Exclusive Rights to an Online Voice Actor

Chapter 55.1

Thanks for reading, Tinsunny~~

Editor: Mashiro

The door to the study was closed but not locked from inside because Qi Jing could easily press down on the door handle when he tried to turn it.

It was completely silent inside.

“…Shen Yan?” His question was as cautious and patient as his two gentle knocks on the door.

“…Mhm.” And what he got in response was an answer even fainter than the question he asked.

Qi Jing immediately opened the door with extra care. The lights in the room had been turned off at some point, leaving only the austere white light from the computer to illuminate the walls. Even though that was the only light source left in the room, Shen Yan still buried his head in his palms as if he feared the light; he sat there frozen, like a rock statue, and he was actually seated with his back to the screen.

Something seemed to click in Qi Jing’s mind and he hurriedly rushed over to him, holding his shoulders while asking in a low voice, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah.” Only now did he hear the slight hoarseness in Shen Yan’s voice due to their close proximity—he probably hasn’t fully recovered from the choking back of tears in his performance from just now. But at least, right now, they were able to carry on a normal conversation with each other. “I still haven’t… fully recovered from the emotions yet. I’m sorry, give me a little time.”

So it was really as he had thought? Qi Jing frowned for a moment.

The fact was that he had also previously guessed that Shen Yan would get too deep into the character and would need some time to get himself back together. But since the person himself said that he could get out of character, it proved that he was conscious and was currently in the middle of sorting out his emotions. This instead filled Qi Jing with a sense of relief.

“Take your time. I’ve helped you set up the recording for the competition; it’s currently being recorded so you can listen to it at another time if you want to.”

As apologetic as he was to the last two contestants, right now, he didn’t have any space of mind to focus on anything other than being by Shen Yan’s side.

“Here, give me your hand.”

Qi Jing first helped Shen Yan move the headphones aside, then he gently touched that pair of hands that were holding Shen Yan’s head and tried to peel them off. Shen Yan jolted slightly at the touch and gradually straightened his back. He raised his head and did not show any signs of resistance, putting his hands down following Qi Jing’s movements. Qi Jing didn’t urge him in any way, waiting patiently until Shen Yan’s hands were completely separated from his face, only then did he slowly reach out to hold the other party’s hand.

Shen Yan’s palms were a little wet.

Of course, Qi Jing knew why, but he didn’t ask, nor did he wipe it off for the other man. He did not say a word but simply leaned in and pulled the other party forward—his hand holding the back of Shen Yan’s head—securely bringing the man before him into his embrace.

Shen Yan was silent and unresponsive at first, leaning somewhat weakly against his chest. After a long while, his arms slowly found their way round Qi Jing’s waist and wordlessly hugged the latter

Qi Jing couldn’t help but smile at this. He gently patted Shen Yan on the back as if he was coaxing a child, offering the other some comfort through his actions and his words.

“You did great; everyone was moved by your performance.”

“Is that so…” Shen Yan mumbled under his breath, seemingly completely unaware of the enthusiastic reactions from the listeners on the chat.

Qi Jing froze a little, then a chuckle couldn’t help but escape him. “Hmm? Did you turn your back to the screen and not look at it once you were done?”

What he got in response was a shocking answer: “I didn’t look at the screen right from the very beginning. I had my back to the computer throughout the whole process and only followed the host’s step-by-step instructions.”

“You’re saying that you didn’t look at the screen right from the very beginning?” Qi Jing asked again as if in utter disbelief.

“Mhm&#k2026;”

“Then what about the lines?” The official lines of the characters for the semi-finals are only announced and posted on the bulletin board at that point in time.

“I took a look at them when they first came out, then with the players before me repeating the lines over and over again, they naturally stuck into my mind.” Still in Qi Jing’s embrace, Shen Yan took a deep breath before letting go of the latter’s waist. He sat up straight and rubbed his face with a frown; he seemed to have calmed down.

Qi Jing lowered his gaze to observe his complexion—fortunately, he didn’t look particularly pale, just very tired.

“Are you… still unable to dub in the presence of an audience?” Well, it’s no wonder, with over ten thousand people watching on in the audience, most people would freeze up, much less Shen Yan. Unless you are experiencing the situation yourself, there’s no way one would be able to understand the tremendous psychological pressure it gave.

“All that matters is that it’s done,” Shen Yan said in a low voice, but he still didn’t show any intention of looking at the screen.

