"In my dream, the other me was not good at all. I didn't understand you, didn't cherish you, and even yelled at you loudly..." Yin Zhao-an spoke nervously, tightening her grip on Tang Yu's hand. "And then you disappeared."
Tang Yu froze, unable to speak. Why did Yin Zhao-an's description resemble her past life so much?
"You were locked in an underground basement. It was dark and damp, and you were waiting for me to come and save you, but I never showed up," Yin Zhao-an continued. "You called my name in the darkness in despair and helplessness."
Tears welled up in Tang Yu's eyes as she recalled that scene from the past. At the time, her body hurt all over from the violence she was subjected to, and her already weak stomach grew even weaker. Eventually, she recognized that she didn't have long left to live, and she only wished she could see Yin Zhao-an one last time in her final moments. Unfortunately, even that small wish was not granted to her.
"So, I went to pick you up. You saw me, but you said I wasn't the person you were looking for," Yin Zhao-an narrated the story, step by step, like telling a tale. "In the end, I kissed you, and you thanked me. That's when the dream ended."
When Yin Zhao-an spoke up to this point, she felt the person in her arms trembling. Although she couldn't see Tang Yu's face, she sighed silently and embraced Tang Yu tightly, asking, "Are you mad at me? I kissed the you in my dream, even though I knew that person wasn't the real you."
Tang Yu didn't answer right away. Instead, she turned around and gave Yin Zhao-an a fleeting kiss. Then, in a choked voice, she said, "I'm not angry. Thank you... Thank you…"
Yin Zhao-an didn't understand why she was being thanked, but she silently accepted Tang Yu's kiss and affectionately rubbed her nose against Tang Yu's face.
As for Tang Yu, she naturally knew everything Yin Zhao-an saw was real. So, she was grateful to Yin Zhao-an for giving "Tang Yu," who had reached the end of her life, a last bit of warmth and sunshine. At the very least, the Tang Yu in that world wouldn't have to depart with too much despair.
At the same time, Tang Yu also couldn't help but feel how lucky she was to meet the warm and gentle person before her.
…
After that little incident, whenever Yin Zhao-an had no classes, she would stay at home with Tang Yu and not go anywhere. When Tang Yu had classes, she would happily join in on those classes. After catching her doing so several times, Mo Shu couldn't help but tease her, saying that she and Tang Yu were akin to conjoined twins.
After seeing the scene of Mo Shu and Chen Ci getting married in her dream, Yin Zhao-an no longer harbored any hostility toward the older woman. Instead, she envied Mo Shu and Chen Ci. Their way of getting along had become seamless, and they seemed like a very happy couple.
…
One day, Tang Yu was contemplating what kind of voice she should use for a role when suddenly a message popped up on QQ.
It was a private message from Four O'clock.
Four O'clock: Yu-An, I'm leaving for overseas with the Mistress tomorrow. I've already finished recording all the raw voices and sent them for post-production. I won't be doing voice acting anymore in the future. This is my last work, and I feel fortunate to have acted alongside you.
Four O'clock: After you left, Mistress punished me. Although it wasn't easy to endure, her attention was finally focused solely on me. I think she will choose to return overseas, which probably means she has given up on you. If you still resent Mistress, I apologize on her behalf.
Four O'clock: I'm happy to have met you. I hope you find happiness.
Yu-An: I should be the one thanking you. Without you, I couldn't have come back at all. Since those things are in the past, let them be. I'm also glad to have met you, and I hope you find happiness too.
Four O'clock: I will [Smile].
After replying, Tang Yu leaned back in her chair with a somewhat heavy heart. Four O'clock's love for Du Yuqing was twisted, and she wondered if Du Yuqing would actually fall for her. It was also evident that Du Yuqing did not cherish Four O'clock. Just looking at the scars on Four O'clock's neck made her feel alarmed.
Suddenly, one of Tang Yu's QQ group exploded with commotion, with messages popping up one after another. Even without looking, Tang Yu could already tell that it was due to Four O'clock announcing her departure from the group.
Gugu'ran [Director]: Everyone, calm down! Stop! Four O'clock cannot continue voice acting due to health reasons. Don't speculate or spread rumors, okay?
