Chapter 407 – The Aloof Male God’s Exclusive CP – Two “Old Mothers’” Hearts (14)
The atmosphere in the group chat was completely harmonious. Watching the conversation on her screen, Coffee Without Sugar felt a strong sense of unreality, so she privately messaged Bai Tang to ask what was going on.
[Coffee Without Sugar]: Pinecone, you actually know Master Yinyue? That’s incredible. Be honest—what exactly is your relationship with Master Yinyue?
From the group’s conversation, Coffee Without Sugar could vaguely guess the relationship between Pinecone and Master Yinyue. But precisely because of this connection, her sense of unreality only grew stronger. If Pinecone had revealed his relationship with Master Yinyue earlier, he wouldn’t have been treated so unfairly some time ago.
[Pinecone]: We’re just friends.
Bai Tang didn’t want the other party to treat him differently; things had been fine the way they were before.
Not denying it was basically the same as admitting it, and Coffee Without Sugar was tactful enough not to press further.
Soon after, she obtained the script and finalized the voice actors for the roles.
This was an ancient danmei audio drama titled Return to You, telling the story of love and resentment between two princes from rival nations.
Bai Tang voiced the hostage prince of the defeated Liang Kingdom, while Qi Yuanxu played the crown prince of the victorious Xing Kingdom. The two grew up together, and feelings of youthful affection gradually developed between them. Seeing that Liang had no heir, the kingdom was willing to submit and become a vassal state of its enemy, asking only for the return of the prince who had been detained by Xing.
Exchanging one person for a stretch of land was undoubtedly a profitable deal, and Xing readily agreed.
The two parted reluctantly, agreeing that once the internal turmoil in Liang was settled, they would travel the world together. Unexpectedly, soon after the Liang delegation departed, the emperor of Xing selected a crown princess for the crown prince.
The crown prince tried to keep the news strictly secret, forbidding anyone from spreading it. Nevertheless, the crown princess secretly sent word to the prince who had returned to Liang. Enraged, the prince coughed up blood and fell gravely ill. By the time he recovered, the crown prince’s wedding day was near. He led a small squad of personal guards and rushed frantically toward Xing, returning on the very day of the wedding and witnessing the hall filled with celebratory red decorations.
He was then detained by the emperor of Xing. Listening to the festive noise outside, he felt a deep sense of desolation.
Liang’s submission to Xing had only been a temporary measure to bring the prince back and stabilize public sentiment. Now that the internal unrest had been resolved, Liang once again raised the matter of its enmity with Xing. After returning to Liang and becoming crown prince, he made no public statements, but when candidates for the campaign were being discussed, he volunteered himself.
On the battlefield, the two who had once been inseparable met as enemies. War is merciless. During one clash, a heavy snowstorm descended, and both commanders became lost in the raging blizzard.
Trapped in the storm, the two resolved their misunderstandings and reconciled. After the snow subsided, they settled the conflict between their nations and, in the end, cast aside all burdens and traveled the world together hand in hand.
This was a story that blended comedy with tragedy—one that easily moved audiences to tears—while its ultimately happy ending fulfilled the beautiful hopes people longed for.
Coffee Without Sugar, judging from Pinecone’s and Yinyue’s voices, automatically imagined a whole drama in her head—specifically the most heartbreaking part. Tears streamed down her face unconsciously. Damn it, that crown prince of Xing—what kind of man is he? If he likes someone, why not just say it? If he knows it will cause misunderstandings, why not explain? Poor little prince of Liang…
With this bias in mind, even the prestigious title of “Master Yinyue” no longer worked on her. Whenever Coffee Without Sugar saw Yinyue talking to other girls, she instinctively felt that he was just like the scumbag crown prince of Xing.
She privately messaged Pinecone, subtly probing Yinyue’s character.
[Pinecone]: He’s a really good person. He takes great care of me~
[Coffee Without Sugar]: It never hurts to stay cautious.
Coffee Without Sugar worried herself sick like an overprotective mother. The way the young man constantly defended Yinyue only made her feel that Pinecone was even more soft and adorable—what if he got bullied?
