Due to the New Year's Day holiday.
For three whole days, Gu Sheng was commandeered by her family, helping to watch over the small supermarket during the day and sorting inventory after closing at night. Even so, Geng Xiaoxing wouldn't let her off, demanding she start promptly at 10:30 p.m. every night and continue until 1 a.m.
For the first two days, neither Jue Mei nor Qiang Qingci appeared due to personal matters.
The second day of the holiday was also the first rehearsal.
To maximize the promotion and satisfy Perfect's fans, Jue Mei Sha Yi announced the event publicly, holding the first rehearsal in the Perfect Dubbing Group's official channel.
Of course, the scene was no different from a tea party.
By the time Gu Sheng got home, the screen was already flooded with messages. People kept sending various screaming and fangirling symbols, while Jue Mei Sha Yi and Feng Ya Song had just released a drama and were engaging in YY banter.
She quickly glanced around—Qiang Qingci wasn't there. This top talent was truly elusive.
Because of the appearance of Perfect's three aces, it was eventually decided that all three would participate in the spoken parts of the story song. And thanks to Perfect's reputation and Qiang Qingci's status as the top talent, the lyricist submitted the draft in just two days.
She looked over the spoken parts of the three, along with a few newcomers from Perfect, and was very pleased to find that the lyricist, like her, loved Qiang Qingci's voice the most, dedicating the most evocative and captivating lines to him.
"These spoken parts are so submissive," Feng Ya Song sighed softly. "Why is it that whenever I encounter you, Group Leader, I always end up as the submissive one? And a gentle, melancholic submissive at that?"
Gu Sheng glanced at Feng Ya Song's lines and couldn't help but laugh.
"The sound of horns grows cold, the night grows still, fearing others' questions, swallowing tears and feigning joy..." Feng Ya Song recited slowly, then suddenly changed the words, adding softly, "Jue Mei, can I ask you a question?"
"Hmm?" Jue Mei Sha Yi said, "Go ahead."
Feng Ya Song deliberately paused for a few seconds.
In those few seconds, hundreds of messages like "Loved it!" "Truly loved it!" "No need to ask! You two are the official pairing!" "Get together already!!!!" "Definitely get together! No explanation needed!"... flooded the screen. Gu Sheng was laughing her head off. One of them had a carefree style, while the other often played the victim—they were truly a match made in heaven, Perfect's number one official pairing.
It was common for these CVs to be paired together.
It was just a pity that Qiang Qingci, as the top talent, had no official pairing or unofficial gossip. This was entirely due to a brief self-introduction he gave when he first joined Perfect: "I am Qiang Qingci. Well, I'm straight."
A very serious self-introduction.
Coupled with the top talent's formidable fanbase, no one dared to pair him with any other man.
Seeing the screen flooded too intensely, Feng Ya Song finally couldn't hold back and intervened.
"Hey? Don't misunderstand..." Feng Ya Song chuckled, unable to hold back. "I wanted to ask where our top talent has gone."
"Qiang Qingci?" Jue Mei laughed. "If he knew you called him 'top talent,' you'd definitely be thrown into a pond and made into a specimen."
Feng Ya Song burst out laughing.
Their warm-up act was over.
After the work here was done, it turned into Perfect's own event, but all the website staff stayed, including Geng Xiaoxing, who was very excited to remain and listen to them pia drama.
Gu Sheng had originally intended to leave but was curious about where Qiang Qingci had gone and why he still hadn't appeared.
She stayed but remained silent, listening in on the CVs' banter with each other."He's next to me now," Jue Mei Sha Yi said after getting on mic, suddenly changing the subject and emphasizing that "he" was Qiang Qingci. "Your Qiang Qingci SAMA's computer suddenly died, so now we're sharing one mic."
Gu Sheng couldn't help but listen closely.
Soon, Qiang Qingci's voice came through: "I'm here, you all continue."
With the top talent appearing, the fans in the room were not about to let it go. They kept flooding the screen with messages, urging Qiang Qingci to say something to comfort them after waiting for hours.
Jue Mei laughed: "I think if you don't say anything today, I won't be able to get away with it."
Qiang Qingci's tone was helpless: "I'm really tired today."
Almost instantly, all the frenzied fans turned into gentle little lambs, flooding the screen with messages like, "SAMA, go rest!" "Listen, our SAMA's voice has changed, my heart is breaking T T" "Jue Mei SAMA... please don't enslave our top talent, he's so pitiful, barely making it back and still being oppressed by you..."
