Jingxi Logistics is quite fast; usually, it only takes a day to deliver, and if you place an order in the morning, some items can even be delivered in the afternoon.
In a way, it's not inferior to "Headwind Express," which Lu Qing usually prefers to use for products other than electronics.
Unfortunately, it's already afternoon now, so the estimated delivery time says it will arrive tomorrow.
He'll have to wait another day.
Lu Qing isn't in a hurry for that day,
after all, the female stalker might not come every day. If she did, he would have noticed long ago, and it wouldn't have taken Su Ling to tell him.
"Hmm... The current issue is, I don't know what that woman's needs are... Since she acted before the rainy night, it means this matter has nothing to do with Su Ling."
Starting from the perspective of needs, Lu Qing's thinking is very clear.
Bai Xing mentioned that she was carrying a big bag.
The bag must have contained something.
Most likely, some tools for committing a crime.
Rainy night, a woman, late at night, fully disguised, wearing rubber boots, carrying tools...
No, this is dangerous!
What's the difference between this and those bad guys in survival games who wear hazmat suits to study your house and try to loot it!?
What if there's something sharp, or metal, or ropes, or gases in that bag...
"..."
No way.
Su Ling is still at home.
Even though the target isn't her, it's still too dangerous.
Lu Qing thought, he must prioritize this matter.
He has to capture the woman's face on video and keep the footage as evidence for when he goes to the police station to file a report.
Of course, if he can confirm that she's unarmed and harmless, it wouldn't be a bad idea to talk to her directly, tell her to stop, and make her reconsider.
If you know what's good for you, I won't have to tear things apart.
If you don't show up, even better, the old debts are wiped clean.
Lu Qing considers himself quite merciful. He can be flexible in some areas, as long as it doesn't threaten his sister.
"I'll give you one more chance. I hope you know what's best for you."
He thought.
...
The two enjoyed about half an hour of leisure in the milk tea shop.
Lu Qing finished his milk tea and then looked at the half-finished cup in the girl's hand, urging:
"It's about time. Bai Xing, we have to go."
The issue at hand hasn't been resolved yet, and he can't afford to waste more time.
For Lu Qing, there's one thing that's crucial.
And that is—
"Homework."
He remembered the first time he learned to play the piano, his teacher was a middle-aged man in his forties,
And even among the eight different guitar masters he later sought out, only the uncle left the deepest impression on him.
The meeting with Brother Xiang was quite interesting.
Brother Xiang had a reclusive personality, a big beard, and a carefree, messy appearance,
he liked to lie on the carpet in the small classroom, sprawled out with an electric guitar in his arms.
Brother Xiang's improvisation skills were very strong,
he was said to have graduated from the jazz program at Beijing Modern Music Academy,
and could play thousands of variations of a solo with his eyes closed.
Brother Xiang's teaching style was very casual, and the harshest thing he ever said was, "If you don't practice, don't come."
"I don't need your hundred bucks per lesson. Let's not waste each other's time."
Brother Xiang's assignments were hellish—
he required Lu Qing to transcribe 20 songs in different genres with guitar every week, and note the chord progressions.
Of course, Lu Qing had always been meticulous,
so under full effort, what seemed "impossible" gradually became "possible."
He remembered the first time he completed his homework without sleep or rest, Brother Xiang seemed to finally "open his eyes" to teach.
Instead of lying drunk on the ground like a drunkard, squinting and judging whether the notes were right or wrong by ear.
Brother Xiang gradually began to value this "student" of his.
Occasionally, he would shamelessly make strange requests, like asking for a meal, a drink, snacks, or even cigarette money.
"Lu Qing, treat me to some barbecue, huh? I'll give you some real good stuff."
"Lu Qing, I'm out of booze, help your teacher get a bottle, huh? Need some yellow wine."
"Lu Qing, you coming? If not, get me two bottles of Coke, huh? Ice cold, not zero sugar."
"Lu Qing, when are you getting a new guitar? This one you have now isn't enough, you know? Using this for my assignments, come on."
"Lu Qing, give me a pack of smokes, huh? I'm broke."
...
Brother Xiang only taught one-on-one lessons.
Due to the harshness of the assignments, not many other students could complete them, so they would often skip classes or find excuses to delay the lessons.
After all, most people paid to learn guitar as a hobby, while Brother Xiang always set professional-level standards, which was too demanding for those who just wanted to "play around."
