CH 12

“Here you are.” Peng Xiangzhi stood up, “Su Chang. Come here.”

Following the voice, Yu Zhou turned her head and saw Su Chang walking into the lounge.

She was wearing a dark green women’s shirt with an unbuttoned collar and rolled-up sleeves, and a slightly loose pair of trousers. Her outfit had a professional air about it, but she had tucked her trousers into ankle-high flat Martin boots, which showcased her luxurious lifestyle.

This attire meant that she never took temperature into consideration even in the hot summer.

Typically, she would leave her high-end apartment air-conditioned to perfection, get into a car with pre-adjusted air-conditioning, then drive straight to an upscale office building’s underground parking lot.

Upon arriving at the elevator, she would enter her workplace without a single drop of sweat, giving the sun no chance to be dominant.

She was tall and slender, making anything she wore look good. So Yu Zhou noticed her clothes first, then looked up to see her face.

She had her hair cut to shoulder-length, with one side hanging down by her face while the other tucked behind her ear, revealing a strand of grey hair that was barely visible.[fan art of Su Chang]

Yu Zhou furrowed her brows. She remembered that Su Chang used to have simple black, long hair and never had any interest in dying her hair. She recalled once she was scrolling through her Weibo account while coming across a photo of someone with silver hair, saying she wished to see Su Chang with that hair color. But Su Chang only glanced at it briefly and said that she didn’t have the time.

Yet, here they were, reuniting after some time, and Su Chang had this very hairstyle.

Su Chang always did things that made Yu Zhou’s thoughts run wild. Just her presence was enough to scatter any coherent ideas Yu Zhou had. Yet, Su Chang hadn’t spoken a word yet.

As Yu Zhou stood up with Peng Xiangzhi, Su Chang walked over with one hand in her pocket and the other holding her phone.

Her lips were very light, as if she wasn’t wearing any makeup, but she still looked just as beautiful and fair-skinned as ever. The breakup hadn’t affected her in the slightest.

She raised her eyebrows while greeting Peng Xiangzhi with a smile before gesturing with her hand, pulling her right hand out of her pocket and then shaking hands with Yu Zhou.

Yu Zhou instinctively reached out her hand.

Su Chang gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Ms.Yu.”

She leaned slightly to the side, released her hand after a brief moment, then continued walking with Peng Xiangzhi without any delays.

She didn’t pretend to not know Yu Zhou, nor did she say it had been a long time since they last saw each other.

She simply addressed her as “Ms.Yu.”

However, the familiar smell of her perfume, ‘Underworld Path’, wafted from behind her, which made it impossible for Yu Zhou to act completely aloof towards her.

Even voice actors were actors after all. Yu Zhou chuckled self-deprecatingly as she walked behind them.

She could hear Su Chang quietly asking Peng Xiangzhi when the other members would arrive and who the recording engineer would be.

“A7 or A8?” Su Chang asked.

It sounded like the studio’s room number.

“A7.”

“Change it to A8. The air conditioning in A8 is better.”

The air conditioning in A7 was a bit old so it made a buzzing noise when the temperature was turned down, which would affect the recording. It even had moments when it wouldn’t work at all. But Su Chang couldn’t tolerate hot weather, and the air conditioner in A8 was recently replaced and had a strong silent mode.

“It’s all settled. You talk to bro Feng yourself.” Peng Xiangzhi replied, giving Su Chang a sidelong glance.

Just then, a slender middle-aged man walked towards them.

“Bro Feng, I want to use the A8.” Su Chang said, with her hand in her pocket while leaning against the wall with a smile.

Bro Feng was enthusiastic. “Susu, here you are. Just use it. I originally had it reserved for another project today, but it didn’t work out.”

Su Chang nodded in appreciation before looking at Peng Xiangzhi. She made a small circular motion with her finger. Peng Xiangzhi got it immediately and then sent a voice message to the recording engineer, “Dian Dian, we changed to A8. Come over now.”