While preparing the drama and worrying about Bai Tang at the same time, Coffee Without Sugar was burdened with countless concerns. After some thought, she contacted Shuang Manyue. She remembered that Shuangshuang and Pinecone were friends in real life. As an online friend, there was only so much she could say, but Shuangshuang was different—she could help keep an eye on things for Pinecone.
Wei Rushuang had finally managed to reach that author who had gone abroad to recuperate, but before she could say much, Coffee Without Sugar contacted her.
When Wei Rushuang first heard the news, she thought she must have misheard.
[Shuang Manyue]: Are you sure Pinecone and Yinyue are a couple?
[Coffee Without Sugar]: Yes, that’s what everyone in the group is saying. And from the way Pinecone talks to Master Yinyue… let me put it this way—they’re constantly showing off their affection.
[Shuang Manyue]: …
In their circle, promoting a new drama by hyping up a CP (romantic pairing) was a normal practice, so Wei Rushuang didn’t fully believe Coffee Without Sugar’s words. However, she was certain that Yinyue couldn’t possibly be Qi Yuanxu. After all, Qi Yuanxu used the alias “Ai Chitang” (“Love the Pond”) in the voice acting club. Don’t ask why someone as aloof as Qi Yuanxu would choose such a name—no one knew.
Still, some people speculated that although Qi Yuanxu appeared cold and distant on the outside, he might actually be quite flirtatious. After all, a pond is full of fish, and he called himself “Love the Pond”…
“Ai Chitang” wasn’t particularly famous in the circle and couldn’t compare with Master Yinyue. If that was the case, did that mean Tang Tang was juggling two relationships at once?
Realizing this, Wei Rushuang widened her eyes. N–no way… Tang Tang doesn’t seem like that kind of person.
To ensure the accuracy of the information, Wei Rushuang asked Coffee Without Sugar to wait and personally called Bai Tang.
“Tang Tang, it’s me—Shuangshuang. Have you moved back to the villa recently?”
Because of Bai Tang, Wei Rushuang had learned Qi Yuanxu’s identity in advance. And since Qi Yuanxu had confirmed his relationship with Bai Tang, she naturally had no romantic interest in him. Instead, she often found herself worrying that Qi Yuanxu might bully Bai Tang and therefore took extra care of him. As a result, the two got along well and became quite good friends.
Of course, part of this was also because Qi Yuanxu had investigated Wei Rushuang and tacitly approved of her.
The female lead had no ill intentions, and Bai Tang sincerely treated her as a friend. He replied, “Yeah. Ah Xu rarely finishes work early, so I came back to stay.”
Wei Rushuang thought to herself that this was indeed the case, and a wave of worry surged in her heart.
No one is perfect. Even the sincere and kind female lead could be biased at times. At this moment, she wasn’t blaming Bai Tang for juggling two relationships; rather, she was worried that now that Bai Tang had moved back to the villa and was spending every day with Qi Yuanxu, he might accidentally reveal something. If Qi Yuanxu discovered the truth, given his methods, Bai Tang would definitely not end well.
What should she do? How could they possibly keep this from Qi Yuanxu? Sigh—she was truly worrying herself sick.
Bai Tang, however, was completely unaware of Wei Rushuang’s inner struggle and said, “Shuangshuang, don’t worry. I’m with Ah Xu, so those people won’t be able to hurt me. You, on the other hand—if they can’t find me, their target, they might shift their attention and take it out on you. Be careful when you go out~”
Wei Rushuang thought, I’m the one who’s worried about you, you silly little brother.
She didn’t dare to bluntly point out that Bai Tang’s behavior was wrong. Tang Tang had no parents and lacked affection. Qi Yuanxu was always busy, and Bai Tang couldn’t receive enough love from him. If someone took advantage of that vulnerability to show concern for him, it wasn’t impossible that Bai Tang would be moved. What she resented was that Yinyue had somehow deceived Tang Tang and won him over.
A seven-day holiday had started yesterday, and there were still several days of joyful time ahead.