When Qi Jing heard those words, he suddenly felt the urge to say something but didn’t have the words for it. He could only stare at Shen Yan in the silence without making a sound until the changes on the screen drew his attention back.

At this time, the last contestant seemed to have finished his turn and the organising staff were doing a final tally of the total scores and rankings.

Next, it would probably be Pu Yuzhi’s turn to take the mic and comment on the performance of the contestants one by one. As soon as Qi Jing thought of that, he abruptly gave a few light taps on Shen Yan’s shoulder and before the latter could make any reactions, he made a move to unplug the headphones, setting the audio to speaker mode.

Yang Chunqu’s bright and elegant voice that was pleasant on the ears could be heard once more.

“Dear listeners and contestants, after an hour-long of exciting competition for the second character, ‘Old Man Xiao Shan’, in the semi-finals of the voice acting competition for《Order to End the Heavens》tonight, we’ve finally come to the final stage! I believe this is a moment that everyone’s been waiting for—that’s right, next, we’ll invite our representative from the jury, Teacher Pu Yuzhi, to give her comments on the competition just now! Welcome!”

In an instant, the public chat was full of cheers, spamming Pu Yuzhi’s name to hype up the atmosphere.

When Pu Yuzhi’s red-coloured ID was placed on the mic sequence, she first started by clearing her throat and started off habitually with, “Good evening, students,” eliciting a bout of laughter and giggles from the audience.

Unlike the polite and diplomatic style of Longbow, she didn’t go into the pleasantries and went straight to the point—very reminiscent of a professor who speaks eloquently the moment class starts. “I know that there are many who disagree with the scores I have given and want to know just why I gave some people low scores and the others higher scores. Let’s start by discussing the character itself first. Can we have the MC put up the character settings of ‘Old Man Xiao Shan’ again?”

Sure enough, when Yang Chunqu heard her words, the information on the announcements was updated, adding in the character settings which had been previously announced on the official site.

“Alright, as everyone can see, ‘Old Man Xiao Shan’ is a character that’s an elder around the age of 60-70 years old and he is the head of the Xiao Shan Sect who ‘treats and loves his disciples as his own’—these are the exact words of the official character setting,” Pu Yuzhi read out the statements as it was.

As a lecturer from the course of Broadcasting and Hosting, her usual way of speaking was also sonorous and powerful, one couldn’t help but perk up their ears to listen. “Generally, if we follow how it’s like for commercial voice acting, voice actors are expected to have an understanding of the original work; if there’s a novel, you’d read it, and if there are films, you watch them. Only once you’re fully prepared, do you start. Whether you have put in enough effort in this area or not, people in the industry will be able to tell when they hear it.”

Qi Jing felt a little ashamed when he heard her words.

When Shen Yan first proposed to read the original work of《Order to End the Heavens》, he still thought that the former was being overly serious and that the official character information given by the organisers was more than enough. Yet now, Pu Yuzhi’s words made him feel that what he’s done was far from enough. The novel would have more comprehensive and three-dimensional descriptions of the characters, and that was not something that could be replaced by a few simple lines of introduction. This notion was further exemplified especially after he heard Shen Yan’s performance of Old Man Xiao Shan.

He has to find the time to study the original work properly so that he can give his all for the competition that was to come.

Pu Yuzhi’s following words slightly alleviated the guilt he felt. “However, taking into consideration that most are amateur dubbing enthusiasts, it’s really not easy to finish a five hundred thousand word novel, so let’s take a major step back, carefully studying the official information that was provided, that’s the very least we can do, yes?”

Qi Jing nodded; this he did carefully read through.

“Just from the character settings for this role alone, we can more or less analyse and arrive at the key points that have to be showcased. First is the sense of age. I know that many of the contestants are youngsters, so they find it rather difficult to voice a grandpa, and it’s more restrictive. Next, is the identity of this character. This person isn’t some random old man passing by on the street, nor is he an ordinary farmer, woodcutter, fisherman or the like, but a Sect Leader, so the aura and poise of a Sect Leader must be there, “Pu Yuzhi analysed each point, steadily, “And thirdly, and also the most important trait of this character—he treats and loves his disciples as his own. Please keep the above three points in mind as you listen to my commentary later.”

Then, a bout of rustling that sounded like pages turning could be heard from the speakers. Pu Yuzhi was probably referring to something; perhaps, like Shen Yan, she made notes while listening to each of the performances.