Silent Rain [Planner]: I agree! Please refrain from making wild speculations. Let's let Four O'clock peacefully live her life. Four O'clock has already posted an announcement on Weibo. If you don't know the details, just go check it out [link attached].
Everyone was overreacting because Four O'clock had a relatively high reputation in the GL community, and there weren't many people in the industry with her cold and distant style. It was truly regrettable that she suddenly retired.
Meanwhile, Gugu'ran's explanation was due to everyone's excessive speculation. Some of these speculations had even been brought to Weibo, causing quite a stir in the voice-acting community.
Petting Cats Through the Cloud: I heard that Four O'clock collaborated with a newcomer for this radio drama. Could there be some issue with the newcomer that caused Four O'clock to quit?
Cutest Three-Year-Old: What nonsense are you spouting? Yu-An is well-known in the BG community. Stop trying to slander her!
Ghost-chan Wants to Eat Little Monsters: Four O'clock already said it's due to health reasons. Can't you stop being selectively blind?
Little Fox: I agree with the person above. Aren't you tired of speculating and conspiring all the time?
Petting Cats Through the Cloud: Who are you calling blind?! Four O'clock has been doing this for so many years, and now she suddenly quits. There must be some hidden story behind it. Enough already! You guys are definitely trolls hired by that newcomer!
Tang Yu glanced at the comments but quickly stopped reading them. No wonder her phone kept buzzing with notifications. Someone was probably cursing at her.
Helplessly, she turned off the Weibo notifications on her phone. As the saying went, out of sight, out of mind.
She felt she should finish dubbing this radio drama as quickly as possible and rid herself of this hot potato. Perhaps she should also stop taking GL roles in the future...
…Or maybe not.
While Tang Yu was contemplating taking on more GL roles, a sudden knock came from the house's front door. Getting up from her chair, she walked toward the door, thinking Yin Zhao-an must have returned.
However, when Tang Yu opened the door, she couldn't help but be surprised. Her eyes also quickly reddened, and her hands trembled a little. "Mom, Dad, why are you here?"
Yu Wanrou was holding her nearly two-year-old baby outside the door, and behind her was Tang Zhengyang, carrying bags of vegetables and fruits. Upon seeing Tang Yu, Little Le-Chen clapped his hands happily and laughed cheerfully.
Tang Yu took out two cartons of chrysanthemum tea from the refrigerator and asked her parents to have a seat in the living room first. Then, she went to the kitchen to make tea and also sent a message to Yin Zhao-an, informing her of the situation at home.
Meanwhile, Yu Wanrou handed Le-Chen to Tang Zhengyang and carefully inspected the small apartment, ultimately concluding that it was quite good and they were living a refined life.
…
It was almost noon, and Yin Zhao-an would be coming home soon, so Tang Yu decided to start preparing lunch. As it so happened, Yu Wanrou had brought some pickled dishes she made at home, so they could use them to enhance the variety of their meal.
After exploring the apartment, Yu Wanrou squeezed into the small kitchen to help prepare lunch, asking, "What are we having for lunch?"
Looking at the clams still spitting water in the basin, Tang Yu said, "Depends on what ingredients we have."
"Oh, not bad. Can you cook with any ingredients now?" Yu Wanrou smiled with satisfaction. Then, she rolled up her sleeves and began gutting and cleaning the fish that was in the basin.
"More or less. But if there's anything I don't know how to prepare, An-An can take care of it," Tang Yu answered. At the mention of Yin Zhao-an, Tang Yu couldn't help but smile pridefully.
Yu Wanrou naturally noticed her daughter's expression and couldn't help teasing, "I can tell. You've gained a lot of weight compared to before, Little Yu."
Tang Yu's face suddenly changed, and she looked at her in disbelief, stuttering, "I... I gained weight?"
Yu Wanrou blinked her eyes, realizing she might have accidentally stepped on a landmine.
"I... I need to lose weight!"
"Oh, Mommy was just joking with you!"
"I don't believe you!"
…
Because of Tang Yu's forewarning, Yin Zhao-an only returned home after buying some fruits and drinks from a convenience store next to the residential area.