Bai Tang’s mind began to wander, and his small face quietly flushed red.
Xiao A saw through him at once and added, “It’s the male lead’s joyful time, to be precise.”
Qiu’er glanced at him. What was wrong with Xiao A? Why did everything he said sound so sour? No, he needed to have a proper talk with Xiao A—how could he disturb Tang Tang’s romance with the male lead?
Interrupting someone else’s relationship was immoral.
Before Qiu’er and Xiao A could talk for long, Bai Tang suddenly received the news that both systems would also be taking a vacation.
Bai Tang: I understand~~~
Coffee Without Sugar waited for an accurate answer from Wei Rushuang and even promised her that she would carefully observe whether Yinyue was truly sincere toward Bai Tang.
Wei Rushuang had thought it over. Wealthy families valued matching social status, and Bai Tang’s family background differed too greatly from Qi Yuanxu’s. The Qi family might not agree to their relationship, and the road ahead would be difficult. For now, it was better to keep things hidden. If Yinyue truly cared for Bai Tang and was someone trustworthy, then even if Qi Yuanxu and Bai Tang separated in the future, Tang Tang would not be too heartbroken.
From beginning to end, Wei Rushuang had never been optimistic about Qi Yuanxu and Bai Tang as a couple. However, since they liked each other, why play the villain? Surely Qi Yuanxu understood this as well.
Bai Tang was still unaware that two women were worrying themselves sick over him. Right now, he had turned on his computer and was preparing to record with Qi Yuanxu.
“Tang Tang, come here.” Qi Yuanxu beckoned to Bai Tang. Bai Tang looked at the man—shirtless, revealing a beautifully defined six-pack—and hesitated for a second. Then, at the man’s gentle call, he dashed toward… the peeled chestnuts beside him.
“This is the script.” Qi Yuanxu handed a folder to the young man, who was too busy eating to stop. All the parts featuring him and Bai Tang had been highlighted with a fluorescent marker.
Return to You was a short novel. When the original author learned that the main character in the audio drama adaptation would be voiced by Master Yinyue, she was so excited that she jumped up on the spot and stayed up all night posting on Weibo to share the good news with her readers.
Readers who knew who Yinyue was were moved to tears—after years of perseverance, their beloved author had finally gained recognition, and the treasure they had cherished for so long had been discovered. Those who didn’t know Yinyue became curious and started asking about his identity. If they hadn’t asked, they wouldn’t have known—but once they did, they were shocked.
Yinyue never voiced pure romance dramas. Even when he voiced romantic stories, the endings always involved the heroine’s death, leaving the male lead alone and miserable—every single one was a tragic ending. Listeners often cried their hearts out.
Now that they heard Yinyue would be paired with someone else as a CP (romantic pairing), some fans felt upset and began digging into the identity of the other male lead. They discovered that it was Pinecone, who had been widely discussed recently.
[I’ve heard Pinecone’s voice before—it’s soft and cute, and he sounds very well-behaved. A domineering, lonely top vs. a soft and adorable bottom who turns against him—I’m totally supporting this pairing.]
[Is what you said above true? What kind of ‘lonely-for-life top’ is that, hahaha. But this drama won’t end with him alone for life again, right?]
[I don’t want Yinyue to hype up a CP, boohoo—I won’t allow my husband to be snatched away!]
Many fans sent private messages to Qi Yuanxu to verify the news. How could he possibly miss such a good opportunity to openly declare his claim?
He glanced at Bai Tang, who was seriously reading the script, and his fingers flew across the keyboard, typing a message:
[As everyone has guessed, I have taken on the audio drama Return to You and will be voicing Xing Ze, the crown prince of Xing. The other male lead, the prince of Liang, will be voiced by @PineconeIsTheBest. Recording has already begun, and we believe the work will meet you all soon. Thank you for your anticipation.]
Author’s Note:
Both the female lead and Miss Coffee feel utterly exhausted—how can they protect Tang Tang from being retaliated against by Qi Yuanxu if he finds out?