Chapter 19: Voice Changer
“That’s good, cough, cough…” Although he had asked the question himself, Luo Jing felt his ears burning and just wanted to end this topic quickly.
He sniffed, and a sudden gust of wind made him sneeze.
“Cold?” Luo Jing had the call on speakerphone so he could see the navigation, and the boy’s voice came from the phone, slightly distorted.
“I feel like I could fry yogurt on my face right now,” Luo Jing replied grumpily.
A chuckle came from the other end: “How far are you from the exit?”
Luo Jing checked the navigation: “Almost there, it seems.”
“Mm, hurry up. It’s not safe to be out alone so late.”
“Okay.”
The moment he turned the next corner, the familiar shopping mall appeared before him.
There were still many people at the entrance of the mall, and the beautiful fountain was diligently spraying water in the night, illuminated by lights, a scene of lively peace.
“Out of the alley?” Huai Dan’s voice sounded, mixed with the surrounding noise, but Luo Jing heard it clearly.
“Mm, I’m out, about to call a taxi,” Luo Jing replied, suppressing the inexplicable strange feeling in his heart. “The driver will call me later, so I’ll hang up now, brother.”
“Mm, be careful. Let me know when you get home.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Luo Jing rubbed his face, which was inexplicably hot, perhaps from the cold, and stood by the road, trying to hail a taxi inconspicuously.
He belatedly realized that Huai Dan had been talking to him the whole time, probably worried that he was scared being alone.
He stared at the taxi’s location on his phone, then poked the little car icon.
The weather gradually warmed up. As the high school entrance exam approached, the atmosphere in the classroom became increasingly intense, and Luo Jing had less time to chat with Huai Dan.
Regardless of which account he used.
And every time they chatted, Huai Dan would end the conversation with “The high school entrance exam is coming soon, study hard.”
The number of times they played games together became pitifully few. He finally understood the meaning of “it’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality.”
But fortunately, everyone was equally busy. His deskmate also had no time to play games, let alone others, so his game rank remained high among his friends.
But that wasn’t the point.
The point was, Huai Dan was very cold towards his “second sister.”
He would greet Huai Dan every morning, noon, and night, but he would usually only receive a cold “mm” in response. In contrast, their conversations on his main account were much more friendly.
Like now.
He had sent Huai Dan a “good morning” on his alternate account, which hadn’t been replied to yet, but Huai Dan had actively sent a message to his main account.
Brother: [How many days until the exam?]
AAA.Test Paper Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Two weeks left.]
Brother: [Pay attention in class.]
Luo Jing: “…”
He replied angrily.
AAA.Test Paper Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Okay, brother OvO]
AAA.Test Paper Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [“You retracted a message”]
AAA.Test Paper Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Okay, brother]
…He was so used to his alternate account that even his typing habits were affected.
Unsure if the other person had seen it, Luo Jing closed the chat window with a slight sense of guilt.
After thinking for a moment, he switched to his alternate account and checked.
Good, still no reply.
He narrowed his eyes dangerously.
Then he sought out his trusted friend.
AAA.Test Paper Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Bro, I’ve encountered a problem.]
Wu Li: [What problem? Send me a picture.]
His friend seemed to be immersed in his studies.
Luo Jing felt a bit embarrassed.
Then he embarrassingly sent screenshots of his chat history with both accounts to Wu Li, saying, “He’s ignoring me, what should I do?”
Wu Li: […]
Wu Li: [What time is it?]
AAA.Test Paper Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [5:37 p.m.?]
Wu Li: […]
He was truly speechless.
Wu Li: [Bro, the high school entrance exam is coming soon, and you’re still acting every day. Don’t you feel ashamed at all?]
Luo Jing said shamefully: [A little.]
But not much.
Despite his words, their years of friendship made Wu Li endure this time. He was speechless for a moment, then clicked on the chat screenshots and read them carefully, becoming even more speechless.
Wu Li: [Are you a robot? All you say is good morning and good night.]
AAA.Test Paper Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [But I really don’t know what to say to him, and I’m clearly much more expressive than a robot.]
He even added emoticons every time he spoke.
Wu Li: [To attract someone, you have to show your strengths. Do you think anyone would like someone just because they send good morning and good night messages every day? Would you?]
Luo Jing thought for a moment after reading this, then put himself in the other person’s shoes, and felt Wu Li had a point.
AAA.Test Paper Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Master, please enlighten me.]
AAA.Test Paper Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Respectful.jpg]
Wu Li thought for a moment: [Online dating… why don’t you send him some pictures?]
AAA.Test Paper Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [That’s not good… That would be like real scamming.]
Wu Li: [Then buy some girls’ clothes, put on makeup, take some selfies, and send them to him.]
