AFMWDX Chapter 27.1

TL: Hua

A few days later, Liu Siyan burst into Yu Qingtang’s office, huffing and puffing while carrying several large bags.

“I’m exhausted,” Liu Siyan said, dropping a bulging canvas bag onto the desk. “I swear I’ve lost half a pound just from this trip.”

Yu Qingtang put down his manuscript. “What’s in there?”

“Bayberries pickled by my mom, dried tofu made by my dad, sauerkraut from my mom, and salted duck eggs from my dad.” Liu Siyan pulled out jars and containers one by one. “And this—big steamed buns, fresh out of the steamer just thirty minutes ago.”

“My mom specifically told me to make sure you don’t leave these at the station. You have to take everything home after work today,” Liu Siyan emphasized. “*Everything*.”

Yu Qingtang looked at the haul. “There’s so much. I can’t possibly eat it all. Take some back with you.”

Liu Siyan made a ‘stop’ gesture. “This time, they aren’t for you. They’re all for your Dr. Xu, as a thanks for his incredible medical skill.”

That night, Liu Siyan and Xu Baizhang had been in the car together. She had initially only intended to ease the awkwardness by chatting, but as fate would have it, she ended up taking her father to see Xu Baizhang for his leg issues. After only three days of medication, the condition showed signs of improvement. Her parents were thrilled and insisted on properly thanking Dr. Xu.

Seeing his hesitation, Liu Siyan cut him off. “It’s not like it’s anything expensive. My dad’s leg still needs follow-up treatment anyway. If you don’t accept this, he’ll be too embarrassed to go back.”

Xu Baizhang’s appointments were notoriously hard to get, and Father Liu had been seen privately. Not only was there no registration fee, but the prescription was also very affordable.

Yu Qingtang relented. “Alright, I’ll thank your parents on Baizhang’s behalf.”

“That’s more like it.” Liu Siyan stuffed the jars back into the bag and glanced at the closed office door. “By the way, has the station director contacted you?”

“Any normal person wouldn’t have the face to contact me.”

One wouldn’t do something so absurd unless they were drunk; he probably regretted it deeply the moment he sobered up.

Liu Siyan nodded. “I heard he’s on sick leave and hasn’t shown up lately. It seems Master Xu really meant business that night.”

Yu Qingtang wasn’t sure exactly how powerful that strike had been, but he knew Xu Baizhang had a sense of restraint. He hoped that strike was enough to wake Liao Wenfeng up.

Since Liu Siyan had entered the office, Yu Qingtang’s phone notifications hadn’t stopped buzzing.

Liu Siyan was curious. “Who’s being so frantic? At this rate, that’s at least eight messages a minute.”

Yu Qingtang opened his private messages. “The Comic Con organizers.”

Liu Siyan asked, “Are they being persistent again?”

Yu Qingtang nodded.

The SD Comic Con had collaborated with D-Station for eight consecutive years, and the organizers had invited him to be a guest every single year. After learning he planned to retire from the scene after the livestreaming competition, they had become even more frantic, determined to have him participate.

Since last night, during all hours except when he was asleep, the organizers had taken turns sending nonstop messages. Starting from his debut work, they went down his timeline, helping him reminisce about all the touching, happy, and unforgettable experiences of the past eleven years.

His heart wasn’t made of stone; having come this far, it was impossible for him to remain indifferent.

Liu Siyan asked, “Where is the convention being held this time?”

“Yangcheng,” Yu Qingtang replied.

“No wonder.” Liu Siyan caught his expression. “What are you thinking?”

Yu Qingtang pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m trying to figure out how to refuse.”

“Have you thought of a way?”

“It’s difficult.”

“Do you want to go?”

“I thought about it, but then I felt I shouldn’t.”

Liu Siyan reached out. “Leave it to me.”

She tapped a couple of times in the chat box and handed the phone back. “Done.”

“That fast?” Yu Qingtang checked his phone and saw the latest reply from the organizers.

[Ahhhhhhh!!!! Waaaaah! Okay, thank you, thank you! Finally! Heaven rewards the persistent! We finally waited long enough!! Thank you, Master Qingfeng, for agreeing to attend! We’re going to start the promotion right now! Thank you so much, bows, see you then! Muah!]

Yu Qingtang stared at her. “Are you serious?”

“If you want to go, then go.” Liu Siyan understood him better than anyone. “The thing that makes it impossible for you to refuse isn’t the organizers—it’s yourself.”

Hesitation wasn’t the reason; it was the difficulty of letting go.

“My younger colleagues might see the news, though.” Yu Qingtang pointed to his face. “Won’t my secret identity be exposed in public?”

A news anchor and a 2D-world voice actor—a combination that was both related and yet worlds apart.

