"Over the past few years, due to work commitments, I've been turning down various project invitations—some from old friends, some from newcomers. I believe it's difficult for anyone to treat everyone equally, and personal connections are inevitable. So," Qiang Qingci chuckled softly, "tonight I just want to say that from now on, I hope my old friends will let me go, and newcomers will give more opportunities to other voice actors, slowly forgetting about me."
He spoke tactfully and sincerely.
But... how could anyone forget?
Although every community has its ups and downs during its development, it doesn’t hinder its growth and improvement. And those who rose to fame alongside the community from its early days will undoubtedly be recorded at the beginning of its history.
Though Qiang Qingci’s words were gentle, he made it clear that due to work reasons, he would no longer accept any online project invitations. From now on, those who wish to hear his voice will likely only find it on mainstream platforms.
Perhaps... even the chances of hearing him on mainstream platforms will grow fewer and fewer...
Gu Sheng also felt a deep sense of sorrow, as if tonight marked the farewell to the era of Qiang Qingci.
A sudden, plain revelation, followed by a farewell to the entire online community. Her heart rose and fell with the Top Talent’s words, more thrilling than a rollercoaster ride...
She thought he would leave the voice chat as usual, without a word.
Unexpectedly, background music suddenly began to play. Unlike his usual self, on this farewell night, he offered this song without any prior announcement.
No opening greetings, no unnecessary words.
For ten years, he had always been this way—no need for arguments or hype, letting his voice speak for itself... From the very first note, it was ethereal and heart-stirring, completely different from any song he had ever sung:
"Dew at dawn, ephemeral flowers, so close yet worlds apart.
They say the Yellow River twists ten times, yet flows eastward in the end.
Eight thousand years of jade grows old, withering overnight in its prime.
I ask the heavens, why this fleeting life of mine?
Where the wind blew last night, fallen petals—who counts them now?
Across ninety thousand miles of sky, riding the wind, dancing with shadows—who shares this flight?
A thousand autumns under the Northern Dipper, the cold solitude of celestial halls.
Better to be immortal lovers, roaming the rivers and lakes for a hundred years."
This was the "Song of Fleeting Splendor."
His voice was grand and majestic, soaring above the sweeping melody, as if he had truly witnessed eight thousand years of jade growing old, withering overnight, traversed ninety thousand miles of sky, and danced with the wind and shadows...
A fleeting moment of brilliance.
A song so fitting for him.
These ten years of glory were but a fleeting instant.
...
"I'm crying from the beauty! I'm on my knees! Top Talent SAMA... Oh my, I'm an obsessive fan of Feng Ya Song!!!! How did one song make me change my allegiance T.T... Top Talent, marry me!!!!" "(○^～^○) It’s fine if SAMA leaves the voice acting circle! The Ancient Style Music Circle welcomes you!!!!" "Great idea! Please, Top Talent silly mama, enter the Ancient Style Music Circle!" ... "⊙.⊙ Did anyone notice the line 'Better to be immortal lovers, roaming the rivers and lakes for a hundred years'? Is this SAMA’s true confession song..."
As the song drew to a close, the Top Talent, for the first time ever, used his administrator privileges to disable comments and gifts in the public chat.
The message area fell silent for a few seconds.
Soon,
a few words appeared. In his signature color, he wrote: Thank you, everyone. Farewell.
Then, he quickly left the room.
This... was his first public message in the YY Voice Chat, and it was to say "goodbye."He went offline at 11 p.m. that night, and the following day felt utterly surreal. Countless illustrators—big and small, famous and unknown, his friends, or just passing fans—seemed to have coordinated, all posting farewell artwork.
Every style imaginable, from Chibi to ethereal, Japanese manga to Ancient Style Ink Wash Painting.
Each piece was unmistakably labeled with the name "Qiang Qingci."
The accompanying messages, without exception, described the moment they first heard the Top talent's voice.
Gu Sheng scrolled through the constantly refreshing artwork on Weibo and Tieba, genuinely feeling that he was a perfect legend. After his departure, fans might gradually leave the circle, and his voice might slowly lose its initial charm...
But Qiang Qingci would undoubtedly remain an unforgettable, unparalleled name.
With no library organizing tasks scheduled for the next week, she didn’t return to school.
Tuesday happened to be his day off, but he had to wrap up some game recording work, sacrificing yet another rare full day. They could only meet around dinnertime.