Luo Jing: “…”
If that was the case, he would rather tell Huai Dan the truth directly.
AAA.Test Paper Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Isn’t there a more decent way to show my strengths QAQ?]
AAA.Test Paper Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Message retracted.]
AAA.Test Paper Wholesaler Xiao Luo: [Isn’t there another way? Pictures can be quite risky.]
Wu Li: […I saw it.]
Luo Jing looked away, pretending he didn’t see it.
Wu Li: [Then how about this]
Wu Li: [Buy a voice changer and call him?]
Luo Jing: [?]
There were countless voice changers online, and Luo Jing was overwhelmed by the choices. In the end, he followed the principle of “choose the expensive one, not the right one” and bought a highly-rated model.
There were many five-star reviews, mostly praising its value for money and natural sound.
So he bought it without hesitation.
The customer service was online 24/7 and replied quickly. After he placed the order, they sent him the software and detailed instructions with pictures on how to install and use it, very thoughtful and service-oriented.
Luo Jing downloaded it, carefully studied the instructions for a while, and quickly got the hang of it.
It was very advanced, even allowing him to customize the voice.
Luo Jing found a strange sense of fun in tweaking the settings.
After adjusting it to his most satisfactory version, he excitedly called Wu Li.
“Hello, what is it now?” The phone rang for several seconds before being answered.
“How does this sound?” Luo Jing tried speaking.
Wu Li’s eyes widened in shock upon hearing his voice. After a few seconds of reaction, he instinctively checked the caller ID.
It was indeed his good friend.
Then, he realized something and was silent for half a minute before speaking.
His voice was filled with disbelief and absurdity: “You actually bought it? And you’re already using it?”
“Yeah, how is the effect? Does it sound unnatural? Is it very natural?” Unable to hear himself, Luo Jing rambled on. “Hey, can you record it for me so I can hear it?”
Wu Li could only endure the goosebumps and record it for him.
To be fair, the voice Luo Jing had created wasn’t bad. It wasn’t overly sweet, even pleasant to the ear. But thinking about who was actually speaking, Wu Li felt a chill.
“Recorded, recorded, I’ll send it to you now.” Wu Li’s face scrunched up. He grabbed his cat and rubbed it vigorously before feeling slightly better. “Don’t use that voice with me in the future, it’s too creepy.”
Huai Dan had been busy ever since returning from the New Year holidays. There was a lot of work at the company, and he also had to keep up with his studies. He had only recently had some free time.
Now that he had time to rest, an uninvited guest came to his house.
Ye Lin made himself at home, sitting on the single-seater sofa with his legs crossed, watching TV.
A historical drama was playing on TV. The production was high-quality, with elaborate costumes and makeup, clearly a high-budget drama.
The scene playing was the climax of the plot. The female lead, holding a sword, confronted a group of people in front of a palace. She was beautiful, with a resolute and determined look in her eyes, looking both beautiful and valiant.
Ye Lin took a sip of orange juice he had taken from Huai Dan’s fridge and, while watching, suddenly remembered something. He pointed at the TV and turned to ask his friend, “This company is having a reception in half a month, right? You must have been invited too. Are you going?”
Huai Dan looked up at the TV screen, about to speak, when a new message came in.
L: [Brother, are you free now OWO?]
So Huai Dan looked down at his phone and replied.
H: [Yes, what’s up?]
Seeing him silent, Ye Lin assumed it was the same as before and teased, “Rejecting every invitation, you’re quite impartial.”
Huai Dan ignored him, focusing on the message.
L: [Then let’s have a voice call!]
Huai Dan: “?”
He looked at the nickname at the top of the chat window, puzzled.
Did he send it to the wrong person?
He hesitated, wondering if he should remind the child.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to pretend he didn’t know anything: [No.]
But the person on the other end seemed strangely persistent.
They directly called him.
Huai Dan sighed softly, answered the call, and put the phone to his ear.
After answering, he took the initiative and said, “Hello, Miss Luo.”
He emphasized the last three words, intending to remind Luo Jing.
But unlike the expected immediate hang-up, the other end first cleared their throat indistinctly, then a female voice sounded: “Brother.”
This was so unexpected that Huai Dan was momentarily stunned.
Then he realized something.
This was truly absurd.
The other end sensed his brief chuckle and asked nervously, “What’s wrong, brother? Don’t you like my voice?”
The tone and manner of speaking were exactly the same as Luo Jing’s.
Huai Dan suppressed his laughter: “It’s so-so.”
“…Oh.”
Luo Jing was instantly dejected.
Plastic Bag was frolicking on the bed as usual. He grabbed its head glumly.
