TPWNDHAYD Chapter 4

| Previous | Table of Contents | Next |

Qin Kong stepped inside, and Wu Ming took a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet. "Make yourself comfortable. Watch some TV while I cook the dumplings."

Their apartments were right across from each other, with the same layout. Though Qin Kong didn’t visit often, it felt just like home—except that his neighbor’s place was much tidier than his own.

Glancing around the clean living room, then at Wu Ming busy in the kitchen, Qin Kong felt a little embarrassed.

Nowadays, people living in apartment buildings barely interacted with their neighbors. Some could live across from each other for decades and never even learn each other’s names. He was lucky to have such a good neighbor—quiet, easygoing, never causing trouble. Wu Ming would often share food whenever he made something tasty, to the point where Qin Kong felt guilty about always accepting it.

But this was the first time he had been invited over for a meal.

Thinking about how he had often joked in front of others that his neighbor was a pregnant woman, Qin Kong felt even guiltier.

Everything in the apartment was neat and well-organized. Wu Ming was kind, an excellent cook—whoever married him would be incredibly fortunate!

He secretly took out his phone and posted a Weibo update:

   [CV Qingkong: "My neighbor is such a good person! 😭 Not only did he lend me his computer, but he's also treating me to dumplings. I'm so touched I feel like I should marry him!"]

Wu Ming walked out of the kitchen just in time to see Qin Kong quickly put his phone away. He pursed his lips, trying to suppress a smile—probably posting on Weibo again!

Pretending not to notice, Wu Ming went into the bedroom and brought out a laptop.

"The dumplings still need a bit of time," he said, setting the laptop on the table. "This one’s old, so it can't handle large games."

"No problem, I don't play games," Qin Kong replied. "The sound card is good, right?"

"Of course, no issues with that." Wu Ming quickly booted up the laptop and disabled the password. "This was my old work laptop. I removed the password."

"Don't worry, I won’t snoop through your files."

"It’s fine. I reinstalled everything, so the hard drive is empty. You’ll have to install any software you need yourself."

Qin Kong took the laptop and checked the sound card—it was compatible with his microphone. The apartment had Wi-Fi, so he connected and downloaded YY (a voice chat application).

Meanwhile, Wu Ming brought out a plate of freshly boiled dumplings, placing them on the table. He waved Qin Kong over. "Stop messing with the computer for now. Come try my cooking."

The dumplings were steaming hot, their thin wrappers encasing generous fillings. They lay on the plate like little chubby babies, the light green stuffing faintly visible through the delicate skins.

Qin Kong picked one up with his chopsticks and grinned. "I trust your cooking—it's top-notch!"

He popped the dumpling into his mouth and immediately gave a thumbs-up. "Delicious!"

Wu Ming turned away, feeling his face grow warm, the blush creeping up to his ears. His earlobes tingled like they’d been bitten by a mosquito—hot, itchy, and red. His earlier boldness in inviting Qin Kong over had completely vanished.

Seeing Wu Ming blush, Qin Kong chuckled and reassured him, "I'm not exaggerating—it’s really good!"

Such a great neighbor—his only flaw was how easily he got embarrassed.

What Qin Kong didn’t realize was that Wu Ming wasn’t blushing from shyness—he was happy.

At 7:30 PM, Qin Kong finally finished setting up his mic and joined the chatroom. Three thousand people were already waiting.

He broke into a cold sweat. Usually, when he casually sang or chatted, there were at most two thousand listeners. But today, even before he arrived, three thousand had gathered. Some of his CV (voice actor) friends were also online. He had planned to keep things low-key, but it looked like that wouldn’t be possible.

"Ahem—can you all hear me?" The green indicator light flickered as he spoke.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting. My computer broke, unfortunately."

"How unlucky can I get on my birthday?"

"Thankfully, my kind neighbor lent me his laptop, so I can chat with everyone here."

"Huh? How were the dumplings? Haha, they were amazing."

"Don't rush me! You hear me every day—aren't you tired of it?"

"Let’s try something new today."

"Since we have so many CVs here tonight, how about a live performance from them?"

Just then, a mic clicked on, and CV Qing Ming spoke up. "Hey, Qing Kong, that’s not fair! We’re just here to watch. Since it’s your birthday, you should be the one making a sacrifice. How about a game of Q&A?"

The fans in the chat enthusiastically agreed.

"Ah, so you guys are here to mess with me today, huh?" Qing Kong smirked. "Fine! I’ll play along. What are the rules?"

Qing Ming laughed. "Since there are so many people here, anyone can ask you a question, and you have to answer truthfully. If you can’t answer, you have to compensate the asker with a little gift. Sound good?"

The fans cheered in approval.

Qing Kong snorted. "Hah! Turning against me, are you? Fine. If I can’t answer, I’ll send a signed postcard to the asker."

The fans went wild with excitement.

Wu Ming, sitting at the computer, froze. A chance to ask a question? A signed postcard?

He quickly shook his head, pushing away the thoughts he shouldn’t be having. Standing up, he poured himself a glass of water and gulped it down.

Meanwhile, Qing Ming continued hyping up the crowd. "Only twenty spots! Three, two, one—go!"

In an instant, fans scrambled for a chance to ask a question. Hundreds lined up, but the moderators swiftly removed those beyond the first twenty.

The first to speak was a nervous-sounding girl.

"Don't be nervous. Take a deep breath and ask your question," Qing Kong said gently.

The girl inhaled deeply. "Qing Kong… um… I love you so much! We’re from the same city. Can I ask for a meet-up?"

Qing Kong burst into laughter. The chat exploded with messages like "I want a meet-up too!"

"Miss, I must seriously tell you—no," Qing Kong replied. "But fate is mysterious. Who knows? Maybe I live right across from you!"

Wu Ming nearly spat out his water. He nervously glanced at his front door, relieved that his actual neighbor was just a die-hard fan—and a 'pregnant woman' at that, not a fangirl!

The first fan left, wailing dramatically.

The following questions varied from silly to outrageous. One fan asked, "If all your CV friends fell into the water, who would you save first?" Qing Kong tried to dodge, but everyone insisted he answer, so he ended up sending a postcard instead.

Then came a particularly bold question.

A girl asked bluntly, "Qing Kong, what are your three body measurements?"

Wu Ming's face turned beet red in an instant. He pouted, feeling flustered—why was he blushing? Young women these days were too shameless!

Qing Kong was completely dumbfounded. "Miss, I think I’ll just send you a postcard."

T/N: Please support in my ko-fi page,thank you☘️☘️☘️