“What are you thinking? That’s impossible.” Liu Siyan opened a shopping app. “That’s exactly when the masks in my shopping cart come in handy.”

“Don’t worry, your everyday voice is completely different from your broadcasting voice. The two identities are so contrasting that no one will connect them.” Liu Siyan patted his shoulder. “Just have fun. You’ve been too busy lately; think of it as a way to relax.”

Yu Qingtang said, “Okay,” and started replying to messages on his phone.

Liu Siyan asked, “Is the organizer still buzzing you like crazy?”

“No, it’s Nian Jiang.”

The other party must have seen the official promotional announcement and wanted to confirm if he was really attending.

“Nian Jiang? The one on D Station who wears the little deer head to do Otaku dances?”

“Yes,” Yu Qingtang said. “He’s also in Yangcheng and is a guest at the convention.”

Liu Siyan noted, “That kid is pretty famous in the dance section, right? Number one in popularity?”

“Mhm.”

Liu Siyan occasionally came across Nian Jiang’s live stream and said, “His dancing isn’t bad, and he seems genuinely cute. He’s like a breath of fresh air compared to those ‘borderline’ dancing streamers.”

She added, “Is he even sixteen? He looks like a kid.”

“He’s eighteen. He’s a professional dance student.”

“He really doesn’t look it,” Liu Siyan said. “He seemed pretty excited when you two did a collab livestream last time. Is he a fan of yours?”

Yu Qingtang turned off his phone with a faint, unreadable smile. “Who knows?”

—

Room 3 of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Outpatient Department of the Provincial Hospital.

The intercom announced the name of the last patient.

The door was pushed open from the outside, and an elderly woman entered, supported by a middle-aged man. “Dr. Xu, I’m here.”

Xu Baizhang nodded. “How have you been feeling lately?”

The elderly woman was a long-term patient of his; they were quite familiar. “Very well! The weather is turning cold, but my knees still feel warm. In previous years, I would have put on padded cotton pants long ago, but this year I haven’t even put on my wool leggings yet.”

“You still need to be careful. The temperature will drop next week; add some layers when you go out.” Xu Baizhang checked her pulse. “Keep up with the acupuncture; don’t stop.”

“Yes, I know.” The woman’s face wrinkled into a smile. “I’ll definitely listen to you.”

Xu Baizhang added, “I’ll add a few herbs to your prescription this time to help improve your sleep.”

“Alright, sounds good.” The woman took her medical card and pulled the middle-aged man forward. “Dr. Xu, if it’s convenient, could you take a look at my son? He had some alcohol a few days ago, and since he came back, he’s been clutching his stomach. He can’t eat or sleep well. I’m really worried.”

Xu Baizhang didn’t even give him a glance. He pulled off his disposable gloves and put on a fresh pair before speaking to the resident student observing the session. “Go help this lady get her medicine.”

“Yes, Director Xu.” Li Si closed his notebook. “Ma’am, let’s go.”

As they reached the door, the woman held onto the doorframe and urged her son, “Xiao Feng, tell Dr. Xu everything. Don’t go holding it in. Dr. Xu is amazing; he’ll definitely fix you up.”

The consultation room door closed, leaving the man standing inside.

Xu Baizhang uncapped his pen and said while writing, “Sit.”

Liao Wenfeng felt as if his body were covered in needles; he couldn’t sit at all. “You knew all along she was my mother.”

Xu Baizhang replied, “The elderly like to chat about family. I had no reason to shut her up.”

A son who came from a humble background to become a TV station director was naturally a mother’s pride; she would tell anyone who would listen, and an easygoing doctor was an easy target for such stories.

“But you still cured her illness.”

Liao Wenfeng’s mother had suffered from severe rheumatism for years, seeking medical help everywhere to no avail. It had been so bad that the pain was unbearable, and she couldn’t even get out of bed.

Having heard there was a TCM doctor at the provincial hospital who could work wonders, Liao Wenfeng had initially approached with a ‘try it and see’ attitude. He never expected that in just six months, his mother would not only be able to get out of bed but could move and walk independently.

Xu Baizhang said, “Does who her son is have anything to do with whether I treat a patient or not?”

Liao Wenfeng felt as if he were being choked; it was more painful than death.

Dr. Xu had cured his mother, yet he had gotten drunk and disrespected Dr. Xu’s partner.

Entanglement and harassment—he had behaved like a despicable clown.

Xu Baizhang continued, “Mr. Liao Wenfeng, we are all adults. You want your mother to be healthy, and I want my partner to no longer be harassed. That shouldn’t be a difficult arrangement.”

Liao Wenfeng was overcome with shame. “Rest assured… it won’t happen again.”