“Then, let’s start with contestant number one. For the first contestant…”

As she went down the list of contestants, her commentary style was more or less what Qi Jing had expected: not as gentle as that of Longbow. She was sharp-tongued and blunt, every critique was straight to the point, but her words were also extremely helpful. If there were audience members who posed questions on the public chat while she’s talking, she would stop and slowly explain the reasons for her comments, until everyone was convinced.

—As expected of a renowned educator.

At this time, Qi Jing lowered his head slightly to look at Shen Yan.

Shen Yan was still quietly seated there with a kind of concentration Qi Jing was very familiar with. He knew that Shen Yan was listening attentively, just that he had his back facing the screen.

“Next is contestant number nineteen.” When Pu Yuzhi announced the number of Went off with a bang, his indignant little fans who had been waiting for all this while knew that their moment to explode was finally here. Once again, they started throwing their complaints on the chat, saying that the judge deliberately lowered his score, causing their idol to have to settle for second place.

Pu Yuzhi did not make any response to this, but simply went on to evaluate his overall performance in a composed manner.

“First of all, I have to say that this contestant’s sense of age is slightly better than the ones that came before him. His old grandfather voice is very accurate and I can tell that he does usually put in the effort to practice it—this, he did well.”

With a slight pause, here comes the classic twist.

“However, the sense of age is only one of the criteria used to measure the suitability of the voice. In addition to it, the specific traits of the character also need to be considered. This character is calm and magnanimous, kind and respectable. Number 19’s voice sounds… Well, rather than a Sect Leader who spends his days deep in the mountains and is detached from the conflicts of the world, he sounded more like a Master of the Wulin Alliance who often gives orders. He has enough of that imposing bearing but there was a sense of frivolousness to it—his expressions were too outward and lacking in restraint.”

And that’s why she gave him a score of 3.5—it was generally satisfactory, but the attitude expressed was slightly off.

“In terms of his enunciation, this contestant’s foundation is also better than many before him, so I’m sure he has put in the time to practice normally. Moreover, he would find places to pause in the lines provided, so it is clear that he also considered the pace and rhythm when dubbing. I believe every one of us could hear all these good points.” Pu Yuzhi’s approach has always been to give credit where credit was due and the same goes for her criticisms. “But it’s a pity the ‘Foundation points’ and ‘Charisma’ aspects were disappointing.”

As soon as this statement was made, the chat exploded.

The fans all rose up in droves to attack and fight for Uncle Bang.

Audience 1: Our Uncle Bang obviously did a wonderful job with his performance; I found it very compelling! How could you give him 1.0 for that! Why do you have to say “it’s a pity”! Don’t you know that’s very hurtful? Aren’t teachers supposed to build students up with encouragement?!

Audience 2: And here’s what I don’t understand. On one hand, you say that you can understand that most people here are amateurs, but on the other, you grade them and hold them to professional standards. Can you be any more two-faced?? （︶︿︶）=凸

Audience 3: Strongly requesting that we get someone else to comment!! Of all the judges, you had to get the one who gave the lowest score—aren’t you obviously bullying our Uncle Bang??

…

Pu Yuzhi remained silent for about three seconds, before suddenly speaking into her mic, “Many people do not like to listen to opinions of critical nature, this is normal. I, myself, would also feel uncomfortable eating something bitter, this is human nature. In a special situation like a competition, the chances of receiving criticisms are much higher than normal—some come from the judges, some from the audience, and some from the fellow competitors as well.”

The ruckus settled down a little as she continued on extremely calmly.

“One has to listen to criticism, but not all criticisms. Criticism can also be split into good and bad. Some people listen to both kinds, and they take it all to heart, shrinking back from a little blow—that’s called being self-abased. There are also those who don’t listen to either and carry on doing as they please—in nicer terms, this is called having self-confidence, but to put it more crudely it’s called arrogance. I personally advocate for people to rationally distinguish between the two—this, I see as a form of self-encouragement.”

That last sentence was the key point.

“I can say very unashamedly that my criticisms are all good. For those with low self-esteem or those who are too conceited, there’s no point in arguing whether these comments are positive or negative. You can choose not to listen, and on the flip side, those who are rational are welcomed to stay.”

That slap was loud and clear. Sure enough, the vulgar and mean messages on the public chat went away by quite a bit.

If it wasn’t for the fact that the account logged into this computer wasn’t his and that it wasn’t appropriate for him to publicly express such opinions as a CV, Qi Jing really had the urge to join in the ranks of the people on the chat, cheering, “Teacher Pu is the best!”