This was her second time at the recording studio, but the two girls busy at the front desk already treated her like a regular. During her idle wait in the lobby, the girl who knew her and the Top talent’s real identities even insisted on giving her an ice cream from the staff fridge.
Biting her plastic spoon, she silently scrolled through Weibo.
Typing the keyword "Qiang Qingci" brought up countless eye-catching artworks.
Wouldn’t it be nice to save these and print a collection for him as a keepsake?
The thought had just crossed her mind when she saw the latest update from the Top talent’s Support Group on Weibo earlier that morning... They were already working on it. Truly, the power of fans was unmatched...
"What are you looking at?" A pair of hands rested on the sofa back behind her, and a low voice asked.
"Hmm?" She turned her head to look at him. "Just browsing the artwork fans made for you... I was thinking of putting together a collection as a memento, but your fans love you even more—they’ve already started."
He smiled, his gaze shifting to the ice cream in her hand.
...
...
Don’t do this, your loyal fan is watching you intently T.T. Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’ve left the circle, my Top talent...
And it’s not just your fans—even the people lingering at the front desk are clearly watching you...
But having a beauty stare at the food in your hand was truly agonizing...
After hesitating for a while, she steeled herself, completely ignoring the ambiguous glances around her, scooped a spoonful, and offered it to his lips. The creamy brown ice cream disappeared into his mouth, and he seemed to savor it for a moment before murmuring indistinctly, "Rum is a strong liquor. Ice cream of this flavor always incorporates a bit of alcohol during production. It tastes quite good."
That naturally seductive voice, if recorded, could easily be used for an ice cream commercial...
She did recall that he loved Rum Flavor ice cream the most and disliked chocolate.
It was something he mentioned in a network radio interview years ago.
What a coincidence that today’s ice cream happened to be Rum Flavor...He leaned down, casually chatting with her, "The only troublesome thing about eating this is that it really does contain alcohol. If you eat it, the police can detect alcohol in your breath."
"Have you ever experienced that?" How fascinating?
"No, it was a new graduate student at my place who saw me eating this flavor of ice cream. He said he had done an interesting experiment testing what things could make you mistakenly appear to be 'drunk driving.'"
"What things?" That's genuinely fascinating...
"Mouthwash, Huoxiang Zhengqi Water? And this, Rum Flavor ice cream," he recalled slightly, "However, after a few minutes, the alcohol content in the mouth decreases, so it's purely an experiment. No one would be so unlucky as to be randomly checked while eating ice cream."
She scooped a spoonful for herself, ate it, and nodded.
Learned something new.
"Does Teacher Mo like... this ice cream?" The girl who had been eavesdropping nearby had already taken the opportunity to approach the two while pouring water, completely in a state of adoration, "There's plenty more in the fridge, all bought specially by me. You can eat as much as you want~"
Sweat...
This was clearly an abuse of power, making everyone in the recording studio accompany him in eating Rum Flavor...
"Thank you, it's delicious." This man, who was the object of envy and jealousy, replied with exceptional politeness.
Gu Sheng bit her spoon, giving him a very, very, very ambiguous look.
Top talent.
I swear, even if you retired from the circle, your fans would still have eyes only for you, satisfied just by seeing the name Qiang Qingci, with no other thoughts...
"I just remembered something," he suddenly looked down at her again.
"Hmm?"
"How are you planning to spend the May Day holiday?"
"May Day? Haven't thought about it yet." Actually, in this last semester of her senior year, she honestly felt like she had been on a half-year vacation. This kind of holiday that working people consider... she really hadn't thought about it T.T...
"I haven't taken annual leave for years, and this time I was finally granted a special holiday, but it's very short, so I can't go too far," Mo Qingcheng seemed thoughtful, "How about picking a random island in Southeast Asia?"
Go on a trip? With a boyfriend?
She kindly reminded him, "My parents are quite traditional..."
He pondered slightly.
Although she really wanted to go, thinking about her parents' usual teachings, she still backed down.
"I thought of that too," he very considerately broke down her concerns and proposed a solution, "I'll arrange for my parents to meet yours first, and once the relationship is confirmed, it will be much more convenient."
(⊙o⊙)
...
She looked into his eyes and couldn't find any effective or feasible excuse to refuse. Especially since his fan was completely in a state of pink-hearted adoration, staring at them without blinking, clearly having eavesdropped on the entire conversation.
How could she refuse him in front of his die-hard fan T.T, it's too difficult...
But they've only been together for two months, is it really time to meet each other's parents and settle the question of their future so soon...
Author's note: Island sunshine... a half-naked top talent...
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