Xu Baizhang capped his pen and handed over the prescription. “Decoct with cold water and take once in the morning and once at night. You should recover in three days.”

Enduring the throbbing pain in his abdomen, Liao Wenfeng took the paper. “Thank you.”

Before leaving, Liao Wenfeng bowed deeply. “Dr. Xu, thank you. Thank you for curing my mother.”

—

The dates for the comic con were confirmed, and it was being held right here in the city. By a stroke of luck—or perhaps misfortune—Xu Baizhang had the day off.

Usually, when they both had free time, they would occasionally go shopping, catch a movie, feed the fish, or spend an afternoon at the flower nursery.

Today, Yu Qingtang had to go out alone, and he hadn’t figured out how to explain it to Xu Baizhang yet. It wasn’t that he was intentionally hiding his “2D-world” identity, but knowing Xu Baizhang’s personality, he probably wouldn’t be able to accept it. Even if he were willing to accept it, what if he found out his stage name and searched for it online?

There were far more search entries for “Qingfeng” than for “Yu Qingtang.”

What would he think if he happened to hear the audio dramas he’d voiced? Especially the early ones—the plots were heavy on steamy scenes.

Could he accept the explanation that online audio dramas were done independently rather than through live interaction with a partner? And would he be able to understand the concept of “self-attack, self-receive¹Voicing both the top and the bottom by himself“?

Yu Qingtang tried to massage the tension out of his brow. These were all long-term concerns; right now, he couldn’t even come up with an excuse to leave the house.

He was nearly thirty, yet he was as nervous as a child preparing a lie.

Maybe he should just be direct. There’s no point in hiding it.

Just as Yu Qingtang stood up, he heard movement in the living room.

Xu Baizhang was changing his shoes.

“Are you going out?” Yu Qingtang walked out.

“Yes. Lunch is in the fridge; heat it up for yourself.”

The door clicked shut. Xu Baizhang had left in even more of a hurry than he was planning to.

It’s just going out; everyone is entitled to some privacy, Yu Qingtang thought. He changed his clothes and headed out as well.

The guests at the convention were mostly cosplayers dressed as various IP characters.

Yu Qingtang wasn’t a cosplayer; he only needed to hide his face. From the masks Liu Siyan had prepared, he chose a simple, clean style that covered him tightly, leaving not even a strand of hair visible.

He parked in the underground garage. Since he wasn’t doing a floor walk or a signing session and there was still time before his interview, he stayed in the car to handle some work. His phone buzzed with a WeChat notification.

Nian Nian: [Brother Qingfeng, have you arrived yet? /Bear holding flowers emoji]

Yu Qingtang: [I’m here. What about you?]

Nian Nian: [I’m here too! Where are you? I’m in the prep room for the interview area. There are several guest brothers here, but I don’t see Brother Qingfeng. /Bear spinning around emoji]

Yu Qingtang: [Parking. I’ll be there in a moment.]

Nian Nian: [Okay, okay! Waiting for you! /Bear throwing petals emoji]

Yu Qingtang put his phone away and adjusted his mask.

In the large hall, about a dozen people had gathered—cosplayers, fan artists, novelists, and game streamers.

Yu Qingtang scanned the room but didn’t see anyone who looked like his mental image of Nian Jiang.

He looked down to type a message.

[Nian Nian, I’m here. Which one are you…]

“Hello, are you Master Qingfeng?”

As a professional broadcaster, Yu Qingtang was highly sensitive to voices. His gaze shifted to a white-haired youth wearing a black mask that covered one eye.

Yu Qingtang didn’t watch much anime, but this character was so famous he happened to recognize it.

The youth’s outfit was cool and edgy, but his voice was sweet and soft, like melting strawberry candy.

“I am Qingfeng.” Yu Qingtang put his phone away and spoke to the cool but sweet-looking youth. “Are you Nian Jiang?”

The youth’s joy radiated even through his mask. “It’s—it’s me! I’m Nian Nian!”

Yu Qingtang tilted his head. “Your outfit today is unexpected.”

Usually, Nian Jiang went for a “kawaii” style, wearing hoodies with bear ears or overalls with large rabbits on the front.

Nian Jiang tugged at the hem of his clothes, his eyes darting around. Even through the mask, one could tell he was biting his lip out of nervousness. “Does it look bad? My sister suggested I go as this. She said it would make it harder for people to recognize me.”

“No, it looks very good.”

Nian Jiang jumped up in excitement but quickly forced himself to stand still again. “Th-thank you, Brother Qingfeng.”

A staff member’s voice called out from behind them, “Guests, we’re ready to go on stage. Please follow me.”

Yu Qingtang adjusted his mask. “Let’s go. Time to head up.”

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  Voicing both the top and the bottom by himself