Tang Zhengyang was the one who opened the door for Yin Zhao-an. When Yin Zhao-an saw him, she greeted him naturally, her voice lacking any of the anxiety she had whenever she greeted him in the past.
Tang Zhengyang smiled kindly at her and helped her carry some of her bags, asking, "Just finished class?"
"Yeah!" Yin Zhao-an smiled at him and entered the kitchen with the fruits. The kitchen, which was not spacious, to begin with, suddenly became crowded with three people. "Auntie!"
Yu Wanrou turned around and glanced at her, her face full of smiles. "An-An, you're back!"
"I'll wash the fruits." Yin Zhao-an took out the apples and grapes from the plastic bag, washed them, and put them in a fruit basket before taking them to the dining table outside. After a short while, she returned and tapped on Yu Wanrou's shoulder, smiling as she said, "Tang-Tang and I can handle things in the kitchen, Auntie. You're a guest, so have a seat outside for a bit. We'll have lunch ready soon."
Yu Wanrou knew the two children probably wanted some alone time together, so she didn't refuse and left the kitchen after washing her hands.
Tang Yu's cheeks had been rosy for a while now. Even after her mother left, she didn't dare to speak. Instead, she silently shredded some potatoes while Yin Zhao-an calmly shut the frosted glass door. A second later, Yin Zhao-an swiftly embraced Tang Yu's waist from behind and gave Tang Yu a quick kiss before putting on a bear apron.
"Say, Tang-Tang, doesn't this situation feel like a 'mother-in-law coming to visit her married-off daughter' scenario to you?" Yin Zhao-an asked before winking at Tang Yu mischievously.
Tang Yu snorted lightly and retorted, "Why can't it be you being married off?"
"If that's what you want, I'm fine being the one getting married off, too. In the end, we'll still be together forever, so it doesn't matter who marries whom," Yin Zhao-an nonchalantly said.
"Whatever…" Tang Yu didn't try to argue with Yin Zhao-an. Picking up a fish head, she asked, "Should we use this fish head to make soup?"
"Yes. We have some Enoki mushrooms left as well, so let's add some in," Yin Zhao-an responded readily, her hands moving skillfully as she neatly sliced a chicken breast into small pieces and placed them on a plate.
The two worked together to prepare the ingredients. Then, Yin Zhao-an took charge of cooking, and lunch was soon ready.
After lunch, Tang Zhengyang started to find his "son-in-law" more and more pleasing. Not only did Yin Zhao-an dote on Tang Yu, but she could also cook and was good-looking. He doubted anyone could be a better partner for Tang Yu than Yin Zhao-an.
Regardless, the main reason Tang Zhengyang and Yu Wanrou had dropped by for a sudden visit was that they were about to go on a trip abroad soon. Before that, they wanted to see how the two children were doing living on their own. And if the two children weren't doing well, they could offer some help. But now, it seemed that they didn't need to worry.
Before leaving, Yu Wanrou pulled Yin Zhao-an aside and whispered something. Seeing this, as Yu Wanrou's biological daughter, Tang Yu couldn't help but feel displeased at being left out of the conversation.
After muttering for a while, Yu Wanrou got into the car, put Le-Chen in the child safety seat, and sat in the back seat. Then, she reluctantly waved goodbye to Tang Yu and Yin Zhao-an.
It wasn't until the car drove out of the residential area that Tang Yu lightly bumped into the grinning Yin Zhao-an with her elbow, pretending to be angry as she asked, "What are you smiling for?"
Yin Zhao-an quickly suppressed her smile and whispered to Tang Yu, "Auntie noticed the ring on your neck. She told me to treat you well."
Tang Yu lowered her head and looked at her chest. Indeed, the ring had slipped out from her clothes without her notice. She guessed that it had probably happened when she took off her apron haphazardly.
"Is that so?" However, Tang Yu still didn't fully believe Yin Zhao-an.
Seeing Tang Yu's skeptical look, Yin Zhao-an chuckled and handed her a thick red envelope. "It's a name-change fee from Mom. Here you go, Ma'am."