The Voice Etched into DNA · Sister's Counterattack

"Was that... an illusion?"

Lu Qing was well aware that the professional voice actors used by virtual streamers were completely different from their everyday "natural" voices.

To cater to their virtual personas and the show's effect, VTBs would choose their most charming tones, whether sweet, authoritative, aggressive, or delicate, to try and captivate their audience, making them devoted fans.

Streamers without voice acting skills might only be able to use a fake, squeaky voice, which could even be repulsive and uncomfortable.

However, someone like Hoshizuki Rina, with her versatile voice, could adjust her voice frequency at any time with her solid professional skills, using the most recognizable, natural, flawless, and attractive tone to open the door to her career peak.

Just a moment ago, Bai Xing's performance in front of him vaguely overlapped with the image of Hoshizuki Rina in his mind.

This conditioned reflex deeply ingrained in his DNA, coming from the depths of his soul, usually doesn't go wrong.

"Huh... no, that's not right."

After dumping the trash and re-entering the elevator, Lu Qing calmed down and analyzed.

One was a voice actress idol from a secondary website, with over two hundred thousand fans, her career on the rise...

The other was his neighbor and junior, a poor student who skips classes and stays up late every day, even relying on others to complete her final assignments—a delinquent girl who couldn't do anything right...

The only common point, the only possible connection between these two, might just be the correlation between "voice acting" and "broadcast hosting major."

No matter how he thought about it, the connection between the two was still too tenuous. Besides, the world is so big; how could the person behind the VTB his roommate recommended just happen to live next door?

"Forget it. It must be because I stayed up all night and got obsessed, so I'm hearing things. I really shouldn't stay up late anymore."

He shook his head, burying this suspicion in his heart.

Anyway, he would still be working with Bai Xing next week, so he could verify this idea then; there was no need to rush.

Returning to the apartment, closing the door, Lu Qing sat back on the sofa, ready for a little rest.

Just as he was about to close his eyes, he heard a rustling sound.

He raised an eyebrow and looked towards his sister's room.

"Su Ling? Are you awake?"

Considering that it might be the noise from his coming and going that woke her up, he felt a bit guilty and got up to approach the door.

"Mm..."

A weak response came from inside the room. Lu Qing placed his hand on the doorknob and asked, "Can I come in?"

"Mm."

He pushed the door open.

Inside the dimly lit room, the curtains were tightly closed.

In the corner, Su Ling was curled up on the bed, tightly wrapped in a blanket, her gaze fixed on him like a black cat abandoned in the dead of night.

"Where did you go just now, brother?" she asked weakly.

"I went downstairs to throw out the trash. Sorry, I woke you up."

He pulled out a chair and sat at the desk.

The few meters separating them made Su Ling feel a chill for some reason.

She buried her face in the pillow and then lifted her head slightly, revealing only her pitiful eyes, staring at her brother.

"..."

Lu Qing felt the pressure.

"What's wrong... are you feeling unwell?" he asked.

"Mm."

His sister nodded.

Lu Qing's expression immediately grew serious. "Is it because you didn't sleep well last night?"

"No."

She shook her head.

"Is it because... it's almost autumn and the room is too cold?" he continued to guess.

"No."

Her wronged expression became more pronounced.

"???"

Seeing his sister's reaction, Lu Qing was baffled, feeling something was amiss.

One of the things he was worst at was guessing a girl's mind. Right now, he felt completely helpless.

Although he was a master writer of romance novels and seemed proficient to outsiders, that was only within the fictional world, only effective on the internet.

If he had to guess the mind of Su Ling, a teenage girl in the prime of her life, with a complex heart and sometimes depressed, he would never get it right.

"Brother."

Just as he was feeling uneasy, she spoke up.

"Ah?"

"Can you get me the medicine over there?"

The girl stretched out a hand from her warm blanket, pointing with her slender fingers to the desk where he was sitting.

Lu Qing looked over and saw that his sister wanted a small white bottle with a medication label. It seemed to be her daily antidepressant.

"Did you forget to take it last night?" he asked.

"No."

Su Ling shook her head. "My chest feels a bit stuffy, so I want to take an extra dose."

"!?

Lu Qing was startled and asked instinctively, "How could this happen?"

He didn't understand what had happened to make his sister feel so uncomfortable. Or perhaps, this sudden illness in the early hours of the morning was a common occurrence for her?

A sense of crisis surged. Lu Qing instinctively picked up the nearby medicine box and opened the instruction manual—

He had never seen a medication description that was 16 pages long.

The drug's name was Vortioxetine Hydrobromide Tablets, which didn't sound very "healthy."

Especially the side effects and pharmacological toxicology section listed almost every possible adverse reaction he had ever seen.

Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and fainting were among the milder ones, but even more frightening were phrases like "increased suicidal tendencies" and "close observation required during initial medication."

Moreover, the dosage instructions clearly stated "prohibition of self-stopping medication" and "prohibition of self-reducing dosage," but there was no mention of increasing the dosage.

Had his sister been taking such a potent drug all along?

Could such a strong medication really suppress depression without relapse?

Lu Qing glanced at the silent Su Ling and felt a bit uneasy.

"Don't worry, brother. I'm used to taking medicine. Can you get me a glass of water, please?"

"..."

Lu Qing stood up stiffly and fetched a cup from the water dispenser.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle—

The sound of water filling the empty cup was a bit harsh.

Just like his chaotic mood at the moment.

Halfway through, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at his sister. "Is it okay not to take it? At least... is there any way to temporarily avoid increasing the dosage?"

He had promised his sister to help her get better, but it seemed he had underestimated the cruelty of the disease.

Yet, she seemed quite normal last night... both her mental state and mood seemed fine... why suddenly...

Lu Qing kept reflecting, not knowing where the problem lay.

"Huh. Brother, you don't like me taking medicine?"

Su Ling's heart stirred, and she lifted her little face to look directly into his eyes.

"Yeah, it's best to find another way to replace this drug dependency," he said calmly.

"Is that so... that's what brother thinks."

She tightened the blanket, knelt up, and her half-exhausted face was full of pitifulness.

Lu Qing thought his request was a bit too much. After all, anxiety and depression are also mental illnesses. How could he naively ask his sister not to take medicine?

If it delayed or worsened her condition, wouldn't the responsibility fall entirely on him?

This was not something a qualified brother should say.

"Ah, well," he sighed lightly, bringing the water cup to the desk, "So, Su Ling, half a dose extra, right?"

"No."

"What?" He was taken aback.

"Brother, your meaning just now was to let me think of another way to replace the medicine, right?"

"That's what I meant..."

"I thought about it and, as brother said, as long as I can find something new to rely on, I don't have to rely on medicine when I'm upset. I think brother is right."

"Ah? Found it so quickly?" Lu Qing put down the water cup, a bit surprised.

"Mm, found it. But it might need a little cooperation from brother."

"No problem, you tell me. As long as I can do it, it's no problem." Lu Qing promised seriously.

For his sister's health, he was indeed willing to do everything within his power. After all, she could only rely on him now, right?

However, just at that moment, Su Ling's sly smile, as if she had tucked away her fox tail, appeared, and she said innocently,

"Then... Brother, can you try to hug me?"

...

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