed
Yet longing continues to entangle
I am a wave drifting with the tide
Occasionally mooring in your heart
Unable to slow my steps
Only able to hurry
In an instant, I’ve crossed the ocean
..."
Listening like this, she thought, what a blissful night this was.
Such a beautiful voice, singing such a lovely song.
T T If only she could record it...
Author’s Note: This song, "Song Weiyang," was the origin of my love for Nini’s (Ke Muqing’s) voice T T. Nini’s voice is truly too beautiful... so versatile across different vocal ranges, whether in ancient style or modern songs, it’s just so pleasing to listen to, covers face. I think I’ve just revealed my preferences...
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