Jue Mei burst out laughing: "How unfair, I haven't even made you do anything yet, and I'm already being accused of 'enslavement.'"
"Let me think," Qiang Qingci seemed to realize it wasn't quite right and pondered for a moment before saying, "I tried a dish today and thought it was pretty good."
Just as Jue Mei couldn't help but curse 'damn,' Gu Sheng also instinctively glanced at the time.
Hmm, midnight. Top talent, you really have a knack for stirring up envy late at night.
Because they were sharing one mic, both their voices sounded somewhat distant.
It was easy to imagine two men sitting across from each other talking. Qiang Qingci said, "Let me go get a glass of water," leaving a moment for the other male and female voice actors to vent.
Jue Mei chuckled: "A little insider info—he only likes to cook when he's in a bad mood."
"Bad mood?" From Feng Ya Song's side came the sound of tearing open a cookie bag. "So he's taking it out on society?"
Dou Dou Dou Bing, a deputy leader of the Perfect Dubbing Group, chimed in mournfully: "I'm going to buy a cup noodles from the dorm auntie, wait for me. But remember, this has to be recorded. I'm posting it on the official website tomorrow. This guy hardly ever speaks, and when he does, it's about food in the middle of the night. Seriously, what a pain."
Amidst all the complaints, only Gu Sheng felt that she was somewhat getting used to it.
After all, this was already the third time he'd done this. Could it be... he'd never done this before?
"It's so late, let's just talk about some vegetarian dishes," Qiang Qingci seemed to have finished his water and got back on mic. "Fish-Fragrant Layered Eggplant."
Gu Sheng rested her chin in her hand, even able to imagine the fish-fragrant aroma.
He really did seem tired, his voice slightly deviating from its usual luxurious tone, carrying a faint, raspy quality.
"It's very simple, mainly deep-frying the eggplant and preparing the fish-fragrant sauce," he continued, amused by the fans flooding the screen with complaints of hunger, he let out a rare laugh. "I only have time now. Not listening? If not, I'll stop."
The fans couldn't get on mic, so they continued flooding the screen with their adoration like a tidal wave."No, please, my lord (≥◇≤)", "(>﹏<)′~ Qiang Qingci silly mama, I waited three whole hours for you, don't leave", "o(>_<)o Lord, even if you said a full Manchu-Han imperial feast, I could handle it...", "Hey, why are all of you fans of the top talent?! Feng Ya Song SAMA, among all the submissives in the world, I love only you!!!!"
Gu Sheng was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
"Alright, stop keeping us in suspense, hurry up and tell us, then come with me for a late-night snack," Jue Mei urged.
"Take two eggplants and slice them into thin layers, dip them in a batter made of flour and egg wash, then place them in a pan with preheated oil. Fry over low heat until both sides are golden and crispy, then remove from the pan," Qiang Qingci said unhurriedly.
"I like mine extra crispy," Jue Mei chimed in.
"Then, in the same pan, sauté minced garlic and chili flakes until fragrant, and add the layered eggplant slices. After that, it's simple—just remember these seasonings: light soy sauce, ground pepper, sugar, chicken bouillon, chili bean paste, vinegar, and cooking wine. Stir-fry over high heat. Finally, add peanuts and chopped scallions, give it a quick toss, and serve immediately."
"Hmm... if you stir-fry the peanuts too long, they'll get soft..." Jue Mei chimed in with feigned distress.
Qiang Qingci answered earnestly, "They probably would."
Gu Sheng could clearly feel her stomach protesting... that sudden craving for delicious food washed over her, devouring her rationality. She was debating whether to head to the kitchen or just go downstairs to see if there was any stir-fried noodles or rice noodles available on the street. Just as she was torn between these two options, Qiang Qingci suddenly sent her a private chat box: Are you there?
Gu Sheng hurriedly replied: I'm here! O(∩_∩)O
Qiang Qingci: This dish is vegetarian, perfect for girls.
Gu Sheng: Great! Fist pump! I'll definitely try it someday!
Qiang Qingci: Alright, I'm off now, see you next time.
See you next time... see you next time?
Gu Sheng suddenly felt that she absolutely needed to keep a stash of pork jerky, beef jerky, and even canned luncheon meat in her room before daring to meet this Lord Qiang Qingci again—someone with such a captivatingly beautiful voice and such mastery over all kinds of recipes...
Author's Note: Writing this made me... my stomach hurts... I'm off to find some pork jerky....
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