As she listened to their exchange, Yu Zhou looked at the posters on the wall.

They were for some of the movies and animated films that had sound effects recorded in this studio, all of which were large productions that she was familiar with.

After Su Chang finished greeting bro Feng, the three of them walked towards A8.

The heavy soundproof door was surrounded by soundproof cotton, and the space inside was not very large. The air conditioning had been turned on in advance, so it didn’t feel stuffy.

The most eye-catching feature was the large mixing console with two computer screens. The recording engineer, Dian Dian, was sitting in front of it wearing headphones, having adjusted everything to her usual working habits.

In the center was a piece of soundproof glass, which allowed clear visibility into the recording situation behind it.

Several thick electrical wires extended from the carpet, leading to two recording areas. On one side was a standing microphone stand with a microphone and a pop filter attached to it. On the stand hung a pair of headphones. On the other side was a desktop recording equipment.

Peng Xiangzhi greeted Dian Dian and asked her to take out the scripts before handing one to Su Chang. Then, they provided Yu Zhou with a chair to sit on. Peng Xiangzhi turned to Su Chang and asked , “Will you be recording standing or sitting?”

“Standing. Just had a meal.” Su Chang replied while flipping through the script.

“Damn, you already had a meal so early?” Peng Xiangzhi retorted. “Then don’t eat the one in the afternoon. You’ll save me money.”

Yu Zhou silently watched as she realized their lifestyle habits were… one-of-a-kind. 

The work started at 12 pm, having a meal and then coming here was called “early”, and there is still another meal in the afternoon?

Su Chang chuckled, “Okay, but can you transfer the money for the bento to my bank account?”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me, it’s only a few yuan,” Peng Xiangzhi said.

It was strange. Having shared the same bed for several years, it was the first time Yu Zhou observed Su Chang working and joking around as an outsider. It was truly an odd feeling.

“How about Ms.Yu?” Su Chang still had her head down reading the script, seemingly not asking her, “Has Ms.Yu had her meal?”

Yu Zhou snapped out of her thoughts, “Ah, yes, I have. Thank you.”

Peng Xiangzhi suddenly burst out laughing.

Yu Zhou looked at her with confusion.

“Hahaha, why did you say thank you? You’re so interesting.”

“Uh…” Well, why did she say thank you?

Su Chang pursed her lips and laughed, lightly and calmly.

“Okay, let’s start.” said Peng Xiangzhi.

Su Chang walked into the room with the script and placed it on the stand. It was still a bit warm, so she habitually rolled up her sleeves, then put on her headphones, testing out one or two words.

Peng Xiangzhi spoke into the director’s microphone, “Can you hear me?”

Su Chang gave a ok gesture.

Peng Xiangzhi stood in front of the mixing console, her hands resting on the desk where the script was placed. “Say a line for me so I can check the voice.”

Su Chang picked up the script, glanced at it before beginning to perform the first line.

“Okay, stop.” said Peng Xiangzhi.

She then played back the recording, the sound came out of the speakers as if Su Chang’s voice had been amplified. It enveloped Yu Zhou with its warm tones.

Peng Xiangzhi listened carefully, “The microphone stand is a bit shaky, so be careful not to move it too much while recording.”

“Okay. Is the voice line okay? Or should I lift it a bit?” Su Chang asked.

“I think it’s fine. Stick with what you did during the sound test,” Peng Xiangzhi replied.

However, Su Chang didn’t immediately start recording. She simply turned her head slightly and glanced at Yu Zhou.

Peng Xiangzhi turned to Yu Zhou and asked, “What does the author think?”

“It sounds good, really good,” Yu Zhou answered.

Su Chang raised her eyebrows slightly before turning back to the microphone to start recording again.

As she listened to Su Chang’s graceful voice, Yu Zhou’s mind began to wander. She wondered if she had eaten repeater bread today, or why she always had to repeat himself, no matter the question.

Sighing, she buried her face in her phone, wondering if Xiang Wan was bored at home.