“Well then, I shall continue commenting on contestant nineteen.”

Pu Yuzhi calmly went back to her commentary.

“In the first act where Qin Tuo returns after wandering for a long time, not much emotional changes could be heard in the Master’s voice; it was the same tone throughout. Number 19 didn’t bring out the feelings of surprise and endearment, giving the listener the impression that there was nothing special—this disciple comes home every day. I suppose it might be because he was focused on the sense of age, so while he took care to adjust the vocal quality, he neglected the tone of the voice. That’s a problem that many who have to change their voice face, compared to those acting in their normal voice.”

Went off with a bang stood out against the many contestants that went before him, in a way, it could be said that he had a stunning opening to his performance which was a good thing.

But the downside is that because he was overly focused on the sense of age, he overlooked the more crucial tonal changes, as well as expression of emotions. That was something Qi Jing also didn’t take note of at the time until now, when it dawned on him thanks to Pu Yuzhi’s analysis.

“Starting from the second scene was when his understanding of the character started to deviate, and it was quite a large deviation at that.” The rustling of Pu Yuzhi flipping through pieces of paper could be heard once more—it seems like she was pretty detailed with her notes and wrote down quite a bit. “Frankly speaking, I found the cues provided by the organisers to be overly simple. However, there are also perks to being simple; it puts the emphasis on whether or not the contestants have properly studied the information provided and thought from the standpoint and thought process of the character with the way they execute the tone and attitudes.

“The first impression I got from number nineteen is that this Master is extremely biased; doting on Qin Tuo and looking down on Bai Ke, to the point where he would use the younger disciple as an example to school the older disciple at every turn. Just think about it, will someone who loves his disciples dearly do something like that which would hurt the other party’s pride? Putting myself in the character’s shoes, as a mother, I wish for nothing more than to see my children get along with one another, and not their relationship breaking apart from all the fighting. Not to mention someone who’s the leader of a sect, such favouritism is not allowed. How can he be respected and revered when he can’t treat the young members of his sect fairly? How would he be able to manage his sect?

“If we all read the novel, we would know that Bai Ke is actually someone with an inferiority complex. As his master who understands this character flaw, all the more he wouldn’t deliberately rub salt into the wound. This is a major mistake. Starting from this scene, his performance was already going off in the wrong direction, and this resulted in him going further and further away from the mark.”

She pointed out the fatal mistake that Went off with a bang made and that was his interpretation of Old Man Xiao Shan’s attitude towards Bai Ke. In both the second and third acts, his interpretation seriously went against the portrayal of the character in the story.

“The last scene is the main reason why I gave number nineteen a score of 1.0. I personally think that this scene is extremely important. It is one of the most emotional scenes, and it’s a critical moment to move the audience. As mentioned before, the feeling number nineteen gave me is that… Qin Tuo is the one he actually brought up as a child while Bai Ke was just someone he took in halfway, but anyone who’s seen the original work would know that it is in fact, the opposite. The term ‘Master’ has both the meaning of being a teacher and a father. Contestant nineteen’s performance only showcased the aspect of a strict teacher but not that of a loving father. He gave the feeling of regret that this Master, unfortunately, took in a heinous disciple that might as well be the spawn of the devil and very much wished he could kill Bai Ke with his own hands to cleanse their sect of evil.”

Pu Yuzhi’s voice sank, and her tone was even harsher than before. “There’s another especially critical bit of information—Bai Ke was already dead at that time. For an elder past his prime and in his sixties, there’s nothing more heart-rending than a child dying before his parent. Seeing a child he raised with his own two hands turn into a box of ashes, no matter the abominable sins the other has committed, or the anger he had felt, there’s no way he would be indifferent to his child who has died and cannot be revived, much less, show such cold-heartedness like number nineteen.”

The reason why she gave such a low score was clear as day.

This time round, even the fans of Went off with a bang had all been rendered speechless; it was as if they had completely disappeared from the chat, gone without a trace.

Lilies: everyone prolly wants to know what she has to say about Shen Yan’s performance but I’m an asshole like that so let’s cut off here hehe but hey, i’m not that mean, we did get some good face-slapping

Mashiro: This chapter’s highlight (in my opinion) is Pu Yuzhi. She has analyzed each actor’s act so accurately and so exceptionally, I have to say she is an excellent teacher. Guess what her analysis would be on SY’s act.