This led to fewer and fewer students for Brother Xiang.
He barely made any money.
A hundred bucks per lesson, teaching material worth 300-500, occasionally filling a whole sheet of paper with harmony theory.
Even delving into musical form analysis that music academy seniors or graduate students would study.
Under his guidance, Lu Qing absorbed knowledge like a sponge, studying to the extreme.
Until the end.
With his first original guitar composition, he confidently went to Brother Xiang, played it for him, and performed it in front of him.
Brother Xiang smiled.
A gratified smile.
Not long after that.
His small classroom closed down.
To this day.
Lu Qing still doesn't know Brother Xiang's name.
But every time he passes by Changshan Road, he would habitually look at the second floor of a clothing store in the abandoned small plaza, where the tiny guitar classroom once was,
gazing at the 5-square-meter space, the dusty whiteboard that read, "Learn guitar with Brother Xiang, phone: XXXXXXXX,"
then take out his phone,
dial the number,
listen to the voice, "The number you have dialed is out of service."
Only then would he leave in silence.
Now he understands,
that kind of homework, only he could complete back then.
And what Brother Xiang left for others,
didn't seem to involve "transcribing, arranging, harmonizing, sound design, monitoring recordings, 180 BPM fast playing, Lydia scale improvisation" to such an extreme.
Sorry, Brother Xiang.
I didn't succeed in studying in Japan.
Instead, I chose to stay in the country,
gave up music,
stopped progressing in guitar.
Sorry,
I didn't take the path you hoped for the most.
Nor did I let you hear the songs I composed afterward.
Now,
my guitar skills might not be far behind yours,
I took a photo with Mr. Koshimae, with Gin-san, shook hands with Samurai-san, and got the last signed guitar by Master Kobayashi in Tianhai City.
Unfortunately.
—I can no longer do the homework you left me.
...
...
"Homework."
One of the deep-seated obsessions in Lu Qing's heart.
No matter what kind of homework,
once assigned, it must be completed.
Do it, and try to do it as well as possible.
Not seeking perfection, but putting in the effort.
The memories drifted like fluff,
Lu Qing came back to his senses from his daze,
sighing lightly in his heart:
"Ah... Where should I go for market research?"
He doesn't know anyone who runs a company,
and he doesn't want to bother Li Mingshi again.
Moreover, whether it's interviewing anyone, an unexpected visit is impolite and should be scheduled in advance.
It seems, to solve this problem today, is probably unrealistic...
Lu Qing felt a bit troubled.
His expression had already betrayed his thoughts.
About this time.
A pleasant, cat-like voice gently echoed:
"Senior?"
"Hmm."
"You're not happy?"
"Not really."
"Is it because of the homework?"
"Yeah."
"What's the big deal? If you can't finish the homework, you can't finish it. Look at me, I don't even care about failing a class."
Bai Xing smiled sweetly, looking at the senior with a gentle gaze.
Her eyes slightly raised,
as if in the rainy night,
soaked all over,
bending down,
looking at herself expressionlessly,
"Him."
Rarely seen.
The senior showing such a downcast expression.
The girl thought.
She was very clear,
that the senior, wasn't truly a top student in the academic sense.
At school, those who spent every day in the library, aiming to score 90+ in every class, were the real top students.
Their goal was to pursue scholarships, and of course, some aimed for graduate school admission, exchange student opportunities, or simply to maintain a good GPA.
But not the senior.
He never spent hours in the library like the others.
He would always go straight home after classes.
He didn't seem to pursue high grades either.
He just wanted to complete all his assignments.
But why?
Why was it so important to complete every single assignment?
For some courses, it wouldn't matter much if assignments weren't finished...
After all, this was university.
Bai Xing pondered.
She observed Lu Qing, who appeared lost in thought, and continued thinking.
"Senior looks very unhappy."
This unhappiness wasn't just because of that impolite little girl's behavior.
Rather, it carried a sense of "frustration" that was difficult to describe.
It was as if...
Something inside his heart had been shattered.
"Mm."
That's right.
For him,
This was the first time encountering such a situation.
—Absolutely the first time.
He had never experienced anything like this before.
Bai Xing placed her bubble tea cup in front of her, staring at the straw stuck in the cup opening, contemplating:
"I wonder what kind of help I can offer senior..."
He was troubled by the assignment.
Could I find a way to help him?
