Chapter 396 – The Aloof Male God’s Exclusive CP – The Proactive Tang (03)
After all, it was their first time meeting. One needed to be reserved so as not to ruin the first impression; the other needed to be polite, afraid of lowering the other’s goodwill.
The two of them were cautiously testing each other, accommodating one another, and getting along surprisingly harmoniously.
After finishing their drinks, Qi Yuanxu walked Bai Tang back to the dormitory. When they reached the door, both of them spoke at the same time—then both fell silent.
“Um… you go first,” Bai Tang said, looking at Qi Yuanxu with eager anticipation, wondering what his boyfriend would say to him.
Qi Yuanxu did not disappoint him. The moment he spoke, he asked for his phone number and QQ ID.
“I’m a year ahead of you, and I have a bit more experience. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can come ask me.”
The boy nodded and waved politely.
“Mm-hmm~ Then I’ll head in. Goodbye, senior~”
“Go on.” Before Bai Tang left, Qi Yuanxu even reached out and ruffled his hair, the gesture so natural it felt as though they hadn’t just met for the first time that day.
The boy was gone, yet the air seemed to retain his unique pine-nut-and-milk scent.
So cute.
Qi Yuanxu smiled indulgently.
The other roommates hadn’t returned yet, so Bai Tang had the large dorm room all to himself for the week.
He flopped onto his bed, replaying his encounter with the male lead in his mind.
“Qiu’er, Xiao A, Ah Xu in this world is so innocent~”
Thinking of how Qi Yuanxu had repeatedly cast jealous and envious glances at Yan Yang, how he wanted to get closer yet didn’t know how to start a conversation, Bai Tang found him especially adorable.
Watching Tang Tang rolling around on the bed, Qiu’er and Xiao A silently agreed in their hearts, Tang Tang / the host is the cutest one of all.
Back home, Qi Yuanxu waited and waited, but Bai Tang still hadn’t added him as a friend. They had only been apart for an hour, yet he already missed him terribly. Every minute and second he couldn’t see him felt like torture.
The aloof campus idol finally shed his “cool and distant” persona and took the initiative to add Bai Tang on QQ.
Tick, tick—the clock continued to move. Five minutes passed, and there was still no response on QQ.
Qi Yuanxu grew restless. Could it be network lag? Had the friend request failed to send?
Clinging to the thought that it must be a network issue, not that Tang Tang didn’t want to add him, Qi Yuanxu sent another friend request. To keep himself calm and composed, he picked up some documents nearby and began working after sending it.
This was a small villa he had bought—north-facing with a southern exposure, quiet and secluded. A cleaning aunt came at fixed times every day and left when her work was done. She had just left, and Qi Yuanxu was now alone in the house.
In such silence, even the faintest sound was magnified several times over. The grandfather clock downstairs kept ticking away, each sound chipping at Qi Yuanxu’s composure until his usual calm gave way to irritation.
About half an hour passed, and the QQ icon in the lower-right corner of his laptop still hadn’t moved.
In the end, Qi Yuanxu could no longer restrain himself and took the initiative to call Bai Tang.
“Beep—beep—beep—”
The ringtone rang for a long time, and Qi Yuanxu’s heart gradually sank with it.
At last, the call was answered. A slightly hoarse yet milky voice spoke lazily, “Hello? Who is this?”
Hearing the boy’s voice, the anxiety in Qi Yuanxu’s heart eased a little. He softened his tone and asked gently, “Did I wake you up?”
From Bai Tang’s voice, it was obvious that he hadn’t fully woken up yet. A trace of relief flashed throughQi Yuanxu’s eyes—at least it wasn’t because Bai Tang disliked him.
“Mm~ How did I fall asleep?” Bai Tang rubbed his eyes and sat up. By now, it was already dark. The dorm lights were off, and Tang Tang—who was afraid of the dark and of ghosts—felt a little nervous.
Qi Yuanxu suddenly heard a thump from the other end of the line, the sound of something falling. His heart, which had just settled, leapt back up again.
“Tang Tang, Tang Tang! What happened?”
After a long moment, the boy’s soft voice came through the phone again.
“It’s too dark… I went to turn on the light and kicked a chair.”
“Does your foot hurt? Is it serious? I’ll come over right away.” Qi Yuanxu didn’t even bother to hang up the phone. He grabbed his car keys and rushed toward the school.
Bai Tang looked at the phone after the call ended and shook his head helplessly. Why was his boyfriend acting like such a reckless kid?
Meanwhile, the “reckless kid” Qi Yuanxu was already speeding over in a panic.
Xiao A: “Qi Yuanxu will arrive at the scene in fifteen minutes. Please prepare accordingly.”
But Bai Tang, who had turned on his computer and put on his headphones, didn’t hear Xiao A’s helpful reminder at all. Before he arrived, the original owner of this body had wanted to join the Ling Tian voice-acting club. In the original plot, the original owner failed to get in, while the female lead succeeded.
He hadn’t even tried voice acting yet. There was no reason the female lead could do it while he couldn’t!
Absolutely not losing to a love rival! Bai Tang clenched his fist.
He privately messaged the person in charge of the Ling Tian Voice Acting Club and submitted an application to join.
Joining the club required an assessment—only those who passed could become official members.
Bai Tang was pulled into the assessment lobby. Rows upon rows of usernames filled the list on the left, making his scalp tingle.
So many people…
He suddenly didn’t feel like doing the assessment anymore. After all, it wasn’t necessary to try every new thing, right?
Just as Bai Tang was backing out in his mind, Xiao A spoke up in his head, “Don’t tell me the host is scared?!”
Bai Tang puffed out his chest and retorted stubbornly, “W-who’s scared?!”
“Pinecone, Pinecone, are you there? If you are, please respond.”