The young woman concentrated with all her might, carefully considering.
"The assignments seem very important to him."
Even the potentially embarrassing market research,
He felt it necessary to complete.
Now, the original plan had been disrupted,
The "Mosse" interview that could have gone perfectly had closed its doors.
And it wasn't even a problem during the interview process—they didn't even get the chance to conduct a proper interview.
It's not hard to imagine that if it weren't for that little girl earlier, if senior had been able to talk directly with their manager,
This assignment would definitely have been perfectly completed.
After all, that cold-faced loli who was about 5'2" seemed quite approachable.
At least she wouldn't have been as impolite as that little girl.
Yes.
Everything had been ruined by that girl.
Bai Xing pouted disapprovingly.
Thinking to herself:
Wow, what an arrogant queen.
"But it's okay."
I'm clever,
I can heal my senior.
As long as I can figure out a way,
To take senior to another company,
Find a place where "we can interview today, record, and even meet the person in charge face-to-face," as long as this place has "products,"
Then the assignment can continue,
And we can solve everything before dark.
"Think about it."
Carefully, think about it.
At times like this,
What would Su Ling do?
If it were Su Ling, she would definitely find a way,
It would definitely be like that.
She would utilize every possible means in the world, precisely striking at the core of the target like a sharp blade,
And then casually, as if nothing had happened, solve the problem—
That's Su Ling's method.
But.
Senior had also said something.
—That his Rina-chan "was definitely not just a pretty face."
Now, even though I'm no longer Star Moon Rina,
I must let senior know,
His approval wasn't wrong.
His affirmation certainly wasn't wrong.
If,
If I can't even do this,
Then in the future,
What right would I have to compete with Su Ling?
How could I face her head-on?
Could I win?
Is it possible?
"Hmph."
Bai Xing was unusually calm.
She knew very clearly that this test was a perfect opportunity to score big points.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this was her one chance!
Miss it and it's gone, only getting further and further away from "her," and then at their next meeting, once again being looked at with that "sickly" expression—
Like looking at an injured bird fallen to the ground at night, with that meaningful yet pitying glance.
Like falling into a dark sea, never to return.
"..."
Ugh.
Just thinking about it makes my heart ache.
Damn it.
Su Ling, just you wait.
Today I'll definitely show you what I'm made of.
"Senior."
Having thought this far, Bai Xing suddenly spoke up.
"Hmm?"
"I want to ask you, do you think 'voice' counts as a product?"
The young woman asked seriously, looking directly into Lu Qing's eyes.
"Voice?"
Hearing this old yet familiar term, Lu Qing gradually came back to his senses.
The focus in his pupils slowly sharpened.
"Yes. Is voice a product?"
She asked again.
"It is."
Lu Qing answered without hesitation.
"'Voice' can regulate emotions, and 'sound' can heal hearts," he said.
"Different 'voices' arranged together can create different 'miracles.'"
Looking into Bai Xing's eyes,
Lu Qing spoke these words with unprecedented seriousness.
"!"
"Ah..."
The young woman heard this.
Her small mouth opened and closed.
Lost in thought, looking at his expression, she increasingly lost control of her composure.
"? Are you going to eat me, Bai Xing?"
Lu Qing tilted his head, seemingly confused: "Also, why are you asking this?"
"I..."
Actually.
Bai Xing had originally wanted to ask him, "Does voice acting recordings count as a product?"
Who knew that Lu Qing's words would put her in such a dreamy state, as if suddenly enlightened to something.
So in senior's heart, "voice" held such a lofty and irreplaceable position?
This didn't sound like something someone outside the music or voice acting circles would say at all.
Oh right,
The headphones he usually wears while walking, they're Sennheiser, aren't they?
When listening to music, he also specifically plugs in his Guozi phone, because it serves as a better front-end music player that can push up the clarity and volume of songs.
As a voice actress, Bai Xing had some knowledge of these things.
"Does senior... also understand these things well?"
She couldn't say for sure.
She just felt that the person before her seemed to have some unspoken obsession.
"He seems to understand 'voice' even better than me, a voice actress."
The young woman thought to herself.
"Bai Xing?"
"Ah..."
She licked her dry lips, pretending nothing had happened,
Then took a sip of her half-cooled coconut thick milk tea and continued: "It's like this, senior, I actually know a place where you could conduct your interview. I'm just not sure if you'd want to go."
She said.