Bai Tang had signed up early, so his assessment was scheduled near the front.
Just as the host was starting to lose patience, Bai Tang hurriedly turned on his mic.
“I’m here, I’m here~”
The soft, cute, and sweetly sticky voice made the words the host was about to use to scold Bai Tang for wasting everyone’s time get stuck in his throat. After a few seconds of hesitation, he asked uncertainly, “Are you ‘Pinecone’?”
That soft, sweet voice came through everyone’s headphones again.
“Yes, I’m Pinecone. I’m ready—you can give me the test.”
The boy’s voice was sweet. The examiner quickly flipped through the scripts in his hand and selected a passage that matched the boy’s vocal persona, posting it on the public screen.
“Pinecone, try this segment.”
Bai Tang skimmed the lines, cleared his throat, and turned on the mic.
[Xiao Guizi, let’s go out to the streets and play, okay? I heard my imperial brother say it’s really lively outside.]
[Your Highness, no, you can’t! It’s too dangerous out there…]
[Guard Xiao is very skilled in martial arts—there won’t be any problems! Xiao Guizi, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go~~~]
…
When the voice acting ended, everyone was still immersed in the scene. It truly felt like they had just watched a naïve and innocent little prince sneaking out of the palace—complete with vivid images in their minds.
After muting his mic, Bai Tang waited for a long time. After quite a while, the assessment hall remained silent. Unable to help himself, he turned his mic back on and asked softly, “Um… did I pass the assessment?”
“You passed, you passed.”
Before the examiner could announce the result, the host gave the verdict. With a voice like that, if he didn’t pass, there would be no justice in the world.
The examiner resentfully sent a private message to the host, complaining that he shouldn’t steal the spotlight and take away their chance to talk to the boy. How were they supposed to strike up a conversation now?
By convention, the examiners were supposed to give the candidate some feedback.
“You did very well. Your emotions were on point. It’s just that your Mandarin isn’t standard enough yet. Keep working at it—practice more. There are many talented people out there, and only through effort can one succeed.”
The male examiner spoke in a very proper, official manner, only to receive looks of disdain from the Ling Tian Voice Acting Club members. The performance was clearly excellent—if there was nothing wrong, why force criticism? If he scared the boy away, where were they supposed to find such a cutie again?
The female examiner, Coffee Without Sugar, turned on her mic.
“That was wonderful—really perfect. I felt like I was seeing the little prince right in front of me, so vivid and alive… I truly hope you’ll join our ‘Ling Tian.’”
Her words were much more sincere. Everyone who heard them felt they were fair, unbiased, and showed genuine appreciation for talent.
Bai Tang said happily, “Really? Thank you! I hope I can join ‘Ling Tian’ and improve together with everyone, encouraging each other. I’ve only recently started voice acting, so I don’t have much experience and there are many things I don’t understand. If I make any mistakes, I hope everyone will kindly point them out. I’m from a small town, so my Mandarin isn’t very good, but I’ll work hard to practice.”
The boy’s brief self-introduction was flawless—and even neatly echoed the male examiner’s comments, gracefully giving him a way to save face.
Everyone’s impression of Bai Tang improved even further. There were still many people waiting for their assessments, and time was precious. Bai Tang didn’t want to delay everyone, so after politely saying goodbye, he muted his mic and exited the queue.
A newcomer soon took the mic. With Bai Tang’s performance as such a brilliant example before them, the later voice acting felt far less dazzling by comparison.
Being liked by everyone was also Bai Tang’s own ability. His voice was naturally pleasant, and coupled with his likable personality, it was no wonder he left such a deep impression.
By the time Qi Yuanxu arrived, Bai Tang had already shut down his computer and was sitting at the desk with his phone, troubled over what takeout to order.
The semester hadn’t officially started yet, and there was nothing available in the cafeteria. Although Bai Tang had food stored in his small-space pouch, he wanted to experience how the food in this world differed from that of his previous one.
Qi Yuanxu opened the door to Bai Tang’s dorm room and hurried over to him nervously.
“Tang Tang, are you okay?”
“Huh? I’m fine~”
Seeing how worried his boyfriend was, Bai Tang felt happy all the same.
Qi Yuanxu felt around Bai Tang’s leg for a moment. Only after confirming there really was no problem did he finally relax. When he lifted his gaze, he saw the brightly lit phone screen filled with various takeout listings.
“These things aren’t nutritious. How about I take you out for something good to eat?”
When he said this, Qi Yuanxu wasn’t entirely confident—but Bai Tang’s mood instantly lifted, and he replied with a cheerful smile, “Sure~”
Qi Yuanxu was overjoyed inside, though he maintained a composed exterior. He simply pushed the chair back into place and led Bai Tang out.
As always, since school hadn’t started yet, the dorm supervisor wasn’t strict with students.
Bai Tang and Qi Yuanxu had a hearty meal outside, eating until their stomachs were pleasantly full.
This body had spent the entire night on a train, then returned to school to clean up the dorm. Although Bai Tang took a short nap in the afternoon, it hadn’t been enough. Now, full and drowsy, breathing in Qi Yuanxu’s familiar scent made him feel especially at ease. Sitting in the passenger seat, his little head bobbed sleepily.
“It’s getting late. The dorm supervisor might have locked the doors already. How about you stay over at my place for the night?”
Bai Tang rubbed his sleepy eyes and nodded dazedly.
“Mm-hm~”
By the time Qi Yuanxu drove home, Bai Tang was already fast asleep.
Qi Yuanxu unfastened Bai Tang’s seatbelt, then carried him out of the car and into the villa.
He gently placed him onto the bed, but the little squirrel reached out and tugged him back, one leg hooking over his and pinning him at his side.
Qi Yuanxu: Tang Tang is being this proactive… should I make a move or not?!