"Hmm?"
Lu Qing was a bit surprised to hear this.
"You? Can provide a company for the interview?"
He thought he must have misheard.
Somehow, connecting words like "enterprise" and "company" with "Bai Xing"...
It felt incongruous in his mind.
The young woman was natural and pure,
Companies were social, full of interests, exhausting and frustrating,
It seemed that subconsciously, he didn't want her to be "contaminated" by such terms.
"Hehe, it's not a company, it's a studio! A studio!"
Bai Xing said proudly, "Let me tell you, I used to take on lots of voice acting jobs, right? Although it was just part-time at first, but as I got better at it, I received an invitation from a small voice acting team called 'Sound Bear Gang.'
They invited me to join them, and we would take on voice acting jobs together, collaborate on performances, hehe, by working as a team like this, we could take on many large projects and earn more extra money. So, I agreed right away.
Oh yeah, 'Sound Bear' is located in an office building in Changning District, I used to go there often to record. By the way, while you were spacing out earlier, I checked Gaode Maps, and it doesn't seem too far from here. If you want to go, I can take you there right now."
"?!"
Now, Lu Qing was stunned.
Completely stunned.
Before he could think further, Bai Xing continued:
"Hehe, I was thinking, if I take senior to interview the Sound Bear studio, wouldn't the voice actors' recorded script texts and game scripts count as products?
If they do count, I can contact my voice acting director right now and ask her to accept the video recording and cooperate with your interview. Teacher Huang and I have a pretty good relationship, she'll definitely agree to help us with our assignment! After all, I used to be like a big sister there, all the juniors would come to me for help with technical problems~
Even though I ghosted them for two years, they won't forget this young lady's amazing skills!"
"..."
"Hehe, senior, what's with that look?
Let me guess~
Oh my~?
Senior, you didn't really think that I was at the bottom of the barrel... in every field, did you??"
"No way, no way~??!"
"..."
*Sigh.*
Looking at her mischievous and poorly-behaved demeanor, Lu Qing took a deep breath.
Once again, he reassessed this voice actress before him, whom he had designated as the No.1 female lead in his novel.
A voice actress who was [Super cute · Explosive personality · Energetic · Natural · Cat-like · Maximum femininity · Thoughtful and understanding].
"Really..."
She had truly exceeded his expectations.
He nodded slightly.
Who could have imagined that she, whom he initially ignored,
The clingy girl he tried every way to shake off,
The explosive personality he had sternly pushed away at arm's length—
Had now become his guiding light...
If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have been able to complete his assignment.
At least this week would have been wasted.
He would have had to go back to re-plan, re-think, re-contact, re-schedule, make time again...
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
So, who was really helping whom here?
The roles seemed to have... completely reversed.
"Bai Xing..."
At this moment,
Lu Qing felt warmth in his heart.
"Hey hey hey? Senior, don't speak yet, ahem."
The young girl cleared her throat, interrupting his words of gratitude before they could escape.
Then she smirked,
Speaking in the exact same tone as someone had used just days ago:
"I'm not helping you for free, you know."
"??"
"Look, I'm helping you complete your assignment, introducing you to my voice acting director, and providing you with free access to the recording studio, free audio editing equipment, free mixing workstation and mixing console."
"...???"
"Don't you think I deserve a little interest in return?"
"......"
Lu Qing's eye twitched.
He cautiously asked: "What kind of interest?"
"Ahem! Senior, I know you're not the type to take handouts. I know you're a person of principle. You're the type who returns favors tenfold, am I right?"
"..."
Lu Qing grimaced, "Just be normal and state your demands quickly, before I change my mind."
"Mm-hmm, okay, don't rush, and no taking it back."
At this point,
Bai Xing lifted her face slightly and gently pushed forward the half-finished coconut milk tea in her hand...
Right in front of Lu Qing.
Her delicate face wore a coquettish expression that seemed to say,
"Take it or leave it, it's your choice."
"??"
"Senior, you don't want your assignment to remain incomplete, right?"
"..."
At this point.
Words were unnecessary.
Lu Qing nodded, casting a sidelong glance at the little thing trying to get the upper hand,
Then picked up the milk tea cup with one hand,
Bit down on the straw she had just used,
While staring directly into the girl's eyes, not caring about the lip gloss that would transfer,
Forcefully,
Drank all the remaining sweetness
In one gulp.
......
......